Newb project Pole Dancer

[efs69]

I not much of a poster and my build is not groundbreaking by any means but I figured I would share it anyway.

I found this car at a local event about 13 years ago. I was in need of a new project so a deal was made and I brought it home.

[efs69]

It needed full restoration but it ran (barely) and still had the original engine, trans and rear. I figured I would just restore it but I went in a different direction after I went to a couple Good Guys events. So I did lots of body work

Being on a strict budget I painted it in the garage and put it all back together. I know it is not show car quality but I tried.

[BlackenedRR]

Looks great!!

[tones2SS]

Looking good!

[efs69]

I rebuilt a 350 engine for it but later a friend offered up his old 383. I ran across an up and coming transmission vendor selling TKO 5 Speeds at the Pomona Swap Meet. Jeff and I spoke for a while and a deal was done for a TKO 500.

I also swapped out the rear for a 69 Nova posi I found in the Recycler. Looked at some information about brake swaps and put rear discs in from a Caddy.

At the same time I was doing the interior which was nothing special except for adding some vintage air to get rid of the old bulky AC unit. Some new carpet, panels, paint and cheap racing seats and I called it good.

[efs69]

Looks great!!

Thanks!!

[efs69]

Looking good!

Thanks!!

[efs69]

Over the next few years I changed a few things here and there and it looked like this just before I blew the 383. Then I read Stielow’s book and went down the Pro Touring rabbit hole.

[tubbed69]

nice job,looking good:thumbsup:

[tmadden]

All these yellow cars. Looks good sir!!

[efs69]

nice job,looking good:thumbsup:

Thanks. I have been watching your build as well. You are killing it!

[efs69]

All these yellow cars. Looks good sir!!

I got a lot of flack on yellow but it was originally yellow so why not. Is yours metalic or pearled?

[efs69]

Instead of rebuilding the 383 I purchased a crashed 2001 Camaro for less than just a takeout engine, yanked the still running engine computer and anything else I thought was useful. I sold every salvageable part on it and scrapped the shell which almost brought me back to even and yielded an almost free engine! Lots of research on the various forums on mounts, headers, modifying harnesses, fuel systems and cooling until my head was ready to explode.

[efs69]

Since the engine was out I did a little freshening, bigger cam, TB, head work and since I was at it some suspension changes including SPC upper and lowers along with a set of Bear brakes I had stashed away from another project long gone and a set of AFX spindles. Most of the work I do on the car is at night after work so sorry for the dark crappy pics.

[efs69]

My girlfriend made me a bet that I couldn’t get the car running by Christmas……..she was right. My mom got sick and passed away in December 2012.

After dealing with all of the personal issues I was not sure I wanted to continue working on the car. I just couldn’t get myself in gear. I continued lurking on the sites seeing all of the nice builds and personal struggles of others and just started plugging away at the car again but with larger ambitions.

[efs69]

I got the engine and suspension work done enough to get it going. I recycled wiring, fans, power distribition box and other things from the donor car. At the same time i was doing this I decided to move to add to the stress!! With tha car at a new home the plan to a better build continued so I started to shop for parts…..lots of parts! This is where my car finally got named “Pole Dancer” because it gets more $$ thrown at it than a………. you get the idea!

[BigJoe]

awesome build man, and its cool to see you just keep plugging away i'm mid a couple builds i feel will never end. makes me feel better ;) keep at it man the car looks awesome

[fleetus macmullitz]

nice job,looking good:thumbsup:

X2. :thumbsup:

[DETON8R]

Nice Build!! I bought a wrecked SLP 1999 Camaro with LS1 / T56. Doing the same that you did on the engine. Doing everything that I can myself, Engine, trans, electrical, interior, roll cage, welding. Nice to see another doing it the way I am.

[U-turn]

Cool build dude. Nice clean car!

[waynieZ]

Nice project. Going to nice watching it come together.

[intocarss]

I came into this thread for a whole nother reason (title is misleading) :wrongforum: ... .nice build though ;) :hello:

[efs69]

awesome build man, and its cool to see you just keep plugging away i'm mid a couple builds i feel will never end. makes me feel better ;) keep at it man the car looks awesome

Thanks BigJoe. I'm tired doing one project. When I was younger I had two drag cars in different classes and I managed those OK. I guess I am gettig old.

[efs69]

:thankyou: Nice project. Going to nice watching it come together.

[efs69]

Nice Build!! I bought a wrecked SLP 1999 Camaro with LS1 / T56. Doing the same that you did on the engine. Doing everything that I can myself, Engine, trans, electrical, interior, roll cage, welding. Nice to see another doing it the way I am.


Thanks. It saves money to do it yourself but it is still pricey. With mine I just kept going as you will see and I may have gone too far.

[efs69]

:thankyou: X2. :thumbsup:

[efs69]

I came into this thread for a whole nother reason (title is misleading) :wrongforum: ... .nice build though ;) :hello:




Guess the title worked then!! :lol:

[efs69]

Fast forward to May of last year and I had a good amount of things acquired through members, ebay, craigs and so on. With lots of inspiration from several members rides. Props to the One Lap Camaro team, The Pozzi’s, Stielow, CarlC, Ron in SoCal, Matt, Gregg, Second Chance Camaro, Mr. V, Blu Balz and many many others!!!

So let the fun begin.....again!

