re: Unexpected rust
 

Never fun to run across unexpected rust, but I've seen a lot worse. You're in good hands with Kevin and his crew. The did an awesome job on the quarters and minitubs on my Camaro.:thumbsup:

Nathan

Lou don't feel bad. You made the right choice in keeping the car I got caught up in the whole sentimental thing myself.I said it before and I'll say it again your in great hands with Kevin and his crew!! Me on the other hand thats another story..:D

That's a Deusey Mario! Whew!

And thanks for the kind words Nathan and Mario! :cheers:

Ok just got my resevior in and I need to know what the trick is to getting this resevior onto the pump?




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?[/QUOTE]

Tim,
I was at V8TV today checking up on my car now that it is back from the media blaster.

My list of questions to ask them included details of what they did to mount the Jones reservoir to the Corvette steering pump so I could post them here in response to your question.
I learned that Kevin already called you yesterday to give you the information first hand.

Now that's what I call customer service!.. or whatever you call the kind of support we enjoy from forums like this one.

For others who may have the same question in the future, Kevin said he plans to post the details here too.

I like what you guys done with Ac compressor that's what I have in mind but can't bring my self to cut dse sub thats all ready powder coated. I also want to keep both on stock placement. I'm looking to modify an ls1 alternator bracket.

That is going to be a hell of car, great build!

Well, the car finally made it back from the media blaster. I got pretty nervous waiting for it's return. Yesterday I was finally able to go see everything the blasting revealed.

Kelle and Kevin both went over every inch of it with me and explained their game plan to fix it all. I couldn't help but to wonder, how many shop owners these days spend that much time with their customers? I could see one of them doing it but BOTH of them?? I know I'm the customer and all but somehow, I almost felt guilty.

I'm confident that everything will be fixed properly and then some.

Of course we knew several areas like the dash and quarters needed to be replaced. It looks like we will also need some floor pan work and the rear tail was hiding some secrets under bondo.

That rear shelf will obviously need some work because I think finding speakers to fit those particular shapes may be problematic. :)

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....07.12_216.JPG

All the main structural portions including frame rails and rockers are very solid. The trunk floor needs to be replaced along with the rear panel and trunk floor braces. The rear seat area is solid as can be.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....07.12_203.JPG

The dash is toast.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....07.12_192.JPG

Luckily, the dash corrosion did not get into the firewall proper so a new dash kit will take care of all the decay in this area.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....07.12_009.JPG

The corner of this door structure needed some TLC.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...9.05.12_49.JPG

Those are Nick's talented hands carefully testing the fit of the patch he made for the first tier....

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...9.06.12_40.JPG

Welding it in...

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...9.06.12_46.JPG

Ditto for the top tier...

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...9.06.12_58.JPG

A little clean up and Bingo, no more rust here.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...9.06.12_61.JPG

Looks like it was kissed in the rear at one point. Another reason I'm glad the major repairs will start by first putting the tub on the jig to assure everything is right when it all goes back together.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....07.12_072.JPG

They walked me through their strategy of being very careful about their sequence of cutting things out and then replacing them to assure critical geometries are not lost and so that panel alignment is no harder than it needs to be.

I like Kevin's philosophy of retaining as much of the car's original metal (soul) as long as it does not compromise final build integrity. I know some people may consider the whole "soul" reference to be a little silly but I like to think of it that way too.

Some more parts have been coming in. Even though we only plan to see something north of 700HP from our Lingenfelter massaged LSA motor, we're specing all major components from fuel delivery to cooling to be able to handle at least 900 HP. (You never know what the future holds should GM introduce new direct injected versions of the LS engine that we all can't live without...or something like that):unibrow:

Here is our C&R cooling module complete with fans designed to handle up to 1000 HP and drop right in to the first gen. Camaro. It has the oil cooling and steering fluid cooling built in.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.28.12_03.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.28.12_12.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.28.12_15.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.28.12_23.JPG


Here is our GT 500 intercooler module also complete with fans.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.22.12_06.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.22.12_09.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.22.12_10.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...8.22.12_12.JPG


We decided on this Holley oil pan to gain some needed ground clearance.

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

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

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...9.04.12_16.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...9.04.12_06.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...9.04.12_02.JPG

Is the radiator meant to hang from the top of the radiator support using the bracket shown, or does a lower support bracket need to be made? 1st-gen radiators mount with a side flange to the radiator support vs. the later (bettter) cradle design.

[QUOTE=Lous69;435517]Well, the car finally made it back from the media blaster. I got pretty nervous waiting for it's return. Yesterday I was finally able to go see everything the blasting revealed.

Kelle and Kevin both went over every inch of it with me and explained their game plan to fix it all.

