427ci LS2 sleeved, dry sump oil pump, engine build & install, 69 Camaro

[DaleTx]

When I made the tunnel weldment... I kept it narrow at the top so the console would drop over the top and fit back in the original location. I did not want the console to sit up any higher than stock.

Since the tunnel went up 1-1/4" in the front I had to modify the mounting bracket on the console. I removed the metal bracket (part with the studs) and cut it down 1-1/4"... welded... then re-installed.

These pictures shows the underside of the console after modifications.







Next I installed the console... The console now sits at the same elevation as original location before the tunnel mods.





Here is a shot of the shifter I bought from Hurst that came with the T56 trans kit.




I made some modifications to the shifter would so it would be in the exact position that would be comfortable for shifting while strapped in.... I didn't want to have to reach for the shifter. I got the tip on modifying the shifter from Stielows "Pro Touring" build book (page 77).

On a side note... I met Mark Stielow at the SEMA show last fall at Hod Rod Alley in the Optima booth. Mark answered my rookie questions and helped me spec out gear ratios for my transmission and rear axle before I made the trans purchase... he also and gave me a copy his book. It was great to meet him... a very good guy


I cut the mounting pad off the shift lever




Shift lever tack welded in new position for test fit in the car








Modified shift lever completed.




Shift lever installed in car. The position of the shifter felt just right.




My daughter and grandson came over to visit while I was working on the car. He will be spoiled by grandpa





Thanks to Tim Bruning for coming over to my house and giving me some good advice on how to properly modify the tunnel ... Turns out that we are practically neighbors.

Tim has a beautiful 1970 Dodge Challenger project that I was fortunate to see first hand.... absolutely amazing build

Thanks Tim


Next up will be the hydraulic clutch install. The hydraulic clutch install is completed now and it has a great feel compared to the mechanical Z-bar set up... less pedal effort and better feel.

[GregWeld]

NICE WORK DALE!!

Looks great!

[Sieg]

Over-achiever!

Nicely done Dale.

[DaleTx]

I installed the shortened driveline with the new yoke, and a home-made driveline safety loop after the trans was installed. I think it's a good idea to run a loop just in case.

The home-made driveline loop bolts up into the tunnel with 4 bolts and tucks up out of the way.

Originally Posted by GregWeld

NICE WORK DALE!!

Looks great!

Originally Posted by Sieg

Over-achiever!

Nicely done Dale.

Thanks guys!

I don't know if it's over achieving or just keeping busy while it's raining. One benefit of the rain I guess.

Thanks Greg for putting me in touch with Tim… good call... he was a big help. I enjoyed visiting with him.

[214Chevy]

Good idea on the shifter. Priceless pic of the grandson in the seat. One day he'll see that pic and be amazed at when he was a baby sitting in the seat of the car that grandad will give him.

[DaleTx]

Converting from the original mechanical Z-Bar clutch linkage on the Camaro to the hydraulic clutch set up turned out to be quite a bit more work than I expected. It seems like it would be easy, but it required a lot of work up under the dash in hard to reach areas... It was difficult to find the correct fittings for the plumbing... and it took quite a bit of time to gather up the right combination of parts to get the correct spacing between the clutch fingers and the hydraulic throwout bearing.


I purchased the hydraulic clutch conversion kit from Hurst that had all of the components. I bought their complete kit minus the throwout bearing. I already had a GM ZR1 hydraulic throwout bearing that came with the ZR1 twin disc clutch kit I bought from Katech.

Here is a shot of the complete kit. The kit came with an aluminum billet mounting bracket, a Tilton master cylinder, remote reservoir, and an adjustable length push rod, and hydraulic line.




Here is the GM ZR1 throwout bearing that came with the clutch kit from Katech. It turned out to be difficult to find a hydraulic line with the correct fitting to plug into the quick disconnect fitting on ZR1 throwout bearing (black plastic piece). I bought two different lines and neither one fit. I ended up cutting off the quick disconnect fitting and converting to a 4AN male fitting. A local hose vendor silver soldered on the AN fitting.

These are the two hoses I bought that didn't fit... one was to big and one was to small




This is a picture of the old fitting cut off and the new 4AN fitting silver soldered on




First step on the install was to pull the brake master cylinder and install the clutch master cylinder and bracket




Next I pulled the clutch pedal out of the car so I could drill a hole for the clutch pushrod clevis pin. The hole has to be in the exact right position so the rod doesn't bind up when you push the clutch in. The kit had instructions with dimensions of where to put the hole.







Next I made an adjustable hard stop for the clutch pedal. The hard stop is required so you don't damage the clutch master cylinder. From my understanding you don't want the plunger piston to act as a stop for the clutch pedal... this can damage the internals. Hurst recommended a hardstop be installed behind the clutch pedal.

The hard stop I made started out as a piece of 1" square tubing, two 3/8 nuts, 3/8 bolt, and a washer.




Clutch hard stop installed on the firewall




This is a shot of the clutch arm bottomed out on the stop. I set the stop height so the clutch pedal bottomed out on the stop just before the end of the stroke on the clutch master cylinder pushrod.




Then I installed the remote reservoir for the clutch master cylinder and then re-installed the brake master cylinder.




Finally.. I made the connection from the throwout bearing to the clutch master cylinder.




Now that the job is done I'm really glad I converted from mechanical to hydraulic clutch. I wasn't sure if was a good move or not. The clutch pedal effort is less now and it has a great feel! I have the ZR1 clutch with the heavier springs (20% more grip) and the clutch takes very little effort to depress. Also, with the hard stop and adjustable plunger, I was able to fine tune the position of where the clutch begins to engage. Another plus is there is more clearance around the headers... no more pivot arms and links.

That's it for the clutch install... Hope this helps for anyone thinking about converting.



While the car is up on the jack stands I plan to change the shocks from Bilstein to the new Hotchkis Tuned Fox shocks... and change the front upper ball joints to Proforged 1/2" taller than stock ball joints.





Also I picked up some new valve covers.

[DaleTx]

Originally Posted by 214Chevelle

Good idea on the shifter. Priceless pic of the grandson in the seat. One day he'll see that pic and be amazed at when he was a baby sitting in the seat of the car that grandad will give him.

Thanks, he's my first grandson... he looked pretty happy in that seat

[intocarss]

Great build and write up Keep it coming

[fleetus macmullitz]

Originally Posted by intocarss

Great build and write up Keep it coming

X2.

This is textbook stuff...well done Dale.

[coolwelder62]

Wow!!!! This is an awesome build thread.I may have learned something from it.I was wanting to use a ZR1 clutch set up on my next build.Thank's for the great info.