Homerandabe69's 93 z28 Build Thread

[Homerandabe69]

A little background on my build:

I bought this car as a beater daily driver when I moved to Hawaii to live at my girlfriend's house. I work as an engineer aboard cargo ships that travel between Hawaii and California so I spend most of my time in those two states. I had a 99 Maxima that I traded to my mom for her much less reliable 97 Mazda MPV so I could pull the engine/tranny on that car and rebuild it. That project has gotten as far as pulling the drivetrain and not much further.

I needed a car for Hawaii also, so I decided to purchase something fun to drive. There are a lot of beat up Camaros here so I bought one for 1100 plus 900 in back taxes. The original scope of the project was to pull the tranny and rebuild it (A4 car with bad 3-4 clutch pack) and then just have a 100k mile daily driver. Once I started doing research, I decided to maybe go bolt-ons along with the tranny rebuild since i would be pulling the engine anyway. Long story short, my project is now about $13k over my original budget and I still have to purchase a rear end, tires, and a bunch of miscellaneous parts.

So far I have pulled the engine and had it machined .30" over and purchased all of my engine parts. I have my full suspension purchased and just bought my donor car for the T-56 swap. Donor can be looked at here: M6 (http://ltxtech.com/forums/showthread.php?22547-Finally-found-a-T-56-Parts-Car!)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/car.jpg

The car on jackstands

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/motor.jpg

Engine after pulling, sitting on K-member. I thought the engine felt a little weird when I drove it: found that one spark plug was fried, two were not even plugged in. Was running a V-5 for the 20 or so miles that I drove it after purchasing.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2012-08-16_15-11-12_362.jpg

Engine on stand

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2012-08-16_16-59-33_256.jpg

Cylinder walls were in excellent shape with almost no ridge. I wouldn't have even needed to bore it out if it wasn't for one cylinder that had some gouging in it. Not sure what it was caused by.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2012-11-15_10-16-08_188.jpg

After machine work was completed. Without naming names, the shop that I went to took 6 weeks longer than the original quoted month to get me my block back. They also charged me 1300 before tax for the machine work and parts (cam bearings, freeze plugs, main studs). The worst part was that they didn't oil the block and only half wrapped it before giving it back to me. I didn't have time to check the block before wrapping it and putting it in storage because I had to get on a ship, so when i pulled it out a few months later it was covered in surface rust. This caused me about 6 hours of work scrubbing and cleaning the rust out.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2012-11-15_10-15-22_497.jpg

Painted and looking nice





The finished product of this project is going to be a 355 N/A daily driver/autocross car. I am in the process of doing a T-56 swap from my 700r4 also.

Specs:
355 cid LT1
AI TFS 21* heads with 56cc chambers, ARP studs
AI stock machined and matched intake
AI custom grind cam
1.6 Comp Ultra Magnum RR
Mahle -5cc relief forged pistons
Mahle rings
Scat 6" forged I-beams
Stock 2 bolt mains, ARP studs
ATI Super Damper
Fidanza Aluminum Flywheel
LPP Long Tubes/True Duals

Full UMI Suspension (Boxed LCAs, Reinforced K-member)
Stock 10-bolt with 3.23 gears

Future purchases include:
Watts Link
Possibly MWC Fabricated 9" with 4.11 gears (Still doing research)

[Homerandabe69]

A little background on my job:

I am a Merchant Marine Engineer that sails on container vessels on the West Coast. I normally deal with engines that take up more room than many houses. This is my first car that I have taken apart so working on something this small is a very different ball game for me. Luckily ship engines operate on the same principals as car engines so most of my knowledge translates pretty well and helps me with diagnosis and whatnot.

This is a piston from the ship I just got off of 10 days ago:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-02-22_10-06-23_710.jpg

The engine is a Sulzer RND 90 slow speed diesel engine. We run high sulfur heavy fuel oil as our main fuel, which when at room temperature pours out like molasses. We heat the fuel to over 260 degrees Fahrenheit to get it to the correct viscosity for injection.

The engine has over 45000 hp at its rated speed of 122 rpm and generates over 1.5 million ft-lbs of torque at full load.

I figured since many of the people here build engines, you guys might be interested in the stuff I do for a living.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-02-22_10-15-35_185.jpg

Piston going back into the cylinder

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2012-11-24_19-35-30_683.jpg

Top level of the engine room. 12 cylinder loop scavenged crosshead engine with quad turbos.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

[Homerandabe69]

I took my block out of the bag today to start final cleaning before assembly. I noticed that one of my cam bearings has a scratch in it somehow that is deep enough to feel. I have been doing some research and general consensus seems to be to sand it very carefully with 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper until I can't feel it anymore

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-03-31_09-10-41_522.jpg

The scratch is basically right in the center of the picture. The scratch goes radially in the bearing so I think that it should be fine if I sand it down.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-03-31_09-11-09_340.jpg

Another bearing has a very light scratch that is visible but cannot be felt with my nail. I think this one should be alright.

Any ideas on whether or not this should be fine? I really don't want to have to take it back to the shop and have them charge me 200 dollars plus 5 weeks of my time.

[popo8]

great write up!!!

keep it going.


more details on specifics for the 13k over budget please...lol...


it happens quick...I know.


How about tuners over there...how hard is it to find one!

and the infoand pics u posted aboit the ship... hard to even fathom that..1.5million ft lbs of tq!!!!!


Larry (Popo8) Co-owner
LTXtech.com

[Homerandabe69]

original budget was limited to a stock 700r4 rebuild and possible stock engine rebuild.

I now have:

AI TFS 21 degree heads with matching cam and stock machined intake
Mahle -5cc pistons with Scat 6 inch I-beams
24x Conversion (waiting on harness from BP Auto at the moment)
Pacesetter Longtubes
T-56 Swap
Full UMI suspension
LS brake conversion
And lots of random other stuff

I still have a few thousand worth of parts that need to be purchased also :(

[popo8]

i know the feeling man...


Larry (Popo8) Co-owner
LTXtech.com

[dawdaw]

Wow that's awesome! that slug is bigger then our cars lol! How big of a ship are you on? I love seeing freighters, i live kinda by a huge shipping channel and it's cool seeing those things go by when we are fishing.

[Homerandabe69]

Wow that's awesome! that slug is bigger then our cars lol! How big of a ship are you on? I love seeing freighters, i live kinda by a huge shipping channel and it's cool seeing those things go by when we are fishing.

My contract ended a few days ago so I am no longer on that ship. The ship is 860 feet long with a maximum speed of 23 knots.

[Chris]

Holy cow that engine is big. How often do you have to change the air filter lol.

Very nice build you have going on. I dont think I have ever heard of a machine shop getting a block turned around on time once.

[FormulaJoe]

I'm liking your build! Nice choice of parts. Looking forward to checking out the rest of your progress.

Like popo said, it really is hard to fathom the immensity of those slow speed marine diesel engines. Really cool stuff though, I'm glad you gave us some info on that along with pictures.

TPIS had my block done in 2 weeks and 1 day in the spring when most shops get pretty busy... They quoted me "about 2 weeks" so I was pretty dang happy..

[Madman337]

Loved the ship engine pics and the fact that your 93 looks like my 93, looking forward to seeing more on this build.

[Homerandabe69]

Holy cow that engine is big. How often do you have to change the air filter lol.

Very nice build you have going on. I dont think I have ever heard of a machine shop getting a block turned around on time once.

We change the air filters about every 2 weeks usually. They have what is called a "turbo wrap" which is this ~15 foot long by ~2 feet wide filter material that we wrap around the intake side of each turbo.


I'm liking your build! Nice choice of parts. Looking forward to checking out the rest of your progress.

Like popo said, it really is hard to fathom the immensity of those slow speed marine diesel engines. Really cool stuff though, I'm glad you gave us some info on that along with pictures.

TPIS had my block done in 2 weeks and 1 day in the spring when most shops get pretty busy... They quoted me "about 2 weeks" so I was pretty dang happy..

It definitely is pretty incredible to be in the engine room while these things are running. Just the size of the parts is a little insane.




So I am waiting on some 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper to come in now from amazon since none of the stores here have it in stock. looks like this build will be continuing on tuesday now. I think I will start on switching out the interior from my donor car since that needs to get done sometime soon. More updates as they happen.

[Homerandabe69]

Holy cow that engine is big. How often do you have to change the air filter lol.

Very nice build you have going on. I dont think I have ever heard of a machine shop getting a block turned around on time once.


I'm liking your build! Nice choice of parts. Looking forward to checking out the rest of your progress.

Like popo said, it really is hard to fathom the immensity of those slow speed marine diesel engines. Really cool stuff though, I'm glad you gave us some info on that along with pictures.

TPIS had my block done in 2 weeks and 1 day in the spring when most shops get pretty busy... They quoted me "about 2 weeks" so I was pretty dang happy..


Loved the ship engine pics and the fact that your 93 looks like my 93, looking forward to seeing more on this build.

Thanks! definitely nice to get some encouragement on my first build thread. Ill see if I have some other interesting engine room pictures to show everyone.

[Madman337]

Just a suggestion but from my time working in a machine shop I would take the 1k sandpaper and "wear it out" first before using it on your cam bearings and also use very light pressure while sanding it, I used to polish cranks with a belt style machine and the paper belt that was on it felt smooth but polished it up very well.

[Homerandabe69]

That sounds like a good idea. Thanks for the suggestion.

Since I can't work on my engine until I get this cam bearing problem figured out, I decided to start on the interior again. I had already started on a few months ago when I got the car but was only about 1/3 done.

Notice the shitty interior on this car. Soon it will all be gone and looking awesome:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-03-31_13-22-48_68.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-03-31_13-22-26_565.jpg

Incredibly dirty and disgusting inside

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-03-31_13-09-23_942.jpg

This is what it looked like earlier when I opened the door

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-03-31_13-08-37_264.jpg

Lots of little spiders have made my car their home

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-03-31_13-07-39_339.jpg

This is how my car looks right now. 6 months of dust collected from living right next to a highway.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-03-31_13-43-41_94.jpg

Pretty soon there will be a third petal here

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-03-31_13-43-45_644.jpg

And there will be a much different shifter here


I still need to pull the driver side seat before I can continue. I am wondering if I can wire a car battery directly to the seat wires since I have no power in the car. The seat needs to be moved forward and back to access the bolts to remove it.