Luckily, the dash corrosion did not get into the firewall proper so a new dash kit will take care of all the decay in this area.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....07.12_009.JPG



Hey Lou .... you can definitely see 98% of the car after blasting, it's the other 2% you can't see that you should be worried about. Like this cowl to firewall junction ... see the pits were the rust has eaten away the cowl?
I would be skeptical of the firewall junction right below the rust where the seam sealer holds rust.:(

Just saying ...

I'm thinkin by the time that becomes a issue Lou will be in a care home drooling...

I've been drooling ever since you gave me a ride in Jackass...

Finishing touch for your license plate
 

Hi Lou, I just got done working on this brushed stainless plate with the LSA logo and I designed a swirl to represent the supercharger. This plate is laser etched and i am looking to see if anyone would be interested in buying something like this. I am looking for 100 people or at least 50 to get a production run of parts with the logo. Thought you might like to check it out. They are 25 dollar plus shipping. Let me know if you are interested. Your build is looking good. :thumbsup:

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/...e/8a7f15e0.jpg

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/...e/56a4c2b0.jpg

Here's the latest video on Lou's Change, covering some of the engine install challenges...

While we wait for all the new steel to arrive the V8TV crew has been working on things like installing the Detroit Speed QUADRALink brackets to our Currie 9 inch rear axle housing.
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...701-001-pp.jpg
John started by first building a clever welding fixture to make this job and future ones like it easier.

Instead of temporarily welding the housing to a table he made a fixture that allows the axle to be supported anywhere along its length and that allows the axle to be rotated making angle adjustments and full perimeter welding easier.
http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....26.12_040.JPG

The DSE brackets come like the one in this picture. When being installed on a housing that already has the axle tube ends welded on (like ours does), the brackets have to first be cut since they can not be slid on from the ends.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....26.12_053.JPG


In this pic you can see how John tacked some of the cut brackets on in their appropriate places assuring the right pinion angle recommended by DSE.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....26.12_074.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....26.12_078.JPG


Next he welded the rest of the bracket rings on.

Look at John's welds.

Like the rest of the V8TV crew, he is a true craftsman.

Perfect.


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....26.12_087.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....26.12_109.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....27.12_032.JPG


Currie welds their logo onto their housing but it is too wide to place anywhere between the DSE brackets. John removed it and then after the brackets were all in place he welded it back on as shown.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....27.12_047.JPG


All done except for the addition of some tow hooks, epoxy primer and paint.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....27.12_052.JPG

Can't wait for the sheet metal to arrive!!!

Great to see the progress Lou!

On Hells T/A that I built I ran the hoses at a 90 to the passenger side under the cover to hard lines. Kept them away from the front of the engine. Looks nicer

It looks nice, Awesome welds.

awesome build! thanks for all the detailed pics throughout the whole process!

I agree,You guys are doing an excellent job,like the detailed pics :thumbsup:

I went to V8TV to see the progress on Lou's Change today. While I was there, Kevin asked me if I would like to go along on a shake down run of the car they are taking to SEMA this year.

The car is called S71. It's a 1971 Cutlass S. It is beautiful. The quality of the build is excellent. The color really pops in the sun. At first glance, it looks like a really nicely restored car with a stockish interior and nice wheels. Closer inspection starts to realize goodies like big brake rotors and other tell tale signs of serious performance. Raisng the hood reveals a huge 75mm turbocharger and a humonguloid intercooler hidden behind the grill.

Out of respect for all the things I know Kevin is trying to get done before he leaves for SEMA, I was reluctant to accept his offer to go along but with a little coaxing from Kevin and Trevor I let the voice inside me that was saying HECK YES!! prevail. Boy am I glad I did. That car is simply amazing.

We idled away and down the road waiting for things to properly warm up. The car drives and rides like any perfectly restored 71 Cutlass S. No squeeks, no rattles, not too loud and not too quiet. You could ride in this car all day no problem. Hearing each other talk was easy even with the windows down.

Eventually we got to a rarely used country road that Kevin uses for his shake down runs. All the gauges were saying everything was ready for lift off and up to operating temperature.

He told me that around the next bend there would be a long straight stretch and he would show me how the car accelerates.......

Oh My Gosh!!

That car is Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde!

When he first put his foot in it the car started to accelerate as you would expect but then the "expected" acceleration turned into unbelievable acceleration.

I don't know how to explain it exactly. I have a C6Z06 that accelerates with authority but this thing is very different. I would have to say the acceleration is more exponential than linear.

First you feel your back pushed against the seat. Then you can feel the seat being progressively compressed more and more as it just keeps pulling harder and harder. Things in your peripheal vision speed up and you get a kind of tunnel vision as they become more of a blur.

The long straight away was soon behind us and when Kevin lifted his foot the wastegate dumped its load making a very cool noise that sounded like surface to air missles launching.

