66 Chevelle LSA/4L90E Conversion

[1in1969]

Hey Ken, beautiful car. Since I can't find where anybody asked...(maybe I missed it!) what are your specs for your wheels and tires? Thanks, Shawn

[kwhizz]

I know these tires are a little on the "Fat Sidewall" side compared to what everyone else is running......but this car will never see a cone.....just a garage built Power Tour car......hence the wider tires......the fronts are 17 x 7 ......225 -55........the rears are 18 x 8 ......255-55.........I believe 4 1/2 back spacing ........

[1in1969]

Thanks, I like the fatter sidewall as well! Shawn

[kwhizz]

I finished the exhaust system and got another Education on Welding.......I finally got the wire feed and voltage dialed in on the last weld........Typical..........But.....In building the other LS powered cars I always seemed to have issues with the "Rappy" sound out the exhaust pipes and ended up changing mufflers a couple times to get away from it..........I think the length of the tail pipes have something to do with it........But.......On this car I bought Dynomax #17749 super turbo mufflers and brought the tail pipes out behind the rear tires........so ....when I started it I didn't know what to expect.........I wanted the quietist performance Muffler I could find...........so.....When I started it........I was very pleasantly surprised at how you could hear the exhaust.....but yet how quiet it was........Perfect!!!........Going down to Stefano at Nickey next week to get the rough edges blended together in the ECM............When I started the build I had the complete ZL1 harness assy........But......because I decided not to use the 6L90E trans we couldn't use the ZL1 harness ........John at Speartech supplied a ECM set up to work with the engine and the 4L70E trans......but....It needed to dialed in to blend everything together......so......Stefano and Cory are going to put the final piece of the puzzle in place.............Then it's going to Frame-Up to get the A/C system charged......83 days till Power Tour.......


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/F76BB633-C2F2-4A2A-8B2E-1458877E688D.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/BB3BB509-270E-4990-A7C7-942B692886FC.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/FD5763B0-519F-48AA-801D-CB4376CEEC32.jpg

[waynieZ]

Exhaust looks good and tucked up nice to the floor.

[kwhizz]

I have gotten a couple of requests to hear the "Beater" run with the exhaust system.....so....here is a short video......as you can see until the engine gets tuned it's running Pig Rich!!!..........Driving down the road you can barely hear the exhaust unlike the Flowmaster that I had on the other cars......These are much better and thanks to Samhatco for the Muffler recommendation.....Click on the Picture for Video


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/th_002.jpg (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/002.mp4)

[NOPANTS68]

Ken, the car looks and sounds great. I was also doing exhaust today on our 67. One thing worth mentioning is your tailpipe exits. I did my 64 chevelle like yours and experienced a lot of fumes blowing into the car at low speeds. I ended up extending them back a foot and it was solved. Seems like if you don't get the spent gases away from the car they whip around and into the cabin.

[kwhizz]

Ken, the car looks and sounds great. I was also doing exhaust today on our 67. One thing worth mentioning is your tailpipe exits. I did my 64 chevelle like yours and experienced a lot of fumes blowing into the car at low speeds. I ended up extending them back a foot and it was solved. Seems like if you don't get the spent gases away from the car they whip around and into the cabin.



If there is a problem that will be the first thing to adjust........Thanks

Ken

[Zoomin]

What size pipe did you use - 2-1/2"?

Great job on getting the exhaust tucked up and away.

[kwhizz]

What size pipe did you use - 2-1/2"?

Great job on getting the exhaust tucked up and away.

Yep!!.........2 1/2"...........

[kwhizz]

The car is on it's way to Nickey Chicago where Stefano and Cory are going to give it some good old Muscle car tuning......They are very busy there so it might be a week before I can post a video of the car on the chassis Dyno.........Gonna get interesting from this point on!!!.........


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/C8F55C28-A12B-4809-B9D4-5AC47E300ABF.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/1B974382-38E1-4B12-B343-D798270CA207.jpg


Ken

[syborg tt]

There not that far from me and this sounds like a great reason to go visit there shop

[kwhizz]

There not that far from me and this sounds like a great reason to go visit there shop




Where are you located at??

[camcojb]

The car is on it's way to Nickey Chicago where Stefano and Cory are going to give it some good old Muscle car tuning......They are very busy there so it might be a week before I can post a video of the car on the chassis Dyno.........Gonna get interesting from this point on!!!.........








Ken :morepower:drive:

[syborg tt]

Where are you located at??

I am about 30 minutes away. The guys at Wagner shipped my motor to them so I could save on shipping

[kwhizz]

Waiting it's turn on the Chassis Dyno at Nickey Chicago......


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/N1.jpg

[waynieZ]

This should be interesting!

[kwhizz]

Stefano and Cory at Nickey have been very busy and since I'm not really in any hurry to get the car back,.....they didn't get to it until late in the week.........Cory had to install another Bung in the exhaust system for one of the sensors that is needed for the Dyno Computer.......it would have normally gone in one of the rear O-2 sensors Bungs........Then it finally got on the Chassis Dyno but since it was late on Friday.......Cory didn't get a chance to really dial it in yet.........should be a video early next week...........


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/1969CamaroRSSSIndyPaceCarConvertible073.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/1969CamaroRSSSIndyPaceCarConvertible137.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/1969CamaroRSSSIndyPaceCarConvertible140.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/1969CamaroRSSSIndyPaceCarConvertible141.jpg

[camcojb]

Man, that car is beautiful.

[GregWeld]

I love a good dyno day!


