Good progress Bryan. I could stare at the engine pic for hours. (Good pic or not...:) )

The Holley EFI rails look great. I would love to paint the MSD rails on KLRBRD just like yours. What TBI are you using...I have an assumption of the Holley part but...you know what happens when you assume. I would rather make it clear to you I'm an a$$ by asking a dumb question! :knokwood:

Looks like an Accel throttle body.

Andrew

It looks good, you have a lot of nice parts going in there. I like how you did the rear sway bar. Nice work.

I have a Frankenstein intake setup. The manifold is from Edelbrock, the fuel rails are now from Holley, and the TB is from Accel. :) As best I can tell, Accel does make/sell the same one anymore for some reason. I've been really happy with it. I chose it because it was shortest one I could find (someone here or at PT.com recommended it to me), and hood clearance was at a premium.

Eric and I are going to replace the factory seal with something shorter, which is giving me more clearance. I'm taking advantage of that to add yet another piece to the Frankenstein intake setup: a Moroso carb spacer. ;) I put a 1/2" one on this week (after a little grinding to open it up).

Eric has everything ready to go to powder coating. He ground down the welds on the axle housing as we had a few small leaks and rewelded them. We also had to remake the Watt's link bars and the LCAs. Hopefully the PC process will go quickly, as we're under 2 weeks now to departure! :\

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psussi8rln.jpg

Nice work!! photos showed up the other day on my desktop, but i cant view them now from my ipad (of the latest).

I'm rewireing and heads n cam and new accessorie drive on mine as we type.

Fun to play with legos in the garage huh? or is your car still at Erics?

Whens your new test run? (didnt see your last sentence)

If you want to bring them down to Luling I can turn them around in 48 hours if you just want them black.

-Russell

Russell,

Thanx for the offer, I do appreciate it, but Eric has dropped them off at the local guy. And we are doing 2 different colors on the different pieces also. :\ You aren't that far from me though, so I'll keep this in mind for the future for sure!

So this is where the car sits as of last night:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psgn91itdx.jpg

7 days to departure. Yikes!

Here is a shot of the brackets Eric made all welded into place...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psxxtn7iyc.jpg

Cleanup, seam seal, and paint coming shortly.

Here is a shot of the adjustable Watt's bellcrank mount which Ron Sutton sells. Eric had some fun cutting the crossmember and wedging this into place yesterday. :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psrdskbnrn.jpg

Part are scheduled to be ready from PC on Thursday (fingers crossed), so we have a long weekend ahead. I reassembled the GA3's last night after having the centers recoated, it takes a long time to install and torque 30 bolts per wheel! I have a little bit of electrical work to do on the engine, then install all of the suspension components, hope that we're not missing anything, and also hope that the engine fires up ok! Fun weekend ahead. :)

No worries, The PT crowd in the central Texas area is small so I like to help where I can and I'm sure the drive to Luling wouldn't make it worth the price for future powder coating. I've just worked under the gun before on a project like this and you still have to do some shake down and tweaking to be competitive before you can leave on top the rest of the work you need to do. So I figured I'd offer to speed things up a little, my appartment is in the shop so I can do stuff like that. But I don't stock a lot of colors so that would have blow the time line right out of the water anyways.

I stock various press in AN fittings and hoses as well as rod ends and a few other things I don't normally offer to the general public. If you get in a pinch in the middle of the weekend or even late at night just google the Nerd Rods number and call or text me on it, I'll help if I can.

Good luck!
-Russell

That is good to know. No telling how many times I've paid the overnight fee to Summit for parts like that. And this weekend will be a thrash! Hopefully I've gotten through all of the plumbing, but we will have to remake the brake lines. Little things that take a lot of time!

As for the time shake down, that will likely happen on I-35N on Wednesday unfortunately! There is a Spokes event on Saturday, but I won't make that... Heck, I probably won't even get on a dyno before Wednesday. Thankfully the Holley HP EFI is good at self-tuning and my map shouldn't need to change much. I'll be able to do some idle tuning myself before I go.

We did the same thing before the 09 Optima event in Vegas. Pushed the truck into the SEMA show and drove it out. Tuned on the dyno at 2AM then went to the race a few hours later. I wish you better luck than we had. But you're manly doing a refresh we did a fresh build with the added complication of twin turbos and a critical differential component I built and hadn't really tested yet. You'll be good.

You might take the back way up 183, 281, 220 and 67 into fort worth. There are a few hills and the stop and go of small highway over interstates will give the computer more data to crunch. Plus you can run more various RMP's and not have to avoid traffic at the same time. I'm normally in Denton at least once a month and I've actually gone faster that way depending on the 35 constructions. Worst case it added 45 minutes to the trip.

And I have AN-3, -4 stuff out the butt, all black aluminum or cadmium plated steel. Brake lines and fuel lines on the frames we build is a big part of what I call "the parts that will kill you" and a lot of guys want us to do them for their piece of mind.