Once I get that figured out I can tear out all of the carpet and get it ready for the swap. I should probably start working on pulling the interior out of my donor car also.

[Paulster2]

Great write up! I see you are going to do a x24 conversion ... if not for that, I would have suggested you take the wiring harness and computer out of the donor and upgrade to that. The 93's computer is a bugger to upgrade/update/tune. The only thing it has going for it is the speed density if you are going radical enough to utilize it (though you can tune 94-97 computers for SD as well). Other than that, they are just a PITB. Tuning software for the 94-97 cars is easy to come by as well. As far as hooking the battery directly to the seat, I think if you just installed a battery into the car, making sure you don't have any live wires inappropriately grounded, you'd probably get power to the seat, but that is just a guess.

Those engines in the ships are mind blowing. If you try to look at them like you do the engines in our cars, your head will get all twisted around at the numbers. I mean, one of those pistons are as big as our cars, while one of the turbo chargers is bigger than an engine. 122 rpm? That is slow in comparison! Absolutely amazing!

Keep us up to date ... right now I have to live vicariously through write-ups like these!

EDIT: Another thought I had which I did with a donor car I had. I cut the metal for the trap door mod (fuel pump) out of the donor car about an inch bigger all the way around than what the trap door calls for, then used it to cover the hole in my driver. I drilled several holes for sheet metal screws, put some sticky back foam tape on there, and it sealed up without issue. The great thing is, since it is exactly the same shaped metal, it fits right in there without any modification and seals nicely. Since it's under the carpet, nobody ever sees that it's a different color. Oh, and I put POR15 on all the edges to ensure no rust. Just a thought ;)

[Madman337]

Yeah I am going to do the T56 swap to mine as well and I was lucky enough to snag a donor 97 TA that is a running driving car with only 125K on it (mine is sitting at 256K+) right now and hasnt been opened up except for a set of lifters but I drive it every day. Your car looks just like mine but I dumped the seats for leather and I was lucky enough that the previous owner had a cover over the dash like yours so my dash is still perfect.

[Homerandabe69]

I started pulling the dash apart because I decided that I might as well just replace the whole thing. The dash pad up top, while looking perfect, completely shattered as soon as I touched it. I hope the other car's dash pad isn't in such brittle condition or this is going to suck.

[popo8]

I started pulling the dash apart because I decided that I might as well just replace the whole thing. The dash pad up top, while looking perfect, completely shattered as soon as I touched it. I hope the other car's dash pad isn't in such brittle condition or this is going to suck.

they usually are if they are original...


Larry (Popo8) Co-owner
LTXtech.com

[meissen]

Awesome writeup! Love the pics of the freighter's engine. I work along the Detroit River in downtown Detroit and we have 1,000 foot freighters that go by during the warmer months and it's truly an amazing sight to see.

Like Larry said, unfortunately those dash pads are always brittle - especially being in the sun all the time.

[Homerandabe69]

they usually are if they are original...


Larry (Popo8) Co-owner
LTXtech.com

I may just need to suck it up and buy a new one. They cost like 150 dollars though for a shitty piece of plastic


Awesome writeup! Love the pics of the freighter's engine. I work along the Detroit River in downtown Detroit and we have 1,000 foot freighters that go by during the warmer months and it's truly an amazing sight to see.

Like Larry said, unfortunately those dash pads are always brittle - especially being in the sun all the time.

I actually used to work for Interlake Steamship up there for a while in 2011. I sailed on the Paul R. Tregurtha and the Kaye Barker. Spent a little time on the Rouge. That was one disgusting river.

[dawdaw]

I may just need to suck it up and buy a new one. They cost like 150 dollars though for a shitty piece of plastic



I actually used to work for Interlake Steamship up there for a while in 2011. I sailed on the Paul R. Tregurtha and the Kaye Barker. Spent a little time on the Rouge. That was one disgusting river.

Lol that's the river I fish on! That and the st. Clair river for walleyes, those rivers have some incredibly strong current. We mainly fish on the st. Clair where lake huron pours into it at the mouth. And ya that stinks about the dash pad, mine did the same thing. Do you hav any access to any junkyards in hawaii? I picked a perfect one up for 10 bucks at a junkyard :)

[FormulaJoe]

I had to take off my dashpad a month ago or so to take out the dash for HVAC delete and I was surprised that mine didn't crack. Seems to be in decent shape... Has been garage kept its whole life though. I'm with dawdaw, try and grab one from a salvage yard if possible. Actually I think I'm going to be making a trip to the salvage yard this Friday, I'll look around and see if I can find a pad in good shape for ya.

[Homerandabe69]

If I need one when I go back to California in a few months I'll check out a salvage yard. They only keep newer models on the island (post 2000ish) and they charge out the asshole for every little part. They literally charge about how much you could buy the part new for. That's Hawaii for you.

Madman337 - I noticed you live in Vallejo. I went to California Maritime Academy there right past the Carquinez Bridge. Graduated 2009.

[Madman337]

If I need one when I go back to California in a few months I'll check out a salvage yard. They only keep newer models on the island (post 2000ish) and they charge out the asshole for every little part. They literally charge about how much you could buy the part new for. That's Hawaii for you.

Madman337 - I noticed you live in Vallejo. I went to California Maritime Academy there right past the Carquinez Bridge. Graduated 2009.

Yeah I am about a mile from CMA right by where hwy 80 and 780 meet at the clover leaf, small world huh?
I may have even seen you since I was always around the area doing something.

[Homerandabe69]

I didn't get a whole lot of work done today because of errands. I spent some time at Home Depot getting tools and stuff that I need to for this project.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-01_17-29-31_331.jpg

Yesterday I got as far as pulling a lot of the dash assembly apart. I guess I didn't realize just how much work it is taking all of that out.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-01_17-45-58_754.jpg

I decided to try just ghetto wiring the driver seat to my car battery to see if it would work. It turns out that it works perfectly.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-01_18-23-05_318.jpg

Progress

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-01_18-01-09_132.jpg

Old, dried up cockroach eggs. I have found quite a few dead roaches around the car. I am going to need to do some sanitizing.


I moved the donor Z28 into the other parking spot next to my car so that it will be quicker to pull out the interior. Tomorrow I am going to pull the center console out and possibly start pulling the engine/tranny if my jackstands come in. I don't think they are coming until the end of the week though. I wish I had realized that I am using all four jackstands to hold up my other camaro.

[Homerandabe69]

I had to take off my dashpad a month ago or so to take out the dash for HVAC delete and I was surprised that mine didn't crack. Seems to be in decent shape... Has been garage kept its whole life though. I'm with dawdaw, try and grab one from a salvage yard if possible. Actually I think I'm going to be making a trip to the salvage yard this Friday, I'll look around and see if I can find a pad in good shape for ya.

Wow you are lucky. My donor car looks like it has at least been kept out of the sun for the most part so I have my fingers crossed. If you can find one that isn't brittle though that would be awesome.

[Homerandabe69]

Lol that's the river I fish on! That and the st. Clair river for walleyes, those rivers have some incredibly strong current. We mainly fish on the st. Clair where lake huron pours into it at the mouth. And ya that stinks about the dash pad, mine did the same thing. Do you hav any access to any junkyards in hawaii? I picked a perfect one up for 10 bucks at a junkyard :)

St. Claire river is one of the nicest places that I saw on the lakes. I could see myself buying a vacation home on the water over there.


Yeah I am about a mile from CMA right by where hwy 80 and 780 meet at the clover leaf, small world huh?
I may have even seen you since I was always around the area doing something.

Yea it definitely is a small world. I try to head back to the school every year for the alumni rugby game during the winter. I had some great times at that school.

[FormulaJoe]

Wow you are lucky. My donor car looks like it has at least been kept out of the sun for the most part so I have my fingers crossed. If you can find one that isn't brittle though that would be awesome.

I'll let you know

[Homerandabe69]

Spent a lot of time on the cars today.

I got the entire dash pulled from both cars and the steering column from the 93. I realized today that the donor car is actually a 95 and not a 94 like the guy I bought it from told me.

After I got the dash pulled out of the donor car it was actually pretty quick and easy to do it again on the 93. Really the hardest part was just figuring out where all the screws were and how to access them. I will provide a few pointers for anyone trying this in the future.

Start by pulling off the panels below the glove compartment and steering wheel. They are each held on with 2 or 3 screws that are easily visible. Once the screws are out, they just pull out with a nice tug.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/e6827ba6-2aa4-44f3-95d9-82e294b3d82c.jpg

After the lower panels are off, you can pull off the fuse box cover where the dash meets the driver side door. Remove the screw and push the fuse box in so that it hangs a little.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-02_11-40-48_254.jpg

Afterward, you can remove the dash pad. This is the large plastic cover that is nearest the windshield. It is attached with this weird velcro-like stuff and should just pull off with some force. For most people, this pad will just shatter with the slightest provocation. There isn't much that can be done about it. This is a shot from above through the windshield. Notice how it is super broken.

In that same picture, you can see that there are some screws that are holding the gauge cluster shroud down. There are four screws in the back there that are hard to see that need to be removed. You can also remove the ones under the shroud until it is loose and pull it off. You will need to remove any plugs that are attached as well.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-02_11-56-19_777.jpg

You can then remove the A/C control panel. There are a bunch of plugs on the back that need to be removed. Some of them are a little stubborn but they should all come out somewhat easily.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-02_11-56-15_189.jpg

The plug in the middle is kind of difficult because it has 3 clips that hold it down and the plug needs to be lifted off of a pin. Just try to manipulate the clips at the same time and pull it off.