Car is just awesome Ken!

[TimeWarpF100]

Stefano and Cory at Nickey have been very busy and since I'm not really in any hurry to get the car back,.....they didn't get to it until late in the week.........Cory had to install another Bung in the exhaust system for one of the sensors that is needed for the Dyno Computer.......it would have normally gone in one of the rear O-2 sensors Bungs........Then it finally got on the Chassis Dyno but since it was late on Friday.......Cory didn't get a chance to really dial it in yet.........should be a video early next week...........


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/1969CamaroRSSSIndyPaceCarConvertible073.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/1969CamaroRSSSIndyPaceCarConvertible137.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/1969CamaroRSSSIndyPaceCarConvertible140.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/1969CamaroRSSSIndyPaceCarConvertible141.jpg

Absolutely Stunning car! waiting to hear some HP & TQ numbers.

Brings back fond memories as my first ride in a Muscle car was a 1967 SS 396 4spd Chevelle way back in 1969.

[cspecken]

Great build. The car turned out very nice. Who did you have rebuild your stock radio?

[kwhizz]

Great build. The car turned out very nice. Who did you have rebuild your stock radio?


Here you go............

http://www.vintageautoradio.com/

[jimbo]

What kinda of numbers are shooting for?

[kwhizz]

What kinda of numbers are shooting for?



Jimbo........The engine is as stock as they come.......I'll be just as surprised as everyone else.......Gonna be a new experience being able to keep up (somewhat) with Charley on the Power Tour......LOL

[kwhizz]

Cory had a nagging issue to deal with in this pieced together system.....When he would start to get into some boost, the Computer would pull Timing out of the engine and kill the Power......Took a while to figure out that it was the Torque Management system that was killing the power........It took a while to figure out how to get in the proper area of the ECM and turn that particular table off..........Got a call from him just before he was leaving for the day and he finally got to make a pull without losing Timing.........Tomorrow seems to be the day everything gets blended together to work as a balanced system.............


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/N1.jpg

[camcojb]

Cory had a nagging issue to deal with in this pieced together system.....When he would start to get into some boost, the Computer would pull Timing out of the engine and kill the Power......Took a while to figure out that it was the Torque Management system that was killing the power........It took a while to figure out how to get in the proper area of the ECM and turn that particular table off..........Got a call from him just before he was leaving for the day and he finally got to make a pull without losing Timing.........Tomorrow seems to be the day everything gets blended together to work as a balanced system.............



I wonder how many others are having that issue and don't know it. :poke:

[kwhizz]

Didn't hear anything from Cory today.........But the first quick pull yesterday with the Timing stabilized.........The car made 480 rear wheel horsepower.........So.....I can't wait to see what it will do with everything dialed in..........These engines just amaze me.......this thing idles like Grandma's car........Hope to have a video tomorrow.....

[clill]

Now you are catching on....

[Flash68]

God that's a pretty car. Nicely done. :thumbsup:

[kwhizz]

Here a Video of a Dyno pull from Nickey Chicago.........Stefano and Cory.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLruPmRdhzo&feature=em-uploademail

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/scan1009.jpg


Ken

[tubbed69]

Kevin your car turned out amazing,those are good numbers,satisfied?

[tubbed69]

Sorry Ken,for calling you Kevin but I was watching another post,followed your whole build and again one of my favorite buils so far:trophy-1302:

[GregWeld]

Now you are catching on....




Catching ON or UP?? LOL

[kwhizz]

Catching ON or UP?? LOL


At least now I will be able to keep Charley's Tail lights in view on the Power Tour!!!

[clill]

At least now I will be able to keep Charley's Tail lights in view on the Power Tour!!!

That is pure BS. The first time you were on Power Tour with us you had a 327 Chevelle. We would be bombing along at 70 and look back in the mirror and there you were. 75mph...there you were... 80 85 there you were....

[GregWeld]

Nice numbers Ken! You must be happy with that.



Keeping up with Charley is easy -- he's getting old... next thing you know he'll be like Vegas69 and posting that he has lost all his interest.


Yeah -- like when hell freezes over... LOL

[kwhizz]

Stefano had the car delivered to Frame-up Wheelworks in Beach Park, Ill to get the A/C system checked and charged and also Donnie is going to check out the brake system...........Getting close....

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/D9033B7E-F35C-477E-AFDF-A2D831D378B0.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/7CFB3067-70AC-40AC-B2A8-7F3F8850D137.jpg

[kwhizz]

I just wanted to take a minute to thank Stefano,Cory and Tom from Nickey for their Help and expertise in getting this system blended in and dialed in..........They took a non factory designed pieced together system and got it working as if it came from the Factory that way.........Great "Job" to the Nickey Crew.......

Ken

[kwhizz]

Donnie and the guy's at Frame-up knocked the Chevelle out in a day..........The A/C is charged and ready to go........They had to replace one A/C hose that I didn't make correctly and they also replaced the brake pads...........It seem's that after having the rotors plated locally , during the break=in of the pads..........it seems the plating wore off the rotors and embedded itself in the pads and took away the braking power.........after changing the pads you could see all the plating that was embedded in the pads.......Car stops great now!!!

So......After picking the car up from Frame-Up today.....this was the first time I have driven the car after being dialed in by Nickey............LOL..........Un-Freak'in believeable..........This engine is insane as to the power available.........All I can say is GM sure did their homework when putting this combo together......I have driven some high H.P. cars before.......But......."Nothing" like this........Can't wait for the weather to show up at some time in the future.........LOL


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/0873B28C-5293-4F49-90CA-106B380D1BAB.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/C9AD870E-57CB-4161-8649-1FE72722F77A.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/0B483873-63AA-4FB5-8FC0-0E0583D793AB.jpg

[GregWeld]

That's so good to hear Ken! Glad you're happy with how everything has turned out.


