Project: Love 69 - My Corvette Build Thread

[vette427-sbc]

My Christmas present from the family stating: "I hope you never actually use this" Safecraft 5lb Fire system. It uses 3M Novec 1230 chemical. I was going to put a fire extinguisher in here anyway, so whats the big deal to add 20 ft of aluminum line and a pull cable to gain a massive jump in safety??

So the A-pillar bar required the relocation of the light switch, leaving an ugly hole that isnt easily fillable... killed two birds with one stone! Easy access for me while strapped in, and for a corner worker to grab through the window




Im going to run an under-dash, engine compartment and fuel pump/tank nozzle. Ill likely have the tank in the passenger side rear storage compartment to keep it low, centrally located, and the head away from anything that could accidentally knock into it.




And after much mental debate... Ive decided on an alternator. NipponDenso Mini... My worst case scenario amp draw exceeds what these are capable of (90A rebuilt); BUT that scenario is mostly avoidable (parallel parking with headlights on, blower motor on, rad fans on, radio on, the low engine RPM and electric power steering pump at max draw) If its unavoidable, its only for a second or two and the battery can fill in the missing amperage. Ill deal with the lights dimming for a few seconds to gain:
Less weight, lower mounting position, more clearance on other parts, more radiator ducting room.




I have also moved the oil cooler thermostat to the right (in these pictures) of the steering rack to lessen the cooler line lengths, and make room for the lower radiator hose. Unfortunately, this means extending the lines for the PS cooler to the passengers side. BUT this gives me more room to play with oil tank position and keeps the oil cooler lines further from the headers. I feel like I havent gotten much done but the nights of just staring and thinking over every possible configuration is paying off... Everything is finally finding its home and Im happy (so far) with serviceabilty, practicality and packaging of all the components.

[vette427-sbc]

Small, but some progress... TSP Performance 90A alternator came in along with some Jones Racing HTD pullies. The water pump is 1:1 and the alternator is 2:1. I trimmed down the alternator pulley a bit on the lathe to get it closer to the case so I can keep everything as tight as possible to the motor.

[vette427-sbc]

Slowly picking away at the ever-growing list of to-do's...

I got the firewall brace bonded to the firewall, finally. I used 3M 08115 Panel bond. My goal was to use the panel bond instead of the rivets to increase rigidity so that I would get less flex, and therefore better pedal response under hard braking.



Next on the list is the heater hoses... Intake side is done, I still have to make a 1/2NPT to 45* -10AN for the waterpump side



Header mockup is done... had to re-route #1 tube so that I can run a straight shaft with only 2 joints, which also gives me more clearance for the oil cooler lines. Thats two things on my list taken care of with one modification



Clutch master reservoir line is finished. I tried to figure out how to get an AN fitting on the master, but the inlet is too large to machine and tap for a banjo thread. Keeping it simple for now with a short rubber hose connection.



Mercedes A-class power steering pump bracket... The pump mounts using the two top rubber isolated bolts, and Ill have to make a piece of poly to secure the bottom of the motor with the bracket with a hose clamp or something similar. The two slots at the bottom are for the hose clamp to pass through.

[FLYNAVY53]

Looks good!!

[KacyZ28]

Thanks! Its a Dart SHP 427, Dart 215 heads, hydraulic roller (have to dig up the cam specs). It made 595 on the dyno, Im hoping I can hit the 600 mark with some light intake porting, tuning and the drysump vacuum... Ive also wanted a 427sbc forever (hence the username!) and I came across this motor for a price that I couldnt pass up. The only reason This car doesnt have an LS is because I plan to have this car mostly completed to take a road trip down the east coast spring of 2019. The LS would have delayed that with the extra wiring, tuning and cost of parts. Ill build a nice N/A 427 LS based motor in my spare time while I enjoy the car. My current daily driver is 5800lbs and 140hp. I need something fast in my life again ASAP

PS start a thread on your 64!

Are you still planning the east coast cruise and how far down are you going to go?

[vette427-sbc]

Are you still planning the east coast cruise and how far down are you going to go?

Still in the plans, although due to some unforeseen issues with the flares, it will be postponed. After I saw the issue with the flares, the build turned into a stress maker, and not a stress reliever so I slowed down and got my focus back on track. Ive got some friends that live in West Palm Beach area so assuming the car makes it that far, ill be down there at some point!

Looks good!!

Thanks!

[KacyZ28]

Still in the plans, although due to some unforeseen issues with the flares, it will be postponed. After I saw the issue with the flares, the build turned into a stress maker, and not a stress reliever so I slowed down and got my focus back on track. Ive got some friends that live in West Palm Beach area so assuming the car makes it that far, ill be down there at some point!

You'll pass right by me, let me know when youre making the trip, I'd love to see the car in person, if you have the flexibility you could plan it to be in W. Palm for Cars and coffee, its the biggest in the country.

[vette427-sbc]

I havent posted too many details on my in-dash balance bar setup yet, but part of that project was figuring out where to put the bias adjust... Easy to access, short cable run and make it not look too out of place. I think the ashtray location fits the bill!

You'll pass right by me, let me know when youre making the trip, I'd love to see the car in person, if you have the flexibility you could plan it to be in W. Palm for Cars and coffee, its the biggest in the country.

Definitely! My friend sends me pictures and videos everytime he goes to C&C... Ill be planning my trip to make sure I hit one of the scheduled Sundays.

[vette427-sbc]

Pedal box painted and ready for final install

[vette427-sbc]

PS pump mount is completed and in for good, crankshaft drive mandrel shortened and alternator turnbuckle finished

[KacyZ28]

Heres a pic from the last cars and coffee in W. Palm, everything in the mall lot around to the other building is cars and coffee.