[efs69]

I had all of this out in the better part of the day. It was much easiier doing it this way than taking the engine and trans out individually. since it was all being replace I just rolled it out from under the car and rolled it into the back yard.

Here is what is replacing it.

[Kreighm]

Very nice car! I hope mine, on a budget, looks half way as good as what you have done! What did you use previously for your disk brakes?

Thank you, Kreigh

[efs69]

The last set I had was a set of 13 inch Baer running on the AFX spindles. Before that it was just a set of Camaro disc. Thanks for the compliments.

[efs69]

Doing this much work was very tiring as I was doing this after work so the only time really was at night and spare time on the weekends. I jumped around on various aspects of the car, from electrical, headlight electric conversion, dry sump, brakes, wipers. I really bit off way more than I could chew.

Sub and engine in.

[efs69]

I got the Stainless Works headers installed and I also tried the Dougs headers I had when I used the stock subframe. The fit on the new frame was good for both sets and when looking at them side by side the angles are similar although tube placement is a little different but either one could be run.

[Ron in SoCal]

Love this project! Can't wait to see it in person :cheers:

[WSSix]

Great choice on rims! You're doing a fine job. Keep it up and good luck.

[no go nova]

Nice build whats with the rear set up? Quit hiding it if you gonna strip go all the way lol.:confused59:

[efs69]

Love this project! Can't wait to see it in person :cheers:

Thanks Ron. I followed your build which gave me lots of ideas!

[efs69]

Nice build whats with the rear set up? Quit hiding it if you gonna strip go all the way lol.:confused59:


Ha ha..

I wanted big tires out back so out came the grinders, cut off wheels and sawzall for the Chassisworks mini tub. I picked their tub because it came with all of the framerail culose outs needed which saved me from fabricating them.


I debated having a shop do this job but after getting some quotes it just was not in the cards or the wallet I should say. I figured I had done everything else on the car what the hell!!!! And cut away. :superhack: Not having done anything like this I figured I had ruined my car but I just kept plugging away at it and after about a week or so of working on them I was done. What a dirty, patience trying job!!! :welder:

[efs69]

The second side was easier to do no that I knew what to expect. If your going to do this yourself do a lot of searching on these sites, ask questions and then do it all over again before cutting on your car. The instructions provided by either of the major tub suppliers leave out some details. Measure up a few times and cut less than you marked working your way up to the final fit. You will do this several times or at least I did!!

I welded the tubs all the way around, cleaned up the welds and seam sealed it all before hitting it with some undercoating and some trunk splatter paint.

Here are the leftovers and final result...cruddy phone pics sorry..

[efs69]

I was also working on the Ridetech Airbar while I was doing the mini tub so I got the cradle in, and mocked up the Moser 9in with 31 spline axles that I got from a farum member. Now for the pumpkin I struck a deal with a guy who worked at ProComp. The center is aluminum running a Daytona pinion support and 6 pinion worm gears. I was hesitant even though it was a really good deal so I conditionally purchased it and had a local rear end guy named Bill Thomas to give it the once over and either give it a thumbs up or down. After looking over the carrier, diff and all of the other parts he put it all together and told me it was a really good piece so I finalized the purchase. The jury is still out until I get to drive it.

[efs69]

With the tubs done and the rear in I went back and worked on more of the engine stuff along with electrical I decided to get the Griffin radiator and Mk8 fan together. I really wanted DC Controls but I could never get a hold of him so I used this controller from a guy who doesn’t live far from me. I went to his house with the MK8 fan and he gave me a demo of how his stuff worked so I gave it a shot.

The MK8 fan fit the Griffin LS radiator really well. I trimmed the fan housing a littled, fabbed up some brakets and in it went.

[efs69]

I also got back under the car and installed a Rick's Tank with a Retroworks kit installed that I got from a member.

[Ron in SoCal]

Looks great Efrain :thumbsup:

What's that hardline running from the passenger firewall forward, AC?

[intocarss]

:trophy-1302:

[efs69]

Looks great Efrain :thumbsup:

What's that hardline running from the passenger firewall forward, AC?

Ron,

That is an AC line. I think I have the oldest version of Vintage Air in my car. It was one of the first mods I made on the car years ago.

[efs69]

Well I got through most of the electrical using some of MAD electronics stuff and making new sections where needed to get the LS going. I also had to convert my headlights from vacuum to electric since the dry sump tank takes all of the room where the original parts were. The DSE kit would not work so i used the Retro Electro kit which makes the motors run similar to the 67-68 Camaros. It was expensive but it works well and was the only soloution for me other than converting to a non RS grill and lights.

[efs69]

I was getting really burned out working on this car. I guess if I wasn't a one man show it would not have been so bad but I know that if I would have slowed any more there would be a possibility that I would stall and probably just sell. I needed some motivation so I filled the engine with fluids, got some gas, hooked up the computer, connected the battery and turned the key and.......... nothing :censored: I checked and the headlights cycled. I had power to the dash but nothing at the starter. I was really tired and frustrated. After going through it I realized that I ran the ignition wire to the wrong post on the Ford styled starter relay on the trunk so I turned the key and at least the starter was turning but no fire. I went through it again and found that the fuel pump fuse was bad so here I go again. :excited: LIFE!!

Before I get flamed, I did video it on an i-phone but when I downloaded it on the computer it is sideways. Also I am not sure how to post a video.

