the standard dual pass radiators move the upper hose to the passenger side and if ordered for LS, also has a location for steam vent.

What harness and controller are you going to use for the engine?

Were using the GM performance kit number 19259293 that is made for their LSA crate motor. The kit includes:

■Two oxygen sensors
■Two oxygen sensor mounting bosses (for installation in the exhaust system)
■A mass airflow meter
■A mass airflow meter mounting boss (for installation in the air intake system)
■A throttle pedal assembly (for use with the electronically operated throttle)
■A complete wiring harness with fuse box
■The programmed controller
■An instruction sheet.

The ECU and the fuse panel are going to be mounted under the dash inside the car.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.03.12_13.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.03.12_12.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.03.12_09.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.03.12_08.JPG

Well it's time for me to pick the seats for Lou's Change. I've narrowed it down to these three candidates:

Recaro's "Sport" Seat with vinyl bolsters and suede center section.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ERANDSUEDE.jpg







Corbeau's "LG1 wide" in all black leather.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ackleather.jpg






Arizen's "ST2" with inserts that match 69 Camaro back seat material.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...fortweave2.jpg

Recaro 100%

Those other two seats are nice until you put them up against Recaro. No question......RECARO!!!! :yes: :yes:

Have you sat in them? Makes all the difference in the world. I compared the Recaro Sport, Speed and Corbeau. Speed gets my vote all day even if you need to recover to suit. GL Sir!

Well, after a lot of thought and research, I decided to go with Recaro's Sport Line seats. Thanks to those of you who gave me good advice.

"Changing Gears" , so to speak, Here are some goodies that recently showed up:

First a T56 Magnum supplied by Modern Driveline

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...6.22.12_27.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...6.22.12_16.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...6.22.12_13.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...6.22.12_01.JPG

We ordered the 1000 Horse Power rated fuel tank system offered by Detroit Speed.

It is narrowed to allow for their mini tubs plus the corners are notched enough for the exhaust to get by.

It also includes the VaporWorx system including the CTS-V dual pump fuel pump module inside.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.05.12_04.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.05.12_06.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.05.12_09.JPG


Tank installed for mock up phase.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.05.12_17.JPG

This picture requires a little explaining.

You are looking at the clearance between the ZL1 spec. supercharger hat and the bottom side of our SS style hood.

Eureka!!! It's going to fit!!!

Kevin and the crew at V8TV say they will clearance some of the hood bracing here and there to be safe but it looks like our plan is going to work out well.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....17.12_009.JPG

Amazing build, can't wait to see how it all comes together.

You've got some awesome part going in there. I can't wait for more updates!

How low is this car?
 

I saw some of the build images and saw that the oil pan hangs down below the cross member. Not sure what the ride height is but if this car is lowered you may want to change the pan out before you go too far. For me it was an issue but MAST motor sports has a low profile pan that will work. I just did the swap in my car and it does an awesome job.

Looks great Lou lets see the latest pictures please!

We agree that it will be better to use an oil pan that does not hang down below the subframe.
Ride height will be a function of the full DSE subframe and suspension front and rear.
When mock up is complete we will be sending the LSA motor to Lingenfelter for their 700+ horsepower modifications. We will put a better oil pan on when the motor comes back from them.
Thanks for the tip on the Mast pan. We will look into that.

I decided to order the Recaro Sport seats from THMotorsports. They were prompt, easy to deal with and included availability information along with their quote. Of course, their prices were competitive too.
The passenger seat has already arrived.

THMotorsports could have just sold me the Recaro sliders and mounting brackets which are not made specifically for installation into a first gen. Camaro.
Instead, they encouraged me to consider using the Corbeau sliders and mounting brackets since they will fit the Recaros and they are specifically designed for installation into first gen. Camaros. That's the kind of service that makes a person sure they are dealing with the right folks.

Here are some pics of the seat in case you are considering them. I couldn't find some of these views when I was researching them.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3240.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3243.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3242.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3258.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3261.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3262.jpg

While I am happy with the seats, I will say that I am surprised that Recaro doesn't put more effort into making the seam down the side of the seat look better. Perhaps they should be using double stitching or something because as you can see in the following picture, the vertical seam down the side of the seat looks a little "amateurish" in my opinion. I think it should be nice a crisp without wrinkles and kinks.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3255.jpg

Here is the Corbeau slider and mounting bracket assembly.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3253.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3252.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3251.jpg

OK, that's probably overkill for seats but hey, one could argue they are the part of the car we experience the most right?