With that accomplished, you can continue to remove all screws that are attached to the main dash assembly up by the dash pad and below the dashboard. The glove compartment door can be removed by pulling out the four screws right underneath the door with it closed.

When all the screws have been removed, the dash should feel loose but still attached to something. This is because it is screwed in from the other side for some reason and attached to the A/C duct work.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/8274936a-5f42-4624-b1ca-03eae9faa2dc.jpg

I found it easiest to start on the driver side and work my way to the passenger side while removing the screws. just look around for any screws that are pointing at you and remove them.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-02_12-25-29_128.jpg

I used a small flexhead ratcheting wrench with a small 7mm socket. With all of the forward facing screws removed, the dash and ductwork assembly should move enough that you can fit your arm behind it.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-02_12-19-24_83.jpg

To get at the first one at the top you can pull out this piece of ducting by giving it a good tug.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-02_12-42-22_375.jpg

There is one hiding under this flap

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-02_12-42-27_625.jpg

Those two other screws need to be removed also. They connect the dash to air bag assembly.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/e29b9898-5a3f-4ba4-a116-16758d012e5a.jpg

This one confused me for a few minutes. You have to put your arm all the way down the back of the dash assembly to get to it and feel around. May take you a few minutes to get at it. The flex head really helps for this one.

Once you get all of those the whole dash assembly should come loose. If it still feels attached to something then just make sure you didn't miss a screw.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-02_13-12-26_836.jpg

There are going to be a few cords attached to the assembly when it is loose so make sure they are detached before pulling on it. Lift the assembly over the steering column and out the passenger door. Be careful not to force anything. This is what it should look like when you are done.

[Homerandabe69]

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-02_16-47-35_788.jpg

I also got the steering column pulled off and the bolts loosened on the pedals.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-02_15-50-34_940.jpg

I pulled the entire carpet out too, finally. It was pretty disgusting under there so I had to vacuum it for a while.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-02_13-30-56_1.jpg

I noticed this box on the passenger footwell on the 95 donor car. I have the little holder for it on my 93 but the box isn't in it. Anyone know what it is?

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-02_19-17-03_578.jpg

My male cat likes to walk on my car

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/th_2013-03-31_17-18-38_378.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-03-31_17-18-38_378.mp4)

Demonstration of the dash pad awesomeness

Other than all of that, I got the back seats pulled out of the donor car and removed the rear hatch since it is still in decent shape. Some of the fiberglass on the underside is cracked from the accident but it isn't visible from outside. I figure I can get a little money for it from the right buyer. I covered the hole it left in a bunch of 3mil plastic and duct taped it. It rains quite a bit in Hawaii.

I got my sandpaper today for the cam bearings so I have my fingers crossed that it goes well tomorrow. If not it looks like I will be spending another few hundred taking my block to the shop to get new bearings.

[Viper]

Had a friend Semi Diesel Mechanic went into the Army worked on Abrams tanks in Persian Gulf. Now works on Lear Jet engines. I used to play around a machine shop worked in Gas station and auto repair shops years ago. I enjoyed the Pistons etc. Huge the semi's use cranes to install cylinder heads and pistons cranks heavy also. I was a cost analyst at Tinker, AFB Midwest City Oklahoma never saw anything that large that wasnt a turbine or thrust nozzle etc. I used to cost weapons systems piece parts economic analysis life cycle costs estimates Military construction costs etc Repair in house subcontract outsource etc Military man hours civilian labor rates General administrative costs overhead shop support. Budgeting/Cost analysis ALC to Wright Patterson AFB to Congress for the Future Years Defense Plan and Budget then signed off by the president. During Brac base realignment and Closure for cost cutting. My favorite thing in the Logistics Center was an electron beam welder that could weld together 2 old thin razor blades etc. I have a tendancy to be detailed and run on. Point is enjoyed the pictures on the ship engines and info.


Shop labor rates sound high IMO, would have new cam bearings installed for $30 none were ever like that using an old slide hammer installer at the engine shop I used to hang out at. We did use to polish clevite77 trimetal engine bearings with a type of scotchbrite and or fine steel wool before assembling performance engines. Do not remember the grit or type. I use Fine 0000 Steel Wool to polish rust off of Blued firearms components it doesn't scratch the blueing which isn't very thick. Most rust removers are corrosive such as Naval Jelly. An automotive paint polishing compound might be of use as it doesn't alter the dimensions much of the metal. Gunsmiths use Flitz polishing compound and it will not alter or remove a thousandth of and inch as long as careful. Once rust free I'd change the cam bearings to new ones just my opinion.

[meissen]

I give you credit for having the patience for removing the dash - I guess you had to since you were putting in the same dash from a 95 donor car. On my '94 Camaro I removed the stock dash and put a 97+ dash into it. I didn't have the patience for all those backwards screws and ended up literally ripping/cutting/hacking the '94s stock dash out. :lol: Those backwards screws are the work of the devil.

[Homerandabe69]

I wasn't feeling too great so once again I didn't get much work done.

I decided that my engine should spend as little time as possible outside so I did the cam bearing sanding and the final cleaning.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-03_13-20-23_563_zps3a1159fe.jpg

This was my cleaning set up yesterday. I sprayed it with Marine Clean in every spot that I could find and then sprayed it down with a hose. A lot of nasty shit came out of it from the rust that I scrubbed out of the cooling passages and oil gallery. I then sprayed it incredibly thoroughly with WD-40 that i put in some squirt bottles. I rolled the block over a few times to let the water drain off and sprayed it with compressed air to get any leftovers. I then covered it with WD-40 again. Hopefully there is no rust now.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-03_14-27-55_806_zpsef97281a.jpg

This is how the carpet from my 93 looked before any cleaning. Pretty disgusting.

I have decided that I am going to keep the carpet and headliner from my 93 and replace all of the rest of the interior. The carpet from the 95 is actually really nice except for the trunk section behind the seats. I don't know what happened to it but it is missing chunks of the carpet all over. I think the charcoal will contrast decently with the tan interior and look alright. Hopefully I can get the carpet pretty clean.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-03_14-28-04_891_zps7a88c2e6.jpg

This is what it looked like after about 30 minutes of vacuuming. After this I sprayed it down with high traffic carpet cleaner and sprayed it down with my high pressure hose. As soon as I started spraying the carpet, the water turned a dark orange/brown. It is drying right now so hopefully it looks good when dry.

Today I am going to move all of these interior pieces out of my back room so I have room to put my engine together. I am planning to get the bearing clearance measured and if it is good then I will install my crank and pistons. Once I get those torqued down, I will wrap it back up and start pulling the drivetrain from the 95.

[FormulaJoe]

Went the the yard yesterday and didn't find a good dash pad for ya.

Also notice that holder too in my 94, been wondering what the box is that would go in there too. I've heard it before but I just don't remember.

[Neil350]

Nice, that's a lot of work but cool to see the car getting rebuilt.

[Homerandabe69]

I have gotten quite a bit done since my last update. I should stay on top of it more so that I don't have to make such large posts

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-04_10-04-39_579_zps3af89387.jpg

I cleaned the main saddles really well by wiping them out with my (supposed to be) lint free rags and then brakleen. I didn't realize that the bearings would be so flexible. They just kind of press in by hand which is nice.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-04_10-15-25_800_zps356fa477.jpg

Upper shells installed

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-04_10-15-06_77_zps67a8360c.jpg

The oil holes all lined up perfectly except the last one. I doubt this will be a problem though.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-04_12-56-09_575_zps488669af.jpg

I got my main bearings installed and measured them. They mic'ed out to to about 20-30 thousandths clearance except for the #1 bearing that was at .017. Should be fine though.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-08_10-04-29_800_zps23f3f1cc.jpg

Crank installed. I am not sure how freely it is supposed to spin but it rotates pretty easily. I realized after I finished installing the crank that I haven't changed the crank gear yet so I will need to pull it off again.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-04_09-36-19_32_zps4fe46335.jpg

This is how the front of the house looked before I pulled the engine on the donor car.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-04_09-35-47_633_zpsafc07e45.jpg

This is my parts storage/engine building/cat room. I am surprised my girlfriend is not more pissed about this place.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-04_09-35-58_992_zpsf183e07e.jpg

This is part of the backyard littered with interior pieces from both of my cars.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-05_10-03-18_312_zpsd492930b.jpg

Getting ready to pull the drivetrain. Of course the days that I decide to do the pull, also happen to be the hottest days of the month.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-05_11-36-09_202_zpsc84d7341.jpg

Pulled off the bumper assembly and the intake.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-05_12-21-50_431_zps1deb9fd0.jpg

Removing the bulky AIR system

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-05_12-21-16_163_zps744369b6.jpg

There is so much more room to work with the bumper and radiator removed. I should have done this when I pulled the drivetrain on the 93

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-05_15-32-30_850_zpsa14060c4.jpg

I learned this trick from someone on either this forum or on ls1lt1. It keeps the line wrench from opening up when loosening something that requires a lot of torque. I ruined my driver side front brake line on the 93 so luckily I was able to pull the one off of this car without damaging it.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-05_15-18-53_400_zps3c8895d1.jpg

For some stupid reason the lug nut key was not included with the car. Instead of looking online for a replacement and waiting days to get my wheels off, I just found this "technique" on youtube for removing the lug. I just pounded a 21mm socket on the lug with a big hammer and then used my breaker bar to pull it off. Luckily the socket is very hard so it didn't get damaged at all in the process.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-05_15-19-06_433_zpse7ec2429.jpg'

Harness disconnected. It is a good feeling when you pull this thing all off in one piece

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-07_12-38-06_444_zpsbe75d117.jpg

My first attempt and lifting the car off the engine. I, for some reason, did not disconnect the drive shaft so I have to lower the car back down and remove it and then lift it again. I also had my straps too long so I had to lower it again to shorten the straps and then lift it once more. It took me four attempts before I could completely pull it out.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-07_13-40-02_722_zpsfeec1feb.jpg

Finally out

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-07_14-01-47_201_zpsf8c514ff.jpg

This is where it is resting right now. While slightly irrational, I was a little worried about leaving it in the driveway because I was afraid it may get stolen. It would be pretty difficult to steal an assembly that weighs this much. I would just cry though if I lost this transmission after spending so much time looking for it.