Having it it fire up and hearing that LS7 open headers was music to the ears and more importantly the shot of adrenaline I needed to keep going.

[johnzSS]

simply stunning!! Keep up the great work!

John

[efs69]

After the initial startup I found the usual leaks so I set about tightening fittings. I also ran the rear brake lines and bled them. Leaks there too. I used brake tubing from SURR. Really easy to bend and flare but I would use a quality flare tool. I used a harbor freight tool. It worked ok for the first few flares but the later ones is where I ran into a couple issues.

Since Anvil was having a blem sale I went over to check them out since they were local.

:G-Dub:

[efs69]

I didn't like the original mesh on the cowl so I found something more to my liking from Lowes. Here is the before and the after.

[tubbed69]

You are building a killer car,that's a lot of nice work and very fast,if you get bored maybe you can help me catch up to this point,just kidding.keep up the good work.:trophy-1302:

[waynieZ]

Awesome build ! I like what your doing on it.

[efs69]

Thanks tubbed69 and Wayne.



I debated which sub frame connectors to use and decided that I would not use the bolt ins and cut the floors open and used the DSE connectors. burned them in, tied them in to the front sub by welding it on to the frame and bolting it to the connectors, cleaned up the welds and laid down some sound proof material.

[efs69]

The little woman must have seen how much time I was putting into looking at roll bars and cages and she got me a gift.. a Tiger Cage:hapdance:

It is a nice looking piece. I really wanted to go welded but looking at this and the way it tied into the structure, it was like no other bolted cage I have seen. Besides I can always get one welded later if I step up my plans.

[efs69]

Getting the Tiger Cage installed seemed straight forward but it has its challenges. I had some fitment issues that i have to work around. Overall with this tied in the the floor box sections and backed up with 1/4 inch pates under the car it feels really solid but it is one thing I hope never to put to the test.

[efs69]

Living in Cali has it perks but when you are working under a car at 9 at night and an earthquake hits it can become unsettling fast :brix: . Luckily the car did not fall off the stands but it did move over a few inches and cause some minor damage. Several aftershocks continued to rock the house so I put extra jacks under the car just to add some more stability. After not getting much sleep and about 100 or so aftershocks it is Saturday morning. more quakes!! Now I am pissed and worried. I get to work onthe car so I can plant it on its wheels. I scored a Magnaflow 3 inch stainless exhaust kit for $300 bucks on Craigs in December and mocked it up so I can get to a muffler shop.

[efs69]

I thrashed all Sunday on the car to get it down on its wheels. Exhaust is in but in my hurry I did not takes pics. Got the carpet down and got the seats from a Mitsu Evo mounted in. I did not set ride height at all because I am trying to finalize wheels and sizes. But it is on its wheels and in the daylight.

[Stovebolter]

It looks great man!

[tubbed69]

The little woman must have seen how much time I was putting into looking at roll bars and cages and she got me a gift.. a Tiger Cage:hapdance:

It is a nice looking piece. I really wanted to go welded but looking at this and the way it tied into the structure, it was like no other bolted cage I have seen. Besides I can always get one welded later if I step up my plans.

Cars looking very good,sounds like you have a great little woman to buy you a roll cage,I put a DSE roll bar in mine today and my wife said it was ugly,everything your doing looks good on the car,good luck with it:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Stovebolter]

Cars looking very good,sounds like you have a great little woman to buy you a roll cage,I put a DSE roll bar in mine today and my wife said it was ugly,everything your doing looks good on the car,good luck with it:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Lol. My wife will say the same thing. And I thought she was a car gal. :knock:

[Jay Hilliard]

Awesome job! It is looking great. Who made the subframe?

[rickpaw]

Car looks great. Let us know how the fan controller works out.

Are you going to part out the old subframe, or is it gone already?

[efs69]

Quote:




Originally Posted by tubbed69

Cars looking very good,sounds like you have a great little woman to buy you a roll cage,I put a DSE roll bar in mine today and my wife said it was ugly,everything your doing looks good on the car,good luck with it



Lol. My wife will say the same thing. And I thought she was a car gal. :knock:

Thanks guys. She did not like either but said that at least this one wasn't black and was more interesting because of the brackets.

[efs69]

Car looks great. Let us know how the fan controller works out.

Are you going to part out the old subframe, or is it gone already?

I had the engine running for about 15-20 minutes. The controler ramps up the fan RPM slowly and modulates the fan based on the temp. It seems to be working as I can see and hear the fan speed change as the radiator temps get higher. As for the sub, the brakes, spindles, UCAs and LCAs have been sold. Not sure what I will do with the rest of it.

[no go nova]

Can you get pics of the seats installed. Which Evo model did they come from?

[rickpaw]

I had the engine running for about 15-20 minutes. The controler ramps up the fan RPM slowly and modulates the fan based on the temp. It seems to be working as I can see and hear the fan speed change as the radiator temps get higher.

That's what I was looking for in fan controllers. I looked at DC controls but their lack of response from my inquiries kind of turned me off. Does it use its own proprietary temp sensor, or can it be used with other make's sensor (Dakota Digital, etc...)?

Thanks.

[efs69]

Can you get pics of the seats installed. Which Evo model did they come from?

The seats are 2003 EVO VIII in cloth with suede bolsters. The EVO 10 has a taller seatback so I did not like those as I think they came too close to the roof . I will get pics as soon as I get is back on the wheels and i can get it outside with more light.