Lou, are you satisfied with their customer service? Are their prices fair too? The reason I ask is because I was thinking of going with this company.... http://www.motorsportseats.com/recaro/. I've talked to them a few times and like what they are saying. Seats look good by the way.:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

The crew at V8TV has been working on the trans tunnel and firewall.

The T56Magnum required the trans tunnel to be opened up since we are mounting the LSA motor in the rearmost position using DSE LS motor mounts.

The trans tunnel was clearanced by John.

First he cut out a basic window that would allow him to clearly see what needed to be done when the trans got lifted into position.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.27.12_03.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.27.12_13.JPG


That obnoxious shifter hole cutout was compliments of someone in the past.

Next, John lifted the trans to plan his overall surgery strategy.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.27.12_20.JPG


He could now see he had to slightly raise the tunnel and to create a whole new tunnel to firewall transition.

First he made a new tunnel roof and welded it in.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.30.12_08.JPG


Notice how he made a piece that gently transitions into the original tunnel with nice radius edges.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.30.12_13.JPG


He then cut out the firewall to tunnel transition and began fabricating his own.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.31.12_01.JPG


Here is the result of John's craftsmanship. I think it looks a lot nicer than the stock transition ever did.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.08.12_02.JPG


He also made a filler panel for the firewall and installed it.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.31.12_11.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.31.12_22.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.08.12_09.JPG


http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...stunnelfab.jpg

Next week the body goes out to media blasting. We already know there will be some needed floor and trunk repairs along with some inner rear fender and dash repairs. Hopefully there won't be TOO many surprises when it comes back...

Those seats look great, id raise some **** with Recaro about that seam though..

poor quality control on that piece.

The seats are very nice.

Here's the 2nd video on the car, the reasoning and assembly of the Detroit Speed subframe and front suspension.


Much more to come!

I think I would be "knockin on wood" right about now.;)

I have been. So much so, my head hurts...

I'm saying my prayers, being nice to others and not running with scissors in hopes the rust Gods will be nice....

Having said that, the V8TV crew has a proven track record of being able to fix what needs fixing, all the while saying things like "when we're done, you won't be able to tell we were ever there."

If you look at the picture gallery of V8TV's Royal Purple Camaro build on their web site it leaves little doubt they can fix ANY amount of rust.

Very impressive.

Most people would have given up and looked for another body.

Here's a link to that gallery:

http://www.v8tvshow.com/images/stori...S05/index.html

I would have waited till after blasting before welding up the clearanced areas since I know Murphy works full time at my shop. No doubt Kevin and crew will do you right in the event you did not knock on the right piece of wood.

Agreed.

Should never have been passed by QC. No excuse for that IMO.

While we wait for the car to return from the media blaster I thought I might provide an update on some details and parts we have ordered.

Our cooling strategy has evolved. We decided to upgrade from our original plan of just copying what is used in the ZL1. We listened to some of the good advice we got from this thread and others.

We ended up ordering a C&R radiator module rated for 1000HP. The module is made to drop right into the first gen Camaro. It includes two mounted fans, engine oil cooling and power steering cooling. It also has both the engine coolant inlet and exit on the passenger side.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...orModule-1.jpg

For an intercooler, we decided to go with C&R's GT500 intercooler. It also comes complete with two fans already mounted.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ntercooler.jpg

For the intercooler pump, we decided on the 55 GPM rated unit sold by Torq.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...oolerpump1.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...oolerpump2.jpg

With all that cooling packaging in the vacinity of the core support we decided that a hood latch assembly similar to the one Stielow used in Charlie's JackAss was in order.
The arrangement they used is cable accuated which also offers a little more secure access to the engine compartment.
It also just looks cool.

Here is the hood latch in JackAss. Like the rest of the engine bay, it's a very clean solution:

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/DSC_2348.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...14520Small.jpg

When we started our research on where to buy parts to do something similar, we first figured out the latch/lock pieces were similar to those used in some mid 80s-early 90s era Volkswagens.

For instance, here is a Lower hood latch for a 1990 Volkswagen Jetta:

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/.../191823509.jpg
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...823509Pic2.jpg

Here is the Upper hood latch for the same car:

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...823507Pic2.jpg
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/.../191823507.jpg

For these pieces, it appears there are genuine Volkswagen parts and then there are cheap imitations. Even on the genuine VW parts, we were a little hesitant relative to the safety catch design which looks pretty light weight.

