Does anybody have any favorite technique for removing the trunk pan sheet metal from the top of the frame rails? Can't help but think I'm missing a tool that would make it easier...air chisel?

I'm sure one of the body guys will chime in. I used a spot weld removal tool, it goes into your drill and removes one layer of the sheet metal.

at the risk of em-bare-assing myself....spot weld cutter ? with a small hand chisel or dial an air chisel down because they can eat sheet metal when you dont want them to

I did get a rotobroach spot weld cutter set. Truth be told,it isn't like cutting butter, lol. Plus, it seems as if the weld locations are apparent from the frame rail side, which would mean drilling holes in the rails to free up the pan. If that's the only option, ok, I'll deal with extricating the pan from the top via grinders and cutting wheels, it's just a bunch of work!!

I think I need a corded drill, wearing out lithium batteries like crazy on the spotweld cutting with the cordless.

Don't worry, everything about this thread puts me at risk of being embarrassed compared to all the great pro builds and guys with knowledge. But I'm still going for it!!

Gents, hoping for some help thinking through a rear suspension packaging issue. The passenger side watts link mount is leaving very little room for the shock on that side. Attaching pictures below for reference.

The upper shock mount has not been built, so I have some flexibility there. Watts link pars are equal length and offsetting 10 degree angle. Shock is at 20 degree angle.

Hoping to keep the watts link, but I’m struggling here…

Staggered shocks an option? Move one side in front of the axle

Potentially…might make the upper mount situation tricky.

Staring at the picture more, I could drop the watts cradle a bit, maybe an inch before it’s not grabbing enough of the frame rails…

I’ve been remiss in doing updates, which is actually a positive because it means that work is getting done! I’ve made progress in a number of areas that I’ll summarize below.

Rear Suspension – The solution for the shock/watts bars packaging issue was actually relatively simple. Fays2 is now shipping their kits for 1st gen Camaros with 2 of the axle tube clamp-style mounts for the watt’s bars. Alternatively, if you already have an old kit like I do, they will also sell you an additional mount to replace your existing leaf pad mount. Being able to bring the driver’s side mount even an inch towards the center will allow me to move the pass side clamp the same amount and free up more space for the pass side shock. Switching to Ridetech shocks (to match the front) with a smaller diameter shock body helped out with clearance as well.

The upper shock mount fabrication is done. I’m new to welding, as you’ll no doubt be able to tell, but I think it will be strong enough for a non-coilover application

Deluxe Door Panels – The saga of Jeff’s dang door panel is finally over. Al Knoch panels fit much better than the garbage aftermarket replacements I had. There is still excessive tightness between the quarter windlace material and the new door seals, but I’m hoping that will reduce as the rubber breaks in a bit.

Holley Terminator X Max Stealth – ECU location is planned and mount is fabricated. Since this car will likely remain A/C-less (on account of not having wheel wells upon which to rest the A/C lines), I can utilize some of the space that others normally could not. This quick bracket topped with some PVC hobby board will provide a nice flat surface for the ECU and Holley BIM module for the HDX gauges.

Battery Mount – Given my plans to add fuel injection, Vaporworx, Hyperspark ignition, etc., all of which call for power directly from the battery, I decided to go the Optima battery route. I’m hopeful I can make it live through prodigious use of an Optima battery tender. Built another rudimentary bracket/platform to mount the battery that doubles as a way to hold the enclosure for the Vaporworx controller. Once all the wiring is done, I’ll mount it through the trunk floor using bolts or weld it in, not sure yet but I built it to accommodate either option.

Next up on the ever-growing punch list: AAW harness, new fuel line, Baer Remaster install + new front lines, weld-in new trunk floor, gas tank mounts, install gas tank, swap rear housing for Miller Built 9”, then all the rest of the Holley EFI install.

Regarding the Holley Terminator X Max Stealth - I'm laying out the harnesses, generally trying to have a good plan before I really dive in. The X Max will do transmission control, but I went with it (at Andrew B's recommendation) to have the ability to reuse the ECU and still have DBW in the future if needed (LS Swap) even though I'm running a manual trans.

Question: Can I just strip out the VSS from the transmission harness (including de-pinning everything else (OSS, Turbine Speed and all Loose wires) from the J4 connector at the ECU? Is there anything else that the ECU needs, even with a manual trans, that I need to leave?

Glad to see progress being made!