[efs69]

That's what I was looking for in fan controllers. I looked at DC controls but their lack of response from my inquiries kind of turned me off. Does it use its own proprietary temp sensor, or can it be used with other make's sensor (Dakota Digital, etc...)?

Thanks.

I had the same issue you did with DCC. I looked at different controllers and this one from Radio Research uses his own sensor which is a copper or brass band with 2 wire coming off of it. I think he uses some sort of resistor in the module to sense it. It mounts in between the lower radiator hose and the radiator outlet to the engine. He sells on ebay and has videos on the web. This video is for the controller I bought and he eplains how his works and its features.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjQZc-vN2fs

Hope this helps

[67zo6Camaro]

Nice meeting you today at the shop. Good job running a 34.10 around the building on the shop pit bike. You are now 3rd on the leader board.

The Efrain Cool tow hook set. Front and Rear.

http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k514/Fab50Three/Fab53%20Tow%20Hooks/c03e8ec5-ec08-47d3-924c-dd738073a8e9_zps233f0da9.jpg



Thanks again

[GregWeld]

I've always just used a SPAL controller....



http://www.spal-usa.com/fans/automated/accessories/fanpwm.html

[rickpaw]

I've always just used a SPAL controller....



http://www.spal-usa.com/fans/automated/accessories/fanpwm.html

Greg,
Spal had discontinued that controller for awhile now. The other aftermarket PWM fan controls that I'm aware of until now, are the DCC unit and Painless.

[Gil]

Very awesome car & skills !
Gil

[efs69]

Nice meeting you today at the shop. Good job running a 34.10 around the building on the shop pit bike. You are now 3rd on the leader board.

The Efrain Cool tow hook set. Front and Rear.

http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k514/Fab50Three/Fab53%20Tow%20Hooks/c03e8ec5-ec08-47d3-924c-dd738073a8e9_zps233f0da9.jpg



Thanks again

I guess I lost some posts in the changeover so. Thanks again Brett for the hooks :wow: the advice and the the chance to run the pitbike. That shizle was fun!!

[efs69]

I damaged my dash doing some work earlier on and figured it was time to take care of it so I ripped out the old cluster to replace it with the Anvil one.

[efs69]

The problem with the new dash is that there are no provisions for attaching the original vents. Since I did not want to reinvent the wheel I came up with this: I took the original dash apart and use it as a template for cutting the Anvil dash. I was tryig to figure out how to mount the vent onto the Anvil dash and thought of making and grafting new mounting points but it seemed like it would be a real pain in the a$$. I ended up cutting out the vent housing from the original dash and used the Astro Ventilation trim which is has speed nuts to secure the top part of the vent to the new dash. On the bottom I put a U fastener on the donor piece and put a trim screw through the dash to secure it.

[efs69]

The original AC control was kept and it was just a matter of cutting the panel out and getting the mounting holes drilled out. Since I was at it the radio cut out was made along with the holes for the wiper and light switches. For gauges I took a page from Blu Balz. I liked the look of the SPEKs and that they are programable. I found an OK deal on the tach and speedo so in they went.

[efs69]

Can you get pics of the seats installed. Which Evo model did they come from?

Sorry for the late reply. The seats I got were from an 03 EVO VIII. The seats were new when replaced with fixed backs. The fit nicely, should have enough support for events and are comfortable.

[no go nova]

Thanks for the pic, how do you like the quick disconnect on the steering wheel? Did it move the wheel back far.

[efs69]

Thanks for the pic, how do you like the quick disconnect on the steering wheel? Did it move the wheel back far.

So far I like it. It makes working in the car a lot easier for the most part. It did move the wheel back but not as much as I thought it would. I ended up using a wheel that has almost no dish to even it out.

[Jay Hilliard]

Awesome job. You are making some fast progress. LS7.....very NICE!

[Sonar Chief]

Awesome job on the Camaro ... Question, that exhaust kit 15899 from Magnaflow, did you have to mod that kit to get it to fit the Ridetech airbar?

Keep up the good work and congrats on the Tiger Cage .... sweeeeet!

[67zo6Camaro]

Looks good. Nice work on the dash.

[efs69]

Awesome job on the Camaro ... Question, that exhaust kit 15899 from Magnaflow, did you have to mod that kit to get it to fit the Ridetech airbar?

Keep up the good work and congrats on the Tiger Cage .... sweeeeet!

Thanks Chief

The Magnaflow kit needed to be modded in several spots for me and it is still not finalized I have it mostly hooked together with band clamps. I did try to run the rear pipes through the RT set up but it will take a few cuts to get the angles needed to clear. Since it is stainless and I don't tig I could not complete this step right now so i just dummped the exhaust at the rear end for now.

[Vince@Meanstreets]

your pm's are full...


I hear you, try this, do you have a slight grade on an empty street or driveway? You can park on it and slowly release the clutch and get a measurement that way. You just have to find out at what point is the clutch releasing.

vince

[efs69]

Thanks Vince,

I'll give it a try when I get home. My driveway is sloped and so is the street so that will work.

Efrain

[James OLC]

Looks great Efrain - can't wait to see it come together!