PS - Charley still have like 300 HP on ya... LOL


The car is beautiful and your hard work really shows.

[kwhizz]

That's so good to hear Ken! Glad you're happy with how everything has turned out.


PS - Charley still have like 300 HP on ya... LOL


The car is beautiful and your hard work really shows.



The way I see it that extra 300 H.P. is just for Bragging rights......LOL......This thing will just blow the tires off whenever you want it to.......LOL....

[kwhizz]

Getting a few loose ends tied up..........Added a II Much fuel tank vent system......That took all of 45 minutes..........Time for a Nap again............There's also a shot showing a bottom shot of the car......everything is above the crossmember.......nothing hanging down below so the car is very "Street Smart".......(don't have to worry about speed bumps.....LOL)


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/20EFBE95-10B1-4F57-A256-7B656D176EEF.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/997B7F84-6DA7-4FB3-93D3-51C0A0504853.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/16F12886-08BD-4BC5-8516-B6E34750F920.jpg

[kwhizz]

41 days till Power Tour............After switching over to Power Brakes......99% of my issues with the car went away.......LOL.....Now after driving it I found an annoying squeak somewhere in the steering column........I'll deal with that later.......I installed Halogen headlights (no more T-3's) and now at night I can really see everything........I took the car over to a friend for the final touch......a wet sanding of the clear and then final buffing...........here are a couple of pic's



http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/2014042795120000.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/2014042795165654.jpg

[rickpaw]

Car turns out great Ken.

[kwhizz]

After the wet sanding and Buffing........I have the car all detailed out........and ready to go.......Two things left to do is that I now have a very annoying Squeek in the steering column when turning the wheel........need to take it apart and find out whats going on ......and.....I have a Alarm system that I need to install........Here are some recent pic's


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/7D57042E-0E7F-4A88-B390-A7B82C904058.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/349A43AE-3EEC-41D8-B998-BFEC75362F22.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/B7121407-14C4-4BB8-A5E0-87CE7AB9CA5A.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/44574E35-BD0D-4C03-80A3-A8E93357F836.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/1D6471B9-E404-46DC-9094-C98552DC12D1.jpg

[blacktop]

I had a 66 two years ago with a colum crazy noise. I found it was the ruber where colum bolts up to dash was to small and wore out. I used a piece of radiator hose and it fixed it.

[kwhizz]

I had a 66 two years ago with a colum crazy noise. I found it was the ruber where colum bolts up to dash was to small and wore out. I used a piece of radiator hose and it fixed it.


Found it.........The lower bearing was dry......oiled it......smooth as silk......funny thing the noise resonated up thru the shaft and I would have bet money it was right at the steering wheel.........LOL

[all4sho]

great build

[waynieZ]

Sweet !

[kwhizz]

The Education continues........LOL........Took the car up to the Wisconsin Dells over the weekend for a trial run before leaving for the Power Tour in a couple of weeks.....A couple of issues popped up........one of the issues was that after putting the vacuum brake system in the car I was having issues with the brake pedal being all over the place ( Low....High...and in between).....and when starting the car for the first time the brake assist was barely there.........I was told that these engines didn't make any vacuum but I thought that if GM ran them this way ........then I could too........LOL........Hydro-Boost is on it's way...........Second Issue was a slight vibration that was in the car.....I thought it was thru the drivetrain but.......I was looking closely at everything today and I noticed that the bolt that holds the brake line "T" fitting on the frame below the master was right against the header pipe and transmitting the vibration thru the frame..........Gonna take the header off and clearance it to eliminate that little annoying issue........anyhow........the car performed perfectly in this 450 mile weekend trip.....the ride and handling are spot on...........and the little extra horsepower is pretty cool also.....LOL......Here's a couple of pictures.......2200RPM @ 80 MPH.........Gotta Love it!!!!



http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/6CBF353A-11C7-4A7D-AA35-83FBD96AE69A.jpg



http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/AB1C1DD1-E20F-4C2B-B41B-85B703ED8067_1.jpg



http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/4D8B883F-BCAA-495B-BB6F-8123438232E9_1.jpg

[CURVES]

80 going by the state patrol headquarters, that a boy! :mock:

That car is outstanding. :trophy-1302:

[syborg tt]

Car looks great. I can't wait to see it on the Power Tour I will be in the yellow 2010 Camaro Bumble Bee

[aggie91]

Awsome to hear the good report from it first road trip.

Car looks real good!

[waynieZ]

Looks awesome.

[kwhizz]

A little update..........Since the Dells trip I was still very un-impressed with the brakes........I had a situation where the Brake pedal would vary where the brake action started.....sometimes it was just off the floor and other times it was all the way at full pedal........keep in mind everything was new and the brakes were bled many times.......I was getting advice all over the place and nothing worked........so......this is just Brakes and not Rocket Science........So.......I get fed up with this stuff as I didn't know what else to do.......I ordered a Hydro-Boost system takes the place of the Vacuum booster and is plumbing into the Power Steering system and uses the pump line pressure as the power source for the power assist...........Well......It shows up and the unit itself ......well......lets just say it wasn't in the best of shape for a Brand new unit..........LOL.....So.....Now I'm going round and round with them to get the new unit I paid for......(this is a Major parts supplier).........After the Dog and Pony show I still am waiting for a new unit........and time is getting short for the Power Tour.........So.......Saturday morning I couldn't sleep and I'm telling myself that this whole situation is getting so complicated I don't even understand what's going on anymore.......So......I decide to go back to basics again and start from the foundation again and pull the front tires off and Bleed the brakes again (for the 127th time)......They bled normal without any obvious air in the system, so I didn't think it would make any difference.......put everything back together and take the car out for a test ride............Bingo.........I guess there is a Brake God and he figured I was tortured enough..........Everything works perfectly..........Damm......That was hard......Hydro-Boost going back...........

