Next up is the parking brake. It took me forever to decide how I wanted to route this. I wanted them hidden as best as possible. I thought about running them down the outside driver's side like DSE tends to do, but that would have just caused me to fab and cut a lot more than I wanted to. What I decided on was to run the primary cable out the floor just like stock and tuck it up against the floor board on it's way to the top of the transmission tunnel where it meets up with the rear cables. There's plenty of room above the drive shaft for this. I used Lokar cables front and rear. I passed the rear cable through the rear frame rails. I got some thick walled steel tubing from McMaster Carr to make the pass through in the frame rail. To seal off the cable where it passes through the floor board, I made a simple steel plate along with some rubber gasket material behind it and bolted it to the floor. This should work well enough.

Rear frame rail pass through
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps32e4617c.jpg

Another angle
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps5ac649dc.jpg

Here's where the front cable passes through from the pedal
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps97358474.jpg

Where the cables come together in the tunnel. It's not as straight as I thought it would be but I was working on my back. It'll do though.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps6fe77763.jpg

So far, I'm not very happy with the cables at all. The parking brake simply won't hold the car. I'm investigating the parking brakes themselves, but I think it's cable related. I spent a lot of time adjusting the cables. The pedal would be nice and tight on the first press yet it still wouldn't hold the car. When released, the pedal also wouldn't spring all the way back. The next press of the pedal would be weak like the cables needed adjusting. So I'd adjust them and try again. I did this a number of times and it's not gotten any better. If anyone has a suggestion, I'm all ears. Otherwise, they have been a waste of well over $200.

The fun stuff now. I got all my suspension parts from Keith at Custom Works. For the front I have his coil over conversion kit using Viking shocks and 650lb springs. I also put in his front subframe brace that goes under the radiator. I kept the stock LCAs but have gone with Speed Tech UCAs. Not the high clearance ones that require AFX spindles, just the factory replacement ones. I still need to get the front aligned and adjust the coil overs a touch.

I put the same shims I had with the factory arms back on as recommended by Speed Tech. The increased camber at basically the same ride height as before is tremendous. I had the stock arms at about 1* negative. The wheels are pushing 2* negative now. I'm actually a little worried I won't be able to bring the passenger side back out closer to 1/2-1* as Speed Tech recommends because of how few shims I have on that side. I've got my fingers crossed. We'll see what happens. I measured the UCA mounts before and after welding and they didn't move. This was discussed in another thread involving a second gen doing a similar coil over conversion. No idea if that's something that could occur but I measured anyway just to be safe.

OK dinner time. I'll finish this up later.

The title commands attention for sure. Lol. That's a sweet machine. Always loved them!

David

Trey --- I've never had any of the aftermarket "e-brakes" work worth a damn. Wilwood... manual cable or the "E-Stopp" system... Ditto with Baer Brakes. They don't work on either of my hot rods - never worked on my Nomad either.

Wish I could offer you some better advice! Maybe someone else will chime in.

Thanks David. The name of the car is completely tongue in cheek. My car doesn't come close to so many of the builds on here in terms of quality. I appreciate the compliment all the same.

Greg, it's just the cables. That's what kind of ticks me off. I have C5 rear brakes with the factory parking brake inside the rotor. The setup came off a low mileage C5. They should be working but with the pedal changing its feel in between presses, I can't help but think something is weird with the cables. I'm going to look into it some more. Luckily, putting it in gear holds the car. Thanks.

Ok, back from dinner.

On to the coil over conversion. It was pretty straight forward really. The directions provided weren't bad. Bigger pictures would have been nice but that's ok.

Here's before
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps3301f705.jpg

With everything cleaned and ready to weld. You'll need to cut out the inside of the spring pocket. I just took a cut off tool and went around the perimeter from the inside. If the tool uses 3" cutoff wheels, it should fit. I would also recommend only cutting the top of the UCA mount far enough back from the folded over portion that it leaves a straight edge. That way you have more of a lip remaining to weld to. The directions say 3/8" is what should be left and I don't feel that's enough.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps02d98248.jpg

Mocked up and checking for fit and clearances before final welding.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps20c79dfe.jpg

All welded in place.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps2258a829.jpg

Here are the tools I used to get everything cleaned so I could weld it all in place. Took a little bit of time but it wasn't bad. I used brake cleaner to clean the surfaces down too.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps877f8374.jpg

If you use your factory LCAs, you'll need to reinforce them to hold the coil over. I bought some 3/16" steel plate and made a round part to weld into the bottom of the LCA.