Progress continues…trunk pan is in, Restomod tank and Vaporworx controller are done, IIMuch vent is in and ready, fuel lines are plumbed, AAW harness is going in now, so its wires everywhere and lots of little updates along the way. Need to re-learn how to do pictures, will work on that too ;)

Progress has been steady over the past year. Jumping a bit forward to current, I actually drove the car to the gas station this weekend. The update I’ll try to make today though is on a part of the car that has no impact on its drivability, but is one of the most overdue and visually impactful improvements that I could make.

First, I have to set the stage that this car’s path back to a reliable, somewhat modernized state of existence is rife with compromises, most of which are necessitated by the early 80’s tilt front-end and the rear fender flares from the same era. I bought the car in 1998 as a teenager and the fact the car had no grille was of little consequence. It bugged me, but not enough to do anything about it.That has changed, and it needed to be addressed. Funny thing though, whoever molded this front clip had zero intention of someone ever being to use a factory front grille insert or headlight buckets. My guess is it was built for rectangle headlights and a billet grille, remember…1983…

So here we go…I sliced the important bits out of a repop 69 grille, trimmed off most of the now superfluous brackets from the buckets and set about righting a 40 year old “wrong”. Enough words, here’s the pics (apologies for thumbnails)

https://i.postimg.cc/gXPPhwVd/IMG-1321.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/R35YskNL/IMG-1322.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/RNWbMStT/IMG-1323.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Lh6bbB6w/IMG-1315.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/5XFGm4Nt/IMG-1326.jpg

Is it perfect, heck no, but seeing something that resembles the grille and headlight setup the car should have is an incredible improvement for me and my enjoyment of the car.

Good job! :thumbsup:

Glad to see you're still around & chipping away @ this.

Keep the updates coming.

Oh yeah, still chipping away at it. Everyone here understands how much work goes into making a car that works decently. The big trunk pan replacement was a good learning experience. It turned out pretty well given it was my first panel replacement.

https://i.postimg.cc/XZBSRwWK/IMG-0838.jpg

Cooling system needed a total overhaul. I chose to work within the confines of the 80’s custom aluminum core support. A new stock size, 3 core, Frostbite aluminum radiator was acquired and modified to hold a new fan from a modern Chevy that needed some serious cooling help. The Holley Term X ECU is controlling the C7 Z06 cooling fan via PWM, thanks to Andrew B. who set that up in the tune and assisted with initial startup.
https://i.postimg.cc/2bfkTHWL/IMG-1013.jpg

With the exterior of this car screaming “modified”, I always liked the idea of keeping the interior somewhat stock or classic looking. But, I made some exceptions in the name of improved functionality with Dakota Digital HDX gauges (RTX wasn’t released when I purchased these), Detroit Speed wiper motor and a beautifully crafted MPI steering wheel. All were chosen to provide at least a nod to the factory style.

https://i.postimg.cc/tnqXGY2X/IMG-1294.jpg

Rick’s Restomod tank was paired with a ZL1 Camaro fuel pump and corner pickups (because…why not?) and a Vaporworx controller to make the fuel system as reliable as possible. Also added a fuel vent canister, which does seem to be keeping the fuel smell to a minimum, but I did have an unexpected amount of fuel coming out of the vent when fueling up the car this weekend. Not sure what that’s about. Anyone have any ideas?

https://i.postimg.cc/JGpGBCp0/IMG-0832.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/w133X4rV/IMG-0827.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/NF4k7c6t/IMG-1330.jpg

Great work Jeff !
Cheers
Steve

Re: Fuel coming out of the vent, I noticed that you're using the LS3 or ZL-1 pump and sending unit all in one rather than the separate sending unit.

Some possible things to check.
Vented cap? Some of Ricks newer tanks have the new style screw caps that I believe are non-vented. I had to try a few reg. vented caps until one that worked properly.
The vent line in your pic looks to be tucked under the fuel feed line, I would get it up high as quickly as possible, maybe you did?
Maybe you over filled the tank and the trigger didn't get activated to stop soon enough. I try not to over fill and listen as I fill up.
The hoses going to the vent canister are in the right ports?
Gas coming from the in ground gas station tanks is cooler then pumped into vehicle gas tank will expand somewhat.

I added another tank vent boss on my filler tube at around the 1-2:00 position to help with the venting, hoping it helps and no issues so far.