Two words describe it: IN SANE! :bow:

I can't imagine how cool it is going to be for the owner of that car to literally blow someone in the weeds and when the job is done the wastegate will telegraph that "I'm done embarrasing you now" signal.

I now better understand why you Turbo fans are so into them.

Very Very Cool.

Here's a couple pics of that bad boy. For those of you lucky enough to be going to SEMA, I think it will be parked outside at the MagnaFlow display.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3c28b6b6.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps08be4449.jpg

Getting back to Lou's Change, I'm happy to report we've officially turned the corner and the body shell is now "coming back" vs. being disassembled and cut up.

I know I've said it before but I really appreciate the fact that V8TV does all this work with the shell welded to their jig so things will all be nice and square when its done.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...psf0c7b754.jpg

Nick removed the inner and outer dash along with the upper firewall for replacement.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...9.21.12_55.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...9.21.12_57.JPG

The lower firewall flange was still in good condition.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...9.21.12_61.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...9.24.12_04.JPG

New dash and upper fire wall installed. A little more dolly work will make it all better than new.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps09a71bc0.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...pscb8832d7.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...psb4118d4c.jpg


The floors have also been repaired and look good. The trans tunnel mods are already done in order to clear the Magnum T56.

Since the repairs in the floor are all butt welds, a little more weld clean up and dolly work will make the repairs virtually undetectable.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps99a5c1fa.jpg

Looking good Lou.

Not sure how i missed this thread - Great looking project and it couldn't be in better hands.

The 2012 Camaro base steel wheels with stock tires have worked fine to clear the DSE spindles Wilwood brakes during mock up so far but once the front sheetmetal goes back on they will be too big to fit in the fender wells. We will need to find lower profile tires or something else once the front fenders go back on.

Looks great guys

The metal work continues. It's getting exciting to see the car come back and starting to resemble a Camaro again..

Nick has been busy. After he installed the new dash, cowls and floor repairs he moved to the rear of the car.

The trunk floor, both quarters, minitubs and rear tail panel all need to be replaced. As the work unfolded it became more than obvious that he was thinking many steps ahead when he braced things specifically the way he did. The braces held everything in alignment without getting in his way any more than necessary. I'm sure that's a function of how many of these they have done in the past but it was impressive to see their rhyme and reason reveal itself as the job progressed.

As usual, the V8TV crew takes lots of pictures and video along the way. Here are some pics that show their attention to detail and hopefully offer some guidance to others who decide to take the job on themselves.

First he drilled out the original factory spot welds and removed the trunk floor.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.19.12_22.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.19.12_18.JPG

Of course the body jig is critical to help keep things in alignment but Nick also recorded lots and lots of reference measurements from the old sheetmetal before he removed it.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.19.12_24.JPG


The rear deck drip rail, the frame rails and some of the inner rear tail panel are about all that will be reused from the rear of the car. The rest will be replaced with new metal we ordered from Classic Industries.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.19.12_28.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.19.12_33.JPG

The inner rear tail panel had a rust spot in it at the rear of the driver side frame rail. Nick cut the bad spot out, fabricated a patch and installed it before replacing the trunk floor.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.19.12_44.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.19.12_62.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....20.12_026.JPG


I appreciate the way Nick always takes the time to put weldable primer everywhere he can.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....20.12_071.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.26.12_05.JPG

The new trunk floor was trial fitted into the car.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....20.12_004.JPG

The original spotweld hole locations in the frame rails were marked on the bottom of the trunk floor while it was test fitted in the car.

The trunk floor was then removed and Nick drilled holes where he wanted to plug weld the floor to the frame rails.

When finished, his plug welds will resemble the original factory spot welds.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....20.12_057.JPG


Similar preparation was done for the reinstallion of the trunk floor to rear tail pan braces.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....20.12_040.JPG


Trunk floor back in for welding this time. You simply can't have too many clamps when doing this kind of job, neither in quantity nor type of clamps.
Notice how Nick took the time to use wood shims so his clamps wouldn't mar the trunk floor.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....20.12_081.JPG


Floor trunk in. Coming next, the DSE minitubs and quarters...

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....20.12_094.JPG

You are going at it hard it seems. Thanks for lots of pics. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Keep em coming Lou! Lookin good!:cheers:

UP next, installation of the DSE minitubs and outer wheel houses.