[dawdaw]

Good progress boss! And its not irrational to put parts in your garage, to many thiefs now a days to take a chance.

[Homerandabe69]

Thanks. The problem with living in Hawaii is that most houses don't have garages. We just have a carport here which does nothing but protect my car from direct sunlight.

I called the cash for cars company about picking up my car. They said they can pick it up even if it has no wheels which is good news. I am wondering if it is worth it to pull off the rear end and put it on my car. It is going to take a while and be very expensive to get a built rear sent to Hawaii so I figure I can at least use the 3.42 gears vs my 3.23. This rear also has less miles which would be a plus.

Also, anyone know how much to try to get for a complete LT1 with front suspension with 65k miles?

[SchaefZ28]

I'd keep both rears. No sense in scrapping the 3.42 rear if it's good. I ran my stock 3.23 rear after my tranny swap, and IMO 6th gear wasn't usable unless I was going at least 60.. Besides, it's pretty easy to swap out rear ends, so why not?

[Homerandabe69]

I agree with you but I decided to just scrap it. I dont have another pair of jack stands to prop the back up with and its just not worth the hassle to me.

[Homerandabe69]

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-08_17-53-43_985_zps761a4366.jpg

The donor is ready to go to the scrap yard

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-08_17-54-05_633_zps9781d827.jpg

My stripped interior with the hood and other crap I would like to get rid of inside.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-08_17-53-55_674_zps9ebbcc2d.jpg

Hopefully they will take all this crap with them.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-08_14-49-01_886_zps9ce4f77f.jpg

Engine for sale in Hawaii with 65k miles

[popo8]

Wow...ur doin great documentimg this....keep it up!!!


Larry (Popo8) Co-owner
LTXtech.com

[Madman337]

Yea it definitely is a small world. I try to head back to the school every year for the alumni rugby game during the winter. I had some great times at that school.[/QUOTE]

Next time your out this way gimme a shout.

[Homerandabe69]

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-09_17-20-08_102_zps4bec25e5.jpg

The tow company came 7 hours late but they ended up picking the car up


http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-09_13-47-12_109_zps8c80cc80.jpg

I figured that while I wait for some engine parts I should go ahead and start cleaning the interior so I can put it back together. I cleaned the driver and passenger areas with a vacuum, simple green, a heavy scrub brush, and a brass wire brush. I found lots more cockroach eggs hiding all over the place. It feels much cleaner now.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-09_15-38-44_989_zps2c9ea326.jpg

I also got my manual pedals in so I can cut the hole for the master cylinder.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-09_18-00-36_405_zpsb0654793.jpg

I had my girlfriend rent me a Rug Doctor with upholstery attachment so that I could clean all the interior fabric.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-09_18-00-41_709_zpsf65a4bbc.jpg

The tan pieces weren't very dirty to begin with but the Rug Doctor works really well to lift out the dirt and dust. Even though the fabric doesn't look much different after, the collected water was a dark grey color.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_10-07-53_422_zps7b7bd8c3.jpg

The charcoal carpet looks about 300 times better now.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_10-08-02_640_zps949de8bc.jpg

There are still some problem areas that I couldn't get clean. Most of them are under the seats though so they won't be visible.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_10-08-17_197_zps566b0c0a.jpg

The most visible parts looks pretty nice now, though.

Today I am going to finish cleaning the headliner and put that back in. I am going to finish cleaning the passenger compartment so that I can get my carpet back in also.

I am waiting for my flywheel and double roller timing set to come in so that I can get my rotating assembly re-balanced. I am also waiting on my ATI SuperDamper to come in also. Hopefully by this time next week I will have my whole rotating assembly off to the machine shop so I can get back to putting it all back together. I have about two more weeks to work on the engine until I have my shoulder surgery so hopefully I can get the long block together by then.

[Homerandabe69]

I realized I never mentioned what my build is going to have in it or my goals for my setup so I added that to my first post at the end.

[Fastbird]

I think I'll be shipping something to you in about 3-4 days. ;) PM me your address cause it wasn't included with the payment, if you could please.

[Homerandabe69]

Finally got a little more work done on the interior of the car

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_17-10-23_385_zpsd9e935b8.jpg

I pulled the trim off the donor hatch that I kept. I couldn't find a guide to getting it off so I figured I can provide some pointers for anyone else doing the same

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_17-11-01_867_zps326fd828.jpg

Start by pulling the large center section of trim off at one edge. There are two tabs that are overlapped by the skinny pieces of trim that can break easily so be careful. In this picture I already broke the left one.

Once the tabs are free, the rest of the trim basically pulls off of the yellow press in guys. These are the ones that go in one way but don't come back out. You can kind of just wiggle the trim off of these with some light force. There are a bunch of them.

The rest of the trim is attached the same way. The two skinny pieces are also attached with these one-way guys and also some of the little clips that the A-pillars use. These all just pull off with some force.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_17-18-03_220_zpsd56fa523.jpg

To get the tabs out, I used some electrical pliers and pulled on the guys side to side until they pulled out. As long as you aren't too violent with them they come out easily. I put tape on the pliers to help reduce scratching of the paint

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_17-18-09_60_zpsa993ae1e.jpg

This is what they look like when you get them out.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_17-20-33_465_zps9d7db7d6.jpg

To fix the little guys before reusing them, you can push them through this hole in the pliers to make the tabs go back in the correct direction

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_17-21-24_290_zps40a07912.jpg

Fixed

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_17-24-33_98_zps7f0a1e98.jpg

This is from the donor hatch and from the 93 hatch

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_18-07-49_105_zpsbf485213.jpg

Donor trim installed. I am not sure if this color is going to look good in the car but at least it is in really good condition.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_18-23-28_321_zps1a8cbe6a.jpg

I started mocking up where the shifter boot cutout will be

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_18-24-10_212_zpsbc325869.jpg

I traced the cutout from the donor car almost exactly and cut it out in this cardboard

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-10_18-25-38_137_zps89ca34c9.jpg

Rough outline. I will do the cutting tomorrow. Also my master cylinder pattern is next to it.

[Madman337]

Sweet and again thanks for this detailed write up, I will be doing a T56 swap as well and looking at what your doing is a big help.

[Homerandabe69]

Sweet and again thanks for this detailed write up, I will be doing a T56 swap as well and looking at what your doing is a big help.

Well that is pretty cool. You have a 93 also so that is even better. I'll let you know if I head up to the Valley-Jo this year.

[Madman337]

Well that is pretty cool. You have a 93 also so that is even better. I'll let you know if I head up to the Valley-Jo this year.

Cool and this stuff is gold to me since I have been waiting to do my conversion and the shot of the tunnel you have there helps me out alot.

[Fastbird]

Do yourself a favor and do not drill the master cylinder via a template like that. Bolt the M6 pedal assembly into place first, and with the pedal assembly in place using them as a guide, drill your holes. No measuring, no guessing, just spot on where it should be.

Posted from my Rooted and ICS'd Rezound

[Homerandabe69]

Do yourself a favor and do not drill the master cylinder via a template like that. Bolt the M6 pedal assembly into place first, and with the pedal assembly in place using them as a guide, drill your holes. No measuring, no guessing, just spot on where it should be.

Posted from my Rooted and ICS'd Rezound

That is exactly what I did. The template was just to help place the hole for the cylinder itself a little better relative to the bolt holes. Turned out really well. I will put some pictures up later. My phone died so I didn't get any pictures last night.

[Homerandabe69]

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-11_09-03-10_357_zps664870e8.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-11_09-03-10_357_zps664870e8.jpg.html)

Cut the shifter boot hole. I used a Sawzall to do the rough cut.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-11_09-55-32_45_zps950c9557.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-11_09-55-32_45_zps950c9557.jpg.html)

Almost done with the rough cutting. You can see the shifter dick from my 700r4 sitting under the car.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-11_10-13-52_519_zps3ab2755e.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-11_10-13-52_519_zps3ab2755e.jpg.html)

I used a diamond cut off wheel with my Dremel to do the fine cutting. I used the sawzall to cut it into smaller sections and then bent the pieces off with some Channel Locks.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-11_11-23-15_376_zpsbe44c84c.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-11_11-23-15_376_zpsbe44c84c.jpg.html)

Once I had the fine pattern cut out I used a grinding bit on the Dremel to clean up the pattern and round off the edges.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-11_11-23-24_383_zpse1e7da05.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-11_11-23-24_383_zpse1e7da05.jpg.html)

Finished.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-12_09-16-47_730_zpse6b57a63.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-12_09-16-47_730_zpse6b57a63.jpg.html)

I painted the area with self-etch primer and paint because I left a lot of exposed metal around. I definitely do not want to deal with the floorpan rusting out in a few years. The only topcoat I had was candy apple red gloss. It is very candy apple red.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-12_09-17-06_735_zps4a0bce20.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-12_09-17-06_735_zps4a0bce20.jpg.html)

Like a glove. I will get some self tapping machine screws when I go to Home Depot next to secure the boot.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-12_09-17-16_734_zps66732ed7.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-12_09-17-16_734_zps66732ed7.jpg.html)

I installed the pedals and drilled the holes with them in place. I used a 1 1/2 inch hole saw for the master cylinder hole and then enlarged it a bit with my diamond grinding bit on the Dremel to get a better fit. I also had to remove the rubber cover on the back of that bolt that is sticking out below the clutch pedal bolts to get the master cylinder to clear.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-12_10-02-31_49_zpsb39716af.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-12_10-02-31_49_zpsb39716af.jpg.html)

It is difficult to see in this picture but the master cylinder is installed and bolted in. I need to get a new slave because the factory one is in bad shape. Anyone have any information on how these slave cylinders (http://www.ebay.com/itm/BAHNHOF-CLUTCH-SLAVE-CYLINDER-93-97-CAMARO-Z28-SS-FORMULA-TRANS-AM-5-7L-V8-LT1-/150904764698) are?

