1985 Monte Carlo SS known as Barney
 

This has been my 6 year long build, that has been finished a couple of times already...but has recently gone back under the knife once again.

My current list of accomplishments and mods are as follows:

Completely restored everything but the top sides of the frame rails and the paint
GMPP HT383 fed by the stock CCC Q-jet and Carb, 402 ft lbs, 284 hp to the rear tires
T56 out of a 1999 Camaro
Custom 3.5" drivershaft
Quick Performance 9" with disc brakes, 3:50 gear
All suspension pivot points are delrin, front UCAs DSE, LCAs Ridetech, Rear Control arms all UMI with roto joints
36mm F-body sway bar up front, 1" Hotchkiss LCA mounted rear sway bar
Ridetech TQ coilover shocks, 3.6" travel up front, 6.9" travel out back
Hypercoil springs, 8" 600# front, 12" 162# rear
Street rims are Billet Specialties Reallys 17x8, 17x9.5, rubber will end up being Rivals once BFG makes some wide enough
Track rims are 16x8 ZQ8s with Hoosier A6s
Interior mods include Dakota Dash VHX gauges, Retrosound head unit, 2005 GTO seats, sound deadening and new carpet

I'm sure I've forgot some things as well, but that's pretty much the car as it currently sits.

Overall it's a great driving car, wouldn't be afraid to take it on a long road trip at all. It's very comfortable and the suspension tweaks done on it for autocross competing have only helped it's street manners. I am trying to strike a fine balance between a street car and a track car. This has held me up a bit on track days in the near future as I'm concerned about the 28 year old stock restraint system in place with the speeds it will now obtain on the big tracks. I'm still undecided what to do in that area. Don't really want to cage the car, but might consider a 4 point bar and a harness or maybe even some door bars in the future.

Only other really pressing need is replacement body bushings. The stock rubber bushings still appear okay, but let the frame flex WAY too much for the spirited driving the car sees. This will be my main winter project, along with upgrading the front brake package.

I have a ton of pictures of the car, if there are any mods you'd like to see pictures of, just ask.

Here's a pic of me throwing the car around the autocross course a month or so ago just because...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q...o/DSC03718.JPG

Lance, sounds like you've done alot to the car. Keep us posted. Also, more pics too.

I've always love these car's & GN's too.Can't wait too see more.

Here is the car on the chassis dyno back in March

http://youtu.be/3pPVd_peuuA

Here's the readout.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E...03-13-2013.jpg

It detonated about 4250 RPM and the ECM pulled out some timing and that affected the numbers. I have since tuned on the secondaries on the carb to fatten it up and that stopped the pinging, but haven't put it back on the dyno since to see what it would do now.

Test run after fiddling with the hanger and rods and the air valve opened up some more.

http://youtu.be/3KT10XdoBJg

I don't think that's too shabby considering it's got a CCC Q-jet and distributor from a 1985 180 hp 305 feeding it. This engine setup is the perfect match for the T56 to me. It builds a ton of torque down low and never skips, misses, stumbles or hesitates...when you ask for it, it's there...every time. In fact, they had to put traction aide on the tires after the first dyno pull because it spun the tires on the dyno wheels. Video... http://youtu.be/dgBGSwuDXjc

Yet you can cruise down the highway at 65 MPH, turning 1650 RPM in 6th and get almost 20 mpg.

EFI, we don't need no stinking EFI... :mock:

and here are the autocross runs from my first time out with Ron Sutton's Stage 1 setup under the car. I just kept running it harder and harder on each run, and it just kept getting faster.

http://youtu.be/N3ggkP3P_tE

I can't wait to see how it does this Sunday with Stage 2 under it.

Nice to see something different running hard.

Good luck tomorrow Lance

Can't wait to see how stage II works out. :thumbsup:

:cheers:

Dec 3rd, and the second day in a row that I've driven my MCSS to work.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L...082542_509.jpg

Probably be the last day for a while though as winter is supposed to reappear tomorrow.

Checked the odometer today and have put about 1900 miles on the car since the T56 install last December. Pretty good year. A LOT of those miles were put on 50 seconds at a time competing in autocross events, I think 11-12 total events...need to go back and add them up. Plus a two day track day event at Heartland Park for about 180 miles or so.

I'm still tweaking a just bit on the Ridetech shocks to find the ultimate street ride settings. I've got them pretty close though...man this thing is fun to drive on the street...and I wouldn't hesitate to take it on a long road trip either now, it's just that comfortable. Still handles off ramps and twisty roads pretty well in street mode as well.

So glad to have a car so driveable yet so fun to drive at the same time. Even had someone pass me on the highway, slow back down...and hang a camera out the window to take a picture of the car rolling down the highway on the way into work today.

Plans for the off season include but are not limited to:

Body Bushing replacement
Front brake replacement\upgrade
Power steering system overhaul\upgrade
(2) 17x9.5 rims to match the rears and (4) new 200 TW tires for them
Final remeasure on all of the suspension points and tweaks to fine tune them after

and then just some piddly stuff like adding a day\night comp\temp mirror, some fit and trim pieces inside, some cosmetic work under the hood to cover up wear and tear and a good overall cleaning.

Should keep me busy through the long cold winter don't ya think?

cool. nice work Lance.

sounds like a good plan to me!

Body Bushing Replacement Project has commenced...

Since I knew that I'd need the frame sitting on the wheels to get the bushings all trimmed to fit properly and I knew that I needed to do some work on my billet wheels too, I broke out the stockers.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A...115040_881.jpg

Old School... Still looks good too, IMHO...

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-n...115135_941.jpg

Crib stands work like a champ.

Here is what the core support bushings look like with the weight of the car on the tires.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-U...115351_387.jpg

And with the frame lifted in between the wheels...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B...111456_644.jpg

I'm hoping to tighten that up with new bushings in place.

I set the car on the stands and started loosening body bolts starting at the #1 position. They all came out pretty easily, if they'd start to tighten up and get stiff I'd reverse the wrench a couple of turns then continue loosening the bolt. All of them came out real well until I got to #6 driver side. A half of a turn with the wrench is all it took...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-o...123931_237.jpg

I was a bit discouraged but went ahead and took the other 3 bolts behind the rear tires out. #6 passenger side was the second worse, but it came out whole. Here's the old vs new pic...

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4...135834_478.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-x...140020_485.jpg

Thankfully I think there is enough of the broken bolt sticking down out of the nut that I should be able to get a hold of it with something once I get the body lifted off the frame.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-V...141730_906.jpg

I'm pretty sure that's the only spot on the frame that will need a repair as well. The rest look pretty good.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-r...135101_370.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1...134948_293.jpg

Well, maybe not good but...hopefully good enough.


I've got the front fenderwells out, and I've loosened the front and rear bumpers...and all of the body bolts out. I'm trying to decide exactly how far I need to lift the body and what else I'll need to take loose depends on that.

Main thing I don't really want to take loose is the radiator hoses...taking the master cylinder loose isn't that big of a deal.

Other than that, I'm done for the day. Need to order some body bolts and some rust converter and paint...