1973 Pontiac Grand Am LS7 Swap

[Later-A-body]

Time to update the thread. I finished all of the chassis prep and towed it up to the shop to get it ready for the body install. The body is being prepped for paint. I decided to go ahead and repaint the car. I am keeping it silver, but changing it from BMW Titanium Silver, to BMW Glacier Silver. There is a little more black in the new color, and it is a shade darker which is which is what I wanted. I also sprayed the entire underside of the car with a bedliner coating which came out fantastic.

[Later-A-body]

Here are a few more underbody views.

[Later-A-body]

More body prep pictures.

[Later-A-body]

While I had the opportunity to make some changes, I decided to go forward with a specific design element that I had been thinking about for a few years. I had dual exhaust tips exiting behind the rear tires. I wasn't satisfied with the placement of the tips in relation to the gap that was needed to clear the factory pinch weld on the bottom of the quarter panel. I wanted subtle scalloped openings placed into the quarter panels behind the rear tires that will allow the tips to be slightly tucked up into the rear quarter. We also eliminated the pinch weld. Here are a few pictures. I bought new single tips that will be welded together into a dual tip per side set up a little bigger than the old tips.

[Later-A-body]

I'm posting this a little out of the order of the build. Since I have switched over to a Magnum T-56, I decided to upgrade the clutch assembly on the LS7 from a McLeod single disc, to a McLeod twin disc unit. I worked with them locally since they are not far from where I live. We decided on the RST dual disc set up. The price point was better, and since the motor will make somewhere in the 600 HP range, they felt the RXT would be overkill. The single disc pedal effort was heavy, even though I have a hydraulic T/O bearing. The twin disc set up will be much more street friendly.

[Later-A-body]

Another area that I have improved is the dash. The dash had a small crack in it for a few years now, and I had a dash mat in place over it. It looked okay, but ultimately I wanted to replace the dash. Unfortunately the Grand Am dash is a huge one piece design, so the cost is higher. I was able to buy a another dash last year for $50.00 and send it out for rebuilding. I drove it up to Just Dashes in Van Nuys, Ca. They are only about 1 hour north of me. Overall I am very pleased with the work. The dash looks exactly like the original, the color and grain is a perfect match. I also took the opportunity to fabricate a plate to mount new dual Alpine 4" speakers in place of the original single cone speaker. I picked up the Alpines from Crutchfield. They were an open box special, $59.00. I already have new Alpines for the rear to match.

[Motown 454]

The dash looks great. Sweet Motor.

[Later-A-body]

Yeah they did a nice job on the dash. I'm happy to finally be able to have music in the car soon. That hasn't been hooked up for at least 10 years.

[Centerforce]

That dash came out awesome! Cracks on the dash drive us crazy for some reason, so its nice to see a mint one like this going in the car!

[Later-A-body]

Yeah it drove me nuts when the entire rest of the car looks great, but I had to put one of the dash covers on to cover up the crack. Since I had the dash out I took the opportunity to install the speakers, and reorganize the wire loom under the dash as well. I am installing more dynamat on the firewall too. These steps are way to difficult to do with the dash in place.

[subtlez28]

Sean

I just re-read your entire thread. I'm excited to see that the car is continuing to evolve.

The aluminum spindles got me all excited! I have wanted that set up forever (sealed modern bearings and aluminum construction). Looking at their website and seeing they are only sold with a $5k suspension package is a kick in the sack! Like you I already have aftermarket goodies like GW UCAs and DSE sway bar...

One of the main reasons I re-read the whole thing is I was looking for floor mods to clear the T-56. Do you by chance have more pics of what you cut out and what you fabbed?

I'm also impressed with your new trans cross member! Think your shop could replicate it for me?

I know I've said it multiple times over the years, but I'm back planning my LS swap for my 73 Buick again.

-Shaun-

[Peanut1959]

Loving this build, and happy to see the car rise from adversity. Subscribed!

[Later-A-body]

Sean

I just re-read your entire thread. I'm excited to see that the car is continuing to evolve.

The aluminum spindles got me all excited! I have wanted that set up forever (sealed modern bearings and aluminum construction). Looking at their website and seeing they are only sold with a $5k suspension package is a kick in the sack! Like you I already have aftermarket goodies like GW UCAs and DSE sway bar...

