1970 Camaro RS Operation Budget LSx

[1970camaroRS]

Here's what I'm starting with. A multi colored 1970 Camaro RS that I've owned for about 10 years.

Running 12.6 @106 at Seattle with the 355" SBC, stock vortec heads and a mild roller cam. I was daily driving this thing then.


Burnout in the rain. So easy a caveman can do it.


One legged burn-out with the 305 shortly after I got it when I was 17 in 1999.


The engine combo that only ever ran two city blocks...and layed rubber both ways. 454 and B&M 177 mini blower.




And my fearless shop helper, Duncan.




-Nathan

[1970camaroRS]

I plan on making a go at installing a 550 hp LQ4 on a fairly low budget. Just a smidge over $3,000 including the price of beer.

I have a good foundation with a suspension that was rebuilt a few years ago with Eibach front springs, a huge Hellwig front sway bay, Z28 5-leaf springs and poly bushings all around, including on the subframe to body mount.

I will be keeping my built up 700r4 and 3,000rpm stall converter. As well as the 10-bolt with an Auburn pro posi, superior axels and 3.73 gears.

After I get everything in place I will adapt to my new motor a 3" X-pipe with Spintech split case mufflers exiting out the sides that I used on a previous 355 SBC.

Here are some parts I scored for cheap, and a little bit of progess.

After discovering watery oil in my supercharged 454, I decided to rebuild it and go with a N/A setup. To help finance this project, I put the B&M mini blower up for sale. The local guy that got a hold of me said he had a complete 6.0L LQ4 GenIII motor out of a 2002 Silverado truck. Although my supercharger was worth slightly more than his motor, we decided on a straight up trade if he delivered the motor to my house.

Water in engine


My 6.0L laying in wait





So far I have picked up a set of used ported LS6 heads that flow 320cfm @ .600 lift for $600 with valves and seals, no springs. They're in great shape, almost new. The CNC port job on them is beautiful.




I also got a used camshaft, a G5x3 which is in the 234 @ .050 and .600 lift area on the intake and bigger on the exhaust. It's cut on a 114LSA to pick up a bit of vaccume(efi aplication cam, but you can't find many used short LSA cams for sale). I grabbed some slightly used PRC springs and comp R lifters. Cost me $500.



I got a used ignition controller for $200 as I'm planning on running a victor jr carb intake and my 850cfm holley.


Should be a fun project.

-Nathan

[1970camaroRS]

Drained some "Oil" out of the 454 before I pulled it.

Here's 16 quarts of water that came out the oil pan:


And the "oil" that came out after it...another 12 quarts of this crap came out.

and yes, I paid for not pulling that grass off the headers. I dropped it into the oil pan later that night.

Here's what the lifter valley looked like before I started.


And here's after I drained everything out.

I cleaned out what was left behind and oiled the block.

Pulled the passenger head off and the cylinders and pistons look perfect.



Wonder what the bottom end will look like. If it's rusty as hell my budget will be even tighter as I wont be able to sell it for much. But if it's rust free and I can clean it all up I should have plenty of cash to finish the swap after I sell it.

Neat comparison of the large oval port BBC heads and the GenIII LS6 heads.





Interesting note, I can lift the LS6 head with one hand with ease...but the iron BBC head is tough even with two hands. And I'm a big dude.

Pop quiz, which head flows more air?

-Nathan

[1970camaroRS]

Pulled the driver's head off last night. Second verse same as the first. Bores look great, have to clean them a bit, oil them down and put plastic over them like I did the passenger's side. Still hoping the bottom end looks like the cylinders do.





Also, I visited my parents over the weekend and picked up the first tool I ever made. Been a decade since I made it with my dad, but he still had it in his garage. It's a transmission support tool. Bolts to the bellhousing and rests against the frame. Works perfect. So now when I pull the 454 out, I can move the car around as I please without having to worry about support the trans. This is very important to me since I have a tiny garage. I will show it in action when I pull the motor.



Here's how she looks now. I'm going to pull the water pump and radiator before I yank out the 454 shortblock.



