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I agree as well... pretty motivating... i've had my 67 since I was 15 (23 now) went thru engineering school and painted the car... but no "real" work since freshman year.... I would love to do an LS1 brake conversion, astro hydroboost... and a well sorted suspension... but theres always a but... and I just keep thinking the car is "OK" the way it is.... but it could be so much better...
so keep it up, the car's stance looks great, would love to hear how it does on the track compared to LS1 camaro's and stock C5's. AutoX'ing a 1st gen would be great, you'd deff be turning heads amidst all the wrx's and mazdaspeed3's!!!!! |
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UPDATE: It's all coming together
Well it's been nearly 2 months, but I finally had a chance to work on my car this weekend. Here's the latest
1) Composite Distributor Gear: My Mallory Unilite distributor had a steel gear. For roller cam applications, I kept reading that it is important to run a bronze or composite gear. So, I bought the Comp Cams composite gear ( 0.491" for Mallorys). For what it's worth, it's less rotating inertia than the bronze, haha. Here's a side-by-side (steel one still on distributor): http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_4969.jpg Here's showing how I knocked out the pin using a hardened nail that fit just right. http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_4970.jpg Linkage just doesn't make functional sense to me. So the next thing I did was install the Lokar throttle cable and gas pedal. This is probably one of the easiest things I have done to this car. Here's the midnight series pedal: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_4978.jpg The arms are splined, so that you can clock the height of the pedal to your preference. Great for getting those heel-toe downshifts just perfect. http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_4979.jpg Here's where I determined where to drill the 5/16" hole, which puts it nearly dead on with the throttle lever: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_4982.jpg |
Here's the Lokar cable. I put a washer on both sides of the nuts as I think it looks better:
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_4984.jpg Here's the linkage on the pedal side. This is the first Lokar stuff I have owned....their quality really lives up to the hype: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_4985.jpg And here's an overview of the installation in the footwell: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_4987.jpg Stay tuned, as I will soon jump into the transmission installation, which will signify the end of this phase of the project (I think). I want to drive this thing soooo bad. Thanks! Steven |
Thanks for the update! That pedal looks pretty nice. I've been looking for a simple solution to the rigged setup I had on my car. When I go to replacing I will have to look into that pedal/cable assembly.
William |
5/10/09 Update
Well today was the day I have been anticipating for a long time...the beginning of my first flywheel/clutch/bellhousing/tranny install ever. To be honest, I had never seen the naked back end of an small block chevy until I took delivery of my 355. This was a true first-timer experience, so I hope to offer encouragement to those of you who are on the fence about DIY tranny install. I think this would have been a whole lot more difficult if the engine were in the car. Having it dangling from a cherry picker (with a safety lockout of course) is way easier. First I tapped in the pilot bearing into the bore of the crank, which went in without any distress. Then hammered in the straight dowel pins, and hung the block protector plate. Summarized in this picture: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5059.jpg Keen eyes will notice that that is not a standard chevy pilot bearing. True; This is a lakewood adaptor bearing (15975) to put a ford tranny behind and SBC. The TKO I have is the ford style, with a longer input shaft. Next, I mocked up the Fidanza 153 tooth aluminum flywheel (198541), 10.5lbs. Caution, the pressure plate bolts I show (6 around the outside) are for mockup puposes only, use the proper pressure plate fasteners. http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5060.jpg I have been raising quite a few eyebrows when I tell people I am running an aluminum flywheel. Here is some discussion of the issue: http://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55266 . I think I am a good candidate for an aluminum flywheel, based on my gearing. I could be shooting myself in the foot on this one, but I know this is something that I will regret if I don't try for myself. Make sure you are using flywheel bolts, not just any old grade 8 hardware. Here I used ARP 2801. Next, I mocked up my new starter (Summit 820323) to check for tooth alignment: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5064.jpg I used 2 shims to achieve proper alignment per the instructions. I didn't have to knock out the "knock out plate" on the block protector, so that was good. |
