The guys at formula43 sent me a cap to test fit over my Wilwood hubs. Formula 43 customer service is top notch.

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you're too kind. Understood on keeping it water tight- that's why I was thinking of the dum dum to help seal it, as well as any possible exhaust fumes. The recessed flange will likely require shrinking in the top four corners which (at least for me) would be a PITA to do that and maintain the shape of the tunnel. I'd have to resort to cutting and welding them, ha ha

Trying to think this through. I have an ignition box, coil, and ECM to fit somewhere. Looks like the only two places I have are under the console and between the cowl and glove box right above the vintage air. Not much room in either location and I prefer to be able to remove the tunnel without much trouble. Ignition and coil just barely fit under console and can be unplugged if needed. This may be the route I go.

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I think that's the same area Jeff put his and you would never know. Still easy to get to if needed.

Make sure you have ventilation, my nephew had two MSDs go bad under his console and we think it was heat build up. I'm not sure if his were the old style not digital. Nice work packaging it all.

I was going to comment on this placement and heat -- but I have not used or owned one of the newer digital versions so held back.

I'd find out how much heat is generated before I'd choose an enclosed location like this. If it gets hot - I'd factor in some way to ventilate that area.

Thanks for the insight guys. I didn't even think about the heat. I just assumed it would be better than the engine compartment but didn't think about the fact it generates its own. I can't seem to find a great option for placing the electronics; been putting this off for a few months. I may have to leave the wires long and try it in this configuration.

In my '56 Nomad that had a bench seat -- I put the MSD under the passenger side... it had plenty of room and air circulation.

If you're not painted etc -- you can make some brackets and put it under the fender and hide it mounting it on the wheel well.... they can be painted to match or blacked out etc.

Thanks guys,
I'm going to check out the fender option. I'm running all my heater AC hoses on the passenger side inner fender however I should have room on the drivers side cowl fender area. The core support side of the fenders are reserved for forced induction if I can make it happen some day.

Hell with the 6AL-2 you could mount that sucker next to the battery in the trunk. Battery wires short, run tach,coil leads and ignition sense to the front. Those wires don't care how long they are.
Mount the e core coil on the intake manifold, it can take the heat.

I mounted my 6AL on the side of the DSE Vintage Air bracket like they did on Stuart's Aluminator Camaro and the coil under the dash.

I mounted on the rad support just behind the headlight bucket. Keeps any electronic interference from under my dash yet keep plenty cool not being inside engine compartment...and its hidden.

Lots of great ideas guys. I appreciate it!

Tony you haven't experienced engine whine in the radio or Vince there's no issue with the extended wires? I considered those options as I want to keep the box out of the way yet accessible to program which is why I was going the tunnel route but it's somewhat in the way too as I want to make the tunnel removable. I've come to decision paralysis as I'm also trying to think ahead for if/when the turbo LS motor goes in. I'm now contemplating whether to finish the tunnel now or way until I can mock up an LS. I have the winter to figure it out but want to be ready for spring. Dual purpose cars are more complicated than I thought. Even more respect for the guys making it work. :cheers:

No problems with the extended wires. The added ohms is neglegible. The coil wire to distributor is the only one that will not like added ohms. MSD recommends the Bat+ and Neg- go directly to the battery.

tach- doesn't care
ign +- just an on signal
coil- black and orange are just triggers

Sweet!

I finally ran the car down to my dads shop to pull the motor tomorrow, figure out the tunnel and place the ignition box somewhere.

even without a turbo you'll be glad you swapped in an LS (drivability/ performance. etc)

Motor's out and working on the plan to close up the tunnel.

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I completely agree. I prefer to make all the LS modifications now if possible but I'm not sure if I'll have enough time to make it happen. The Vortec motor may go back in if I run out of time before spring. My priority is to spend time with my dad and son and enjoy the cars whenever the sun's shining out here in the Pacific Northwest so I don't want to leave the car apart to long.

I have a number of items left on my lunch list to finish up as well. II Much fuel vent and roll over valve. Rear end vent. E brake. Swap the 3rd member. Modify the engine compartment side of the harness by adding weatherpack connectors to make it easier to do maint. Center console. Seems like I keep adding to the list faster than I check items off. :)

Perfectly normal!! LOL


Brother in Law wanted new A arm bushings - 16 months later he left with a whole new car. Wasn't a single thing left of the original. HAHAHAHAHAHA

It's always the "hey.... as long as we're here, could we do X?"

Ok phew! Man I thought I was bad..

BTW Greg your new place looks amazing. The attention to detail and material choices really make it interesting. Fits nicely with the backdrop. Today's the first I've seen the sun in a week. It's been nonstop rain out here. Bet you don't miss those days.

The builder is really humming along on the house -- just moved the move in dates up a full month!! They're cranking on the interior now and some of them have been working on the weekends.