One of the main reasons I re-read the whole thing is I was looking for floor mods to clear the T-56. Do you by chance have more pics of what you cut out and what you fabbed?

I'm also impressed with your new trans cross member! Think your shop could replicate it for me?

I know I've said it multiple times over the years, but I'm back planning my LS swap for my 73 Buick again.

-Shaun-

Hey Shaun,

I didn't have to invest in the entire Speedtech suspension in order to get the spindles. I did have to purchase the upper control arms, and steering arms though to have the correct geometry. I worked with Ron Sutton on the specifics, and he works directly with Speedtech. You might be able to get the same parts as I did if you work with Ron? The trans crossmember is built to fit the modified frame rails that are fully boxed. They mount on pedestals, unlike the factory crossmember, so unless your frame is modified like mine it would not fit correctly. We had to mock up the entire drivetrain in order to get the angles set right. I'm glad you are getting ideas for your Buick build. I would like to see that when you get going on the build.

[Later-A-body]

Loving this build, and happy to see the car rise from adversity. Subscribed!

Thanks for the positive feedback. I'm trying to keep the build page alive. The car is stuck in paint shop hell right now. I cant really move forward until they get paint on the car.

[Later-A-body]

So for the last few months the GA has been in the body shop. Things are moving slowly, but I'm very happy with the work being done. One of the major things I wanted to do is reduce the gaps on the car. The gaps were too big for my satisfaction. I have seen a lot of other '73-'77 cars with big gaps, so this is the time to do it. They started with the doors. They were slid back towards the rear quarters. A few things that had to happen was the drivers front fender ear that bolts into the firewall needed to be cut and re-welded. This was the only way to get the fender to slide further back toward the drivers door. Metal was added to various areas in order to get the gaps even throughout the car. It's one thing to gap the car, but if the gaps aren't identical throughout the vehicle it looks wrong. This is were most of the time was spent. The front nose is an aftermarket piece that has been on the car since 2001. The quality is very good, but the glass needed to be reworked for a better fit as well. One area that was a problem was the nose always rubbed the top of the bumper. That was reshaped and now has about 1/8" clearance. The nose/hood gap has been perfected as well. Another area that was addressed are the body lines. The GA has very distinctive body lines. The body guys and I agreed these should be enhanced and sharpened. So all the corners such as the trunk lid, hood, body contours, roofline have been sharpened. This really adds a custom element to the body, and will really be enhanced when the paint is done. It's hard to see in some of the pictures with just primer. See next page pictures.

[Later-A-body]

[Later-A-body]

[Later-A-body]

So after I decided to have the GA repainted, I wanted to change the color from the bright silver to a darker silver or lighter grey. The car was painted BMW Titanium Silver in 2001. It is a little too light in the direct sunlight, and because the car is so big, I felt a little darker shade would give the car a little more depth and character. I looked at a ton of silvers, but the problem is most newer cars have a coarse metallic which I personally don't like the look of on older cars. I like BMW colors because they have a finer metallic. So I decided to go with 2016 BMW Donnington Gray. This color is only available on the M series. It is not as dark as the standard Space Gray. It is a little bit darker than the previous silver, and looks fantastic in the sun. It has a good amount of flop to it that will compliment the body lines. I'm open to opinions on the choice.

[Later-A-body]

When I decided to go with the Magnum T-56 transmission I noticed that the factory center console was difficult to use due to the very narrow opening where the shifter pops through. In addition to that I am changing the shifter to a more modern Hurst Hard Drive shift handle. This shifter has to be installed straight up and down with no angle, unlike my previous shifter. This will not allow it to work in the factory center console. I also wanted to have some cupholders and a 12 volt port like the newer cars for convenience. I looked around at some modern cars like the Gen 5 Camaro console, but decided on the 2009-2014 Challenger console. I was able to get this for a very low price from a local guy who had modified it to fit in his '68 Camaro, but decided not to use it. Well it fits perfectly and it has a very large shifter opening which solves that problem. I will be ading a brace underneath the console so it can be boltef down properly. The best part for me is it looks like it belongs in the car, not too custom.

[1965gp]

Car is looking great. Love the new color