Aluminum isn't magnetic:
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5069.jpg Much tougher to find a good mounting position for your dial indicator when doing a bellhousing alignment if your magnetic base indicator doesn't stick to a good portion of your flywheel. I had to use the bolts and the friction surface simultaneously...it was stable though. This was by far the most tedius task of the whole process. About the bellhousing alignment, there is plenty of information online about how to do it. www.classicchevy5speed.com has a video, and there are tons of other resources... if your engine is out of the car, I would recommend you do it yourself. It may take a weekend of zen-like patience, because you're knocking dowel pins in and out, positioning your dial indicator, and bolting and unbolting your bellhousing, but it's not difficult. Here's the bellhousing I am using, Lakewood 15030: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5065.jpg In conjunction with the pilot bearing I showed you, this particular Lakewood is used to adapt a Ford-input-shaft TKO to a small block chevy. The Ford input shaft is roughly 0.3" longer, so the bellhousing is longer to accomodate. I have read (and believe) that the Quicktime bellhousing (RM-6064) is more spot-on than the Lakewood, but I got this bellhousing used so it was worth a try. My remarks on Offset Dowels In addition to the straight dowels, I bought all 3 offsets: 0.007, 0.014, 0.021 to have on hand. The dowels themselves come with no mention of where the high/low point actually is on the dowel, stupid. Anyways, what I did is just put a straight dowel side by side with an offset dowel and shine light through them. A little crude, but my brother and I both came up with the same point, so I was satisfied. After 6 alignment tries and the typical dial indicator math (a couple just to ensure repeatability), I came within the 0.005 tolerance using the 0.007 dowels clocked at about 12:30. Parallelism was within 0.002 as well. My experience, Lakewood isn't so bad. To round out the weekend with some eye candy, I mocked up my 10.4" Centerforce dual friction clutch & pressure plate (DF161739) on the flywheel (note again that the pressure plate bolts I show are for mockup only...will use proper hardware for final install): http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5072.jpg Centerforce lists 3 dual friction clutches for SBCs: DF161056 $ XXX ftlbs <--weakest one DF161675 $$ 430 ftlbs <--marginal for me if I decide to run slicks DF161739 $$$ 530 ftlbs <--just right Summit racing lists the clutch I got for Pontiacs only...but a call to Centerforce said that it can be used on SBC's as well. Well that was 2 days worth of work; thanks for tuning in. Getting there! |
I just did the IROC Z steering box update and have had quite a time getting a replacement steering line fitting for the line that is in the car... I'll probably end up getting custom hoses made and drive the car like that for the summer.
Next is a disc brake conversion in the fall... but I'd like to keep it to a minimum investment!!! in the meantime I'll be doing an engine swap on my winter car... 89 325iX |
meant to add that the wheels and the stance looks great
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As always very nice work and an excelent explanation of the process.
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This is a good looking project, I love the DIY write up, very nice and informative. :thumbsup:
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Nice progress and good tech!! :thumbsup:
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Thanks guys!
I put together a calculation to compare my car's gearing with several of the benchmark cars I have in mind. This gives a pretty good impression of how much torque multiplication different cars are running in each gear. The speed comparison is done at 6500rpm...obviously some of the cars here can rev further than that. http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...ARING_COMP.jpg Some of my observations: 1) The lower torque, 6 cylinder cars (GT3 and GT-R) run much steeper gearing than their V8 counterparts. Look at the GT-R coming out of the hole! 2) The GT3 has very close ratios, especially 4th through 6th. 6th is only barely an overdrive. 3) If you don't like shifting that much, get a C6 z06 4) Tire diameter is important. The 2010 Camaro SS needs to lose the SUV tires. 5) I have great torque multiplication down low...I should be able to hang with some of the big power boys until aerodynamics takes over. |
cool project, I am 25 and have been working on my car for 9yrs. i have done all the work myself as well. good job.
