Project WidowMaker - The Build Thread

[Vegas69]

You think it's bad now, wait until you start using it.

[The WidowMaker]

thanks guys. this is not a cheap hobby. i just keep telling myself that the wife doesnt need a bigger house.

the motor plan is coming together nicely. i finally got a hold of erik at hke and i dont think theres anyone better to build this motor. just talking to him you can hear how well he knows these motors. the plan right now is still to do a 454 with afr 245 heads, super victor intake and accufab/fast 4150 tb. ill run all this with the holley hp dbc system. running the afr heads will also end up saving well over 1k. anything ls7 commands more cash. the super victor will also help the meshing of old and new technology and appearance. ive never liked the look of sb aluminum manifolds, but the spider look of the ls manifolds is insane.

im also leaning towards the dry sump setup with stock ls7 pump, pan, avaid baffle and peterson tank. its still a couple hundred more than an accusump and autokraft pan but i think its worth the price.

heres the only issue; will the super victor fit? my body is dropped about 3/8 and the motor is raised about 3/4". i have the various heights of manifolds written down, but they give heights from valley mounting surface to carb pad. im unsure of how these valley heights differ between sb, bb and ls (read, same height manifold different motor, does it sit higher, lower or the same). if i could figure this out i can search to see what fits with the other motors. although my motor is about 1 1/8" higher, the accufab tb is about 1 1/4" lower than a holley carb. and i hear the dominators are even taller.

Tim

[The WidowMaker]

going off online dimensions, it looks like the ls7 pan is going to be a tight fit. i have a little over 12" before the crossmember and it appears the ls7 sump is 11" long. im going to try and get some accurate measurements and see if this is going to work.

[The WidowMaker]

i picked up half of the dry sump today. redlinemotorsports does the motion camaros and buys ls7s and changes them over to wet sump for packaging reasons. 500 bucks got me a pump, pan, front cover and windage tray. wet sump stuff would have been over 700 for the same.

pump - 150
wet pan - 425
front cover - 135
windage tray - ?

so i think it was a pretty good deal. its not an optimal dry sump and i dont think i will seen any of the true dry sump benefits, but i think that a gravity fed oil pump and an additional 3 quarts of oil wont hurt.

still working with peterson on a drawing and a price for the tank. im having to run a sight tube on the side to check fluid levels since im hiding it up under the fender and wont be able to pull the top. im also planning on using a dual inlet style, but the second inlet will be my filler to top the tank off. my inital thought was to use an existing hole towards the bottom of their stock tank, run a 90 off of it and a piece of hose up the side. id add a nice cap to the line which would be both my fill and a visual on oil level. their thinking that although the fill would be slow with a -8, it would be impossible with needing to fight gravity.

id love to hear other suggestions that would make this damn thing cheaper.

[dug]

It might seem like that big of a deal but I think I would hate filling through a -8 line

sorry, that is all I have to offer

[The WidowMaker]

i agree. it would probably take an hour and id spill a quart in the process.

[dug]

yup! nothing like getting on your hands and knees to soak up some oil on the shop floor. Don't ask me how I know