First Nick used tape to mark the areas that needed to be cut out of the stock floor and frame rails for the DSE minitubs.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....20.12_096.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.21.12_04.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.21.12_10.JPG

You can see here that to clear the minitubs, the frame rail needs to be notched as shown on both sides. That "window" in the frame gets reinforced and welded closed before the mini tub goes in.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.21.12_07.JPG


A little trial fitting of the minitub confirms that the layout for cutting was on the money.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.21.12_15.JPG

Next he cut out some material to reinforce and close off the frame rails where they were notched to clear the mini tubs.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.26.12_36.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.26.12_49.JPG


This area also needed to be reinforced and closed back up so Nick made a piece to fill it all in nice.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.26.12_54.JPG


Nick drilled holes to allow plug welding the patch to the sheet metal flange behind it.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.26.12_55.JPG


Lots of trial fitting both in and out of the car.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.26.12_12.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.21.12_34.JPG


During mock up and fitment the parts were marked so holes could be punched for plug welding in the appropriate areas. Not sure, but I'm suspicious the smiley face may have been compliments of Kelle.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.27.12_29.JPG


Starting to look like wheel wells again..

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.27.12_27.JPG


Next the wheel well brackets all needed to be massaged and welded back in to the body reinforcement.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.28.12_04.JPG


Nick decided to make his own brackets that tie the minitub structure to the seat back frame on each side.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...1.28.12_35.JPG

Next up, the quarters and fitment of the rear tail pan....

It looks great, coming together nice.

Some major work going on here. :yes: It's starting to come back together nicely. Keep up the good work! :thumbsup:

When I first saw the new body panels clamped to the car it made me nervous.

I guess you could say the body lines and gaps were in the same zip code from part to part but it was more than obvious a lot of massaging would be needed to get everything better than new.

Kevin and the rest of the gang at V8TV didn't seem at all surprised that the trunk lid did not match the tail panel which also did not match the quarters very well.

They first reminded me that in 1969 cars varied from each other when they left the factory plus over 40 years of use and abuse leads to a lot more variations in any one car.

They assured me they have seen worse and that they knew how to cure all the issues we were looking at.

Of course the goal of this build is to make everything fit even better than when the car originally left the factory.

Look at the "new parts just clamped together" body line mismatches between the deck lid, tail panel and quarters...

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...sc540f8d8.jpeg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...s38f5d182.jpeg

Here are just some of the tricks Nick and Nathan had up their sleeves..

First the desired deck lid gap behind the rear window was set. (Those miserable corner gaps will be fixed later by reshaping the deck lid corners).

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.03.12_44.JPG

The quarters were clamped on while paying close attention to the door gaps. (The door gaps will be further improved later too).

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.03.12_35.JPG

They decided it would be worth transplanting the rear drip rail from the original tail panel to the new tail panel in order to get the best results. Here it is tacked in place after numerous trial fits.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.05.12_03.JPG

Since we wanted a tighter than new gap between the deck lid and the tail panel across the back of the car, the corresponding height of each quarter panel had to be adjusted.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.05.12_23.JPG


To do that, each side was measured and marked where the new folds needed to be in order the effectively "lower" the quarter panels to the height of the deck lid.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.05.12_36.JPG

A little cutting and notching was then done to allow reshaping things as needed to achieve the proper gap between the quarters and the tail panel.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.05.12_34.JPG

To make the body lines and gaps between the tail panel and the quarters match up better required similar marking, notching and reshaping was needed.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.06.12_12.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.06.12_10.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.06.12_20.JPG

It all started coming together better and better..

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.06.12_22.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.06.12_24.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.06.12_29.JPG


Now that things were looking good the tail panel could be prepared for final welding in place.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.11.12_21.JPG

After a little more detail work, the quarters will be removed once again, prepared for final welding and then reinstalled permanently.

Amazing to watch but I don't think you are supposed to be giving away all those "secrets".... :_paranoid



Jeff-

We'll have to see if Kevin reels me in for showing some of their "secrets" but generally, V8TV's whole philosophy is to show people how things work in the real world so they can either better do the job themselves or at least know what to expect in work they have done by others.

For me, it's one thing see their secrets but quite another to be able to replicate them. It takes serious skill and experience like Trevor, Nick and Nathan's to actually execute.

Glad you are enjoying the tread!!

looking good :hail:

Nice Job on the Tailpanel,coming out very nice :cheers:

The car is coming together nicely.... especially like the close up shots of the right way to fix things. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I will be adding quarters this summer so it's nice to see how it's done.

Thanks!

Very nicely done, I wish my tail panel fit that good.:thumbsup:

Thanks for the kinds words, and thank you Lou for continuing to post the story and the pics, your doing a great job!

We're not concerned with divulging any "secrets", like he said, we just want people to see what goes into these kinds of projects so they know what to expect on their own, or aren't blindsided if a shop tells them that their parts didn't fit perfectly straight out of the box.

We've been working on the cage and some additional sheet metal work, and I'm sure Lou's updates will continue to do a great job telling the story. We've also got more videos coming soon!