and those are the wheels i decided for my car. good choice. |
UPDATE 6/30/2009
With this latest step, the saga of my Ford TKO to the SBC I believe is finally over. The mounting pad of the transmission case had to be drilled/tapped for the chevy transmission mount bolt pattern. The Ford bolt pattern is wider than the Chevy. I marked my holes, and carefully aligned the tranny, upside-down, under the drill press. In this picture, you can see the Ford transmission bolt holes at the wider spacing. Drill: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5186.jpg Tap: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5187.jpg Mount: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5188.jpg Whew! That took some cajones. Next, I had to buy the correct throwout bearing. I had originally bought the Chevy throwout bearing, N1716, but the inner diameter is too small and won't slide on the snout of the input shaft. The Ford N1714 is the correct bearing with the larger ID. I'm disappointed though, that it doesn't fit into the clutch fork as well as the chevy does, as there's a bit of slop that's not present with the Chevy throwout. http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5182.jpg |
MODO PEDALS: MONEY WELL SPLURGED
I have the Lokar midnight throttle pedal assembly, but I wanted to take it up a notch, so I ordered the 110L pedal pad setup from Modo Innovations. Shannon Odom wasy very helpful. 940-391-9002. Here's a comparison of the Modo pedal with the Lokar pedal: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5196.jpg Installing the brake and clutch pedal pads to the pedals was pretty easy. The only thing I didn't like was how close to the corners you have to drill the holes into the pedal. It turned just fine though. Here's my setup, shown with everything you need to git-r-done: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5203.jpg The result: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5198.jpg http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_5205.jpg Thanks for staying tuned! Steven |
Very nice! money well spent, those look awesome! :thumbsup:
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Those look great:thumbsup:
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Nice pictures and thanks for the kind words.
I try to help whenever needed. Thanks again for your business.:thumbsup: |
7/20/09 UPDATE
I made a lot of progress this weekend, inching ever closer to sliding the engine and tranny in. Did a lot of nitty gritty stuff which isn't really worth photographs. However, I took advantage of the room under the hood clean up the wiring and install my new 6AL-2 MSD ignition box. My mounting solution for the box is inside the car, supported by the ash tray bracket. I think its pretty slick...covert, yet still easy to access when I want to play with the rev limits. Unclutters the engine bay as well. http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_1455.jpg Undo the two knobs, and you can take the box off: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_1456.jpg Hidden: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_1460.jpg http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_1458.jpg |
Thanks for sharing! Keep us updated.
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8/18 UPDATE
Finally had a free weekend to get down-n-dirty. Before I get into Saturday's and Sundays activities though, I realized it has been nearly 2 years to the day, when I started my Pro-Touring build. So to commemorate the occasion, here's the Cliff's notes on this build thread. Suspension -Began by completely gutting the stock suspension and drum brakes. -Installed Global West solid body mounts -Front Suspension is Global West control arms, ATS Spindles, Hotchkis Sway Bar -Rear Suspension is Gobal West leafs with del-a-lum bushings. Brakes -Manual Wilwood master cylinder -C5 Corvette brakes front and rear Body -Paint will be last...primer is a liberating experience. Engine -Put Pro-Topline heads on my stock 327, but it was still puking antifreeze into my oil after 2 gasket changes -Screw it, had Rex Hutchison Racing build the solid roller 355 I had in my head for years. Could have gone with more ci, but I like the "more with less" approach. Driveline -With the engine swap, I also converted from the TH350 to a TKO -Aluminum flywheel -Centerforce clutch -3.73 rear end Okay, now that we're one the same page, this weekend I slid the 355/TKO into my car. Here is the assembly all bolted up, ready to go into the car. (In the background, that's my brother's 70 he just got for high school graduation) http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...IMG_0166-1.jpg The first time around, I forgot the throwout bearing...DOH! Just the tip: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...IMG_0170-1.jpg Almost there: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...IMG_0172-1.jpg In! http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...IMG_0175-1.jpg http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...IMG_0177-1.jpg Along with the engine install, I cut the shifter hole, tightened down some brake fittings, cleaned up some wiring, and installed some of the clutch linkage. Shouldn't be too long now! |
Very nice combo! Tell your brother to join up and post some pics of that '70!:thumbsup:
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Very cool.:thumbsup:
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Nice drive train should be a sweet ride . Tell your brother he has a nice car too ...
