My 95 Trans Am Build Thread

[Adam]

I just finished basic training and ait for the Army and now I'm home with time and a some cash to fix up my trans am. Over the next few weeks I will update this thread so you guys can view my progress.

I had several cracks in my door and the outer shell started to peal off so i decided to install a new door. I was quoted $400 to repair the door BEFORE painting it. I got this door from a 2001 donor trans am for $150 and the paint is a 9 out of a 10. Fitting it really sucked but it came out really nice.

[Adam]

I painted my engine bay. I smoothed out the wrinkled metal. I prepped all the existing paint, and steel with 220 grit paper.

Welded holes closed, and grinded them down.
Applied filler and block sanded with 120 then 220
Applied self-etching primer wet sanded with 400
Applied thick coat of filler primer sanded with 400
Applied mist coat of black
Applied wet coat of black x2
Applied mist coat of clear
Applied wet coat of clear x4

With filler

[Speed Inc.]

looks like it's coming out well

[Adam]

I powder coated literally everything that i could a combination of wet black, smoke chrome and clear.

[Adam]

I installed polyurethane motor mounts and powdercoated the brackets.

[Adam]

LE1.6 custom billet camshaft & Ferrea 6000 Valves

Manley Forged Flat Top Race Pistons Part # 590130B-8,
3.480" Stroke, 6.0" Rods, 4.030 Bore
Pistons weigh 384 grams so with the pins they should be about 100 grams less weight than the stock pistons.

6.0 " Scat 4340 Pro Series I-Beam Connecting Rods
7/16" ARP cap screw bolts
Part # 2-ICR6000-7/16

Manley Plasma Moly Pistons rings 46353-8

Cloyes Double Roller Timing Chain

Trick Flow® GenX (TM) Street/Strip Cylinder Heads for GM LT1

[Adam]

I installed the motor and did a crank hub removal and install writeup here:
h (http://www.lt1engine.com/tech/remove-and-install-the-lt1-crank-hub/)ttp://www.lt1engine.com/tech/remove-and-install-the-lt1-crank-hub/ (http://www.lt1engine.com/tech/remove-and-install-the-lt1-crank-hub/)

Sorry for the crappy pics here. Took them on my phone.

[Adam]

Upper panhard bar relocation kit installed.

[Speed Inc.]

pics/parts look good with the coating

details go a long way in a build

[Ninety5PoloZ]

Looks great man, my buddy is serving in Iraq right now and he's ordering alot of parts for his first gen RX7 while hes gone so when he gets home he can put it all together.

I like all of the little things that bring it all together, like the powdercoating and smoothed holes :D

[FastVert]

Ahhh memories when I rebuilt my entire car a few years ago. Details do go a long way, looks really good.

[Adam]

Looks great man, my buddy is serving in Iraq right now and he's ordering alot of parts for his first gen RX7 while hes gone so when he gets home he can put it all together.

I like all of the little things that bring it all together, like the powdercoating and smoothed holes :D

That's exactly what I did while in training. I was ordering stuff on ebay like everyday. I have a TON of parts laying around.

[Adam]

I'm waiting for some parts to come back from the machine shop so I spent a few hours today disassembled and cleaned up my ls1 brake calipers. One is finished and the other is getting there. I don't have a sand blaster so this method really sucks but it'll be worth it when I powder coat them and the surface is real smooth.

[Adam]

1.6 Roller Rockers NSA, Hardened pushrods, guideplates, polylocks and lifters installed and preload set.

[Fastbird]

Man, it's coming along nice. Really turning into a killer build. As stated before, the attention to detail goes a long way.

[lt1noob]

damn this will be a beast, you should get some vids once its all done.

[Adam]

Since I had to get my heads milled, I had to get the intake milled as well for everything to mesh right. So I'm still waiting for the intake to come back so i can get the rest of the motor together. I got my new eastwood powdercoater in the mail today and replace my old crappy ebay unit. I would highly recommend this kit, it works very well.

I put one coat of mirror black on and one coat of protective epoxy clear. I'll slap a chrome "Trans Am" on the front and i'm good to go.

[Ninety5PoloZ]

Since I had to get my heads milled, I had to get the intake milled as well for everything to mesh right. So I'm still waiting for the intake to come back so i can get the rest of the motor together. I got my new eastwood powdercoater in the mail today and replace my old crappy ebay unit. I would highly recommend this kit, it works very well.

I put one coat of mirror black on and one coat of protective epoxy clear. I'll slap a chrome "Trans Am" on the front and i'm good to go.


WOW can I send you mine to clean up and powder coat them???? Nah I'm just kiddin man, they look great. I don't think I'm going to clean mine up that good but I like the black alot better than everyone elses red calipers.

Keep up the good work

[Adam]

WOW can I send you mine to clean up and powder coat them???? Nah I'm just kiddin man, they look great. I don't think I'm going to clean mine up that good but I like the black alot better than everyone elses red calipers.

Keep up the good work

Shoot me a pm if you want them done. I've thought about starting a powder coating business for a long time. I can provide pictures of my work.

Here is my slp intake and aluminum elbow in smoke chrome and epoxy clear topcoat:

[VendettaV8]

smoke chrome looks awesome

[Adam]

smoke chrome looks awesome

ya I'm doing my wheels in that color to match my engine bay.

[Adam]

So, I've been playing with carbon fiber.. This is my first try at making a upper radiator support for my lt1 car. The mold release method I used didn't work too well but the product came out better than I expected. Once I get a quality mold release I believe I can make a final product. I didn't clean up the ends or anything on this one because I'm going to make another one.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/adams95ta/IMG_1015.jpg

[stilltime]

So, I've been playing with carbon fiber.. This is my first try at making a upper radiator support for my lt1 car. The mold release method I used didn't work too well but the product came out better than I expected. Once I get a quality mold release I believe I can make a final product. I didn't clean up the ends or anything on this one because I'm going to make another one.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/adams95ta/IMG_1015.jpg

How much do you want for that one? ;)

[Adam]

How much do you want for that one? ;)

I'm not sure. There a PITA to make, and the material isn't cheap.

[Adam]

I've been making alot of progress since I got my parts back from the machine shop.

[Adam]

work work done, not sure what type of wires i'm going to run. I don't thing otvc wires are going to work. Looks like I will run them in the stock location.

[Adam]

update..

bought a used ram air hood that I got from my tax return from taxact login (http://taxact-login.com), installed it:

Brakes finished and installed with earl's stainless braided lines:

[Adam]

it's getting there... waiting on plug wires to come in the mail then in can put my intake on.

[Adam]

Done..

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/adams95ta/IMG_1054-1.jpg
http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/adams95ta/IMG_1055-1.jpg
http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/adams95ta/IMG_1056-1.jpg

[BLK95TA]

looks good. i love the black manifold w/ polished fins. i did the same thing to mine last summer.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff279/pdennis93/generic%20photos/100_0869.jpg

I like the look with the black brake calipers and hubs. i need to paint my hubs or get new rotors because mine have that ugly rust color to them. the rest of the rotors are fine just the centers in the rear look like that. are you going to get ram air now that you've got the hood?

[Adam]

nah I'll keep my elbow and slp. I have to much money into it already to trade it out.

[devonsZ28]

looks great, what valve covers are those?

[Adam]

sheetmetal fabricated. I powdercoated an epoxy clear over them so I wouldn't have to polish them every day.

[HoLLo]

Good lookin motor!