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-12_10-02-40_56_zps3957dfc0.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-12_10-02-40_56_zps3957dfc0.jpg.html)

After I got those cut and installed, I went back to cleaning out the interior. My girlfriend wants me to clean out the backyard for tomorrow because her family is coming over so I am going to try to get the interior cleaned and carpet installed and get the dash mostly put together today hopefully.

[Homerandabe69]

After some research I learned that because the A4 cars don't have any reinforcement for the firewall around the master cylinder, the firewall tends to fracture after a few years of use. I may, in the future, make a plate that fits behind the pedal assembly to stiffen that area up. I wish I had pulled the plate off of the donor before I scrapped it.

Also, for Madman337 and everyone else, here are some pages that have good info for the T-56 swap:

http://ls1tech.com/forums/lt1-lt4-modifications/969651-my-t56-conversion.html

http://www.afrashteh.com/tranny_pics/T56.htm

[FormulaJoe]

Looks like the same slave that I got from Napa a few years back. Works good, and I like the bleeder screw that it has.

Nice work! Keep it up. Your cuts look perfect!

[Homerandabe69]

Looks like the same slave that I got from Napa a few years back. Works good, and I like the bleeder screw that it has.

Nice work! Keep it up. Your cuts look perfect!

Well that is good then. I will order that slave cylinder.

Thanks! I spent a lot of time cleaning up the cut to get it nice and smooth. I wish I had all the tools that I have when I work on the ship. I could have used acetylene torch and had the rough cut done in 45 seconds and then used a die grinder and sanding attachment to smooth it in about an hour.

[Fastbird]

Nice work. FWIW, I bought the purple car in June 2003, and it was M6 swapped in 2002. No cracking yet.

[Homerandabe69]

good news then. I can see the firewall flexes a bit with the clutch pedal but I think it will be alright. I will worry about it if I get a stiffer clutch or something.

[Spartan7]

After some research I learned that because the A4 cars don't have any reinforcement for the firewall around the master cylinder, the firewall tends to fracture after a few years of use.

One of my older cars did that, I didn't even notice it until about 2 years after the swap when I went to change out a failing MC. I did have a McLeod MC with that one though, so maybe that would be why.

[Homerandabe69]

I started putting some of the interior back together so that I can clear some of the shit out the of the back yard.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-13_14-49-21_641_zpsc8176979.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-13_14-49-21_641_zpsc8176979.jpg.html)

The master cylinder had some rust under the paint that looked like it could cause a pinhole in the future, so I decided to paint it. This is after I wire brushed and sanded the bad spots with 300 grit.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-13_14-54-24_279_zps1480adcf.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-13_14-54-24_279_zps1480adcf.jpg.html)

This is right after painting with Rustoleum Rust Converter. I came back after about an hour to install it and noticed that the paint leveled itself. I have never seen a spray paint do that. Once installed it looked like it was brand new because the paint was so smooth.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-13_16-33-41_442_zpsb7f53b8a.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-13_16-33-41_442_zpsb7f53b8a.jpg.html)

I did the same for my steering column. Wire brushed and sanded where the linkage attaches so that it will be easier to reinstall.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-13_17-13-01_892_zps5fe9fc06.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-13_17-13-01_892_zps5fe9fc06.jpg.html)

As far as spraypaint goes, this is one of the smoothest ones I have used. I am used to POR 15 going on very smooth and level like this, but POR is like 40 dollars a quart.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_16-48-51_512_zpsd75b0c39.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_16-48-51_512_zpsd75b0c39.jpg.html)

This is how my car was sitting yesterday after some installation. The dash assembly was a lot harder to re-install than it was to take apart.

Today I got the dash gauge assembly cleaned and re-installed and put the headliner, rear cabin light, and the sun visors back in. I was kind of busy today so I didn't get much done.

Since I recently received my order from EFI Connection and have had thousands of dollars worth of other parts laying around, I decided I might as well provide you guys with some parts porn.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_16-14-15_622_zps1a81085f.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_16-14-15_622_zps1a81085f.jpg.html)

This is my new and beautifully machined timing cover. While it may seem crazy to spend almost 300 dollars on a timing cover, you can't argue that this thing doesn't look awesome. It also fits perfectly with my application (double roller set with water pump drive deleted)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_16-14-52_82_zps0d532e81.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_16-14-52_82_zps0d532e81.jpg.html)

While I would prefer a finer finish normally, I like that you can actually follow the path of the CNC cutter.

My new Cloyes double roller set. Looks awesome.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_16-42-28_60_zpsab16309c.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_16-42-28_60_zpsab16309c.jpg.html)

24x reluctor, crankshaft sensor, 1x reluctor and housing. I forgot to order the 96-97 crank key so I just put in an order at EFI Connection.

And now for my single most expensive order so far: My Advanced Induction order

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_15-50-14_640_zpsb44708ba.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_15-50-14_640_zpsb44708ba.jpg.html)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_15-50-30_687_zps5f954308.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_15-50-30_687_zps5f954308.jpg.html)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_15-50-37_350_zps81874399.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_15-50-37_350_zps81874399.jpg.html)

Intake milled and ported to match my heads and TB opening bored out.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_15-53-19_339_zps62df1b34.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_15-53-19_339_zps62df1b34.jpg.html)

Custom cam matched to my top end setup

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_15-55-38_993_zps3156bcd9.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_15-55-38_993_zps3156bcd9.jpg.html)

Ultra Pro Mag 1.6 Rockers

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_16-06-53_772_zps3abbd03e.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_16-06-53_772_zps3abbd03e.jpg.html)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_16-06-16_219_zpsf191855e.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_16-06-16_219_zpsf191855e.jpg.html)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_16-06-23_952_zpsca789364.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_16-06-23_952_zpsca789364.jpg.html)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_16-06-43_504_zps82420a4c.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_16-06-43_504_zps82420a4c.jpg.html)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-14_16-06-53_772_zps3abbd03e.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-14_16-06-53_772_zps3abbd03e.jpg.html)

TFI 21* heads with 56cc combustion chambers. Manley Racemaster SS valves and PSI Maxlife springs.

When all is said and done, I will be looking at about 11.5 static compression on this build.

I also have almost my entire suspension sitting in my storage room but I don't really feel like pulling them out of the box yet.

[Sahara54]

"…and a standalone fuel management system. Not a bad way to spend ten thousand dollars."...but seriously, that is an awesome pile of parts you have. Those TF's are too pretty.

[Homerandabe69]

"…and a standalone fuel management system. Not a bad way to spend ten thousand dollars."...but seriously, that is an awesome pile of parts you have. Those TF's are too pretty.

I think the trickflows will help prevent blown intake welds. And thank you, they definitely cost enough to be nice.

[93M6Formula]

Are you and the mad scientist replacing the piston rings you fried?? LOL
Cool build OP, will be watching this one.

[Homerandabe69]

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-16_09-53-29_105_zps71b7712b.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-16_09-53-29_105_zps71b7712b.jpg.html)

I decided to paint some of the spots where the paint was coming off to prevent future rust.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-16_10-16-02_746_zps5d41ff3a.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-16_10-16-02_746_zps5d41ff3a.jpg.html)

I found a burgundy enamel that was close the the original interior color and sprayed a lot of the interior. After looking at it I kind of wish that I had the will or the time to repaint the entire interior but that is just too much work for something that is not going to be visible.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-16_18-09-59_475_zpsec8047e4.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-16_18-09-59_475_zpsec8047e4.jpg.html)

I started doing the wiring for the m6 conversion. I can't seem to find a really good tutorial that explains what each wire does so this is a bit confusing.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-16_18-10-25_215_zps9c6247f7.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-16_18-10-25_215_zps9c6247f7.jpg.html)

This is a really ghetto looking splice that I found that goes to the shift lock solenoid. Is this factory or was it done by a previous owner? It was wrapped in some low quality duct tape instead of electrical tape.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-16_18-10-43_86_zpsa422e4d2.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-16_18-10-43_86_zpsa422e4d2.jpg.html)

I figured that while I am doing this I may as well start running some of the wire for my future sound system. I am planning to have two trunk mounted amps: a four channel for the speakers and a single channel for the sub. I think I basically know how the wiring is going to go so I am going to run it and leave it unconnected until I purchase the parts for it.

[Homerandabe69]

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-17_17-10-31_993_zps7ae577e6.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-17_17-10-31_993_zps7ae577e6.jpg.html)

I finished the wiring for the center console area that goes under the carpet so that I could start putting the interior back together. I wrapped the wire in 1 inch electrical tape to clean up the area a little bit. While it ended up being a little stiff, it did give a bit more of a professional look. I am keeping the under-dash wiring taped with small pieces of gorilla tape because I still need to wire in my stereo system and my shift light before I can wrap it permanently.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-18_10-22-26_302_zpsffd191be.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-18_10-22-26_302_zpsffd191be.jpg.html)

I vacuumed the area once more and started putting the interior back together. I am glad to finally get my carpet back inside. It has been hanging on a hand rail for the last week covered in plastic. It went in pretty easily but the rubber backing on the passenger area started crumbling a little and made a bit of a mess.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-18_10-22-33_121_zpse563d00f.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-18_10-22-33_121_zpse563d00f.jpg.html)

Even after using the Rug Doctor extensively on the carpet, there are a few problem areas that are heavily stained. Luckily this will be under the back seat so it won't be visible. The carpet as a whole came out really well though. I am very happy with how clean it looks.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-18_11-26-40_497_zps345423fe.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-18_11-26-40_497_zps345423fe.jpg.html)

I am installing the entire interior including the seats so that the parts can be out of the house. I cleaned every piece of trim with a scrub brush and some cleaner and they came out pretty nice.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-17_12-39-00_689_zpsb6094393.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-17_12-39-00_689_zpsb6094393.jpg.html)

Does anyone know what this plug toward the upper middle part of the screen is? I don't remember ever unplugging it so I don't know exactly what it is for. It looks like it is part of the cabin air system.