Here's the part.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps199b3d9b.jpg

All welded in place and ready to be cleaned and painted.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps01ec41c7.jpg

Everything back together and looking pretty.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...psb2b8109e.jpg

As you can see, it's a tight fit. I've moved the suspension through its range and it shouldn't hit. These pictures where taken with the suspension hanging. The coil over will move towards the outside as it compresses. I'll keep an eye on things though just to verify. You can always open the spring pocket up some more if this is too close in comfort for you. I'd be careful though as there's not a lot of room left.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps78cf171b.jpg

http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps329e6699.jpg

I didn't take any pictures of the rear because it's just 225 lb monoleaf replacement springs with Viking double adjustable shocks. I did go with Keith's HD shackle kit which uses thick plates for the shackles which puts delrin bushings in the frame rail. I used his competition axle locator kit with a 2* wedge also. I went ahead and upgraded to 1/2" ubolts to hold it all together. Keith was able to supply those as well. It wasn't difficult to drill all those holes out to accept the larger ubolts either.

Here are the pictures.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...psecb8eee9.jpg

http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...psb85094a4.jpg

This last one hopefully shows the increased camber on the front end. Remember, this is essentially only changing to UCAs that has caused this increase in camber. The other factors remained essentially the same.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...psfcd842ae.jpg

I'm going to have to give the rear some time to settle before I know if I'm happy with it or not. I really wanted the rear to come down some more and instead it went up at least an inch. I guess my stock springs were more worn out than I though. I'm building a street car mainly so looks matter. Unless an over riding factor presents itself, I'll be changing the rear suspension regardless of how well the monoleafs work if they don't settle low enough for me. One positive from being raised is I don't scrape the exhaust coming in and out of the drive way like I did.

Well, that brings everyone that cares up to date. I'll get out to drive it and adjust everything as time allows. I'm anxious to see how it will handle.

Thanks

Great progress Trey. :thumbsup: Post up your driving impressions!

Nice work :gitrdun:

Yes, you got my attention with that title..haha
 

Never the less, I've enjoyed seeing your progress. I hope the rear does go lower but nice job on the stance anyway. So cool to see that year looking so much better...

Looking great Trey, great to see it back together!!! Can't wait to hear how it drive now compared to before.

looks great Trey!

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the comments. I'll be sure to post up how it all feels after I get some time with it. I'm honestly not sure where I'll even be able to get it aligned. That's going to be the first hurdle. I may consider getting the tools and doing it myself. Just not sure I want to spend the money. Decisions decisions.

I did not go back and search it out, but it you are using the Lokar hand brake it will not hold. Not enough throw. Get one out of the salvage yard from any OEM car and it will work.

Payton, I'm using the factory foot pedal and Lokar cables. It appears the cables are pulling far enough looking at the lever sticking out the backside of the backing plate. Could it be that it's not pulling hard enough though once it does reach its limit? Hopefully that makes sense.

Thanks

Trey, what are you doing out back? 2g kit there too?

That's a great lookin car man. Keep truckin. :bigun2:

Thanks Dave.

Mike, I have 225lb composite monoleaf springs with Viking double adjustable shocks.

Is it done yet?? LOL

I had the wilwood's with the parking brake. Tried a number of different things and adjustments and it just did not hold that great, but I had the hand lever. I would think yours would hold. Put a spring on the E Brake pedal to pull it back if it is gone.

No progress really to report. I do have my rear housing modified with 9in ends and the tubes welded after being squared. I just ordered some parts from Summit to fill the housing with.

I've also ordered new springs from Keith at Custom Works. The monoleafs ride and handle great but raised the car up. I want it to be lower. It's really that simple.