Good luck!

Grr, this powder coater is killing me! Looks like late tomorrow for the parts now. They better be ready or my head may explode...

Only got a little bit of work done today. The one picture-worthy item was coilover reassembly. Ron Sutton supplied a new pair of springs and some bump stops for the rear set, so I put those together tonight. I purchased a pair of 0-rate springs due to the amount of droop the rear sees when raised. It causes the springs to unload from the coilover, and did some damage to the shock bodies (I had Ridetech replace / rebuild them, through Ron). Don't want to repeat that problem.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psadd89vrs.jpg

Hopefully I'll have some more interesting pictures to show of the reassembly this weekend.

Oh yeah -- ya got the PURPLE springs! They're fast! LOL

Man, I need a set of those 0-rate springs too. Did you get those through Ron and if so, how much were they?

Good luck on getting the parts, sure hope I get to see TOW in person next week.

And my secret weapon is the set of purple bump stops that match, courtesy of Mr. Sutton. :)

Lance,

I actually got those through Pegasus Racing. Bloody expensive too for what looks like such simple pieces. (I actually ended up with an extra of the spring... if you are seriously thinking of getting a set, I'll throw it in the car and bring it with me next week for you)

First I bought two of these...

Then I needed two of these...

And finally I needed 2 sets of these...

But that still comes out cheaper than having to replace a shock body, and really is a nice solution to the spring falling loose when you raise the car.

I'll be at Ron's seminar no matter what next week, but I sure hope that TOW is with me. Look forward to meeting you!

Bryan

I haven't really noticed any damage to my shock bodies yet, but I hate the BANG every time I set the car back down and the spring slips onto the top spring collar and sets itself in place. Thanks for the parts link, that sounds like a good plan.

I toyed with the idea of bringing Barney down with me next week but it just isn't in the cards. I hope to get to see everyone's cars that are there though including TOW.

Sorry to hear Barney won't make it. I was hoping to get to check it out!

I was surprised how much my springs were rubbing on the shock bodies. But they were unloading by at least 2" if not more, which may have affected that...

Hey Bryan,

I too hope to see TOW again but, I will see you at the workshop! If the weather is good, I'll bring my TA. Are you sticking around thru the weekend to autocross at GG's? I wish they would allow my '78 in and I could run with you guys!

Greg

if not fast just plain Fabulous :flashie:

what spring rate are you using B?

I've been informed that Goodguys has arranged to have a band playing at the host hotel Thursday night. So bring your lawn chairs and coolers. We'll sit outside and watch the cruisers pull in for registration and packet pick-up. Im sure there will be plenty of discussion on how our cars have been set up allllll wrong all this time.

My plan is to be there until Sunday, although I will only run Friday and Saturday. I agree on the year limits, but you can run on Sunday, right?

450# now. Dropping from a 700#. Should make for a little more comfortable ride up the highway. :)

First time in a while I've seen this!

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pszg2ygkyg.jpg

We have had a long weekend, but we have made a lot of progress. I would have preferred things to have gone quicker, but I know that we've done them right by taking our time.

I managed to start the engine today with no problems at all after the cam swap. That was HUGE sigh of relief for me. It's the first time I've been inside of an LS engine, and while most of the work was familiar, it's still a bit worrisome doing it the first time. The Holley ECU made things pretty easy: set up the new fuel injectors, made a couple of tweaks, and spun her up. She fired right up, just didn't want to idle well at first. An adjustment to the throttle body adjuster for the primary blades and everything was good. I had to pull a good bit of fuel out of the tables, and I have a lot less vacuum than before, so I have some tuning to do before I hit the highway.

Eric recreated the carpet pieces for the trunk to clear the sway bar tube. He did a great job as always! I did a lot of little things today to wrap up the project: rewired the Accusump, cleaned the air filters, cleaned up my mess from all the fluids under the car, filled in a few rock chips, attached the axle and gas tank vent lines. Just stuff I had to knock out.

At this point, Eric will bleed the brakes and wrap up a relatively short list of remaining items. He expects to get those done tomorrow, and I'll go up after work and drive for a while. If we find any problems, we'll address them tomorrow night. Then a bolt check, and a serious bath, and my tuning, and I should be ready to hit the road Wednesday.

It's been a crazy stretch to get this together, and I can't thank Eric enough for sticking in there to get it done. He is planning to take a few well-deserved days off later this week. :)

Here are a couple of pictures of the completed work:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pshp5hcpzd.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pskvommd39.jpg

Trunk mounted panel with amp, cross overs, and VaporWerks controller:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psb1du4mdx.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pskkbcpmtb.jpg

Perfectly tucked (although we're going to adjust the spacers a bit):

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pssrcfunwj.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psxj7dnd4h.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psanrthfye.jpg

New Watt's link housing mount:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pstwmn4q14.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psvpm648rx.jpg

Originally at 700/500 I think?