[efs69]

After a long year of thrashing on the car I was able to kick off my long needed vacation by attending my first ever event, USCA Fontana!! I had worked on the car after work and every weekend constantantly until the wee hours of the morning up until the day before the event. While there were many things left to do I went online at midnight and registered. I was nervous about how the car would do and how i would do.
The event was fantastic!! My driving....no so (spun out once and blasted through the first turn at the speed stop :drive: ). It was a fun learning curve. I drove the car there and drove it home both days. It held up despite some trans issues, poor suspension set up, some braking issues and some bad driving. Wilwood was great and helped me throughout the weekend. I learned some things about set up from other drivers and the instructors provided helped me yet further. It made all of the work and stress worth it. After the event I bolted home, showered, jumped in the daily driver and headed to the airport buzzed from the event.

For other new guys like me out there that are still working on their cars, keep plugging away. The rewards are great!

[Ron in SoCal]

Way to go Efrain! Car looked great out there and I could tell by your face you were having a ball :thumbsup:

[efs69]

Thanks Ron. I had a blast! Can't wait to do it again.

[WSSix]

Congrats! Glad you were able to get the car there for the event.

[no go nova]

Great to see your car finally rolling again this is great motovation.

[HBRod]

I had the pleasure to meet you at the Fontana event and learn about your car. Just joined Lat-G and still feeling my way around. Been reading for hours the project updates (especially Ron of SoCal) and found your thread. I think that the work, creativity, and style that you have in your car is what this sport is truly about. So keep tweaking it until you're satisfied. For me the build is going to be more fun than the driving (skills not as good as when I was young). So definitely take pride in all the things you've already accomplished. I think you have great potential in this project and will get to where you want the car to be sooner than you think. Watched you during the speed stop runs and you seemed to driving better than some in keeping your head on and stopping in the box. Saw too many drivers not listening to the instructions to stop in the box. Can't wait to see you in action again. Your car is definitely on the right path.:thumbsup:

[efs69]

Congrats! Glad you were able to get the car there for the event.

Thanks. Learned a couple things. Looking to improve.


no go nova

Great to see your car finally rolling again this is great motovation.

Thanks!!! Always more to do.

HBRod

I had the pleasure to meet you at the Fontana event and learn about your car. Just joined Lat-G and still feeling my way around. Been reading for hours the project updates (especially Ron of SoCal) and found your thread. I think that the work, creativity, and style that you have in your car is what this sport is truly about. So keep tweaking it until you're satisfied. For me the build is going to be more fun than the driving (skills not as good as when I was young). So definitely take pride in all the things you've already accomplished. I think you have great potential in this project and will get to where you want the car to be sooner than you think. Watched you during the speed stop runs and you seemed to driving better than some in keeping your head on and stopping in the box. Saw too many drivers not listening to the instructions to stop in the box. Can't wait to see you in action again. Your car is definitely on the right path.

You can really get lost lurking around all of the great builds on this site, especially Ron's ...LOL. It is hard to get a good handle on the direction the project will go because of all of the ideas being kicked around. Now that I have the car going I can work the bugs out of what I have, work on my driving and look to "upgrade" at a later date.
Thanks again and I look forwad to your project being out there and posted soon.

Efrain

[Vince@Meanstreets]

Looks good!!

Did you ever get the clutch actuator working better?

[efs69]

Looks good!!

Did you ever get the clutch actuator working better?

Hey Vince,

I didn't get it resolved. The clutch still does not disengage completely but I did not want to miss another event so I took a chance. Shifting was not the greatest, especially down shifting and as you know I can't engage reverse without turning it off and starting the engine in reverse gear. I will need to get back under it and pull the trans and start over with the hydraulics or if I can get a deal a Magnum. I have a new slave since it is the only part I have not replaced, and I am still wondering if I need to shim it out a bit. Did you ever find the shims that you mentioned?

Thanks
Efrain

[Vince@Meanstreets]

Hey Vince,

I didn't get it resolved. The clutch still does not disengage completely but I did not want to miss another event so I took a chance. Shifting was not the greatest, especially down shifting and as you know I can't engage reverse without turning it off and starting the engine in reverse gear. I will need to get back under it and pull the trans and start over with the hydraulics or if I can get a deal a Magnum. I have a new slave since it is the only part I have not replaced, and I am still wondering if I need to shim it out a bit. Did you ever find the shims that you mentioned?

Thanks
Efrain

Sorry, I thought i pm'ed you. They will not work.

Let me know when you get it pulled apart I can help you figure it out.

[efs69]

Sorry, I thought i pm'ed you. They will not work.

Let me know when you get it pulled apart I can help you figure it out.

Thanks!!

[kovert]

wow you got a lot done are those the wheels and sUbframe I sold you looks amazing

[efs69]

wow you got a lot done are those the wheels and sUbframe I sold you looks amazing

Thanks. Haven't seen you on here in a while.
It was a mad thrash over about a year with so much done that I did not even post is all. I am using the frame I got from you and I am currently running HRE 19's all the way around. The other wheels are hanging out in the garage for now.

[efs69]

Update time. After identifying a few things in Fontana I worked on the car to get the suspension tightened up a bit and take care of some minor steering issues involving the pump and rack givinng some grumbling gurgling feedback but only when I turned left. I drained and bled the system again and took care of a small leak. I also had the rear end puke fluid from the vent as well as pressure build up in my tank. Being a little short on funds I made some catch breathers out of some Home Depot PVC, ran some lines from the rear and ran another from the tank and hoped for the best. Trans shifting was still difficult but I drove it as is just to put some miles on it.