-Nathan

[1970camaroRS]

70 splitbumper came over today and helped me pull the 454. I got two really good action shots of him pulling the motor out...and when I plugged my SD card into the computer's reader...it died. Should have used the friggin USB cable. I went back out to the garage and snapped a couple of pictures.

Here it is on the engine stand before I oiled it down and plastic wrapped it.


Believe it or not, after sitting with 16 quarts of water and 12 quarts of watery 'oil' in the crankcase...the bottom end looks like this:

Looks brand new. Who would have thought. I will probably pull a main cap and a rod cap to see what the bearing look like, but I'm sure they will be fine as it was never run with the water in the crankcase.

Here's a closer look.


The transmission support tool I showed you earlier in action.


And the empty engine bay:


Near future plan is to strip out most of the crap from the engine bay, clean it up and paint it. Swap on the ported heads to the 6.0L and install the camshaft. Then it will be close to the time I will be installing the new motor.

-Nathan

[1970camaroRS]

If you havn't guessed, all the above posts are copy and pastes from another forum. I've been at this since late summer. A few weekends ago I organzied my garage (this was brought on by a generous gift of a new craftsman compressor by my father....funny things happen when you ask to borrow the old man's tools, sometimes he just gives me a new one so his doesn't go permanently missing). While I was at it, I wrapped the 454 in plastic and put it in the corner. No one seems to want it, even for $500!

Got the LQ4 on the engine stand and started taking it apart starting with all of the EFI intake junk, the coil packs (to be reused), and valve covers. Here's a pick I like of the rockers after I got the cover removed. Not sure how much I like the gold tint to everything.



Here is a passenger side head after removal (for sale!)

Looks like the rear cylinder wasn't too happy!

Driver's side head (for sale!)

Everything looks peachy.

Passenger's side cylinders

Oh, the carbon! This will be fun to clean.

Driver's side cylinders

Second verse, same as the first.

After much tinkering and thinkering, I came up with a plan. Carb cleaner. I rotated the engine so that one set of cylinders we perpendicular to the ground and filled each cylinder with about 2" of carb cleaner. This server two functions, one to loosen up the carbon and two, to check ring seal(already did a leak-down test and everything looked good). Came back four hours later, still had a considerable ammount of cleaner in the cylinders. Grabbed some shop towels and wiped off the cylinders. Viola...something even a wire brush couldnt remove just wiped right off! I then cleaned the gasket surface with scotchbrite, brake cleaned everything, then oiled down the cylinders and wiped them out a few times while I turned to engine over to complete the cleaning process.

Looks pretty:


Ready for heads now...but only after I finish taking to oil pan off (throwing away for a CTS-V pan) and installing the ARP rod bolts and new camshaft. Probably throw on a new ported oil pump while I'm at it.

Here's the mess as it stands now and all of the brave blue shop towels that gave their lives so that this LQ4 may live.


-Nathan

[1badchevelle]

Nice project looks like you know what you want. I do have a question why ls6 heads and not the l92?

[waynieZ]

Nice cleanup work. It looks in good shape. You have a nice project going here.

[70rs]

Because the LS6 heads were there and priced right I am guessing.

I remember that 454 coming out! How are you doing Nate?

In case anyone is wondering who this "70 splitbumper" nut job is, that's me. I have another life under an assumed name here.

The 454 was pretty easy to get out but I was amazed at how much crap came out of it and it was still in great shape.

For those of you that don't know who 1970 camaroRS is, he is a guy that lives near me that I met over on Nastyz28 last year. We bacame friends and spent some time with tools working on his car.
He is a really good guy, lot's of fun to hang with and I am glad he has decided to start a build thread here. Now we just need to talk him into forgetting the drag strip and work on going around corners.


Thank god those pictures of me got lost off the SD card!

Hey Nate, check out the new site started by some members here. Camaros only too! www.thecamarosite.com I think you will really like it!

Let me know when you need me to come back over and supervise again!
We CAN STILL BBQ in the middle of winter ya know!

[GregWeld]

So my question is what happened to the one rear cylinder that showed real nasty on the one head? Burnt valve? or??

Nice work guys... You too Eric...

:>)