1987 IROC Camaro Pro-Touring Build

[garage_engineer]

Quick update for tonight:

Starting to strip down my motor to get it ready for paint. Borrowed a harmonic balancer removal tool from my local Advance Auto and it worked like a charm! Also got the starter off and a few other pieces. Working on getting the intake off now... I don't know if any of you have ever worked with a Super Ram intake, but they have a ton of fasteners and some are a b*itch to get to!

Starting Point:





Where she sits today:


I also got started on installing my Del-A-Lum bushings I got from Global West in my freshly painted control arms. Again I rented a ball joint press from my local Advance and it was just wide enough to work. I don't own a hydraulic press but I'm looking to pick one up for future jobs like this. I can't wait to see how the car feels with these new bushings installed!


Some of the delrin sleeves needed a little de-burring before they were installed but nothing a quick pass with a drill bit couldn't fix:


The bushings were supplied with a piece of angle iron to use a spacer between the control arm faces so they didn't collapse when pressing in the outer sleeves. I had to trim it just a bit but it worked great.


I only got 2 out of the 4 installed tonight and will post final picture if I can get to the others this weekend. Getting there, little by little!

[WSSix]

To remove the intake tubes from an TPI engine, I suggest either getting sockets with long torx bits, or switching to allen head bolts and getting sockets with long allen keys. Also, a swivel extension even if just a short one. This will really help you get into the area the bolts are located at and be able to confidently remove and torque them.

Also, just as a general rule, if you're ever having to buy allen keys, always try to find the ball end ones.

Keep up the good work.

[gofastwclass]

Originally Posted by WSSix

Also, just as a general rule, if you're ever having to buy allen keys, always try to find the ball end ones.

Keep up the good work.

I second the ball end Allen keys. There is nothing worse than trying to work with an Allen fastener using a standard Allen tool and not being able to get at it straight on. I would also make sure to buy some from a quality vendor. I have a friend who uses the stuff sold at your local nautical themed "tool" store and 90% of it is... junk to be polite. However I will buy blue rubber gloves from them.

You're moving in the right direction.

[shelteredV]

Great effort, another home build coming out nice!

[garage_engineer]

Originally Posted by WSSix

To remove the intake tubes from an TPI engine, I suggest either getting sockets with long torx bits, or switching to allen head bolts and getting sockets with long allen keys. Also, a swivel extension even if just a short one. This will really help you get into the area the bolts are located at and be able to confidently remove and torque them.

Also, just as a general rule, if you're ever having to buy allen keys, always try to find the ball end ones.

Keep up the good work.

Originally Posted by gofastwclass

I second the ball end Allen keys. There is nothing worse than trying to work with an Allen fastener using a standard Allen tool and not being able to get at it straight on. I would also make sure to buy some from a quality vendor. I have a friend who uses the stuff sold at your local nautical themed "tool" store and 90% of it is... junk to be polite. However I will buy blue rubber gloves from them.

You're moving in the right direction.

Thanks for the tips guys! I'm actually searching online for some long Torx and Allen extensions right now after stripping another Torx head this afternoon. The extra long extensions seem like the way to go... there's always the right tool for the job!

Originally Posted by shelteredV

Great effort, another home build coming out nice!

Thanks! I'm getting there slowly but surely.

[garage_engineer]

Spent a lot of time in the garage this weekend but unfortunately not a lot of the work was photo-worthy. I had a table full of parts that needed to be scraped, scuffed, cleaned and painted so I spent the majority of the time doing that.

Just a couple crappy pics of the freshly painted pieces:




Next I tackled my cracked AC box. I ended up using some Permatex Plastic Welder I found at my local Advance Auto. It was only about $6 for the tube and seems to be working OK so far. Since it's still cold here, I'm going to give it a while to set before I sand and paint it.


I did not get a picture of it, but I first drilled the ends of the cracks and then used my Dremel to create a little V-channel out of each crack to help it hold the plastic welder.

Plastic welder applied:


The next job was addressing the interference problem between my transmission tailshaft and the bolt that holds my torque arm to the crossmember. This is what it looked like before I took it all apart:



I trimmed a small piece from my tailshaft which I'm hoping will cure the issue. I took as little material as possible and then blended in any sharp edges to minimize the chances of creating a stress riser:



I ended my weekend by rotating my engine on its stand and spilling coolant and oil everywhere. Awesome! There was way more in there than I expected! I thought it was a good time to call it quits for the day after that...

[gofastwclass]

An engine stand drip pan would be a nice addition to your engine stand.

[garage_engineer]

Been a little while since my last update so I have lots of material to share!

Repairs on my AC box are coming along nicely. I sanded the first coat of filler and applied a thin 2nd coat to fill in some pinholes and low spots. After one more round of sanding it should be ready for paint. It won't be perfect, but much better than it was.



Next I got started on my engine teardown and resealing. I don't know much about this engine, other than the previous owner telling me it's a ZZ4 with AL heads. It looks pretty good from what I am finding so far:

The engine has 4-bolt main bearings (which checks out for a ZZ4) and a nice double roller timing chain:






Taking the intake manifold off was a royal pain in the rear. If anyone here hasn't worked with a Super Ram intake, it's made up of 5 pieces that are all connected with Allan and Torx bolts. I stripped one of the Torx bolts trying to use a standard socket and had a bear of a time trying to get it out. Lesson learned, get the right tools the first time!

Standard-length sockets come in at a slight angle, not good for Torx!


The resulting stripped bolt:


First I tried a flathead and then an EZ-out but neither worked:



Finally, I ended up grinding the head off the bolt and removing that section of the intake which luckily left just the threaded portion of the bolt that I could get some Vice-Grips on:


I smartened up and ordered the proper tools for the rest of the bolts!


Next I moved on to replacing my rear main seal (which is 1-piece) with a new one. There was a ton of oil in my bellhousing and I'm hoping this was the cause.


Finally, I ran the numbers on my oil pump and figured out it is a Melling high-volume one. Nothing wrong with it, but from lot of research I have been doing this is not the right fit for this engine and my needs (mild small block with occasional road racing). A high volume pump is appropriate if you are running larger-stock-bearing clearances. If you are not, the extra volume is simply wasted and ends up in your oiling system being inefficient and pulling more horsepower and heating up the oil more than it needs to be. A stock Chevy oiling system is actually quite stout and should be adequate for my needs. That doesn't mean it can't benefit from a couple of well thought out upgrades however

That being said, I have ordered a standard-volume pump and have decided to upgrade my pan to one with a slightly larger volume and a crank scraper/windage tray. When I was on the track last season, I was noticing my oil pressure gauge start to bounce all over the place at higher revs... I'm hoping the crack scraper and windage tray can help with this.

I'll have that install in the next post!

[gofastwclass]

A solution to removing rounded off or broken bolts and studs is using a TIG welder to weld a nub to it you can grab with a pair of vice grips.

Another option is to weld a nut to the broken off bolt or stud with either a TIG or MIG welder then remove the offending remains with the appropriate socket or wrench.

This works best in aluminum, but can be done on steel and cast iron if you are accurate enough. Using a TIG welder for either of method is ideal due to the accuracy, but a MIG will work too if that is all you have in your arsenal.

[Ketzer]

Originally Posted by garage_engineer

First I tried a flathead and then an EZ-out but neither worked:

Who of us hasn't been here a dozen times... way to stay after it!!!