I decided to attend the Portland USCA event so I did some last minute prep, borrowed a trailer and left early on Thursday morning.

[efs69]

The trip was not without its own challenges.

[Ron in SoCal]

^ I take it the CHP doesn't have a good sense of humor? :lol:

Call you this weekend Efrain.

[efs69]

It seemed like they were out in force trying to reach the quota as there were two others in the area also pulled over.

Besides that, the traffic, construction and the long 16 plus hour drive all was OK. I pulled into PIR just around 11:40 PM and called it a night.

Got in to the track and unloaded the car to get it through tech. It seemed that all of the heavy hitters were there so I knew i would not finsh well but I wanted to get some more seat time in and get some more support from the vendors.

Wilwood was on hand and again helped me through some issues...Thanks Mike! Even though not resolved it was better than before.

The speed stop was more of a drag race up and back and parking your car into a one car garage while traveling 60 plus!!

The autocross was set up for fast running. With fastest lap set by Mary P.

The car made it through day one needing nothing more than gas and a few more tweaks to the shocks.

Day two was the track. Being a novice I was nervous because the speeds on this track were going to be fast. I had a really good instructor named Tom who showed me the proper lines, braking and shift points and got me going faster. This made the trip worth it as I had a good time and learned just that much more.

Made it through the first few sessions then the knockback on the car became worse and I started to feel some vibration and brake fade so I pulled it off the track. upon inspection I found that the pinion seal was failing and that the axle bearings seemed to be getting loose as I could rock the car and hear noise and see the rotors flexing. Packed it up and since the event ended early headed back home.

[efs69]

^ I take it the CHP doesn't have a good sense of humor? :lol:

Call you this weekend Efrain.

Not really..... there were three of them one on each side of the road but this one was in the center median under an overpass. He plucked me from between two trucks. On top of that he even gave me a ticket for tinted windows!!

Sounds good talk to you this weekend.

[efs69]

After Portland i figured I would not attend anything else for the year and so the Sunday before last I set out to make a list of what I would fix first. I lifted the car and pulled the rear brakes and axles to see what the issue was. The rear pinion seal was shot and spread gear oil along the underside of the car and onto the brakes. I also melted a rear sway bar bushing because my exhaust dumps just before them and while the car was in the air I figured I would pull the trans to see what the issues were on my trans. While I was there I took the clutch, pp and flywheel off and called McLeod to arrange to have it rebuilt.

In pulling the trans I check the throw out bearing and noticed it had a bit of moisture on it. I had another new replaucement F-body mast that I bought just in case and compared the two and found that they were just sligtly different and that the one that was in the car did not compress as far and was not an AP part. Proble cause of my shifting issues.

I took the RST clutch to McLeod, since they are not far from the house and put it in for a rebuild. A couple days later I have this nice new shiney part.

[efs69]

So it is Wednesday and I am sitting at work not working and going back and forth with myself on rebuilding the trans since it was out or just dusting off a credit card and getting a Magnum. The consesus was to just get the new trans even though I did not want to spend the money I made a purchase through AMP. I couldn't believe it but it was at my door before 5 pm on Friday!!!

[67XR7]

I rebuilt a 350 engine for it but later a friend offered up his old 383. I ran across an up and coming transmission vendor selling TKO 5 Speeds at the Pomona Swap Meet. Jeff and I spoke for a while and a deal was done for a TKO 500.

I also swapped out the rear for a 69 Nova posi I found in the Recycler. Looked at some information about brake swaps and put rear discs in from a Caddy.

At the same time I was doing the interior which was nothing special except for adding some vintage air to get rid of the old bulky AC unit. Some new carpet, panels, paint and cheap racing seats and I called it good.


Care to share the info of this "up and coming" tranny guy? thanks!

[efs69]

Before the trans arrived I was talking to David P. and he mentioned that Super Chevy was doing a suspension challenge although interested I did not know what was involed or what they wanted. On top of that my car is in pieces. He gave me Steve R's number, we talked and got a feel for what the wanted. I was really unsure because my car was apart and it was two days away and it was a two day event. But as i am on the phone with him and getting home the trans arrived so the wheels in my mind start going....hmmn a chance to get in a mag, two days to get the car together.....stupidity took over and I told him I was sure I could get the car together and make it.

I then call up my driveline guy to set up a Saturday appointment to shorten the driveshaft. He tells me he can't do it......crap!!!! being last minute I was not confident I could find someone so in another moment of stupidity I decide to put my old trans back in. Armed with a new clutch, slave and axle bearings and seals I go about starting to put the car together. I cleaned up the opil mess from the rear and goth that together first. i moved on to the clutch and got that installed and then it was on to the mofo trans. I got it up on a Harbour Freight trrnas jack and lined up before I called it a night. I was beat!

[efs69]

Care to share the info of this "up and coming" tranny guy? thanks!

I did the TKO switch a few years back. The TKO was from Classic Chevy 5 Speed when they were just starting out and selling out of Swap Meets. i meth them in Pomona.

[Ron in SoCal]

i meth them in Pomona.

I hear Pomona's good for that.

(kidding Bro!)

[efs69]

Saturday morning...the little woman has a bunch of honey does lined up for me so I had to get those out of the way before I jumped back in on the car. So with those out of the way and half the day gone I was back under the car.

