68 Chevelle LQ4 W/4L80E Build

[spitfire980]

Originally Posted by WSSix

Welcome to the site. Nice project and plan you have going on. Are there many American muscle cars over in the UAE? Good luck getting your BMW back.

Thanks! there are here and there but you rarely see resto/mods. All you see are muscle cars fresh out of the container, slap on a plate and you are good to go! im going a different route with this one.

[spitfire980]

Its been awhile since i updated you guys so here it goes,

Took the block apart to see what im dealing with:




and found some rust in the cylinder walls and cam




So i had 3 choices,
A) go 4.030 over
B) replace the block
C) put new sleeve jackets

I tried option B and 3 different blocks from 3 different shops were just as bad or worse so i went with option C since its the most cost effective one

I also ordered comp cams, flowmaster 814116 Headers (1.75 inches, ceramic coated and polished) and managed to find a set of LS3/L92 heads from west coast racing heads for $545!!

The cam i went with


New oil pump, new seals all round, new piston rings....pretty much new everything


My R129 Benz getting an X-pipe, resonator delete and magnaflow muffler installed in the background


Heads installed, still need to get a holley hi-ram though








Still need the LS3 offset rockers though


Its almost a shame to cover up such beauty

[spitfire980]

I asked the current garage to check on the status of the body mounts since the previous garage said the only installed 4/8 because the bolts were missing (complete bull****) only to find out that the only installed the front 2 and not with the correct number!! Installed the remaining body mounts that i ordered from P-S-T along with a new set of bolts and called it a night.

The autokraft pan and dirty dingo sliders did wonders, there is plenty of space between the crossmember and the pan. The 4L80 fit with no issues and no contact with the body floor. There was even more space after all 8 body mounts were put in place!

anyways, enough rambling...here are the pics





Plenty of space left for that sweet holley hi-ram!


Autokraft oil pan to crossmember clearance


The big boy 4L80E in with no major problems and still some space to spare

[Rick D]

Looking great, sorry to hear about you issues with the other shop, man 4 months with out paying?? That's crazy!!

[tubbed69]

Very nice project,good luck and keep the updates coming.

[spec134]

Nice build. Very similar to mine. Glad to see you were able to find another shop to help.

[spitfire980]

It been awhile since i updated you guys and alot has been going on!

My brother in law decided to get in on the muscle car action and got himself a 72 Vette. 350 Elderbrock pro flo fuel injected engine, TH400 transmission with mild shift kit, 1500 stall speed converter, headers and magnaflow exhaust system, ecklers L88 hood, 17" Cragar SS rims, Be cool radiator with flex-a-lite fans, dynamat'ed the entire cabin, ACC carpet, C5 seats and a CS144 Alternator. I also got the original matching number engine and hood in the sale.

My brother in law and i also got a 69 Chevelle to flip for profit. 350 motor with new heads and intake. PS, PB, 350 turbo tranny with shift kit. It has new quarters, trunk pan and floor pans. SS hood, 15" rims and power seats. I ordered CPP front and rear brake kit, ACC carpet to freshen the interior up, griffin aluminum radiator, Dynatech ceramic coated headers 1-5/8" into 1-3/4" and MuscleMaXX 2.5" exhaust kit. . Im going with BMW Atlantis Blue for paint. Still need to install the bilstein shocks and decide on how much to lower it by











In the meantime, iv been busy shopping and collecting parts for my 68. I got AC, AMD inner fenders, Willwood brakes and MC, 18"x9 rally wheels. UMI control arms, AAW kit, NW DBW 102mm TB, Magnaflow 2.5" exhaust system and the crown jewel, Holey Hi-ram for LS3/L92 heads