Next we found a very nice, turn key solution already customized to drop right into first gens. The kit is made by Screamin' Performance. Here are some pics from their web site:

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...tch20assy2.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_6746.jpg

Not only did Screamin' Performance engineer a total drop in solution, it looks like they also beefed up the safety catch and some other aspects of the latches.

Since we are planning to custom build the covers in and around the core support anyway, we decided to just buy the beefiest latch components we could find of similar construction.

That led us to the hood latches that were used on the Volkswagen Thing back in the 70's. I know, most of you are probably too young to rememeber that vehicle....

These are the pieces we ended up with because they are very similar but considerably stronger. For instance, note how the safety catch is a U shaped, wide claw design vs. a single metal thickness design. The easier to access opening lever/tab is also a nice upgrade.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3312.jpg
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3311.jpg
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...i/IMG_3310.jpg

In case you decide to go this route one day, the part numbers are as follows:
Upper latch: VW 175 823 507
Lower latch: VW 411 823 509
They are still available through sites who sell parts to restore the old VW Things.

This is exactly what i am looking for on my set up. GREAT FIND!!! Are there Vendors on his site for C&R???

so it seems like there setup constist of this cable latch
http://www.carid.com/lokar/item-1085...gn=Become_feed

and the VW part numbers you posted huh

If I'm not mistaken Dan@Holohan's is setup as a C&R dealer. They are nice pieces as seen here.

Thats a beautiiful cooling set up you decided on. You should have no problems with that in there.

Even though we’re following the best of the best in many aspects of this build we still find that we are doing some things that apparently no one else has done before.

One of those things is putting an LSA motor in the Detroit Speed subframe and mounting the AC compressor and the alternator tight and low on their respective sides of the engine.

We could only find people who have installed their LSA in either stock or other after market subframes.

This made me a little nervous but the crew at V8TV just took it in stride as another challenge to be overcome.

First, they took one of the small Sanden SD-7 AC compressors Vintage Air recommends for use in their systems.

The objective was to mount it low and tight right about here but a little further back…

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.16.12_23.JPG

Next they performed a little surgery on the subframe and massaged the motor mount a little..

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.23.12_02.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.23.12_08.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.24.12_11.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.24.12_13.JPG

Then they made their own lower mounting bracket...

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....30.12i_03.JPG

Their own upper mounting bracket...

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....30.12i_01.JPG

Their own adjustment link...

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....30.12i_04.JPG

And there you have it…AC compressor where we want it!

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....30.12i_07.JPG

To mount the alternator tight and low on the driver’s side, they started with an alternator from East Coast Auto Electric. It is smaller but still puts out more than 120 AMPs (part number 2003)

They put a mock up pulley on it and sized up their plan of attack…

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.27.12_09.JPG

With some surgery on the mounting bracket and some minor fabrication it looked feasible to mount the alternator without modifications to the subframe.

They pulled it off. No notching of the frame required on this side..

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....30.12i_13.JPG

For the steering pump, we bought a reservoir that has an extra return line port in it from Jones. We need an extra return line port because we are going to install a Hydratech brake booster.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.21.12_12.JPG

That reservoir works best with the Corvette power steering pump so they made some slight modifications to the Corvette style pump to mount it in the LSA mounts.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.21.12_14.JPG

The result….What we think is the World’s first LSA with ZL-1 accessory locations installed in a Detroit Speed Subframe….. TA DAAH!!

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....30.12i_17.JPG

Frankly, the V8TV crew makes this stuff look easy. Can you tell I’m a happy customer?

Lou did a nice job of simplifying the front accessory drive challenge a little, but the concept was to keep it as simple as possible. We never said simple = easy, but we're happy with the results.

The LSA belt system and front of engine are very different from the LS9, so we chose to work with what we had rather than change everything and try to adapt the LS9 stuff as others have done.

Also, the LSA power steering pump is unlike most common Type II GM pumps. The LSA uses a plastic reservoir. We didn't think we could safely add a port to the plastic reservoir and expect it to stand up to harsh use over time without issues. We really liked the fabricated Jones piece that provides the additional ports for returns.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....22.12i_08.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....22.12i_09.JPG


However, you cannot simply swap the LSA reservoir for the Jones piece, which fits Corvette pumps. You'll notice in the pics that the LSA pump has no "slide" mounts for the retaining clips and tabs that hold the Jones and other GM type plastic reservoirs. In addition, the LSA pump has threaded mounts to attach it to the bracket, not openings for bolts to pass-through like most others. Next, the outlet has a 90-degree fitting pressed into the side. The fitting isn't hard to work around, but the missing tabs and threaded bosses were interesting.

