[rwhite692]

Ok Scott here goes:





My gold car is (was) an original LM1 car, 255HP 350 with a powerglide and the original open 12-bolt rearend. I purchased it in Southern Ca in August 2002, from a gentleman who had owned it for over 20 years and was using it all of that time as his daily driver. It had received one repaint sometime around 1980, in the original Olympic Gold. It still has it's CA black/yellow plates issued in 1968. (My other car has the 9TYN6T9 plates)


I removed the original 350 and set it aside, and built a roller cammed 383 stroker for it, with a stout bottom end and a set of TFS Aluminum heads, with a pretty tame carbureted induction setup with a 150HP N2O plate. It probably makes somewhere around 450HP (sans N2O). I converted the car to MT and installed an LT1 style T56, with guidance from Marlan Davis' CC article, farming out only the driveshaft cut and re-balance. The clutch is a centerforce dual friction setup with a McLeod actuator cylinder. I built the trans crossmember from a TH400 unit, and it looks like GM made it.




The brake system is C5 corvette front disc, LS1 rear disc, with hydroboost assist. Suspension mods are simple, Hotchkis 2" drop springs up front, upper arms relocated via the Guldstrand mod, Energy Suspension bushings, 1.125" hotchkis sway bar. Out back are DSE 3" drop leafs. Shocks are edelbrock up front and KYB out back (for now). Speedtech supplied the solid body mounts, and the front spindle brackets for the C5 calipers. I rebuilt the rearend with a powertrax unit and 3.89 R+P.



Wheels are Boyds, variation on "Dictator", FRONT: 18"x8" with 4.75" BS, REAR: 18"x9" with 5.5" BS. Tires are 245/40R18 Front, 275/40R18 rear.



The idea on this car was to keep it at very least semi-driveable, all of the way through the project mechanically, and then when basically satisfied with the mechanical modifications for the most part, blow it apart for paint. Currently I am in the middle of RS front conversion with original Endura bumper. Having done this before, everything will be fitted and then disassembled for paint. I drive the car occasionally to work (60 miles one way) and It's a blast. Gotta do something about the headliner soon though, before it comes off and wraps around my head at 80MPH...



Just want to thank you Scott for providing this place for us to hang out and exchange ideas, and for being a first-class guy supporting the hobby...



Rob