I also got my Alarm system installed and changed the Oil and Filter today.........while under the car I noticed that the A/C compressor belt was eating itself up............I ended up talking to Stielow and we determined that the stretch to fit GM belt was not designed to be installed in a system like mine with a turn buckle arrangement for tensioning as they are designed to have a very defined tension..........So......Here we go again....trying to find an aftermarket belt that will fit........LOL.....I can hear it already........Sir......Year, Make, and Model of car please........So........I don't even try Advance Auto parts...........I drive over to NAPA and talk to a girl behind the counter and I explain my problem and what I'm looking for.........she comes back in a minute with a belt......Humm!!!!........I go home and 10 minutes later everything is installed and the car is running with Ice Cold A/C..........LOL.......Go Figure.........Power tour in starts in 11 days..........

[GregWeld]

A little update..........Since the Dells trip I was still very un-impressed with the brakes........I had a situation where the Brake pedal would vary where the brake action started.....sometimes it was just off the floor and other times it was all the way at full pedal........keep in mind everything was new and the brakes were bled many times.......I was getting advice all over the place and nothing worked........so......this is just Brakes and not Rocket Science........So.......I get fed up with this stuff as I didn't know what else to do.......I ordered a Hydro-Boost system takes the place of the Vacuum booster and is plumbing into the Power Steering system and uses the pump line pressure as the power source for the power assist...........Well......It shows up and the unit itself ......well......lets just say it wasn't in the best of shape for a Brand new unit..........LOL.....So.....Now I'm going round and round with them to get the new unit I paid for......(this is a Major parts supplier).........After the Dog and Pony show I still am waiting for a new unit........and time is getting short for the Power Tour.........So.......Saturday morning I couldn't sleep and I'm telling myself that this whole situation is getting so complicated I don't even understand what's going on anymore.......So......I decide to go back to basics again and start from the foundation again and pull the front tires off and Bleed the brakes again (for the 127th time)......They bled normal without any obvious air in the system, so I didn't think it would make any difference.......put everything back together and take the car out for a test ride............Bingo.........I guess there is a Brake God and he figured I was tortured enough..........Everything works perfectly..........Damm......That was hard......Hydro-Boost going back...........

I also got my Alarm system installed and changed the Oil and Filter today.........while under the car I noticed that the A/C compressor belt was eating itself up............I ended up talking to Stielow and we determined that the stretch to fit GM belt was not designed to be installed in a system like mine with a turn buckle arrangement for tensioning as they are designed to have a very defined tension..........So......Here we go again....trying to find an aftermarket belt that will fit........LOL.....I can hear it already........Sir......Year, Make, and Model of car please........So........I don't even try Advance Auto parts...........I drive over to NAPA and talk to a girl behind the counter and I explain my problem and what I'm looking for.........she comes back in a minute with a belt......Humm!!!!........I go home and 10 minutes later everything is installed and the car is running with Ice Cold A/C..........LOL.......Go Figure.........Power tour in starts in 11 days..........





So here's the $64 question ---- did ya bleed both sides of the big ass calipers starting with the passenger rear OUTSIDE bleeder valve first??


And ASSume you bench bled the MC before the install??


I've written before about my personal feelings of power vs Manual and that if the manual is working properly -- I don't understand the need for anyone to go to power... but maybe I just have brakes that work well. But regardless - I'm glad you got 'er solved!!


I think that Hydraboost thing is the ugliest brake system in the entire Universe... big ass hangin' booster -- and a bunch more plumbing. I don't get it at all. But that's just my personal opinion again. Maybe somebody loves the looks of all that crap hangin' off their firewall. Call me stupid what do I know. LOL

[kwhizz]

Yes and Yes!!!.............LOL

[kwhizz]

The Story continues.......Moral of the story..........one thing touches another and another and so on......LOL..... (But......We are very close).........When initially putting the driveline together........I had an issue where the driveshaft shop installed the rear universal with the grease fitting and bulged area for the fitting towards the rear of the car.......I didn't notice that the raised area of the joint was hitting against the threaded area of the pinion shaft where the nut is..........to go back in the process......I had the car raised up and sitting on jack stands on the frame.........so....I started the engine and added trans fluid .....when I put the car in gear to get the trans fluid pumped thru the trans.....the car scared the hell out of me as it almost shook itself off the stands......took me a while to find that interference issue......Pulled the driveshaft out and took it back and they put new universals in installed the correct way..........so.....Fast forward and as I was driving the car I had a slight rear end howl...........So .......we are leaving in 3 days for the Power Tour and last night I was thinking about how that rear end shook so violently at that time and the rear end howl.........Hummm!!!.......You know when you get that Knot in your stomach???...........Time is getting very short and this little mis-adventure was coming back to "Haunt" me.....So......I called Jimmy at Chassis Service (who did the rear originally) and asked him if he could put my mind at ease and check it out.......He laughed and said "You need it when"???...........Bottom line he fit me in this afternoon.........He just called me and said I was Lucky I didn't take the car the way it was as the bearings had started eating them selves and the Ring and Pinion were worn to a point of him not being comfortable with them...........So........He said he was on his way down to Strange Engineering to get all new parts and he would have it back together tomorrow afternoon.......Sheesh.........One little error by the driveshaft guy is now getting $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.............Cars...........LOL

