Awesome job on the Camaro ... Question, that exhaust kit 15899 from Magnaflow, did you have to mod that kit to get it to fit the Ridetech airbar?

Keep up the good work and congrats on the Tiger Cage .... sweeeeet!

Looks good. Nice work on the dash.

Thanks Chief

The Magnaflow kit needed to be modded in several spots for me and it is still not finalized I have it mostly hooked together with band clamps. I did try to run the rear pipes through the RT set up but it will take a few cuts to get the angles needed to clear. Since it is stainless and I don't tig I could not complete this step right now so i just dummped the exhaust at the rear end for now.

on you clutch
 

your pm's are full...


I hear you, try this, do you have a slight grade on an empty street or driveway? You can park on it and slowly release the clutch and get a measurement that way. You just have to find out at what point is the clutch releasing.

vince

Thanks Vince,

I'll give it a try when I get home. My driveway is sloped and so is the street so that will work.

Efrain

Looks great Efrain - can't wait to see it come together!

After a long year of thrashing on the car I was able to kick off my long needed vacation by attending my first ever event, USCA Fontana!! I had worked on the car after work and every weekend constantantly until the wee hours of the morning up until the day before the event. While there were many things left to do I went online at midnight and registered. I was nervous about how the car would do and how i would do.
The event was fantastic!! My driving....no so (spun out once and blasted through the first turn at the speed stop :drive: ). It was a fun learning curve. I drove the car there and drove it home both days. It held up despite some trans issues, poor suspension set up, some braking issues and some bad driving. Wilwood was great and helped me throughout the weekend. I learned some things about set up from other drivers and the instructors provided helped me yet further. It made all of the work and stress worth it. After the event I bolted home, showered, jumped in the daily driver and headed to the airport buzzed from the event.

For other new guys like me out there that are still working on their cars, keep plugging away. The rewards are great!

Way to go Efrain! Car looked great out there and I could tell by your face you were having a ball :thumbsup:

Thanks Ron. I had a blast! Can't wait to do it again.

Congrats! Glad you were able to get the car there for the event.

Great to see your car finally rolling again this is great motovation.

Great car and one for the home builder
 

I had the pleasure to meet you at the Fontana event and learn about your car. Just joined Lat-G and still feeling my way around. Been reading for hours the project updates (especially Ron of SoCal) and found your thread. I think that the work, creativity, and style that you have in your car is what this sport is truly about. So keep tweaking it until you're satisfied. For me the build is going to be more fun than the driving (skills not as good as when I was young). So definitely take pride in all the things you've already accomplished. I think you have great potential in this project and will get to where you want the car to be sooner than you think. Watched you during the speed stop runs and you seemed to driving better than some in keeping your head on and stopping in the box. Saw too many drivers not listening to the instructions to stop in the box. Can't wait to see you in action again. Your car is definitely on the right path.:thumbsup:

Thanks. Learned a couple things. Looking to improve.


Thanks!!! Always more to do.

You can really get lost lurking around all of the great builds on this site, especially Ron's ...LOL. It is hard to get a good handle on the direction the project will go because of all of the ideas being kicked around. Now that I have the car going I can work the bugs out of what I have, work on my driving and look to "upgrade" at a later date.
Thanks again and I look forwad to your project being out there and posted soon.

Efrain

Looks good!!

Did you ever get the clutch actuator working better?

Hey Vince,

I didn't get it resolved. The clutch still does not disengage completely but I did not want to miss another event so I took a chance. Shifting was not the greatest, especially down shifting and as you know I can't engage reverse without turning it off and starting the engine in reverse gear. I will need to get back under it and pull the trans and start over with the hydraulics or if I can get a deal a Magnum. I have a new slave since it is the only part I have not replaced, and I am still wondering if I need to shim it out a bit. Did you ever find the shims that you mentioned?

Thanks
Efrain

Sorry, I thought i pm'ed you. They will not work.

Let me know when you get it pulled apart I can help you figure it out.

Thanks!!

wow you got a lot done are those the wheels and sUbframe I sold you looks amazing

Thanks. Haven't seen you on here in a while.
It was a mad thrash over about a year with so much done that I did not even post is all. I am using the frame I got from you and I am currently running HRE 19's all the way around. The other wheels are hanging out in the garage for now.

Update time. After identifying a few things in Fontana I worked on the car to get the suspension tightened up a bit and take care of some minor steering issues involving the pump and rack givinng some grumbling gurgling feedback but only when I turned left. I drained and bled the system again and took care of a small leak. I also had the rear end puke fluid from the vent as well as pressure build up in my tank. Being a little short on funds I made some catch breathers out of some Home Depot PVC, ran some lines from the rear and ran another from the tank and hoped for the best. Trans shifting was still difficult but I drove it as is just to put some miles on it.