Glad you and Eric are getting it done Bryan!!


Wish you all the luck!

Correct. Then Ron flipped it to be 500 (front) / 700 (rear). When I received the shocks, I remember calling him to confirm that I didn't have them backwards. Never expected that high of a rear rate, but without the rear bar, it worked. I can't wait to try this new setup out!

Thanx! Wish you were making it back to FW again. I'm looking forward to this coming week, but admittedly will enjoy taking the next week off myself...

That's a sweet setup.

Where's the video of the engine running with the new cam????

The Marriott is the host hotel, right? If so, cool...we are in!!

Glad to see it back together again, Bryan. That swaybar setup is SAH-WEET. Some amazing packaging going on back there.

Good luck and safe travels to Goodguys! Wish I could make it out to see everyone but I'll be out of town.

Yes it is. We can do GG registration packet pick up and the class at the same location
:idea:

She's home! First drive this afternoon went perfectly. We fixed the vibration problem that was the initial goal for this work as best I can tell. The new rear gear brings the RPM down at highway speeds which felt great. The new rear springs make for a more comfortable ride. In the 2 or 3 turns I could do at all aggressively, the rear felt a touch more compliant. The engine is running great, given the limited tuning so far. All in all, things have come out great!

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pshdnjw2ta.jpg

Here are some final shots of the assembled sway bar arms. Not sure I've taken/posted these yet...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psqn95qjie.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psapc4i1wy.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pswbrd0wr9.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pst9xllvi5.jpg

I love it when a plan comes together...

Awesome! Definitely looking forward to continued driving impressions.

I knew you'd pull it off! Car looks great and sounds like it will be more fun to drive!

Bryan, TOW looks great. Stoked for you.

Totally bummed Amy and I will miss seeing you (and everyone else) at the GG's event this weekend since we moved north.

The sway bar is a beauty! The watts link looks terrific with the new set up. Really interested in your driving impressions. I (and Steve too) better get a a video of TOW on the auto-x. :snapout:

Hope you had a safe drive north. Have a great time at the Sutton workshop. Make sure you get to Babe's in Roanoke. Chicken fried steak and fried chicken all around!

A quick update for everyone... TOW and I made the drive up to Fort Worth ok on Wednesday. Other than not having time to do much tuning, the new engine setup worked great. The suspension was the same. A nice ride up, definitely a bit softer, and cruised the highway great.

I'll write more later, but here is the result of the GG autocross. I finished second by about 3-tenths. I actually led after day 1, and after the first 3 rounds of the second day. One of Mike Dusold's customers with a first gen made a great run and took the lead over me by a half second. He improved again next run to get to a 0.9 second lead.

Late in the day I discovered that my rear shock settings were not set where I expected them to be. I'd been driving with them several clicks off all day. Not sure how that happened, but it certainly wasn't helping. After fixing those, and at the suggestion of Ron Sutton, I also dropped the rear Watt's mount a bit. The next run I picked up almost 3-tenths. I was getting more confident with the car, driving it harder, so the next run I pushed more. That got me another 3 tenths, but it just wasn't enough to take over the lead. I was certainly gaining on the leader and on the car setup, but just ran out of time.

I had a lot of challenges to overcome this weekend (power steering not working, oil fire in the engine compartment, engine tuning not right) to even finish the event, so I am really pleased with the result. That said, I'm human, and competitive, and I really wanted to get that first GG win! But with all that changed recently, I have to hang my head high and be proud of where I ended up. I'm ready for some rest now, but I wish the Spring event were happening next weekend already. :)

Before I end this, a big thanx to Steve Gernon, Chris Moore, Kyle Tucker (yes, that Kyle Tucker), Ron Sutton, as well as Gary Lockmore (not certain if he's on LatG) for the help and moral support this weekend!!! You hear this all the time, but it really proved true for me this weekend: the people involved in this hobby are for the most part really awesome people! There were several others as well who I don't think are here that lent a hand and helped get me through a long weekend...

Time to rest up for the road trip home tomorrow. More soon...

Bryan, great job this weekend. Tracking your progress all weekend, you and TOW were deep in the thick of things competing for your 1st GG's win. 2nd position is no slouch considering the high caliber of cars in your class. You overcame a thrash to even get the car ready and a number of hurdles at the event. You should be VERY proud of what you and TOW accomplished.

Safe travels back to Austin tomorrow. Cheers!

Wish I could have stuck around to watch the racing, sounds like it was a blast all weekend. Was great to finally meet all of you in person, can't wait until we get to line them up on the track together some day. How was it having your own personal setup consultant right there at the track with you on race day? :D What a bonus right?!?!

Congrats on the successful weekend Bryon. I'd be pretty damn proud of your results for sure.