On another note......I went to a little car show on Sunday and the original owner of the car who restored it was there and read me the "Riot" act for ruining his car...........It was an Interesting conversation to say the least........LOL

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/8B02A772-0EC6-46B2-B5AE-F39C5A195349.jpg

[GregWeld]

When you paid for the car - it became YOURS and not his... Who cares what he thinks. WE all think it's friggin' better than awesome!


Interesting that such a short run of the bassackwards zirc fitting would ruin bearings... I'm not understanding that scenario -- but, oh well.

[rickpaw]

When you paid for the car - it became YOURS and not his... Who cares what he thinks. WE all think it's friggin' better than awesome!


My thought exactly. Plus your chevelle can outrun, outbrake and out handle any stock big block chevelle out there.

I was at a show one time and parked next to a nice 68 firebird with all the blings/custom interior, but with a proper Pontiac engine. He proceeded to tell me how I ruined the car by putting an ls in it. That's why I'm not to fond of car shows.

[Roger Poirier]

I kind of like this build. Old school / new school combined. I was not a big fan of lsx engines in muscle cars at first, but as time goes on it only makes since that people move in this direction. You can't stop technology.

Very nice job. Well done! :D

[kwhizz]

https://theblock.com/news/ken-tibor-s-1966-chevelles-performance-trumps-value-2014-hot-rod-power-tour-feature-car

[CURVES]

Nice!
Definitely deserves the recognition.

[bonecrrusher]

Ken - not sure when you are going to see this.

It was nice meeting you on the tour - and your car is badass!

Hope you get home safely!

[rickpaw]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[GregWeld]

Oh that'll piss charley off! You is a badass dude now buddy! Getting big ink! Eeeeehhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaa






https://theblock.com/news/ken-tibor-s-1966-chevelles-performance-trumps-value-2014-hot-rod-power-tour-feature-car

[64pontiac]

Beautiful car! Don't listen to that guy, stock sucks! I hear ya on your brake issues, hope they are all good now. We had a customers car we did three years ago, same story, and we finally decided to re bench bleed the master with the blocked port method, and bingo. how many times I have bled those damn brakes over the years, and now a simple bench bleed and its fixed! Also, on our LSA we did vac brakes too, and as long as you grab the vacuum from the port just after the throttle body, you always have vacuum on the LSA as it is before the blower. Never wished for hydroboost on the LSA, the vacuum is great!

[kwhizz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2lML4jxwGc&feature=youtu.be

[GregWeld]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2lML4jxwGc&feature=youtu.be




DUDE (beavis and butthead style) --- you got to get thru all the gears before you let off! LOL

[kwhizz]

So......After driving this Beater all summer......Here are a few observations.......Starting with a #'s matching restored car was one of those should I or shouldn't I deals.........In retrospect, I wouldn't change a thing........The time and aggravation of doing the Body/Paint/Interior thingy was well worth the little extra cost at the start of the project........It might have been a little different story if there was shoddy workmanship involved, but...........that wasn't the case here.....Driving the car has been a blast.......basically it didn't miss a beat all summer (5500 miles).....as far as I'm concerned, It's the perfect blend of "Old" with the drive ability of all the "New" stuff (that's also what the GM guy's on the Power Tour thought and why they did the Feature on the car........ https://theblock.com/news/ken-tibor-s-1966-chevelles-performance-trumps-value-2014-hot-rod-power-tour-feature-car The car never gets hot.....even with the A/C blowing ice cubes......Did I mention Torque.......LOL.....Now I know why Charley is always smiling while driving his Camaro..........

http://vid13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/MOV_3844MOV.mp4

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/C048B1C4-3B43-49A1-A6CC-3B7D28042EFF.jpg


After the Power Tour was over........one of the regulars we travel with for the week is Steve Kranick who just started a Hydrographics business [email protected] ...........Between Steve and my son Chris they worked behind the scenes and did a new engine cover to surprise me with as they hated that red cover
.........The finishing touch.......


Before

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/517C5EC0-1E51-49D9-B85F-C77C8205D3B0.jpg


After

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/21D21DC4-338A-438C-BF28-1A288307CAD9.jpg


The ride, comfort, handling, and power in this beater is awsum......Looking forward to the Muscle Car Adventure Event in a couple of weeks with Stefano............

[syborg tt]

Ken,

I agree it looks way better and it's awesome that your actually driving and enjoying the car.

My motto, Build it to a "8" drive it to a "4" and don't save it for the next guy to enjoy.

[kwhizz]

The Season is just about over here in Wisconsin........Overview of the year since the completion in May......7276 miles of trouble free driving this year......There is still a few "Tweaks" needed to make the car up to the standards ..........The first issue I will be dealing with is the Oil pan / Drivetrain angle issues.........again......on the initial install the Holley 302-2 pan was not available so I used the -1 pan........I had to raise the front of the engine to clear the tie rod ends, which gave me a little more angle than I wanted.......to get the angle more in line I have the rear of the trans shimmed up as high as it would go to help out with the angle issue......In doing this the trans is hitting inside the trans tunnel and giving a slight vibration ........So....even though mechanically the angle is now dialed in.....I am going to change the -1 pan out for the -2 pan so I can lower the engine slightly to alleviate that issue.......