[Homerandabe69]

Since I am still waiting on my flywheel to come in, the only thing I can really get done is putting the interior back together. I ordered the flywheel on the 8th and it didn't ship until the 13th. The tracking says expected delivery date is the 26th :( Once I finally get my flywheel I can take it to get rebalanced. How much does a computer balance usually cost? This shop is quoting me about 250 for the balance and my original balance at a different shop was 280. Those both seem incredibly high.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-18_18-01-58_858_zps6556482c.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-18_18-01-58_858_zps6556482c.jpg.html)

I routed the clutch switch wires over to the clutch pedal but I am still waiting on the pigtail for the switch to come in. I only had red and black wire so I wrapped it all in electrical tape and marked it with colored electrical tape every foot or so.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-19_08-12-46_900_zps5749f263.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-19_08-12-46_900_zps5749f263.jpg.html)

I am basically done with my wiring now. I am waiting for my 24x harness to come in so I can figure out what to do with the reverse light wires. They are just hanging at the moment.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-19_08-12-56_940_zpsef87c53b.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-19_08-12-56_940_zpsef87c53b.jpg.html)

I basically got the entire interior back together. I think the tan/charcoal interior turned out really well.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-19_08-32-52_32_zps95c50dde.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-19_08-32-52_32_zps95c50dde.jpg.html)

I am kind of excited to see what it looks like with the console and the seats put back in. I will do that once I finish wiring my shift light and clutch pedal.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-18_18-01-50_149_zps41ac0d28.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-18_18-01-50_149_zps41ac0d28.jpg.html)

While it is difficult to see in this picture, the pleather padding right above that a/c vent is separating from the plastic backing. I think I need to find some sort of super strong glue to get that back together. I will worry about that later, though.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-19_08-32-46_845_zpsb9b0ac2c.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-19_08-32-46_845_zpsb9b0ac2c.jpg.html)

I like the tan panels and the doors looks pretty good. The driver side door has a lot of wear in the handle area so I may need to go find some sort of touch up paint to fill it in.

[Homerandabe69]

Got a little bit more work done on the car. I am still waiting on my flywheel to get here so I pulled my crank out of the block and got it ready for the machine shop. When the flywheel gets here sometime in the next few months, I am going to take it in to get re-balanced. In the meantime I finished a lot of the wiring in the interior. The new pigtail for the clutch safety switch came in so I wired up the purple and yellow 12 ga wires from the auto shifter to it. I am not entirely sure if the polarity is correct because I don't have the engine in but I am hoping it is correct. I am also not sure if the switch works or not because I checked the continuity on it and got nothing with it pressed and unpressed. I guess I will find out for sure when everything is back together in a few months or next year or something.

I also did the passenger window fix to give it its own 12v supply to prevent the motor from burning out. This (http://www.ls1engines.com/how-to-fix-your-camaro-or-firebird-slow-passenger-side-window/) is a decent tutorial on how to go about that. The only problem I ran into is that the wiring that goes into the passenger door is wrapped incredibly tight and has almost no slack so it was really difficult to get at the wires to extend them.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-21_16-27-19_976_zpsa82d8528.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-21_16-27-19_976_zpsa82d8528.jpg.html)

This is the dual relay socket that I got from amazon being wired up. I also ran some 12 ga speaker wire from the door to the trunk. I think I am going to be placing my amps in the back seat area with a rear seat delete but I wanted to make sure I left enough wire in case I decide to put them in the trunk.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-21_16-27-37_852_zpsd3d3a16e.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-21_16-27-37_852_zpsd3d3a16e.jpg.html)

The relay was of high quality but two of the wires were 16 ga instead of 12 ga so I pulled out the spade connector and used the inside of a butt connector to connect it to the 12 ga wire. It would have been better to actually use the correct connector but I didn't have any and didn't want to wait a week to get one from the internet. I wrapped the exposed metal with electrical tape for insulation.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-21_18-05-01_618_zps434bab72.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-21_18-05-01_618_zps434bab72.jpg.html)

This is the mostly finished product. I tucked the relays into that little holder thing that I don't know the purpose of and wrapped the wires in electrical tape. The two grounds were connected to the dash assembly ground post. Now I have my Raptor Dual Mode Shift Light and my reverse lights left to wire up. I need to get my 24x harness from Bill before I can do that though so I know what wiring needs to be done.

Also, I just got some more parts in:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-21_19-10-56_440_zpse62b1c63.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-21_19-10-56_440_zpse62b1c63.jpg.html)

ATI Super Damper to replace my stock 93 balancer

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-21_19-11-31_909_zps8f0bf730.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-21_19-11-31_909_zps8f0bf730.jpg.html)

TPIS 58mm Billet Throttle Body. I just really liked the look of it and decided to splurge. I think 400+ may have been a bit much for a thottle body though.

[FormulaJoe]

Interior is definitely looking nice. Love the TB too. I have the polished look, but that black looks awesome!

[SchaefZ28]

Lookin' good.. That TB looks pretty bad ass, shame you won't get to see the red butterflies when the intake tubing is hooked up!
I just did the window fix mod too, except I left the relays in the door per the autotrix instructions.. I just hope they fit in there lol. I do like the way you routed yours.

[Homerandabe69]

Interior is definitely looking nice. Love the TB too. I have the polished look, but that black looks awesome!

It looks like a different car compared to what it looked like before. I guess it kind of is now though. The TB is actually somewhat of a bluish color but it looks really good in person. I can't wait to see it on my engine.


Lookin' good.. That TB looks pretty bad ass, shame you won't get to see the red butterflies when the intake tubing is hooked up!
I just did the window fix mod too, except I left the relays in the door per the autotrix instructions.. I just hope they fit in there lol. I do like the way you routed yours.

I was thinking about putting them in the door but I figured there is less chance of it banging around inside the cabin. I will probably do the passenger express down mod whenever I find an express down module on the island.

[Homerandabe69]

I spent two hours last night writing up some Craigslist listings for all the leftover shit I have from these two cars. Still no hits yet but I am hoping I can get rid of all this stuff.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-22_13-39-08_632_zpsc88246eb.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-22_13-39-08_632_zpsc88246eb.jpg.html)

I got my Fastbird Performance line lock kit in today. It is a very well put together kit and includes everything needed including the mounting bracket. I started installing it today and then decided that I wanted to repaint the bracket with POR-15. I thought about it for a second and decided that if I was going to paint the bracket, I might as well paint the master cylinder too since it was all dirty. This thought process snowballed until I decided to paint my master cylinder, oil pan, accessory bracket, and my LS-1 brake caliper mounts.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-22_16-03-19_797_zpse51b5d69.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-22_16-03-19_797_zpse51b5d69.jpg.html)

I knocked the pins in for the reservoir and pulled it off. The res is secured with the roll pins and an o-ring for each side of the res and just pulls out. I used Marine Clean and cleaned all the gunk out of the res and cylinder.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-22_16-03-27_591_zpsb30c4193.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-22_16-03-27_591_zpsb30c4193.jpg.html)

The hydraulic actuator needs to be depressed so that the c-clip that holds it in can be pulled out. This is what the first part of the actuator looks like.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-22_16-13-12_242_zps6f18a94a.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-22_16-13-12_242_zps6f18a94a.jpg.html)

The actuator disassembles with a torx bit so that it can all be cleaned. There is another part of the actuator in the forward part of the master cylinder that you need to use compressed air to get out. Put the compressed air in the forward threaded connection and point the cylinder toward something safe.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-22_17-04-27_319_zps5cc1a60c.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-22_17-04-27_319_zps5cc1a60c.jpg.html)

My LS-1 caliper mounts have been sitting in storage collecting rust for close to a year now so I decided it was time to paint them. I used marine clean and a stainless wire brush to scrub the rust out. I used a wirewheel on a grinder previously to get the heavy rust off.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-22_17-04-30_961_zps567fac71.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-22_17-04-30_961_zps567fac71.jpg.html)

My oil pan has suffered the same fate as the caliper mounts. I wirewheeled it months ago but never ended up painting it so it has been rusting over.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-22_17-04-38_124_zpsf51497fb.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-22_17-04-38_124_zpsf51497fb.jpg.html)

I started scrubbing the accessory bracket with a wire brush but then realized it will be impossible to get all of the baked on oil off by hand. I will have to take it to a shop and have it hot tanked before I can paint it.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-22_19-35-12_358_zps4444c9c4.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-22_19-35-12_358_zps4444c9c4.jpg.html)

I used the Metal Ready that is recommended to be used with POR-15 and prepped all of the parts

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-22_21-06-07_428_zpsf8c4ee09.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-22_21-06-07_428_zpsf8c4ee09.jpg.html)

I then taped all of the mating surfaces with blue painters tape. I have some frog tape that would work better but I forgot where I put it.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-22_21-21-29_655_zps8ddf30ef.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-22_21-21-29_655_zps8ddf30ef.jpg.html)

By the time I finished taping everything it ended up being pretty late so I decided to hold off on the painting. I have my shoulder surgery tomorrow so I have to wake up at 5 am which is in less than six hours. I will attempt to paint them in a few days when I am no longer in extreme pain.

I got my rotating assembly ready to take to the shop but I am still waiting for my flywheel to come in. I pulled the stock crank sprocket off and installed my Cloyes double roller sprocket. It took me a few tries but I got it on with my '96 crank key. I will be taking my rotating assembly in to get balanced and then in a few months I will be able to put my engine together.

[Fastbird]

Let me know if you need any guidance on the M6 swap wiring. This is all fresh in my mind as I recently converted a members car to M6 from A4.

[Homerandabe69]

I have the shift light, line lock, and reverse light left to wire up. I pretty much have it figured out but since I am using a '93 car, doing a t-56 swap, and doing 24x, it is making things complicated. I got the clutch and hatch wired in but i still need to figure out how to do the reverse lights when my new harness and pcm come in. Any experience with M6 24x?