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I am months behind on my updates...so here they are en masse!
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Hi all, long time no see. The last time I worked on the car, I had a terrible weekend, so I decided to skip on an update. What I encountered last time is in grave detail here but it can be summed up in this picture:
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0197.jpg I decided to abandon my effort to run clutch linkage, and go full hydraulic. This weekend was the 5th time I had my engine in and out. Between myself, my dad, and my brother, we can pull the engine/tranny in ~5 minutes and re-install in about 15...we've had lots of practice. Having never encountered hydraulic clutch setups in my life, I was a complete newbie. After reading many threads and talking with many helpful people on this site (special shoutout to Frank at Prodigy, for talking me through my problem even when he had nothing to sell me), I had come up with the following components for my install: Keisler hydraulic clutch kit (minus the throwout bearing), which includes Wilwood 3/4" MC Mcleod 1400-30 slip-on throwout bearing (for my Ford input shaft) 4ft of -4AN steel braided hose Misc. earl's fittings... Here is a picture of the main components: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0241.jpg You can see on the MC that there is a machined billet base, which is what Keisler provides to align the MC pushrod to the clutch pedal holes. Nice jobto Keisler for a quality setup. Just make sure that the master cylinder pushrod doesn't kink during pedal travel. I had this problem and had to drill another hole lower on the pedal to prevent binding. It's 3/4" lower than the other hole, so it should not increase pedal effort too much more. Next, the throwout bearing. Here it is on the input shaft. http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0243.jpg Setting up the proper length was super easy...there's a threaded sleeve that slips on the input shaft first, then the TO bearing threads onto the sleeve. Just turn it on the threads until proper length is achieved. Here is a picture of the two hose ends from the TO bearing out of the clutch fork hole, bleeder end goes on top: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0263.jpg Lucky for me, I didn't have to redo any of my brake lines. With a little encouragement, everything seemed to just clear and turned out to be a pretty compact arrangement: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0267.jpg Gotta love the increasingly prevelant blue/red fitting look! With my clutch problems solved and the engine and tranny in, I believe it's all downhill from here. It's now just a matter of getting the engine ready for its first fire. Hopefully in early November. Thanks for staying tuned! Steven |
Hi everybody. For the most part though, I've been doing nothing car-related...as I popped the question to my long time girlfriend, Jackie. As of December 5th, we're engaged!
Ok, back to car stuff. Christmas week (this week) I have off, so I will be getting a lot done. Today (tuesday) was an epic day: the first ignition of my new 355. I was losing hope that this day would ever come...I am still partly in shock that car is running. As a side note, I also installed my prototype for my clutch pedal stop. It is a rubber foot sandwiched between washers, with a screw through it, a couple nuts for pre-tension, a threaded sleeve for adjustability, and another flat screw. I came up with this setup because it will work with the Modo pedal covers I have. It doesn't look super strong but I think it will get the job done...I am going to try it out and see if it holds up. http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0633.jpg And here it is installed: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0640.jpg Check back soon as I will be working on the car today, tomorrow, and Thursday. Should be picking up the new driveshaft, installing the radiator, water pump, power steering, and bleeding the clutch. Trackday may just be on the road soon! Thanks, Steven |
It's almost ready...