The second issue is the reproduction dash Pad in the car........Repro Dash pads are Junk in my opinion and don't fit worth a crap......I've been looking for a OEM one for months to send to Just Dashes for restoring........I finally found one and sent it off to them for restoring.......they have a twelve week lead time so that makes the timing about perfect.......I also bought a DSE wiper motor assy so when I take the dash out for the pad install I can change around the wiper switch and wiring.........

All in all it's been a real treat to drive this car around the Country this season......The Torque and Power these engines make is just Crazy...........along with the average for the season of 20 MPG are just outstanding .............


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/0C3A8DC0-3FE7-4086-BFCD-0F8EC4D4C696.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/3FC40406-DE66-4734-BC2F-12DFAC270FF1_1.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/9FADB50C-AC78-4980-A7E3-E8F078FDB6F7.jpg


Stay tuned........

[waynieZ]

Glad to hear you got to drive it as much as you did. You did a beautiful job on the car and the install of the engine. Did you drive the car before you put on the ZL1 lid? I was wondering if you noticed a difference?
When I saw the red cover on the motor I said to myself it looks good but when I saw the next picture Wow what a difference . They did a great job on it. It makes a big difference.
Nice job.

[GregWeld]

When I rebuilt my Brother in Laws '69 Camaro - I had the upholsterer just do the dash in leather. Otherwise you end up using this nasty plastic looking POS that never does fit right. It wasn't a big deal back in '69 if they didn't fit well -- nothing fit well back then!! LOL

But when you have a nice interior it (the re-pop junk) just looked horrendously bad.

[Winmon]

Love the car Ken! Been following the build for awhile and you have done a great job. I even picked some ideas and tips from it for my upcoming LS2/T56 swap...

[kwhizz]

So........Winter is here and it's time for the "Tweaking"..........The OEM Dash Pad should be coming back from Just Dashes in a couple of weeks........so after installing it I won't be tortured next year looking at that piece of crap reproduction Pad with the ends flipped up because it's too narrow to fit.......sheesh.....you would think by now the aftermarket guy's would have figured Mold Shrinkage into the picture......Just Say'in......Now to deal with the Driveline angles....... After loading the Tremec driveline app on my phone (you use your smartphone as a level and hit the Engine.....Driveshaft....and rear end housing ....and it compares the results and let's you know if everything is good...or Bad) and seeing Red... I decided to get around to starting the process of changing to the -2 pan.....so....After double checking everything....... it ended up with the Drivetrain Angle at 5 Deg down ....... Driveshaft 2 Deg up....... Pinion -1......The car rode well without any Vibration.....But.....at 70 MPH when I let off the gas I could feel where the universals were fighting themselves.........after calculating how much I would have to drop the front of the engine to get to 3 Deg ......It ended up that I would have needed to drop the engine mounts down 1 5/16.......Even with the -2 pan it would be problematic..........so.......After seeing another persons purchase to deal with this issue with parts available from the Driveshaft Shop .......... I called Frank there and we discussed my concerns.....Gave him all the info and he is building me a 3 1/2" Aluminum driveshaft with the trans end having a CV joint and a conventional universal at the rear end........Should be here in a couple of weeks.........Again.....The car drove perfect, but.....I just knew the I didn't hit the "Sweet Spot" with the angles.........This should be the final fix that will let me feel 100% about the Chevelle..................After thinking about it a little more..........everything was built around the engine sitting where it is and lowering it much would have really opened up a can of worms.....This seems to be the simplest and best way to solve that one little issue that was O.K.......But not up to standards........So.....That also means if anyone is going to do a LS swap and will be needing a Holley 302-2 Pan....Baffle system and Oil Pan Gasket.....I just happen to know where there's an extra one for Sale......LOL


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/103.jpg



http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/102.jpg

[kwhizz]

Just a little refresher on what is going on.........My drivetrain angle wasn't the best in the Chevelle.......I had to raise up the front of the engine to clear the Tie Rod Ends.......It ended up that I had a 5 Degree down engine angle and a 3 Degree up driveshaft angle to the rear end (due to the car being lowered).........this gave a 8 Degree working angle at the Transmission U-Joint..........The ideal angle is 3 degrees.......so......Even though the car rode and drove well, It just wasn't right.....So.....I took the easy way out and talked to Frank at the Driveshaft shop and he built me a CV Joint 3 1/2" Aluminum shaft to eliminate these concerns.......It showed up today and I put it in already..........Now I'm Bored again....That took all of ten minutes.........The Dash Pad is supposed to be finished at Just Dashes some time in February.......Gonna have to drop the Dash down to get it in........But, at least I won't have to look at that piece of Crap repro Pad the original owner put in with it's flipped up ends.........Sheesh.......If you are going to Repro something.....at least go thru the effort to make sure it fits.......How many years have we been talking about this Crap............

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/AA591815-20E6-4279-88A6-55613C035B63.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/0A149AF3-66CC-459A-B459-FDF16C17E239.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/8EF8AB48-8EE4-409A-B62B-C620521FAA80.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/19F22868-7E6F-4E4A-8005-1D5A1F1C47A5.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/73FEFF6E-831E-4B2D-BFF4-0109D145BE89.jpg


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/F38E819D-91B5-4B9D-A98C-16CEAF359EB4.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/80AF531A-DD43-4013-92F0-370722AA3627.jpg

[WSSix]

Nice piece! glad you're enjoying the car!