I had my shoulder surgery today so I won't be working on the car for at least 4 weeks now. guess i better do more research then.

[Homerandabe69]

It has been a month since I got my surgery and I am about to start doing some physical therapy to get my shoulder back into working condition. Against my doctors orders I decided to get some work done on the car, despite my surgery. I have actually gotten a surprising amount done so far and am quite happy with my progress.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-29_19-55-49_207_zpsc4428f1b.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-29_19-55-49_207_zpsc4428f1b.jpg.html)

I painted my LS1 spindle brackets with POR-15

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-29_19-55-55_632_zps1635e1b2.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-29_19-55-55_632_zps1635e1b2.jpg.html)

I then topcoated with two layers of Engine Enamel and realized that I should have done at least two coats of the POR-15 and then finished it with one coat of Engine Enamel. The Engine Enamel was a lot thinner and didn't level as well as the POR-15. I didn't get around to painting my master cylinder, even though that is the most pressing paint job right now.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-30_11-38-47_482_zps5f995f18.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-30_11-38-47_482_zps5f995f18.jpg.html)

This is what they look like after 24 hours of curing. I think they turned out pretty good. It was incredibly difficult to paint them with one arm and discovered two bare spots that are out of normal view on the brackets.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/2013-04-30_11-38-57_63_zps61918619.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/2013-04-30_11-38-57_63_zps61918619.jpg.html)

This is what the finish looks like after the full 4+ days of curing are allowed. I think it turned out really well. I know POR-15 is a very hard paint coating but I keep treating the brackets like they have a light spraypaint job and baby them when they are moved.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0060_zps7dac8f80.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0060_zps7dac8f80.jpg.html)

I took a break for about two weeks to let my arm get better before I started working on the car again. This is a shot of some of my new measuring tools that I got for my engine build. Lots of money in this photo.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0044_zpsbad4f099.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0044_zpsbad4f099.jpg.html)

This is my blueprinting station. Only the best white-room conditions for this engine.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0049_zps771ce165.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0049_zps771ce165.jpg.html)

The ARP stretch gauge works very well. It was a huge pain in the ass getting everything clean to get accurate measurements.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0046_zpsbc747022.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0046_zpsbc747022.jpg.html)

I stretched the bolts to about 0.0046" which ended up being around 83 lb-ft for each bolt. This is 20 lb-ft higher than the recommended torque from ARP/SCAT using ARP Ultra Torque Lubricant. This picture suffers from parallax error.

[Homerandabe69]

This is one of my two cats:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0051_zps08ca203c.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0051_zps08ca203c.jpg.html)

His name is Mr. Tubbs. He is about a year old and we picked him up from the Humane Society in Honolulu.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0052_zps3b29890b.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0052_zps3b29890b.jpg.html)

We have been doing a lot of gardening at the house and I decided to try my hand at planting pineapple. We have seven plants growing in the yard and four more waiting to be planted in a few months. The first ones should fruit in about 6 months. We also have a papaya tree, apple-banana tree, and some sort of citrus tree.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0054_zpsf56bec3f.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0054_zpsf56bec3f.jpg.html)

This is Tubbs and our young pineapple plants.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0055_zps7f799c62.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0055_zps7f799c62.jpg.html)

Bearings being installed.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0056_zps17a78d4e.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0056_zps17a78d4e.jpg.html)

Installed and torqued

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0061_zps60edf15d.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0061_zps60edf15d.jpg.html)

I measured each journal multiple times and recorded each measurement.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0063_zpsfb2201cc.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0063_zpsfb2201cc.jpg.html)

After I took all of my measurements, I wrapped the crank in some 6 mil sheet to keep it safe from rust and dust.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0064_zpsd14364ef.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0064_zpsd14364ef.jpg.html)

Checking bearing clearance against my crank measurements.

[Homerandabe69]

Finally starting to build the shortblock

I checked bearing clearance and ended up with some messed up numbers to begin with. My #1 main was at 0.0017" clearance and my #3 was at 0.0035" clearance. The rest of the bearings were within 0.0020-0.0030" clearance. I tried mixing and matching the caps which just moved which bearing had too tight clearance. I think the machine shop may have botched the line hone (along with a lot of other things). After a good 1.5 hours of mixing and matching, I found a decent combination of main cap and bearing that got decent clearances on all bearings.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0067_zps9e3b1faa.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0067_zps9e3b1faa.jpg.html)

Once I got the clearances squared away, I installed the crank and torqued it to 80 ft-lbs.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0068_zps14faa546.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0068_zps14faa546.jpg.html)

I got half of the pistons in last night. Every step involving the pistons, bearings, or rods has been incredibly nerve racking.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0071_zps08ad9954.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0071_zps08ad9954.jpg.html)

I also got the timing set installed but I realized I didn't have a crank turning socket for my degree wheel to check the cam specs. I am sure the cam is 100% correct but I wanted to make the sure timing set was installed correctly.

I got the rest of the pistons installed today but didn't get any pictures yet. I also got my new oil pan (http://www.kevkoracing.com/images/1092RR_full.gif) ordered. It should be here next week. I am also looking at getting the pro-form 141-131 valve covers and LPP headers when they become available.

[Featherburner]

Finally starting to build the shortblock

I checked bearing clearance and ended up with some messed up numbers to begin with. My #1 main was at 0.0017" clearance and my #3 was at 0.0035" clearance. The rest of the bearings were within 0.0020-0.0030" clearance. I tried mixing and matching the caps which just moved which bearing had too tight clearance. I think the machine shop may have botched the line hone (along with a lot of other things). After a good 1.5 hours of mixing and matching, I found a decent combination of main cap and bearing that got decent clearances on all bearings.

Did you switch the main caps from the locations they were in when it came from the machine shop?

[Homerandabe69]

The bearing clearances didn't work right from the shop

[Homerandabe69]

I got a lot of work done on the car today.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0095_zpscf290d6a.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0095_zpscf290d6a.jpg.html)

I clearanced my Melling stock replacement pump to clear one of my main studs using my die grinder. Only took about 3 minutes.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0096_zps15cbf7df.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0096_zps15cbf7df.jpg.html)

I realized that I couldn't find the oil pump bolt anymore even though I grabbed it last night. I looked the bolt size up and was about to go to Home Depot to try to find it, but I ended up finding the correct size bolt in my pile of unknown bolts. I got the pump on and my windage tray secured.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0097_zpse22de5e6.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0097_zpse22de5e6.jpg.html)

the TPIS timing cover actually had a hole that was too small for the left side aligning pin. I thought that the pin may have just mushroomed or something which was causing it to not fit, but my measurements showed that the hole was just too small. I used a drill bit to bore it out slightly and cleaned it up with some sandpaper.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0100_zpscbb41af9.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0100_zpscbb41af9.jpg.html)

While I waited for my crank turning socket to come in the mail, I decided to start working on some more of my front suspension. The original plan was to have the front suspension done and have the engine mounted on it before I left on June 1st. This is somewhat of a pipe dream now but I am trying to get as much done as possible. I cleaned up my spindles with a wirewheel on my die grinder and a wire brush.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0101_zpsa743a512.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0101_zpsa743a512.jpg.html)

They actually got pretty clean and turned out nice

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0102_zpsfcea4c95.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0102_zpsfcea4c95.jpg.html)

I wish I could replace the wheel bearings but they are in good condition so I am fine leaving the old ones.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0103_zps9a600517.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0103_zps9a600517.jpg.html)

The middle of the hub is going to be painted with POR-15

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0104_zps2bb4be22.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0104_zps2bb4be22.jpg.html)

I then started working on the upper A-arm bracket. These were heavily rusted but still in usable condition.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0106_zpsc5acb697.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0106_zpsc5acb697.jpg.html)

After about ten minutes of wirewheeling the heavy pitting becomes obvious. luckily these brackets are very thick and there is plenty of meat left.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0107_zps6ec9d65c.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0107_zps6ec9d65c.jpg.html)

This is after most of the corrosion and paint have been removed. There are still a few spots with heavy rust.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0109_zpsfe7b2171.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0109_zpsfe7b2171.jpg.html)

This is the other bracket. Very rusty but it didn't penetrate quite as deep.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0112_zps49c0f5a5.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0112_zps49c0f5a5.jpg.html)

I took the die grinder to the top of the bracket because there were some deep pockets of rust that wouldn't come out with the wirewheel. I smoothed the areas that I ground out and got it down to a few spots with a little rust left.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0115_zpsad2468cc.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0115_zpsad2468cc.jpg.html)

Once I got my turning socket I started degreeing the cam. I know that it isn't entirely necessary with a custom grind from a reputable place, but I decided I might as well do it just in case. It degreed correctly according to the cam card.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0118_zps0926336a.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0118_zps0926336a.jpg.html)

I got the cam sprocket secured and put the 24x reluctor on. I put the timing cover and cam sensor on and bolted them up. Everything seemed to be fine until I rotated the crank and heard a grinding sound. It turns out that the cam pin was too long. The instructions for the 24x conversion said to make sure the pin didn't stick out past the back of the 1x reluctor, which it didn't, but I guess that wasn't enough. It ground a nice ridge around the 1x reluctor hole and dropped a bunch of aluminum shavings into the timing cover. I pulled the cam and used my die grinder to grind it down. I didn't get a very clean looking grind but it worked.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0126_zps3a23300a.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0126_zps3a23300a.jpg.html)

The 24x reluctor lined up well with the sensor so I finished buttoning the front up. I am missing one valve cover bolt and two other ones have yielded so I am going to need to order some new bolts eventually. I am excited to see my engine progressing this far after all this time.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0132_zps16201138.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0132_zps16201138.jpg.html)

top view.

My oil pan will be here in about a week and my head gaskets should be here Tuesday. Hopefully I can get my heads bolted up so I can measure my pushrod length and get those in for when I come back to Hawaii in two months. I am hoping to have my longblock mounted on my k-member by the end of the second week of August or so. Then I can start putting on the rest of my suspension and if my wallet permits, I will order my MWC 9" rear.

