Project TubbyZ28

[SSlowBoat]

Sold my 87 Iroc 5.7 Tpi car in March 2012. wanted something more modern. I was tired of the lack of performance and falling apart nature of third-gens. Found this gem on NJFBOA.org for $2k with 189k miles. no one wanted it. car had minor bolt-ons at the time. Edelbrock shorties, flowcrapster catback, electric waterpump, elbow, cai, shiftkit, msd pro-billet opti, hotchkis lowering springs. The pic below was after 4 washes, since it sat for 2 years at a truckstop with a dirt driveway. car ran GREAT, for its age. it was taken care of for the most part.

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i drove it like this for the summer last year chasing little lt1 issues. bad o2's, dirty maf and throttle body, tranny cooler line leaks, couple stupid wiring issues. Fast forward to christmas eve, i got layed off from my job, company filed bankruptcy. Headers had cracked at the flanges due to age, back stock decarbons were blown, and i didnt have the money to support my stay at home wife and young daughter, so i sold it. BIGGEST REGRET EVER!

a few months later, still layed off, my pos beater $500 regular cab 5spd truck wasnt cutting it as our only car. i made a hasty decision to buy it back with my tax return. the kid i sold it to beat the shit out of it, drove it all winter with the messed up headers, bad plugs etc. it was barely running....first orders from my wife were to use my taxes to fix as much as i could at once, to make it safe and reliable again.

found alot of used parts cheap and got alot of new: pacesetter lt's, y-pipe, threw on a summit glasspack dumped, new wires, plugs, tires, Slp Bilsteins, BMR 1.25" rear springs, Founders Rod/Rod panhard, Poly/Rod lca's, Umi Tubular poly/rod front lca's, BMR Chromoly Full length adjustable torque arm, new intake and filter, stand alone B&M trans cooler, and a proper tune.

[SSlowBoat]

as she sits now, plus Baer Track front brakes.

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car is my daily driver, pink butterfly carseat and all. mileage is 224k miles. at LTX Tech Dyno Day car put down 297.5 whp threw an auto with 2.73 gears. Car was hotter than hell and pulling 5 degrees knock retard (max allowed by tune).

plans as of now are to get my trans built by Frank Cahall to Race version with a Pro-torque converter and do the finishing suspension tidbits: Midwest Chassis subframe connectors, Tubular upper control arms (Probably Delrin), Strano Sways, and either Midwest Chassis Watts Link or Fays2 Watts Link.

After that, forged 355 build with a LE2 setup over winter along with either a built 3:73 10-bolt (i dont drag race at the track) or another rear if i find a deal. Maybe some giggly stuff in the spring, or some boost if i can get enough overtime. everyone around here talks so much shit on my car, im seriously one of maybe 5 LTX's in my close area (besides the 3 in my driveway lol) that isnt doing a LSX swap and is sticking with what i got. i gotta do something to make them scratch their heads when a nasty camaro shows up and doesnt have a lsx.

[Sahara54]

Sounds like a great plan and its awesome you were able to save the car twice.

Also we just finished up installing one of Cahall's race builds into my friends 99 Z28. It shifted great with his SLP 2800 Stall.

[popo8]

Keep that progress comin Tubby.

MEMBER @ LTXtech.com

[SSlowBoat]

Sounds like a great plan and its awesome you were able to save the car twice.

Also we just finished up installing one of Cahall's race builds into my friends 99 Z28. It shifted great with his SLP 2800 Stall.

Yeah frank is cool as hell, and i trust his judgement with torque converter selection and the quality of the trans build. There is one sitting in the garage for my father inlaws car, and i wanna get that car together to see how it shifts and drives.

[SSlowBoat]

Edit: car is being parted and scrapped. Went to put my subframes on tonight. Car is twisted beyond hell, fuel lines rotted through, holes in rear floors. Dont feel like polishing shit anymore, ill just take what i need and put it on the formula i have thats in much better shape

[MeanTA]

Edit: car is being parted and scrapped. Went to put my subframes on tonight. Car is twisted beyond hell, fuel lines rotted through, holes in rear floors. Dont feel like polishing shit anymore, ill just take what i need and put it on the formula i have thats in much better shape

That Sucks to hear! Sorry it got so messed up man.

[Sahara54]

Edit: car is being parted and scrapped. Went to put my subframes on tonight. Car is twisted beyond hell, fuel lines rotted through, holes in rear floors. Dont feel like polishing shit anymore, ill just take what i need and put it on the formula i have thats in much better shape

How bad is bad? From the pictures the panels fit decent. How much rust are we talking? Just run some pretty braided for the lines and do a relocation while at it to clean up the bay.

[SSlowBoat]

How bad is bad? From the pictures the panels fit decent. How much rust are we talking? Just run some pretty braided for the lines and do a relocation while at it to clean up the bay.

Panels dont fit well, underside of car is completely twisted and crushed from improper jacking for years by previous owners. Floors have softball sized holes infront of lca mounts

[Sahara54]

Does it drive F'd up, I mean. It might not be the proper candidate for a build but she could be patched and be a 20/20 driver. I know where there's a parts car being cut up now for patch panels and good fuel lines.

[SSlowBoat]

i just dont have the time anymore to deal with all the bs, especially with two cars. this car has 224k hard miles.jersey miles. ever since i got it back i thought it felt/drove funny, even with all the suspension stuff. i already have the 96 formula sitting on stands. i 1) like the formula more, its in better shape chassis and body wise and 2) it has t-tops that dont leak. trust me it hurts to do this, but i gotta look at the long run. ill still have the formula ltx. the car did its deed for me. it made me fall in love with 4th gens and ltx's. it took me places i didnt think i would go, made friends along the way with, and taught me alot about cars all at once. the heart of it is going in the formula, along with all the suspension stuff, and some other things.

[SSlowBoat]

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thread edit: ^new project tubbyformy

[popo8]

:thumbup:

MEMBER @ LTXtech.com

[firebird_1995]

Sorry to hear about your other car man. Sometimes they look good on the outside but not so good underneath.

[SSlowBoat]

Advanced induction full cam kit stock heads stock bottom end....decisions decisions