I don't miss the rain one iota!!! When it does rain here - Gwen and I both look at each other and say "don't miss that!". The other night we were walking in the snow and ice to the car --- and I said --- I don't mind how cold it is - or the snow compared to that crappy rain all the time! She agreed. Amazing how it changes your outlook!

I hear you Greg. I also prefer snow over 40 deg rain. Last night when Brett Favre mentioned there's nothing like the weather at Lambeau I was thinking he's crazy.

I've been researching like a mad man. I'm less clear on direction now than ever. I thought I would be able to get away with a small turbo setup with low boost to have a predictable power torque curve but I'm not so sure of that now. As I spin around in circles with all the research and opinions out there I keep coming back to a NA EFI motor. There's nothing wrong with my vortec motor I just want to go EFI but the cost to do that opens the door to go LS. I think at this point I'm going to finish up the work I already started and give myself some time on the motor.

I also have to say.. After spending a lot of time browsing other forums I'm even more glad I chose lat g for my build thread. Definitely the best community I've come across.

Well, to me, the biggest issue with fitting an LS engine is making the transmission fit since you have to cut the floor. Everything else needed can be made to fit the car rather easily. So what you could consider doing now if it would be a huge chore later is to cut the floor for the T56 and just run the T10 until you swap the drive train. Just a thought. Don't over think it too much. Be honest with your goals and desires for the car and realize that while nice, the LS motors aren't the be all end all for performance. It's not like you're running a flat head V8 now. Good luck!

I hear ya Trey. The current motor runs strong. I just put a Mag T56 in the car and had to cut the tunnel and make a crossmember. Something happened to the second gear synchro in the ST10 which is what prompted the new trans. Now that I have a big hole in the floor I'm contemplating how much to change to make it how I want now or later. I guess the only thing really holding me back from throwing the old motor back in for now is I don't know the QuickTime bell housing height difference between the two generations of engines. I don't want to modify the firewall and tunnel again. I'm hoping to leave the trans in the same spot and use adjustable for/aft LS mounts if/when that happens. The AC pump on a LS is a concern too as I have a modified stock subframe. Truth be told I could put EFI on this motor and probably be happy. I'm just reluctant to put another 3k into the old SBC platform. Cash and time seem to really drive these decisions lol. Otherwise I would have put an LS/T56 in from the start.

Have you seen EFI Connection's kit for putting fuel injection on the 383? That might be cheaper. The other option that could save some cost is to go with the later speed density L98 system. I realize it's archaic but it works. I would lean towards the EFI Connection system though.

The only thing I forgot to mention before was your power goals. Depending on what they are, it might be almost necessary to go LS. It's not that the SBC can't make the power, it just starts to get cost prohibitive. If you're wanting more than 500hp NA off the engine, I think the answer is clearly LS.

Good luck!

How much power is your vortec making and where do you want to be?

If you're close to your power levels and you're happy with your engine, then I don't believe that it would be worth the expense to switch over. In addition to the engine itself, there is the AC like you said, as well as exhaust manifold/ headers, wiring upgrades and possible fuel (electric fuel pump/ return lines) that you'd need to consider in your budget. Also, depending on what you have now- things like electric fans for the cooling and intake pieces may need purchasing, too.

However, if you know that you want more power in the future maybe it's worth cutting this engine loose now and switching over to an LS (versus spending more $$ on fuel injection for your current engine and delaying the inevitable). I'd recommend a gen 4 engine (skip the LS1/ LS6) maybe an LS3??

Hope this helps

Car looks great!

Regarding EFI Connection.. I've considered their parts before when looking at cam sync options. They look to be good quality. For electronics I can run an Accel Thruster for next to nothing but think it may be wiser in the long run to go with the Holley HP my dad is switching over to so we're on the same system.

Based on what I've read I'm guessing I'm around 400 hp/tq but don't know for sure as I haven't dyno'd the motor. This is just a loose assumption based on similar builds. I would like to be around 500 hp/tq and efi for low end throttle response and drivability.

Brendon, a lot of that is what I've been kicking around in my head. All the supporting parts add up for sure.

You guys make a lot of great points. I appreciate your insight. :cheers:

Thanks Dave! Good to hear from you.

Finished some things up over the past few months.

Transmission tunnel

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Raptor on the underside.

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EFI parts

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Made some brackets

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Modified the passenger side header moving the back two tubes forward a little more away rom the firewall power bulkheads.

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Made a wench hook to get the car loaded on the trailer easier. I need to do something for front and rear tow hooks.

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EFI live coil bracket spacers dont work well with the Edelbrock tapered seat valve covers. Machining a tapered version.

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Installed the cutoff switch and modified the bumper bracket and made a plastic bushing for the rod to slide through.


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Installed rear spoiler.

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Blue'd the coilover spacers my dad machined out of 4140.

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