[Sahara54]

Looks great man, excellent detail to your work.

[SchaefZ28]

Wow, very nice work, car is going to be awesome when it's done! Nice little work area you've got too.

[Homerandabe69]

Thanks guys. It will be nice to have all the parts from this car not cluttered around the house when this project is done.

[Homerandabe69]

I started painting some of my parts because I am now just waiting on my oil pan and head gaskets to come in.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0134_zps9ca7202a.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0134_zps9ca7202a.jpg.html)

This is the thermostat housing. It was pretty caked with coolant residue and rust from the block. I took a wirewheel and gallery brush to it to clean it out.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0137_zps2e2778cf.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0137_zps2e2778cf.jpg.html)

The sealing surface had quite a bit of pitting so i lapped the surface with a sheet of 150 and 350 sand paper on my work surface. It got pretty smooth and got rid of some of the pitting.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0140_zps3fa91ac0.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0140_zps3fa91ac0.jpg.html)

The painting ended up turning out pretty terrible this time. The first coat went on ok but it was super runny for some reason.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0139_zps9875f050.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0139_zps9875f050.jpg.html)

The second coat on the parts was really thick for some reason and did not go on easily. It ended up bubbling really badly and just looking terrible.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/homerandabe69/IMAG0138_zpsa42e10da.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/user/homerandabe69/media/IMAG0138_zpsa42e10da.jpg.html)

Today I am going to lightly sand the paint and go over it again with a fresh can of POR-15. I think maybe the can I was using is old and not working well.

My oil pan and gasket should be here by friday so I will be able to get a little more work done.

[dawdaw]

Looks good! If you plan on ordering a rear end or anything for that matter through MWC, i may suggest ordering it WAY in advance... There incredibly slow getting things out and built, i ordered my suspension 5 months ago and have only recieved half of it... Anyways keep the good work up!

[Homerandabe69]

Looks good! If you plan on ordering a rear end or anything for that matter through MWC, i may suggest ordering it WAY in advance... There incredibly slow getting things out and built, i ordered my suspension 5 months ago and have only recieved half of it... Anyways keep the good work up!

Wow that is a very long time. I was under the impression that it was a 10 week turnaround for rear ends? I guess as soon as I get the cash I will put my order in. The car won't be done for a while anyway. Thanks for the info.

[dawdaw]

Wow that is a very long time. I was under the impression that it was a 10 week turnaround for rear ends? I guess as soon as I get the cash I will put my order in. The car won't be done for a while anyway. Thanks for the info.

It's very very hit or miss with this company... If they have it in stock (little things like lca, arb, etc..) they'll ship it out asap, but stuff that has to be fabricated/built usually takes a while.. some people get there stuff on time, but most wait.. check out the forum on ls1tech under the rear end section, its labeled like Midwest chassis fab 9" something... there's some guys that have been waiting a whole damn year for there shit... Don't get me wrong they build a very nice product but there customer service is horrible and they overshoot their deadlines. I ordered stuff January 18th and here we are with half of it completed... I actually called to today to have them refund my money but the dude never called me back like he said he would.. IF you plan on getting it order it way way in advance is the BEST piece of advice I can give you... honestly i'm fed up with them, I placed a 6000 dollar order with them and they have treated me like shit. Anyway keep up the work with the build :D

[Homerandabe69]

Its unfortunate that their customer service is lacking. They definitely do some of the best work available for this specific application. I guess I don't really have a choice but to go with them, however, if I want to get exactly what I want. I will keep my fingers crossed that I have a better experience.

[Homerandabe69]

So its been just under two years since my last update and the project has finally started to get underway again. I have run into more delays and obstacles than I can mention and have spent a crazy amount of money to only get close to finished so far. In hindsight I really wish that I just did a bottom end build and tranny swap and left it at that for now. Going with a complete build has been so incredibly expensive.

That being said, let me show you guys what I have been up to.

Last time I was working on the car, I had finished my long block and was getting ready to put it on the k-member. As I was checking oil pressure, I noticed that it dropped off and then would no long build. I then noticed oil coming out of my water passages where the water pump bolts on.

After pulling my heads, I realized that the shim gasket I was using to get the correct quench I needed didn't quite cover some of the oil passages properly and were letting oil into the water passages. I believe when I was matching them to the LT1 gasket, I took too much out in some spots.

Regardless, I decided to redo the entire setup and get the deck height machined properly from a better shop so that I could be sure everything was correct. In the process of being machined, the shop informed me that the last shop that worked on my crank didn't machine my journals correctly and they needed to be turned down .0010". I suppose it was good that this happened.

After I got my parts machined, I oiled them and wrapped them up and they sat in the garage for over a year. In that time, I finished the rebuild on my Mazda MPV engine and finished rebuilding my friend's 2003 Cobra engine. I also am mostly done building a friend's 305 Corvette engine that he is sticking in an El Camino.

[Homerandabe69]

I have documented a lot of my build process up to the point I am at now. Over the last two months, I have been rebuilding my long block and ordering all of the very expensive parts I need to finish it. Right now I have a complete long block and need to finish the car itself before I can stick it back in. That may not happen for a few months now, though.

32362
I ordered King XP rod bearings and HP main bearings. I had some trouble with the cleavites I used last time in that they were very far off from one another when I measured clearance. These king bearings are guaranteed within very few thousands so it made it much easier to put together.
32363
The block was zero decked and honed at the machine shop. Everything else is the same.
32364
I like to use studs because I don't have to worry nearly as much about yielding a bolt or stripping threads. Also strength is important.
32365
Caps torqued and ready for the dial bore gauge. Average clearance was about .0029". Lowest was .0027" which is lower than I would like but should be fine.
32366
I have learned to pull the studs before installing the crank. No matter how careful you are, it is still really easy to hit a stud and mar a journal. I did it to this crank before and the one on the cobra.
32367
These are the King XP bearings. They are supposedly better suited for extreme conditions such as high HP cars. I just got them because they cost the same as the equivalent HP series bearings.
32368
I got them installed in my rods and started torquing them down.
32369
After I got half of the rods measured, I noticed that there was some sort of grit embedded in more than half of the lower shells. The grit felt like some sort of tiny metal particles. I could scratch them out with my fingernail but they would leave a trail in the bearing surface afterward. Since this was only on the bottom shells (they come in separate packages and are marked), I figured this was some sort of manufacturing issue. Worried that this would happen with the next set, I ordered one from a different company and decided to pick out the best ones before returning the defective shells. Sure enough, the next set had about half of the shells affected by this. I mixed and matched them until I had a decent set and returned the remainders.

[Homerandabe69]

I apologize for the shitty purple tint on a lot of the pictures. My HTC One has a messed up camera and goes purple in the slightest of low-light conditions.

Among many other reasons, living in Hawaii sucks because parts take forever to get here. I either have to pay summit 14 dollars for 2nd day air on anything I order, or I need to wait 5-7 business days for Amazon.

During this delay, I decided to polish my fuel rails.
32370
This is what they looked like to begin with. They were pretty dirty and had a lot of nicks and pits in them.
32371
I decided not to spend too much time sanding them down because some of the blemishes were so deep. I also just didn't care that much for nice rails.
32372
I also painted the crossover pipes and brackets black but didn't get an after picture.
32373
Crank installed and caps torqued to 80 lb-ft in 3 steps.
32374
After the delay caused by the bearings, I finally got my rods measure out and ready to install.
32375
Half the rods installed. I used Karl Ellwein's tip and used a feeler gauge in-between the rods as I torqued them to keep them from twisting. Interestingly, 80 lb-ft ended up getting stretch to the recommended .046" +/- .001 on all the rods. I used an ARP stretch gauge.
32376
Rods all torqued and timing set installed. I have a cloyes true double roller set with oversized gear. I am using a Kevko aftermaket oil pan so I had to modify the windage tray to fit. That is the pickup that was provided with the pan. I installed a higher PSI white spring in the pump. Crankshaft end play was about .002" and rod to rod clearance was about .0017".
32377
Measuring deck height. Before I had the block machined for the second time, my piston depth was about .025". That combined with the typical .026" gasket left me with .051" quench which was more than I wanted. I want something closer to .040" to prevent detonation as much as possible. I had them deck the block to 9.000" this time and still ended up with pistons about .016" in the hole. I'm not sure why they aren't at 0 piston height but its low enough to work. I am using a cometic .026"x4.110" gasket.

[Homerandabe69]

32378
My poor T-56 has been sitting in the garage for so long. I got it over two years ago with 75000 miles and it still hasn't had another mile put on it.

32379

I recently built a new house with my girlfriend and made sure to have a garage included in the plans. We got the land for free essentially so we got the house for the price of the build which was an offer we couldn't pass up. I added a bunch of gladiator equipment and got that big craftsman chest for super cheap through sears. You guys should watch slickdeals.net (http://www.slickdeals.net) for when sales come up on this stuff.
32380
I got my aftermarket pan installed but it ended up coming off again later. I will explain in a later post.
32381
Intake painted with POR-15 Aluminum. I stupidly did two coats and it ended up looking like shit. The first coat went on beautifully and looked amazing. Still looks alright though with the rails installed.
32382
Heads installed and torqued. The cometic gaskets are very nice and fit perfectly. I suppose that is to be expected from $160 head gaskets.
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I got the TPIS cover from EFI Connection to go along with my 24x conversion. Super expensive but it looks great and saves me the trouble of finding a proper cover.

[popo8]

Lookin good. If i were u... id pick a theme color and paint the fins on the intake... then misc items on the car to pull the theme together.

[Homerandabe69]

I actually polished the intake fins. It looks pretty good in person with the polished rails. I kind of have a black and silver color thing going with the engine but I am keeping the car the original maroon color so there isn't exactly going to be a cohesive theme.

[Homerandabe69]

I'll be working on a ship for the next month so I will update some more when I get back.