I forgot to mention that before I put the slave in the car I decided to try to pre bled it. I used a wood clamp to keep the bearing from being pushed off and connected it to the quick release. I pumped up the pedal, using a rod to keep it down and bled it out. Not sure if this would work but I had a hard time bleeding the other when I first put it in.

After a while and several verbal assaults the trans was in. Now all I had to do was get it tighted down. mount the cross member shifter, fill with fluid, driveshaft exhaust....blah, blah blah :hairpullout:

It is now Saturday night and all is together ready for shake down and break in on Sunday.:faint:

[efs69]

Sunday... got the shifter on and buttoned up the console and went back under the car to make sure I tighed everything. Topped the trans with fluid. filled the rear with fluid, did another check, put the wheels back on and dropped it off the jack stands. After a few hours of driving I felt confident that it was good enought to go. Shifting was better than it ever has been even using to old trans. Reverse was easy and shifting and clutch engagement was smooth. I sent an update to David P and Steve R letting them know I was go for Monday.

[efs69]

Bright and early Monday I jump in the car and head out to Willow Springs. I get there and am greeted by the staff and fill out paperwork and wait for the events to unfold. As the day progressed many pictures were taken, slalom was done as well as skid path. Most of the results were not reveled and even I will have to wait to see how it did..... rats!! The weather could have been better the first day. We were battered with wind all day which combined with the sun and the sand made for some red faces to say the least. By the end of the day I had met all of the manufactures and their crew that were there..... some cool people.

[efs69]

Off to the hotel to shower, have dinner with the group, a few drinks and lots of laughs. Then it was of to bed.

Tuesday is the fun day. Track time!!!!! After some more pictures it was time to hit the track, we did the follow drive to get the lines and were were able to drive the track and make changes as we saw fit so the cars were ready for the afternoon test.

Well a funny thing hapend to me while I was out there...

[efs69]

My sway bar arm decides it doesn't want to play anymore an walked right off the end of the swaybar making some aweful banging noises as I come out of the corner. I let off the gas and cruise in to the pit not knowing want happened. As I look under my car i can see that the arm is gone. I borrowed a dirt bike to go look for it on the track but found nothing. Steve R. suggested i go back and look under mt car and sure enough the picture above is how I found it. The arm had hit the ground,snapped the end link, bounced back into the tire all the way around the wheel well and then somehow wrapped itself around the front brake hose and was hidden by he wheel........:omg:

Day over???? HELL NO!!! A check of the brake line revealed that although pretty beat up it was holding pressure and not leaking. So with the help of the other competitors, the Pozzi's and especially the crew from CPP (Much thanks to you guys!!) we put a spare pillow block I had in after some mods, cleaned up the spines on the arm, built a new end link from spare parts i had with me and the car was back in action. i took it out for a quick shakedown and all seemed ok.

David P. Set the mark in Mary's car but I am not sure if i am allowed to say what it was so I won't. Mary P was doing the track driving for the evaluation...man can these guys wheel a car!! She seemed to be going faster as the laps went by and she was but on the last lap for my car we saw the tail start to wag so we knew something was not right but Mary stayed in it and wheeled it in. Somehow the armed walked off again. Luckily it did not get flung off like the earlier event. I lifted it back up and with David's help again got it together so I can drive it home.

[efs69]

I learned a lot from this event, manufacturers helped me understand a few things about set up, driving, I got to see how a magazine puts these stories together and this was just the testing and photograpy..the writing comes later. I had no Idea it was that involved!!

I think most of all I got to meet some cool people on both sides. I think everyone lent a hand on my problem and even at the end of the event Jim from CPP offered to take his car off the trailer and take me home if I could not get the car together. He also gave me his number in case I broke down on the road and said he would come back for me. I can't give enough props for those kinds of actions. All I can say is thanks and hope to pay it forward someday.

[efs69]

Quote:




Originally Posted by efs69


i meth them in Pomona.


I hear Pomona's good for that.

(kidding Bro!)

oops!!! lol but I think you're right!!

[WSSix]

Glad the sway bar mishap didn't cause any serious damage. Congrats on the fun weekend!

[GregWeld]

Well that's pretty wild and wooly stuff!! Nothing good comes from parts falling off cars!

I think the part I like the best about auto sports is the peoples willingness to help everybody including the guy that might beat them. It's just a great group of people.

Glad it worked out for you.

[Chad-1stGen]

Efrain,

Glad you made it home okay! I didn't want to say to much in my thread but since you shared the carnage here I just wanted to say I have huge respect for you getting that car back on the track Tuesday! I'm impressed that not only were you still eager to have it beat on but even more that you came prepared with enough spares to rebuild your swaybar.

Hope to meet up with you at a track soon!

Oh and having been on the receiving end of a similar offer to help me get my car home recently it is humbling and amazing what a great group of folks there are in the car world.

EDIT: one more thing. Great pic in post 113!!

[efs69]

Glad the sway bar mishap didn't cause any serious damage. Congrats on the fun weekend!

Thanks. More damage revealed after the tear down this weekend...

[efs69]

Well that's pretty wild and wooly stuff!! Nothing good comes from parts falling off cars!

That is for sure!,,

I think the part I like the best about auto sports is the peoples willingness to help everybody including the guy that might beat them. It's just a great group of people.

Glad it worked out for you.


I agree that was really cool.

