69 Camaro v2.0 - Project "Major Havoc"

[6D9]

Killer motor and car Chris! Im another BBC(491 cubes) Camaro guy but on a much smaller budget! Motor is out right now and swapping from solid roller to hyd roller.

[chr2002ca]

Originally Posted by 6D9

Killer motor and car Chris! Im another BBC(491 cubes) Camaro guy but on a much smaller budget! Motor is out right now and swapping from solid roller to hyd roller.

Thanks! Yep, I hope all this stuff works when it goes in! It's a pile of friggin money.

[Matt@BOS]

Originally Posted by chr2002ca

Thanks! Yep, I hope all this stuff works when it goes in! It's a pile of friggin money.

It will work, at least 98 percent of it should, . It looks like you've got a good engine builder and some quality parts. Here's to hoping you don't have any major issues. Just my opinion, but if you have a choice, use one of the GM throwout bearings. They always seem to work better than the leaky aftermarket ones, well except the brand new one that didn't work for me and cost us a trip to SEMA.

[chr2002ca]

Well, was hoping to have the engine in and getting close to firing her up, but the shortblock is still at the engine builder. No issues, just some delays due to his cat having health issues a few weeks ago, then some higher priority tasks last week, and now a pulled muscle this week. He gave me an original completion date for this shortblock build of mid February, late February for sure. We're not behind schedule by too much, so not a big deal at this point. He said today it should be ready by Thursday morning, so we'll see. I sure hope so.

Got everything ready to plug that mutha in. Hooked up the fuel system and Holley HP ECU and harness to the completed manifold/throttle body setup(including injectors and all sensors) and everything checks out good now with no leaks and all sensors initialized and working. Customized the bulky harness a bit to remove some unnecessary hookups and get the various lengths just how I wanted them. I did have to fix an issue with the Edelbrock fuel rails not being tapped deep enough for the pipe fittings to make a good seal, and one of the 45 degree Aeroquip PTFE fitting just flat out leaked, but those are now solved. Fuel system now runs solid at 52PSI so I'm happy to clear that hurdle. I upgraded the Holley software and ECU firmware to v2.0 and loaded the initial configuration into the ECU from my laptop. That's all squared away now and ready to fire up and start 'learning'. The fuel system and wiring for an EFI system is actually quite a bit of work, especially if you're trying to hide sh_t and make it look as clean as possible. Tucked the coil up under the dash and have the ECU mounted just above the vent on the passenger's kick panel. Also filled some small holes on the firewall and re-sprayed a few areas to clean it up.

So the engine bay and parts on my workbench are hungry for a friggin' shortblock.

[chr2002ca]

Have some free time on my hands while I'm waiting so took a few pics of what I was describing in my previous post:

EFI Manifold setup and tested. Waiting to be installed:



Meziere water neck adapter made installing the extra fan and EFI coolant sensors a snap:



46lb Magneti Injectors are the short/pico style which helps lower the fuel rails and allow my drop-down air filter base to fit just like it did on my carb and permit a 14x3" filter under my cowl hood with a little room to spare. I went with the smaller injectors(50lb was calculated to be 'ideal' for my setup and the next step up for pico injectors is 60lb) and will just run a slightly higher fuel pressure(52lbs). The smaller injectors should make idle tuning a little easier, but they're still large enough that they won't be overworked.



ECU mounted here: Getting all the wiring coming out of that thing routed and hidden is a pain. I ran the USB cable into the glove box so it can be easily accessed anytime to hookup to the laptop:



Heard that the Speedtech T56 crossmember tends to flex across this center plate that has a lot of metal cut out of it to save weight. Just to be safe, I welded in a brace across that section to keep it from flexing there. This has been test fitted to the transmission and up on the frame mounts and it should plug right in when the time is right:



Installed a set of testing springs on the cylinder head so I can jump right into piston-to-valve clearance, push rod measurement, and valve train geometry checking as soon as the short block arrives:



Magnum setup is already on the jack and ready to plug in. Will measure run-out on the bellhousing first and get proper offset dowels if needed before installation into the car:



The badass Centerforce DYAD clutch waiting for its shot at delivering the torque from the new ZL:



Lots of pretty parts just waiting to get jiggy with it.

[Ron in SoCal]

Mmmm....parts!

Great update Chris. Can't wait till you get your shortblock and start installing. It won't be long now!

[WicKeD_SS]

Very Nice!

[chr2002ca]

Originally Posted by Ron in SoCal

Great update Chris. Can't wait till you get your shortblock and start installing. It won't be long now!

Originally Posted by WicKeD_SS

Very Nice!

Originally Posted by Gandalf

Yeah - what Ron said x2. Very nice looking collection of parts. Should be a beast when done. Hope it comes together soon.

Thanks guys. Much appreciated.

Originally Posted by Flash68

Chris, you are an organized and detailed MoFo my friend.

I have a condition.

[DaleTx]

Looking good... nice job on all the prep.

Can't wait to see it come together.

[Vegas69]

Hey, some people love cats. I know a couple guys that have had their engines at a machine shop a little longer than Chris too.

Whether the excuses are legitimate or not, I hope his work proves to be as reliable for Chris, as it did for me.

Parts are looking juicy, there, sir!