[GregWeld]

That all ya got?


Looks good Ken and that's a great fix!

[Justin@EntropyRad]

And here's the engine........It's only got 2100 miles on it


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/null_zps7603edcc.jpg



:y0!: can i pee on this and claim it for my own??

Wicked setup overall

[Ummgawa]

Hey Ken

Check your PM. Sent you an email too.

Completely wicked car man.

[camcojb]

Ken,

Did they mention how much HP that setup would hold?

[andrewb70]

Ken,

Did they mention how much HP that setup would hold?

That driveshaft uses a custom billet CV that The Driveshaft Shop uses on their high HP drive axles. Since the drive axles see between 3 and 4 times (depending on R&P) the torque that the output shaft sees, durability is not a concern. The "fuse" in that link is the rear u-joint. The Driveshaft Shop also makes custom pinion flanges that will mount a CV. Here is one for a Ford 9", which is what I plan to use on my 1967 Cougar build.

http://www.pro-touring.com/~andrewb/cougar/104.jpg

http://www.pro-touring.com/~andrewb/cougar/105.jpg

Andrew

[camcojb]

Thanks Andrew. :thumbsup:

[andrewb70]

Thanks Andrew. :thumbsup:

Sure thing...I've been running one of those in my GTO since 2010. My front operating angle is about the same as Ken's.

Andrew

[kwhizz]

Nice Sunny cool sunny day today and I got the Bug to get the Beater out and go to the Drag Strip...... Paid....went thru Tech....and pulled up to the line (Lot's of Prep)......LOL........When I got the Helmet out of the trunk I realized I still had all the normal travelling "Stuff" in the trunk.......Tool box, chairs, hydraulic Jack etc........LOL.......Made two passes......1st one just blew the tires off the car and had it sideways about a third of the way down the track..........2nd pass I drove it out and gradually got in it........2.3 60 ' time and went 12.21 @118..........Not bad for a Highway car........Easy 11's with Drag Radials.......But.......once is enough.........LOL


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/66%20SS%20Chevelle/11173413_951077408265620_2730202115165924671_n.jpg

[waynieZ]

Sounds like a good time. Nice times too.

[NAPA 68]

Ken,

Did that driveshaft accomplish everything you wanted it to? Also, what bore diameter master cylinder did you settle with?

Thanks!

Tim

[kwhizz]

Ken,

Did that driveshaft accomplish everything you wanted it to? Also, what bore diameter master cylinder did you settle with?

Thanks!

Tim



Yep......Driveshaft resolved all the issues.........Smooth as silk......Power Master 1" bore.......

[NAPA 68]

Yep......Driveshaft resolved all the issues.........Smooth as silk......Power Master 1" bore.......

Kool! I have been fighting driveline angles in the 59 and I swung and missed with the 7/8" manual master. Off to a 1" for the manual brakes for me

[kwhizz]

Tim......Just so I understand you.........I have the 1" master with a Vacuum Booster.......


Ken

[NAPA 68]

Tim......Just so I understand you.........I have the 1" master with a Vacuum Booster.......


Ken

Yepper!

[kwhizz]

Took the "Beater" out to the track last night........made 4 passes on street tires.......LOL....1st pass 12.10 @ 117, 13.65, and 12.11 @ 118 spinning the tires.......on one pass the car actually hooked pretty good and went 11.82 @ 120.........Ya Mon!!!!


Ken

[waynieZ]

SWEET ! It gives me hope for my 69 when I get my LSA in there. Nice numbers

[kwhizz]

A little update on the Chevelle........Since completion in May of 2014, we have driven it on two Power Tours (Long Haul).....Did the Goodguys Hall of Fame Road Tour this year, and put on 14,240 miles in total ...........Along the way, after getting the brake issue corrected, the only other issues were a flat tire,....... a broken tail pipe hanger,......and a slight problem with the plug on the Throttle Position Sensor caused by condensation while cleaning the engine at a quarter car wash (since sealed up and corrected)..........LOL.......These LS engines are the best thing since sliced bread !!!..........But....with all Good things there is an end.........Had to pull the car into the garage and do some Heavy Maintenance to it........Changed the Oil and Filter.........Sheesh !!!!.........And .....after driving the Chevelle for a year and a half.......a new standard for "Drivable" torque has been established.........so.......The Impala will be upgraded and the "New" project will be starting shortly after the Impala is finished...........Stay Tuned.........I found the purse........LOL........



http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/Good%20Guys%20road%20tour/B6C14643-95A9-42F4-A82F-8AFEB34AC9F5.jpg



http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kwhizz/Good%20Guys%20road%20tour/56EF91CA-E8C5-4574-9FF6-003F0243C786.jpg

[Boss 5.0]

Awesome build! I enjoyed reading all the way through. I have a 66 Chevelle as well and I have a couple questions for you pertaining to the suspension.

On the rear coil overs, what pound rating did you go with? I have 150# springs and I'm thinking I should have 200 in the rear.

And, could you give me a measurement for both front and rear from the ground to the top center of the wheel openings? Just one of each is fine. I love the stance on yours, trying to compare yours to mine, curious how close. Wouldn't mind getting my rear down a little, but if I do the top of the rear just bumps the floor if I hit a good dip in the road. I think without notching the floor I'm at my limit.

Hope that isn't too much trouble for you?

