LSA Powered 69 Camaro -"Lou's Change"

[Grnova]

Originally Posted by Lous69

While we wait for the car to return from the media blaster I thought I might provide an update on some details and parts we have ordered.

Our cooling strategy has evolved. We decided to upgrade from our original plan of just copying what is used in the ZL1. We listened to some of the good advice we got from this thread and others.

We ended up ordering a C&R radiator module rated for 1000HP. The module is made to drop right into the first gen Camaro. It includes two mounted fans, engine oil cooling and power steering cooling. It also has both the engine coolant inlet and exit on the passenger side.



For an intercooler, we decided to go with C&R's GT500 intercooler. It also comes complete with two fans already mounted.

This is exactly what i am looking for on my set up. GREAT FIND!!! Are there Vendors on his site for C&R???

[randy]

so it seems like there setup constist of this cable latch
http://www.carid.com/lokar/item-1085...gn=Become_feed

and the VW part numbers you posted huh

[BBC71Nova]

Originally Posted by Grnova

This is exactly what i am looking for on my set up. GREAT FIND!!! Are there Vendors on his site for C&R???

If I'm not mistaken Dan@Holohan's is setup as a C&R dealer. They are nice pieces as seen here.

[waynieZ]

Thats a beautiiful cooling set up you decided on. You should have no problems with that in there.

[Lous69]

Even though we’re following the best of the best in many aspects of this build we still find that we are doing some things that apparently no one else has done before.

One of those things is putting an LSA motor in the Detroit Speed subframe and mounting the AC compressor and the alternator tight and low on their respective sides of the engine.

We could only find people who have installed their LSA in either stock or other after market subframes.

This made me a little nervous but the crew at V8TV just took it in stride as another challenge to be overcome.

First, they took one of the small Sanden SD-7 AC compressors Vintage Air recommends for use in their systems.

The objective was to mount it low and tight right about here but a little further back…



Next they performed a little surgery on the subframe and massaged the motor mount a little..









Then they made their own lower mounting bracket...



Their own upper mounting bracket...



Their own adjustment link...



And there you have it…AC compressor where we want it!



To mount the alternator tight and low on the driver’s side, they started with an alternator from East Coast Auto Electric. It is smaller but still puts out more than 120 AMPs (part number 2003)

They put a mock up pulley on it and sized up their plan of attack…



With some surgery on the mounting bracket and some minor fabrication it looked feasible to mount the alternator without modifications to the subframe.

They pulled it off. No notching of the frame required on this side..



For the steering pump, we bought a reservoir that has an extra return line port in it from Jones. We need an extra return line port because we are going to install a Hydratech brake booster.



That reservoir works best with the Corvette power steering pump so they made some slight modifications to the Corvette style pump to mount it in the LSA mounts.



The result….What we think is the World’s first LSA with ZL-1 accessory locations installed in a Detroit Speed Subframe….. TA DAAH!!



Frankly, the V8TV crew makes this stuff look easy. Can you tell I’m a happy customer?

[V8TV]

Lou did a nice job of simplifying the front accessory drive challenge a little, but the concept was to keep it as simple as possible. We never said simple = easy, but we're happy with the results.

The LSA belt system and front of engine are very different from the LS9, so we chose to work with what we had rather than change everything and try to adapt the LS9 stuff as others have done.

Also, the LSA power steering pump is unlike most common Type II GM pumps. The LSA uses a plastic reservoir. We didn't think we could safely add a port to the plastic reservoir and expect it to stand up to harsh use over time without issues. We really liked the fabricated Jones piece that provides the additional ports for returns.






However, you cannot simply swap the LSA reservoir for the Jones piece, which fits Corvette pumps. You'll notice in the pics that the LSA pump has no "slide" mounts for the retaining clips and tabs that hold the Jones and other GM type plastic reservoirs. In addition, the LSA pump has threaded mounts to attach it to the bracket, not openings for bolts to pass-through like most others. Next, the outlet has a 90-degree fitting pressed into the side. The fitting isn't hard to work around, but the missing tabs and threaded bosses were interesting.

We ended up using a Corvette style pump, which shares the large diameter shaft with the LSA. We simply added Heli-Coil inserts to the Corvette pump and mounted the Jones reservoir to it as designed. Clearance is tight to the heads, so the correct length bolt is crucial as not to hit the head or the pulley on the front. The whole assembly bolted up to the stock LSA bracket at that point.

These little projects take some time, but are fun to do when you figure everything out. We're fortunate to have a crew that likes to find solutions that would pass for OE.

[Vince@Meanstreets]

great project guys and a lot of in house ingenuity.

There wouldn't be a part number on that fuse box and relay center would there??

[V8TV]

That fuse / relay panel is part of the GMPP LSA controller system # 19259293. It's a nice piece.

We found a nice home for it in place of the original ash tray, and we'll be making a custom hinge for the ash tray door to flip down for easy access.

[Grnova]

Ok just got my resevior in and I need to know what the trick is to getting this resevior onto the pump?




For the steering pump, we bought a reservoir that has an extra return line port in it from Jones. We need an extra return line port because we are going to install a Hydratech brake booster.



That reservoir works best with the Corvette power steering pump so they made some slight modifications to the Corvette style pump to mount it in the LSA mounts.



The result….What we think is the World’s first LSA with ZL-1 accessory locations installed in a Detroit Speed Subframe….. TA DAAH!!



Frankly, the V8TV crew makes this stuff look easy. Can you tell I’m a happy customer?[/QUOTE]

[Lous69]

Tim,
I was at V8TV today checking up on my car now that it is back from the media blaster.

My list of questions to ask them included details of what they did to mount the Jones reservoir to the Corvette steering pump so I could post them here in response to your question.
I learned that Kevin already called you yesterday to give you the information first hand.

Now that's what I call customer service!.. or whatever you call the kind of support we enjoy from forums like this one.

For others who may have the same question in the future, Kevin said he plans to post the details here too.