We ended up using a Corvette style pump, which shares the large diameter shaft with the LSA. We simply added Heli-Coil inserts to the Corvette pump and mounted the Jones reservoir to it as designed. Clearance is tight to the heads, so the correct length bolt is crucial as not to hit the head or the pulley on the front. The whole assembly bolted up to the stock LSA bracket at that point.

These little projects take some time, but are fun to do when you figure everything out. We're fortunate to have a crew that likes to find solutions that would pass for OE.

great project guys and a lot of in house ingenuity.

There wouldn't be a part number on that fuse box and relay center would there??

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.03.12_09.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.03.12_08.JPG

That fuse / relay panel is part of the GMPP LSA controller system # 19259293. It's a nice piece.

We found a nice home for it in place of the original ash tray, and we'll be making a custom hinge for the ash tray door to flip down for easy access.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...7.25.12_31.JPG

haa thats exactly what i was thinking. thanks Kevin.

Some RUST!
 

WOW ... just went through the pages of the RUST found on your car and it made me sick to my stomach. It is worse cuz someone tried to cover it up.

At least the RUST on my car was from natural causes and I knew there were no body men helping out the cause. Kevin has his hands full now, GOOD LUCK!

Yep. There were some surprises under that fairly decent paint job.

On one hand, you could argue that we would have been better off selling this car and starting with another for this build because the car really did look nice enough to sell for a pretty penny. While we thought about that, my son Dan and I have played around with this particular car since he was in high school so it has considerable sentimental value to us.

On the other hand, we have no complaints because the car looked great and served us well all these years. Besides, I would have felt terrible if someone had payed me that pretty penny and then found the secrets it was hiding from us all.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.10.12_04.JPG


Actually, to be honest, we were anxious to have the rear quarters replaced even if NO rust was found.

Our reasoning was that someone had previously installed partial quarters. While there is nothing inherently wrong with partial quarters, we want this car built true and square from the ground up, starting with new full quarters installed while the tub is mounted on a jig. Anything less just wouldn't seem right for a build of this magnitude and caliber.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.14.12_01.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.14.12_30.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.14.12_29.JPG


We knew about the dash being wasted as we could see evidence at the base of the windshield. The black tarish material someone used to mask the rust makes it look even worse in the pics. :

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.15.12_29.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.14.12_43.JPG


A couple of spots in the floors were a surprise but they look to be easily fixable. V8TV's repairs to spots like these are virtually invisible when done because they only use butt welds and finish both sides so you can not tell they were ever there.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.15.12_52.JPG


The holes at the top of the A pillars were a surprise:

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.15.12_35.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.10.12_07.JPG

The inner cowls will need repairs due to the rust above inviting water to congregate within them:

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.10.12_08.JPG

Sorry to say the rust we found so far is not all that surprising for a car that has lived it's whole life in the Chicago and St. Louis areas.

The car is at the media blaster right now. I can't tell you how anxious I am to get the final verdicts upon it's return.

To me, that day will represent the "bottom" of the build. From there on, the car and the project will just get better and better, both physically and emotionally.

If you look through the galleries of V8TV's previous projects you will see they have repeatedly saved numerous cars in much worse shape than this one.

Youch, I can't believe that's the same car from page one. But you are right. I have seen and fixed worst.

Fingers crossed for a good base coming back from media blasters.

Not sure I follow the logic of ripping out well replaced partial quarters but not redoing a full floor on a build of this caliber and magnitude?

All respect, just trying to follow along :cheers:

EDIT: :lightbulb: maybe a good coating in the understructure?

We should have the body back from the blaster in a couple days. This clown has told us it would be ready by now, only to push the date back several times... not happy about that, but I think he's actually close this time.

We suspected some rust issues on this car, and honestly, I think Lou has the best outlook one could have in this situation. On one hand, you don't like to see it the shoddy repairs, but it is worse to pass it along to someone else. He also has a great point how their "first life" with the car was fun, and now our crew will have the opportunity to right the wrongs of time and make the body worthy of the mechanical features of the car. It can be a wrenching ride, but the results are always worth it. Our plan remains the same, to repair the shell using as much of the original sheet metal as we can... trying to keep the "soul" of the car intact in some form.

Due to keeping the structure from falling into itself, it might be a good idea to do the floors after the quarters, tubs, dash, filler panel and roof.

We'll be doing all the sheet metal replacement with the body braced on our jig to make sure it goes together squarely and the panel fit is correct. The rotisserie is great for gaining access for scraping and blasting, but to your point, things can get outta whack if you're not careful!