I do have a couple questions. Are ARP ring bolts worth it? Should I also upgrade my yoke to a 1350 size? Figure the engine will make 500hp/tq at the flywheel.

thanks

Alright, I answered my own question on the yoke/u joints. In 76, GM switched to the 3R u joints front and rear. 3R stands for the Three Rivers plant that made the drive shafts. The official size of these is 1344. U joint sizes increase with number. So 1344 u joints are slightly smaller than 1350's. Meaning, switching to 1350's is a waste in most cases, especially mine, as it's barely larger.

Also, I found out that while Chrysler ring gear bolts are the same thread as GM. They use a smaller head. This is bad unless you use a washer as well. The bolt will back out. Best to use a correct GM or GM size bolt. Don't think I'll need ARP bolts but I'm getting ready to order my gears so we will see.

This is a nice build...first time I've looked through it.

I have the Lokar cables in my car and they work great. I'm trying to think of what might cause the problem. Seems the throw on the stock pedal should be good enough, but I am using a 4th gen handbrake for mine with Blazer rear disc (same style as C5). The Blazer ebrake shoe has an adjuster at the bottom, does the C5 have this also?

Yes, the pads can be adjusted a little. I'm going to investigate the issue further when I build the new rear end. I should be assembling that next weekend. I really hope I can make it work as is. Putting a hand brake in doesn't work with my plans. Then again, plans can change.

Thanks Woody.

Well, I've been working on the headers and the rear end on the car. The rear is painted and ready to start final assembly. I put the 3.90 gears and the Tru-Trac in a few weekends ago. I just have to pull the current rear and transfer the brakes over. I can't do that until later though. This works out pretty well since I really need to have the rear end out of the car to do the exhaust system.

The driver's side header is designed and tacked together. I want to wait until I have the passenger side completed before I do any final welding. I'm also thinking I may wait until I have the exhaust system tacked in place before I final weld. We'll see.

Here are some pictures of the header. I'm really happy with the design. For me, headers need to look good on the engine and have a good flow to their design versus just throwing them on there in whatever manner fits. All the primaries are between 29-32 inches basically. Ground clearance is great as it's only 1/2 half inch below the subframe rails. It's still one inch above the front subframe cross brace though. I'll get a picture showing that when done. This one slips in and out from underneath with ease. Spark plug clearance is better than what I had with this engine while it was in my 4th gen. I do have to make or buy a different spark plug tool to make number 7 easy to change. I can change the oil filter without getting oil all over the header as well. The number 5 primary is 1.5 inches away from the filter at its closest point. I am close to the floor pan and the lower control arm brace. I believe I'll be fine but I do intend to assemble the exhaust and drive it around to verify it works before having them coated. This has been a challenge but it's been fun.

http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...psqnxgp508.jpg

http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...pszjis2ubb.jpg

http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...psly5ip2xi.jpg

http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...pszzxxfxvr.jpg

Does anyone think it would be a good idea to connect the primaries together with some pieces of flat steel where they are very close together or touching like the #5 and #7 primaries do?

I believe I will be able to make the passenger side look like the drive's side from the top. Underneath will be a different story since I have to dodge a starter and knock sensor. I was working on it last night and I'm confident I can make it work and get similar lengths. I won't know for sure until I try though. My other concern are the fuel lines and can I make it so the starter can be removed without taking the header off.

Stay tuned.

Thanks.

They look great Trey!

So is the plan to cut them out of the flange so you can weld the tubes where you can't get to the weld joint??

Correct. I'll pull each primary off again in order to do the final welding. I think I'll spend some time welding up what I can easily reach while the header is assembled like this. I'm not sure how much I need to be concerned with anything warping or moving but I figure doing what I could while it's assembled should help mitigate that potential issue. I also have to check clearance between the primaries and bolts, install the merge bullets, O2 bungs, and the collector extensions. Those will add a few more inches to the length of the headers. There's a lot left to do but the design is hopefully complete.

Thanks

Trey -- EVERY weld warps and moves the metal around. Period. Manufacturers weld their stuff in jigs that hold the tubes.