I decided to attend the Portland USCA event so I did some last minute prep, borrowed a trailer and left early on Thursday morning.

The trip was not without its own challenges.

^ I take it the CHP doesn't have a good sense of humor? :lol:

Call you this weekend Efrain.

It seemed like they were out in force trying to reach the quota as there were two others in the area also pulled over.

Besides that, the traffic, construction and the long 16 plus hour drive all was OK. I pulled into PIR just around 11:40 PM and called it a night.

Got in to the track and unloaded the car to get it through tech. It seemed that all of the heavy hitters were there so I knew i would not finsh well but I wanted to get some more seat time in and get some more support from the vendors.

Wilwood was on hand and again helped me through some issues...Thanks Mike! Even though not resolved it was better than before.

The speed stop was more of a drag race up and back and parking your car into a one car garage while traveling 60 plus!!

The autocross was set up for fast running. With fastest lap set by Mary P.

The car made it through day one needing nothing more than gas and a few more tweaks to the shocks.

Day two was the track. Being a novice I was nervous because the speeds on this track were going to be fast. I had a really good instructor named Tom who showed me the proper lines, braking and shift points and got me going faster. This made the trip worth it as I had a good time and learned just that much more.

Made it through the first few sessions then the knockback on the car became worse and I started to feel some vibration and brake fade so I pulled it off the track. upon inspection I found that the pinion seal was failing and that the axle bearings seemed to be getting loose as I could rock the car and hear noise and see the rotors flexing. Packed it up and since the event ended early headed back home.

Not really..... there were three of them one on each side of the road but this one was in the center median under an overpass. He plucked me from between two trucks. On top of that he even gave me a ticket for tinted windows!!

Sounds good talk to you this weekend.

After Portland i figured I would not attend anything else for the year and so the Sunday before last I set out to make a list of what I would fix first. I lifted the car and pulled the rear brakes and axles to see what the issue was. The rear pinion seal was shot and spread gear oil along the underside of the car and onto the brakes. I also melted a rear sway bar bushing because my exhaust dumps just before them and while the car was in the air I figured I would pull the trans to see what the issues were on my trans. While I was there I took the clutch, pp and flywheel off and called McLeod to arrange to have it rebuilt.

In pulling the trans I check the throw out bearing and noticed it had a bit of moisture on it. I had another new replaucement F-body mast that I bought just in case and compared the two and found that they were just sligtly different and that the one that was in the car did not compress as far and was not an AP part. Proble cause of my shifting issues.

I took the RST clutch to McLeod, since they are not far from the house and put it in for a rebuild. A couple days later I have this nice new shiney part.

So it is Wednesday and I am sitting at work not working and going back and forth with myself on rebuilding the trans since it was out or just dusting off a credit card and getting a Magnum. The consesus was to just get the new trans even though I did not want to spend the money I made a purchase through AMP. I couldn't believe it but it was at my door before 5 pm on Friday!!!

Care to share the info of this "up and coming" tranny guy? thanks!

Before the trans arrived I was talking to David P. and he mentioned that Super Chevy was doing a suspension challenge although interested I did not know what was involed or what they wanted. On top of that my car is in pieces. He gave me Steve R's number, we talked and got a feel for what the wanted. I was really unsure because my car was apart and it was two days away and it was a two day event. But as i am on the phone with him and getting home the trans arrived so the wheels in my mind start going....hmmn a chance to get in a mag, two days to get the car together.....stupidity took over and I told him I was sure I could get the car together and make it.

I then call up my driveline guy to set up a Saturday appointment to shorten the driveshaft. He tells me he can't do it......crap!!!! being last minute I was not confident I could find someone so in another moment of stupidity I decide to put my old trans back in. Armed with a new clutch, slave and axle bearings and seals I go about starting to put the car together. I cleaned up the opil mess from the rear and goth that together first. i moved on to the clutch and got that installed and then it was on to the mofo trans. I got it up on a Harbour Freight trrnas jack and lined up before I called it a night. I was beat!

I did the TKO switch a few years back. The TKO was from Classic Chevy 5 Speed when they were just starting out and selling out of Swap Meets. i meth them in Pomona.

I hear Pomona's good for that.

(kidding Bro!)

Saturday morning...the little woman has a bunch of honey does lined up for me so I had to get those out of the way before I jumped back in on the car. So with those out of the way and half the day gone I was back under the car.