[vette427-sbc]

Rear tire showed up for mockup/wheel fitment... 345/30/19 Toyo R888R
a 2.5" flare would give me ample clearance on the frame and wheel tubs, I may run it a bit tighter to the frame once I get the wheel fit tool and see where everything ends up. For now its just thrown in with no account for camber or toe. It sure looks beefy!

Also been plugging away at the interior wiring harness... Almost done... Enough to get it started with basic function. Keeping homage to the euro details on the car, I used Tessa cloth tape and half-wrapped sections like alot of newer Mercedes and BMW's. Almost everything is connectorized to make servicing or removing the interior quick and easy. A few switches are just regular male spades and in the interest of driving this thing ASAP, I just left them alone for now. In the future they will be properly terminated

Heres a pic from the last cars and coffee in W. Palm, everything in the mall lot around to the other building is cars and coffee.

Im sold on making that event! Hopefully this summer

[cornfedbill]

I like the pedal box. I also modified by stock pedal support to fit with a Wilwood bias bar and master cylinders, but in a different way.

Are you thinking about L88 style flares? They should fit over those tires quite well. They may be a bit common, but fit well with the lines of a C3.

[FLYNAVY53]

Absolutely love it. I prefer the C2 with factory body lines, but in my uneducated opinion, every C3 looks better with properly executed flares. I also think the modern wheel sizes look better on the C3 because the wheel wells are circular, as opposed to the rounded rectangles on the C2. I just wish I had time/money/space for one of each!

[vette427-sbc]

I like the pedal box. I also modified by stock pedal support to fit with a Wilwood bias bar and master cylinders, but in a different way.

Are you thinking about L88 style flares? They should fit over those tires quite well. They may be a bit common, but fit well with the lines of a C3.

Thanks! I love the l88 flared cars, but it’s not the look I’m going for on this car. Plus I don’t need 4”... im going to try and make something that doesn’t look flared to the average person. The front 2” flares from Custom Image Corvettes are very subtle. I’m hoping I can get a similar look for the rear. Also if you notice, most flared C3 vettes have the rear wheel lip lower than stock which raises the rocker height while maintaining minimal fender to wheel gap.. I’ve modified my frame to allow for enough suspension travel at the lower rocker height. I’ll be making sure my rear flares take advantage of this as I think it’s a small detail that makes a big difference in the look of the car.

Absolutely love it. I prefer the C2 with factory body lines, but in my uneducated opinion, every C3 looks better with properly executed flares. I also think the modern wheel sizes look better on the C3 because the wheel wells are circular, as opposed to the rounded rectangles on the C2. I just wish I had time/money/space for one of each!

Thank you! I haven’t seen another C3 with the flares I’m planning so I think it will really stand out (by not standing out, If that makes sense!)

[FLYNAVY53]

I look forward to seeing the progress...subtly and wheel flares is definitely a delicate balance!

I've always liked this one that Custom Image Corvettes finished a year or two ago although the rear flares are probably a bit more than you're looking for.

[cornfedbill]

Thanks! I love the l88 flared cars, but it’s not the look I’m going for on this car. Plus I don’t need 4”... im going to try and make something that doesn’t look flared to the average person. The front 2” flares from Custom Image Corvettes are very subtle. I’m hoping I can get a similar look for the rear. Also if you notice, most flared C3 vettes have the rear wheel lip lower than stock which raises the rocker height while maintaining minimal fender to wheel gap.. I’ve modified my frame to allow for enough suspension travel at the lower rocker height. I’ll be making sure my rear flares take advantage of this as I think it’s a small detail that makes a big difference in the look of the car.

Subtle can be good too. Yes, the L88 flares are a bit big and not subtle at all. I'm eager to see what you come up with.

[vette427-sbc]

More long term projects finally coming to reality! I think I started designing this radiator around January... C&R racing totally knocked it out of the park. Very easy to deal with, and helped with the design to make this as efficient as possible.

27.5" x 14.5", double pass 55mm core, extruded tube, type R fins. Sized to get it lower in the chassis and closer to the center of the car.











Still need to fab the mounts and hoses, but this is about where it sits

[KacyZ28]

Rear tire showed up for mockup/wheel fitment... 345/30/19 Toyo R888R
a 2.5" flare would give me ample clearance on the frame and wheel tubs, I may run it a bit tighter to the frame once I get the wheel fit tool and see where everything ends up. For now its just thrown in with no account for camber or toe. It sure looks beefy!

Also been plugging away at the interior wiring harness... Almost done... Enough to get it started with basic function. Keeping homage to the euro details on the car, I used Tessa cloth tape and half-wrapped sections like alot of newer Mercedes and BMW's. Almost everything is connectorized to make servicing or removing the interior quick and easy. A few switches are just regular male spades and in the interest of driving this thing ASAP, I just left them alone for now. In the future they will be properly terminated







Im sold on making that event! Hopefully this summer

During the summer its hot and most car related events stop.. Usually pick back up around September and full swing through out the fall/winter/spring.

[vette427-sbc]

Slow, wiring is hard to show progress through photos. Here’s a few highlights... Doing my best to design this as an OEM might.

Ditched the generic Spal connectors for these high current weather proof ones from amphenol


Alot going on back here... fuel lines, heater lines, and the engine bulkhead connector. This is a Delphi HES 29 pin, multi gauge. The distributor fits right in, and the harness can be unplugged without removing it



Also got the radiator mounts finished. .25” 6061. They are machined to match the angle of the tanks as they sit in the frame (40° lay-forward)