I would - as you said - weld everything you can while they're still in the flange... and when you cut them out - I'd expect them to have "tension". But that should be okay because you should have room to re-install them one by one as they're not yet welded with the "star" at the ends. Tacking them up the way you've done will also help you hold position.

The most critical piece of the puzzle is welding the tubes to the flange... that flange can't be warped!

By the way -- check your header bolt clearances!! You may want to or have to dimple the tube at the flange to get the bolt to clear or to be able to actually get a wrench on the bolt head... don't forget about the washer (larger diameter sometimes than the bolt).

Those look great. Building a set of headers has always been a bucket-list thing for me. I just never have been brave enough to try yet!

Awesome job Trey !

Thanks guys. I appreciate the responses.

Greg, the bolt clearance is definitely on the to do list yet. I've found that using allen head bolts and washers work best with SBC headers. You can shape the washer to sit up against the tube better versus using a flanged bolt. The other option that's worked for me are studs with nuts when there's not a lot of room to get the bolt and or socket into the area. For instance, the right side bolts at cylinder 1 and 5 will probably end up being studs. I did that with the headers I put on this engine while it was in my 4th gen Firebird and it worked great. Same thing with C2/3 vettes as some of them can be a bear to deal with when using larger tube diameter headers. Thanks for the feedback and suggestions.

Panty dropper
 

Trey
Cool fab work on the headers
I need to get serious about raising mine
as they scrape a lot

Bob

Thanks Bob. You may want to look into "shortening" your current ones. Woody on here has a 2nd gen Z28 running a SBC and he showed how to take an inch out of a pair of Hooker headers which gave similar clearance to what I did. That would have been a lot easier for me than making my own. I just wanted the challenge though. Maybe you could do something like that with your headers? Good luck! I know I hated scraping my headers when I had the 403 in there still.

Panty dropper
 

Thanks Trey
We want to drop the car some
more up front... So need to look
hard at the headers. May even go
to some aftermarket cast iron ones

Bob

I gotcha. I forgot that was an option for you.That may indeed be the best bet.

Nice work on the headers...

That is one area that I see more complaints about than any other, header fitment. Best way to get them to fit right is build them yourself I guess.

So, how come no middies? too much hp loss? its what CustomWorks did on mine for maximum ground clearance, my frame rail is 4.25 from ff and the headers are now at 3.625, so bout 1/2 / 5/8 below the rail, and no scraping yet.

Ground clearance vs. hp, is that ultimately the question?

Btw, everything looks really good Trey, you gonna do the LT4 heads cam kit at some point? its a good deal, and great torque #'s....its what i was gonna do before i shot my wad on the LS (still no regrets :thumbsup: )

I'd say you're right, Lance. These older cars can be a pain to get good headers on. The new cars are easy but not cheap for the good stuff.

Mike, when I mocked up the mid length headers, I had the same ground clearance essentially. I'm not so low that 1/4-1/2" lower than the rail is going to kill me. I decided that the long tubes would be best. The mufflers are a different story. I'm making my own because I can make them 1 inch thinner and that does matter. I'll get a ground clearance measurement when I finally get the car on the ground.

Factory LT4 heads aren't the cat's meow any more. What it comes down to are LT1 heads have more metal which allows a porter to have better control over the shape of the port. Not only that, but heads in the 195-200cc range are killer. They have come a long way in the last few years. You just don't hear about it since no one cares about LT engines any more it seems. Now, if you go with aftermarket LT4 type heads from say AFR, then you're dealing with a great head. The difference in price versus performance between using AFR and ported LT1's is too much for too little to me. I'm going to have Advanced Induction port my heads, intake, and throttle body for me. I should be a little over 400 ftlbs and hp at the wheels with a broad power band when I'm done. That's more than enough for me.

Thanks guys

Nice job on the headers Trey. I may have to go this route when I change the ride height.

Thanks! Be prepared to spend a lot of time with it. I'm no where near done and have easily 30 hours in this one header to this point. I'm teaching myself a lot of skills along the way so I consider it worth it, but it's definitely not the cheap or quick route.

My other big concern is that they actually work. I think I'll be fine but man it would suck if these things cause a restriction. lol