Got the Dyna-mat installed today.......Got the front sway bar re-installed......and the new fuse panel from American Autowire installed along with all new wiring started........Engine/Trans go's in tomorrow....
Started out the day with the goal of getting the Holley pan on and getting the engine test fit in the car.........I anticipate having to notch the pan for the steering linkage so I just bolted it on with a couple of bolts........the Camaro also comes with a pretty neat oil cooler, if I have the room I'm going to try and keep that option as with the Holley pan there is a reduced oil capacity and it would be only a good thing..........The cooler uses engine coolant and circulates it and the oil thru the Heat exchanger to cool the oil.....the fitting that feeds the coolant to the unit is on the side of the block and it was going to be in the way of the Dirty Dingo slider mounts......so .....when taking everything off and removing the fitting........the threads "Galled" up and created another issue to be corrected downstream........LOL........
So.....Now I'm getting excited.......All the issues are close to being exposed......I go to move the engine into the car and one of my Chinese casters on my Chinese made Engine Lift decide break off at the swivel plate.......I hope the Company that made that extra money by selling me that piece of Chinese "Crap" is happy.......as I am stupid for buying it.......Damm......I'm this close and dead in the water.......LOL..........I end up welding everything back together and continued back on..........My biggest concern was if the Supercharger would fit under the stock hood.......I didn't bolt the trans on at this time as I know I will have to do some hammer clearance and just wanted to deal with the engine issues first.........Since the stock Camaro exhaust manifolds worked out perfectly in the Impala.....I thought I would give them a try here also, But......it seems the mounting flanges are about a 1/4" per side too wide to fit in the frame as installed on the engine.....so I removed them for a future modification.........I dropped the engine right in at this point.....plenty of pan clearance and it appears there is plenty of clearance on top so the hood should clear also.............Feeling pretty good right about now.....The stock Chevelle frame engine mounts extent forward of the crossmember and everything fits.......But.....they get in the way of the oil cooler fitting and take up space needed for my A/C compressor .....(Can't mount the Compressor high because of the Supercharger Belt system).....so......after getting the trans in.....I'll make a new engine mounting system so the mounts are centered on the crossmember ...........Feeling Pretty good right about now!!.....
Don't ya love Chinese crap!?!?! But seriously -- I was looking to buy an AIR over hydraulic engine lift... they seem to be made in the USA -- and a cheap one is like 5 grand!! So repairing the chinko version for the couple times a year we use this stuff is what I'd have done too.
A guy that knows a guy - you know how that goes - stops by the "shed" to ask me who I'd have drop an LS motor in his lead sled '51 Merc... So I open the hood to check out the space etc -- and as usual - Sleds are not mechanical guys - they're all about chop - flame - upholstery - so the engine is a dirty pig and the wiring is worse (so typical) and I'm SHOCKED at the tiny amount of space in this great big fat fendered rolling pile of bondo.... NOW -- the owner is no hot rodder -- and he's talking 502 or LS 480hp... and I start to try to explain to him that "it just isn't that simple" -- that it's a game of 1/4" here and having to move this which means something else needs to be modified and..... well you get the discussion. I don't think he understood. Unless you've done it - you just can't understand why taking one motor out and putting another one in is anything but just that. In and out - easy.
Why doesn't the factory get the use of thread protectant on these aluminum parts.... I just don't get that.
I got the trans installed today (from the bottom) and it ended up that having the Dirty Dingo slide mounts worked out pretty good as I needed a little more clearance in the bellhousing area so I just slid the engine forward about an inch and gained all the room I needed............I also took the stock crossmember and bolted it up to the trans ......Cool.....Just need to drill some new holes in the frame when it hits the sweet spot....LOL......although we are pretty close right now.......I also have plenty of room with the 4L70E trans to shim the trans mount to get the correct drivetrain angle later..........Too Cool!!!........Time for a Nap!!!
Still waiting for the rear axle assy to get finished up so I can get the rear suspension finished.......I got all new brake lines installed (exciting).....LOL.........I also bought the Kwik-Performance raised alternator kit that has the LS power steering pump built into it.........when I ordered it and talked to Wayne at Kwik and explained that it was going on a LSA engine assy out of the new Camaro......He explained that there were some issues with the alternator not clearing the Coil-Paks........I said don't worry about it I will deal with it.........So......I get the brackets installed and try to install the alternator........I can see it will hit the coils.....I open the hood on the Impala to see what the difference was and noticed right away that the alternators were different..........The new Camaro unit had a different body and shape........So....Rather try and re-invent the wheel I just bought the same unit that is on the Impala............Problem solved........I also like the way Kwik has incorporated the Power Steering pump into the brackets.........The LSA engine assy I bought didn't use a pump as the Camaro's have Electric Power steering........so....I killed two birds with one stone..........
The next issue that I'm working on is the placement of the engine mounts......The stock Chevelle engine frame mounts extend forward of the front crossmember.......and.....I need that room for my A/C compressor.......so......I'm making a set of adaptor plates for the engine and frame to center the mounts in the middle of the stock crossmember which will move the mounts back about 3 1/4" and give me the room I need.......Should have everything finished next week.........
The new Alternator showed up.......installed it and everything is good to go.....The old Belt is just a tad short of working (84.24")........gonna get the next size larger and we are good to go.......I also set the core support on and as of right now I have plenty of room........I'm making some brackets to mount the Radiator and A/C Condenser on the engine side and the Intercooler for the Supercharger on the Grille side.....Should work out .....I designed the lower A/C compressor mount today also......so.....by the end of next week all the parts should be falling into place...........I also received the Shiftworks cable assembly to retrofit the stock console shifter for the new trans........the base of the shifter assy had a lot of surface rust on it so it go dunked over night in a bucket of Evap-o-rust..........Great stuff....looks like it was just stamped out yesterday.......Lot's of action next week........the rear axle housing should be back from Powder Coating so Jimmy can put it all back together......
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
Wonder if the engine was full of gear lube.
Linear Mode
