Project "Sleeper" - 69 Camaro updates

[BBC69Camaro]

Well I finally decided I needed my own project thread rather than keep posting updates to my welcome thread:
https://lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=12701

For lack of a better project name, I chose "Sleeper" since I want to keep the stock look of my 69 Camaro but modernize it with more HP, better brakes, suspension etc. Obviously if you look closely you will notice it is not stock, but hopefully to the casual observer it will look like a stocker. I am still considering putting full Z/28 emblems on it and a 302 cowl decal just to throw one off further.

Some pictures of the car:




It is a 69 Camaro with the RS option with a cowl hood, automatic (700R4) and white interior. It has some z/28 Emblems that the previous owner had put on them. I was also told that it had a early 90s restoration done to it. I think the guy I bought the car from got it running again (bought it from a younger guy) and flipped it. I base this on the general state that the car was in (all the fluids hadn't been changed in a long time, radiator was just about rusted out etc). But that is okay, I was looking for something that had a really good body but needed an engine. I was still able to drive it home just fine, although it had some electrical and carb problems later and sat.

Overall the goal is to do as much work myself as I possibly can, both to learn how to do it and for the challenge.

I enrolled in a local JC and started taking automotive classes as I really hadn't done stuff like this before and really wanted to do it right. So it didn't take long for me to pull it apart anyways:

[BBC69Camaro]

Old engine and trans, and old tired 307 passenger block from a late 70s early 80s car and a 700R4 trans:



Originally the plan was just to build an engine for the car, but that snowballed (more about that later). So I started building a big block to drop in the car. It is a 454 GenV block I found at a junkyard (took 4 tries to get one without cracks in it). It is bored 030 over with a stroker crank making it 489ci (8.0L).

So starting on the engine blue print, it is magna-fluxed, sonic tested. Mains, cylinder bores and deck are checked for straightness to get a baseline (pretty good but some machining is in order to make it perfect):



All the machining is done by me in my engine machining class (except boring and honing they didn't have that machine at the time).

Nice fresh block (with Por-15 engine paint on it; I just love this paint, you can hammer it and pour brake clean on it, doesn't phase it):


Custom grinding was done on the top of the block for increased oil return and a screen kit is installed (case I grenade a valve it will save my bottom end):

[BBC69Camaro]

Bottom end goes together:


All the main bearings are clearanced within .0001 of each other, for very even oil distribution. The goal is not so much max HP but a high HP build that will be very reliable.

Brodix RR-O heads are purchased. Out of the box they have a horrible run-out on the valve seats (max of .009; when we want to see under .002 at least; ideal is under .0005). The guides are honed, valves are checked (they are really good less than .0005 run out on the valve face). Machining the valve seats is done and a run-out of under .0005 is attained. The heads are surfaced (the surface wasn't perfectly flat, plus wanted to raise the compression just a tad).


The intake and exhaust ports are ported and polished.


The chambers are cleaned up and CC matched within 0.1 CC of each other. The heads are vacuum checked (20in of Vacuum they seal nice and tight). Should have a real nice and even compression ratio across all cylinders of 9.8:1:


Cam goes in:


It is a Comp Cams "Thumpr" roller cam 227/241 @.050 547/530 lift 107deg lobe separation. I went with the Thumpr as from my understanding a common weakness of a big block is it lack of exhaust breathing. My hope is that with the 107 deg lob separation and the increased exhaust duration that this will help correct some it.

[BBC69Camaro]

Pistons, rods and pins are all weighed and measured. One Piston was a bit out of spec but JE in Huntington Beach swapped it right out for me with a smile, even giving me one that allowed me to get my piston to cylinder wall clearances all within .0001 of each other.

Pistons are SRP forged, crank is a Eagle cast crank good for 750hp (since I am not building a high RPM motor should be good), rings are Perfect Circle moly and rods are I-Beam Eagle.



Pins are installed, rings are gapped, rod bearings clearance like the mains to .0001 of each other.

Short block is together now:






Oil pump is a Moroso high volume with pickup and wind age tray.

[BBC69Camaro]

Heads go on, nice shot of the custom grinding both on the block and heads:


Verifying timing:


Intake is port matched to the heads and goes on. Full roller rockers (Comp Cams) with 1.7:1 ratio. Edelbrock RPM Air gap:


Valve and timing covers go on (Trans-dapt powder coated valve covers and GM stock timing cover for a GenV motor painted with left over Por-15):


Valve covers are crappy and leak and replaced later but the intake sure looks nice (durashine finish):

[BBC69Camaro]

Water pump (Stewart Components Stage 2 pump) and MSD Distributor go in:


March performance pulleys for v-belt systems and Holly Street avenger 770cfm with air cleaner go on:


Hooker ceramic coated headers with 2” primaries and 3.5” collectors:



Finished product ready to start up:

[BBC69Camaro]

Originally Posted by ratman67

it sucks the je would send you a bad piston in the first place...they charge all the money for their stuff and you would expect it to be perfect!

Mistakes happen, I was very happy that they accommodated me on my tolerances and the salesman found a piston that let me hold a real tight tolerance, worked out for the best in the end.

Originally Posted by ratman67

did you have the shop the bored and honed the cylinders use a torque plate on the block when they did their work? nice job, rm

Yep torque plate and also brought the block up to temp then bored and honed it. Only real machining I didn't end up doing myself. I was lucky the teachers knew a great machine shop to send it out to.

Thanks for the compliment

[RT66MOTORSPORTS]

Seems like a nice project overall.

[BBC69Camaro]

Still plunking away. Took a TIG Welding class and narrowed rear seat frames. Used the instructions found in this thread as a baseline:
https://lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=28606

This is what I started with:


Ended up touching up all the spot welds since some of them looked pretty shakey. Also added a few extra bars for reinforcement as well. Now the frame is nice and solid.

One of the welds:


Powder Coated:



In the car with Arizen Racing seats (front) and matching rear cover:



Bad news is found out later I was losing my job of 10 years. So budget for anything car related pretty much dried up, thou I have lots of time now lol. Slowly trying to finish up electrical (have most everything done now except rear wiring taillights etc).

Decided with all this time to polish this 4" aluminum "L" bracket that I am using to mount fuses, cut off switch etc to in the trunk. This is what I started with:



And ended with:

1. Used a flat disc set of grinding pads in 60/80/120 on my air die grinder.
2. 180 emery cloth down to about 600 or so.
3. Back with 300 wet sanding down to 2000 grit.
4. Switched to coarse rubbing compound with dual action sander with a coarse bonnet, then to medium and fine (bonnet + compound)
5. Ended up getting the finest microfiber cloth I could find and used Mother's Billet polish by hand to put the final finish on.

Got to the point where I was putting more scratches in than I was taking off so I basically called it quits then. Spent way too much time on it but never had tried polishing aluminum like this. Ended up having it powder coated, which dulled the finish a bit but it is now pretty durable, hardly anyone but me will every see it anyways.

Good news ended up getting a really good new job so now I'll have money again but little time, but I am so close now to having electrical done I'm hoping momentum will carry me to starting it up.

[fleetus macmullitz]

Nice progress and congrats on the new job.