[efs69]

Efrain,

Glad you made it home okay! I didn't want to say to much in my thread but since you shared the carnage here I just wanted to say I have huge respect for you getting that car back on the track Tuesday! I'm impressed that not only were you still eager to have it beat on but even more that you came prepared with enough spares to rebuild your swaybar.


Thanks Chad. I was lucky with the spares. I was cleaning up and just threw that stuff in the bag instead of putting it away...lol

Hope to meet up with you at a track soon!

Say the word:drive:

Oh and having been on the receiving end of a similar offer to help me get my car home recently it is humbling and amazing what a great group of folks there are in the car world.

EDIT: one more thing. Great pic in post 113!!

Sometimes I get a good phone shot:flashie:

[efs69]

I spent this weekend tearing the car down to check on the damage. I found that the sway bar impacted the wheel and took a couple small chunks out of the edge of the inner barrel. It also put a large dent in the frame, put some marks in my upper a-arm, and bent the steering tie rod. So I have some work to do.

The chunks that were taken out of the wheel and a-arm are about a 1/4 in or so. Would you suggest replacing The barrel and the arm?

[efs69]

It's been a while since I updated so here it goes. After the Super Chevy Suspension Challenge I went about fixing some of the problems that were exposed namely the sway bar arm. I came off at the track causing some damage so out came the BFH and I used a Home Depot Map Gas torch to heat the arm up enopugh to bend. Not the easiest method but it was all I had. I got some threaded end links and lopped off the end of the arm, drilled it, tapped some threads, mocked it all up and it was good to go after some final adjustments.

[efs69]

Since the car was in the air and I did not get a chance to install it before Super Chevy I took out the old T56 trans to install the Tremec Magnum T56. There are some differences in the Magnum vs the standard T56. The Magnum is just a bit bigger, heavier and most obvious is that the shifter is in a different position. so changes had to be made to the tunnel to accommodate the shifter location. After some measurements and a few cuts I made a access cover for the trans tunnel so that I could get the shifter out if needed down the road. I also relocated the stock center console a bit just to make the shifter look centered.

[efs69]

After rolling around on the new trans which is breaking in nicely and having sway bar arms that I don't have to worry about I went to a few auto-X events to get some much needed seat time. during these events the rear end was acting a bit odd so I had a few people drive the car and it seemed that the posi was giving out and it was. I pulled the axles and center out and replaced it with a Strange unit with 3.89 gears. while I was there I put on thicker axle retainers and changed the rear spring on the Ridetech shocks for some heavier units.

[efs69]

The next order was some new tires. I really like my HRE but I am running 18and 19 on those and tire selection is not good for what I am doing with the car. I was able to get some Falken 615k in 275-18 and 315-18. so I had a Fikse set of wheels fitted with these for the track use.

[efs69]

With all of the updates I felt confident about heading to Thunder Hill for the Optima event. Loaded up the truck, borrowed a trailer and hit the road. I got there in the early evening and pulled the car off the trailer. i hung around with Mike (Glassman) for most of the evening and we shot the breeze and had a great time. Thanks again for the hospitality Mike!

the next morning after the meeting it was time to go to work. in the auto-x i totally crapped the bed with May Pozzi riding shotgun...noty very encouraging. David Pozzi was also instructing and he jumped in the car with me to give me some pointers. Can't say enough good things about the Pozzi's. Thanks for everything!

Dave riding shotgun. I think this picture was taken by Scott (Seig). Tahnks forthe great shots that weekend!

[efs69]

After the butterflies were worked out I started to get better with my driving and was having a good event. I turned in what I felt were respectable times in the auto-x and speedstop . So next up was the road course. It was intimidating with all the elevation changes and the length which was at least double any track I have been on ( I'm a rookie).

I felt I was was doing fine and my lap times were dropping and then......I pealed a tire off the bead but thankfully there was no real drama associated with it. i limped it off the track and my day was done. Overall i was please as i had felt i improved in all of the events and even with the the early track exit i finished mid pack in GTV.

[efs69]

I missed Optima Vegas this past weekend with some engine issues. I got the car the car up and running again, did a few more tweaks to the suspension and motors and got some new rubber. Time to do some more set up and testing. Can't wait for Fontana!



In the meantime I got my wall art from In The News :flashie:

[tubbed69]

Congrats on the article,nice job:thumbsup:

[Sonar Chief]

After the butterflies were worked out I started to get better with my driving and was having a good event. I turned in what I felt were respectable times in the auto-x and speedstop . So next up was the road course. It was intimidating with all the elevation changes and the length which was at least double any track I have been on ( I'm a rookie).

I felt I was was doing fine and my lap times were dropping and then......I pealed a tire off the bead but thankfully there was no real drama associated with it. i limped it off the track and my day was done. Overall i was please as i had felt i improved in all of the events and even with the the early track exit i finished mid pack in GTV.

I'm a nube when it comes to track talk, but what caused the bead to roll off the rim?

Thanks for keeping us updated on your fun ... enjoy the little things!

Michael

[Jr]

Bump.

Do you happen to know the offset on the rear wheels?

[waynieZ]

Congratulation's on the ink.

[efs69]

Bump.

Do you happen to know the offset on the rear wheels?

I changed rear axles so I am not sure if you are looking for specs on the current Fikse set or the HRE black set.

[efs69]

Congratulation's on the ink.

Thanks! I guess I should update this thread at some point..lol

[glassman]

Dayum!!!! Back from the dead.....