Thanks,
Glenn

[formula88]

I'm with ya Ken. LS motors are tough to beat. The LS7 in my '67 runs great and the PWM control of the fuel pump and cooling fan is fantastic. BTW....Liz was admiring that Nomand behind your Chevelle :drool:

[kwhizz]

Awesome build! I enjoyed reading all the way through. I have a 66 Chevelle as well and I have a couple questions for you pertaining to the suspension.

On the rear coil overs, what pound rating did you go with? I have 150# springs and I'm thinking I should have 200 in the rear.

And, could you give me a measurement for both front and rear from the ground to the top center of the wheel openings? Just one of each is fine. I love the stance on yours, trying to compare yours to mine, curious how close. Wouldn't mind getting my rear down a little, but if I do the top of the rear just bumps the floor if I hit a good dip in the road. I think without notching the floor I'm at my limit.

Hope that isn't too much trouble for you?

Thanks,
Glenn


Glenn......No problem.......It will be a day or two as the car is up in the air right now......

Ken

[kwhizz]

I'm with ya Ken. LS motors are tough to beat. The LS7 in my '67 runs great and the PWM control of the fuel pump and cooling fan is fantastic. BTW....Liz was admiring that Nomand behind your Chevelle :drool:



The Nomad will be getting a LSA shortly..........

Ken

[GregWeld]

It was so much fun to run with you and Paulette on GG Hall of Fame! Can't thank enough for your help with my A/C issue... Didn't think I'd ever have to "hot wire" an A/C unit! LOL

Love the Don Hardy Race Engines built LS3 in the '33.... not a single drop of oil... not a leak... fires up and ready to go regardless of how hard we drove them.

Come to think of it -- I think it was 4 of us pretty much leading the pack for the tour -- and we all had LS motors! WTF - we even had a LS powered '49 Caddy on the tour!

XOXO

[kwhizz]

It was so much fun to run with you and Paulette on GG Hall of Fame! Can't thank enough for your help with my A/C issue... Didn't think I'd ever have to "hot wire" an A/C unit! LOL

Love the Don Hardy Race Engines built LS3 in the '33.... not a single drop of oil... not a leak... fires up and ready to go regardless of how hard we drove them.

Come to think of it -- I think it was 4 of us pretty much leading the pack for the tour -- and we all had LS motors! WTF - we even had a LS powered '49 Caddy on the tour!

XOXO



Yep..........Can't wait till next year !!!!!!.........I'll be starting a couple of new threads for the new projects in the Garage soon !!.......

Ken Greg......As you know......It get's expensive hanging with Charley....LOL

[kwhizz]

Awesome build! I enjoyed reading all the way through. I have a 66 Chevelle as well and I have a couple questions for you pertaining to the suspension.

On the rear coil overs, what pound rating did you go with? I have 150# springs and I'm thinking I should have 200 in the rear.

And, could you give me a measurement for both front and rear from the ground to the top center of the wheel openings? Just one of each is fine. I love the stance on yours, trying to compare yours to mine, curious how close. Wouldn't mind getting my rear down a little, but if I do the top of the rear just bumps the floor if I hit a good dip in the road. I think without notching the floor I'm at my limit.

Hope that isn't too much trouble for you?

Thanks,
Glenn


Don't remember what the spring rate was......Standard Ridetech as supplied in their kit.............Height.......24" front and 24 1/4" rear........Hope that helps

Ken

[Boss 5.0]

Don't remember what the spring rate was......Standard Ridetech as supplied in their kit.............Height.......24" front and 24 1/4" rear........Hope that helps

Ken

Hmmmm......

That is where I want my rear to be, but mine is at 25 3/4". I have a 29" tall rear tire, and with the QA1's that I have I can't see how to get it lower.

Did you notch the floor at all above the rear end? If I were to drop mine lower it would hit the floor where the two upper control mounts are on top of the pumpkin. Right now I only have maybe two inches of clearance. The floors in my car are absolute virgin perfect, I don;t want to be the one to cut them after all these years.

Thanks for the time to measure for me. Much appreciated.

[kwhizz]

Didn't cut anything........I'll take some pic's tomorrow.....

Ken

[kwhizz]

Update....... Didn't drive the car much this year, been driving the Impala all over..... Took the Chevelle out last week for a local show..... the car ran perfect as usual... On the way home after getting off the highway I noticed the engine was running rough...... Humm!!!!..... I was 10 minutes from home so when I got the car in the garage (no check engine light) I plugged the scanner in and no codes....... Hummm!!!!!......Used the infared heat gun and shot all the Header pipes...... #3 cyl was showing no heat....... Humm !!!!....... Put a spare coil on and started it up .......Same thing......Pulled the spark plug and it looked O.K........ Checked for spark and everything good......Hummm!!!!!......Got Air....Got Spark..... Fuel????...put a Noid light on the plug on injector #3 and everything good....... Hummm !!!!...... The only thing that made any sense was that the injector went bad (36,000 miles)....... Ordered a new set and put them in and the car run's perfect again......... You never know...... LOL

[camcojb]

Thanks for the update Ken. Not a really common occurrence I would think, injectors generally last a lot longer than that. Appreciate you posting up the steps to determine what had failed.

[sru1436]

Awesome car and build, I went through the entire thread. What radiator manufacturer and fan set up did you use. I’m in the process of replacing the radiator and fan set up on my 66? Thanks.

[kwhizz]

Awesome car and build, I went through the entire thread. What radiator manufacturer and fan set up did you use. I’m in the process of replacing the radiator and fan set up on my 66? Thanks.

Griffin assy.............

Ken