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:thumbsup: Looks Great :thumbsup: Schedules suck, just build it :cheers:
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Hi everyone. It's been a long time coming, and I've been through many ups and downs to achieve the moment that happened this past Sunday. Trackday finally stretched its legs on public roads for the first time:
There are still many items on the to do list, but this moment was truly monumental. After so many setbacks, I am still in shock that it happened. I am still working out a clutch release/shift issue that unfolded here in the emergency room. For quick reference, my hydraulic throwout bearing was leaking into my bellhousing. After much consideration, I decided to remove the weights from my centerforce dual friction clutch, as they were likely interfering with the larger-than-usual diameter of the Mcleod 1400 bearing, causing the bearing to tilt, compromising the o-ring seal. As much as I love the open headers...the "loud pipes saves lives" mantra apparently only works when you're on a hog. So I am going with an aggressive exhaust setup: 3" tube, Magnaflow X pipe, and Borla XR1 (Summit 40944) mufflers, dumped before the axle. Should sound pretty good...of course you'll get the scoop when they're installed. http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0670.jpg Lastly, I was experiencing engine run-on. It's really weird when you key-off the car and the beast keeps running. After much research on forums and MSD site, the simple fix was to install a diode in line with the wire that runs from the alternator to the idiot light. Picked up a 4 pack from Radioshack (part 276-1661). I know the install looks a bit janky, but it actually holds together real well plus I shrinkwrapped it: http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0661.jpg Thanks for hanging with me after all these years and posts, and advising me along the way. I plan to post an article soon detailing my first impressions of the car. Hooray! Steven |
Everyone knows the stock Camaro seats have about as much support as the back of a rodeo bull. I've been searching for fixed-back seats ever since. Swooped up this Sparco Pro2000 seat on Craigslist. It's FIA legal AND it was in a Corvette transam race car so it's got some battlescars. Badass.
It's 19lbs (+weight of brackets)...If I get 2 of these things, that's got to save me at least 60lbs over the stockers. Will have a full weight comparison when I install it. http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0673.jpg |
Hi everyone! I finally have an update for you! I installed that Pro2000 seat I picked up a while back. Nothing says "I mean business" better than a fixed back seat that requires acrobatics to get in and out of. Just sitting in this thing is an adrenalin rush. Here's the weight comparison I promised:
Seat from a '69 Camaro (yes my car is a 68) Weight: 48lbs Pro2000 Seat Sparco Side Mounts Sparco Sliders Sparco Adapter Base Total Weight: 30lbs Weight Savings: 18lbs http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0822.jpg http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0827.jpg If I do a fixed back seat on the the pasenger side as well, and remove the rear seat entirely, I'm estimating a weight loss total of 18+18+50 = 86lbs! Boo Ya, free speed and handling. Now to get rid of all those boxes in my car, haha. Instead of using bolts to fasten the seat base to the floor, I followed what TitoJones did and used studs to the floor...no more poking around the carpet to locate the seat. I used 2" studs and loctite-d them in place...now removing/installing the seat takes about 2 minutes. Next time I have a chance to work on the car, I will hopefully be getting the exhaust installed and then sifting through the clutch release issue. Getting there! Thanks! Steven |
Congrats!:thumbsup: I've really enjoyed watching this build. Keep the updates coming.
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Congrats!! It's good to see it the road!! Keep up the good work!
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"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT" :lol: Congratulations :thumbsup: :cheers: :cheers:
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Woah, i'm lovin this build. First drives are always the best.
Its cool to see more young guys with old cars (i'm 21 here and i've had my '69 'Bird for the past 5 years. Not exactly a corner carver yet. thats coming soon.) showing up in the hobby. |
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Maybe you can tell that with my last couple purchases, that lately I have been on a crusade to save weight on my car. Today I picked up a used fiberglass hood that came with hood locks as shown in the picture...me likey the weight savings, and now I can ditch the latch as well with something more secure. It's a gamble if it will fit my car well; I will install the pins and test fit it soon. Yes it's purple; I hope it doesn't clash with my rattle can primered car ;). Fiberglass hood weight: 25.8 lbs Does anyone know the weight of a steel cowl hood? I hope the weights savings is worth it! http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...o/IMG_0859.jpg |
Thanks for sharing your first ride. Nice to see you twisting the wrenches yourself. :thumbsup: You probably saved about 25-35 lbs on that hood.
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