I forgot to mention that before I put the slave in the car I decided to try to pre bled it. I used a wood clamp to keep the bearing from being pushed off and connected it to the quick release. I pumped up the pedal, using a rod to keep it down and bled it out. Not sure if this would work but I had a hard time bleeding the other when I first put it in.

After a while and several verbal assaults the trans was in. Now all I had to do was get it tighted down. mount the cross member shifter, fill with fluid, driveshaft exhaust....blah, blah blah :hairpullout:

It is now Saturday night and all is together ready for shake down and break in on Sunday.:faint:

Sunday... got the shifter on and buttoned up the console and went back under the car to make sure I tighed everything. Topped the trans with fluid. filled the rear with fluid, did another check, put the wheels back on and dropped it off the jack stands. After a few hours of driving I felt confident that it was good enought to go. Shifting was better than it ever has been even using to old trans. Reverse was easy and shifting and clutch engagement was smooth. I sent an update to David P and Steve R letting them know I was go for Monday.

Bright and early Monday I jump in the car and head out to Willow Springs. I get there and am greeted by the staff and fill out paperwork and wait for the events to unfold. As the day progressed many pictures were taken, slalom was done as well as skid path. Most of the results were not reveled and even I will have to wait to see how it did..... rats!! The weather could have been better the first day. We were battered with wind all day which combined with the sun and the sand made for some red faces to say the least. By the end of the day I had met all of the manufactures and their crew that were there..... some cool people.

Off to the hotel to shower, have dinner with the group, a few drinks and lots of laughs. Then it was of to bed.

Tuesday is the fun day. Track time!!!!! After some more pictures it was time to hit the track, we did the follow drive to get the lines and were were able to drive the track and make changes as we saw fit so the cars were ready for the afternoon test.

Well a funny thing hapend to me while I was out there...

My sway bar arm decides it doesn't want to play anymore an walked right off the end of the swaybar making some aweful banging noises as I come out of the corner. I let off the gas and cruise in to the pit not knowing want happened. As I look under my car i can see that the arm is gone. I borrowed a dirt bike to go look for it on the track but found nothing. Steve R. suggested i go back and look under mt car and sure enough the picture above is how I found it. The arm had hit the ground,snapped the end link, bounced back into the tire all the way around the wheel well and then somehow wrapped itself around the front brake hose and was hidden by he wheel........:omg:

Day over???? HELL NO!!! A check of the brake line revealed that although pretty beat up it was holding pressure and not leaking. So with the help of the other competitors, the Pozzi's and especially the crew from CPP (Much thanks to you guys!!) we put a spare pillow block I had in after some mods, cleaned up the spines on the arm, built a new end link from spare parts i had with me and the car was back in action. i took it out for a quick shakedown and all seemed ok.

David P. Set the mark in Mary's car but I am not sure if i am allowed to say what it was so I won't. Mary P was doing the track driving for the evaluation...man can these guys wheel a car!! She seemed to be going faster as the laps went by and she was but on the last lap for my car we saw the tail start to wag so we knew something was not right but Mary stayed in it and wheeled it in. Somehow the armed walked off again. Luckily it did not get flung off like the earlier event. I lifted it back up and with David's help again got it together so I can drive it home.

I learned a lot from this event, manufacturers helped me understand a few things about set up, driving, I got to see how a magazine puts these stories together and this was just the testing and photograpy..the writing comes later. I had no Idea it was that involved!!

I think most of all I got to meet some cool people on both sides. I think everyone lent a hand on my problem and even at the end of the event Jim from CPP offered to take his car off the trailer and take me home if I could not get the car together. He also gave me his number in case I broke down on the road and said he would come back for me. I can't give enough props for those kinds of actions. All I can say is thanks and hope to pay it forward someday.

Quote:




Originally Posted by efs69


i meth them in Pomona.


oops!!! lol but I think you're right!!

Glad the sway bar mishap didn't cause any serious damage. Congrats on the fun weekend!

Well that's pretty wild and wooly stuff!! Nothing good comes from parts falling off cars!

I think the part I like the best about auto sports is the peoples willingness to help everybody including the guy that might beat them. It's just a great group of people.

Glad it worked out for you.

Efrain,

Glad you made it home okay! I didn't want to say to much in my thread but since you shared the carnage here I just wanted to say I have huge respect for you getting that car back on the track Tuesday! I'm impressed that not only were you still eager to have it beat on but even more that you came prepared with enough spares to rebuild your swaybar.

Hope to meet up with you at a track soon!

Oh and having been on the receiving end of a similar offer to help me get my car home recently it is humbling and amazing what a great group of folks there are in the car world.

EDIT: one more thing. Great pic in post 113!!