I would be okay with that. He has not one, but two running 69 Camaros. Elvis once crashed one of his parties. He doesn't always drink, but when he does... It is worth it for the rest of us.

If by connection you mean driving an old truck to Payton's house to have him take us to the Nascar used junk parts resellers, then yes.

Surely a compliment is in there. :lol:

The Nor Cal Redneck. NCR stickers should be made. I would use them to replace my "Camaro Performers" one I still have stuck to my rear windshield.

I'll replace it when I put the subframe in---sometime soon---:sarcasm_smiley:

Perfect, there will be approximately 6 of you operating in that capacity thus far.

Love it when a plan comes together.

It's a safety thing....right?

Ya, that's what I would call it. The safety brew.

Time for me to post a few more legitimate updates on the progress of the new motor for the car.

So, after I got the heads pulled off, there were several items I decided to upgrade.

Starting with putting in head studs.

I purchased the ARP thread chaser and started in

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/252.jpg

I followed the process of chasing the threads, pulled the chaser out, blew it off with compressed air, then chased the threads again. Upon the second chase, there was very little material showing up on the chaser. I would then use the compressed air to clean out the threads inside the block, followed by filling up that hole with carb cleaner, letting it sit while I chased the others, then blew it out upon completion, followed by one last chase and blow out. After inspecting each one, they were indeed free from any material.

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/253.jpg

Below is what the chaser looked like after each first pass. There is some form of factory Loctite or sealer on the stock head bolts. It's crucial per ARP to ensure you have all of this cleaned out before installing the head studs.

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/259.jpg

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/258.jpg

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/260.jpg

After ensuring all was clear, I went ahead and began the actual head stud install. I've got the Part Number here for anyone who decides to do the same.

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/254.jpg

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/255.jpg

The kit includes both the small and large studs for each side along with their proprietary assembly lube.

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/256.jpg

Per the instructions, and just like on the SBC in the race car, just put them in hand tight--but ensure they are run all the way down.

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/257.jpg

I did a lot of asking, and after speaking with a couple of friends, in addition to several shops--the LS9 GM gaskets were the best choice for me. These are 9 layer MLS type gaskets, which two friends are running right now, respectively, in a 416 TT & and a 427 with a Pro Charger making well over 1200---for more than 2 years. Always nice when you can get real input from folks actually using the stuff you are considering. So, anyways, these went in place.

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/261.jpg
These are clearly marked in terms of orientation.

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/262.jpg

So, after inspection, the heads had not been touched in terms of porting, and had a poor valve job done to them.

The good news, they did have Inconel Exhaust Valves and a good set of Manley Valve Springs.

So, I went ahead and had them blown apart for inspection. We blended the bowls, new valve job, changed out the intake valves for some Manley's, and checked the spring heights. One intake was missing the shims under the spring--it's like the builder just forgot about it. Anyways, they are setup now as they should be in my opinion.


http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/263.jpg

Here are couple of shots to show the light bowl blending on both the intake and exhaust ports. These heads flow pretty impressive numbers right out of the gate. With the valve job and bowl blending, we picked up about 30 additional cfm.

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/265.jpg

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...nstall/264.jpg