LX_SS

A couple of other things i've thought of.

The Gear selector in the cluster is operated via the 4l60e electronic module on the side of the gearbox, without this it doesn't function, however it can be turned off using the tech2.

It seems from various sites you can do a LS2 to LS1 crank sensor conversion, so i imagine doing the opposite is possible.
It would be far easier to run the GTO ecu than to use a different ecu which might not support the rest of the system, again more research is required on your part.
http://www.ls2.com/forums/showthread...-in-an-LS1-car

A 4th gen fuel tank is required to get your fuel gauge working correctly, as its the same resistance, however it will require calibration for the correct levels however overall sweep is the same at full and empty.

There are multiple earths in different looms, they all need to be connected for things to work correctly otherwise you can get some nasty feedback and wierd things really do happen.

Wiring diagrams are your friend, so find a good solid workshop manual to assist you, it gives a great resource of what goes where and connectors.

Try to avoid hacking into looms where possible, the more you use from the gto including things like radiator(as it gives you a new a/c system parts, super easy to fit and remove) to simple items like door pin triggers, etc... the easier it is to have everything plug and play. You'll be surprised at just how much it makes things lots easier.

By doing the above, you also get a few nice comfort features, remote boot or in our case, hatch release. More stable voltage system, Dimming interior lamp, Door Illumination, Easy Diagnostics with tech 2 or equiv system, etc...

The locking system really wants the handles from the gto to operate within correct specs, however this can be worked around by adapting to factory handles.

GTO Window motors do fit our Regulators for a more modern and powerful motor, it does take some work but the drive gears are identical.

Also look at using Aeroforce Centre Console Gauges (connects via OBD port) and the matching dash panel to put them up top(lots of aftermarket versions out there that use the clips, not a bolt down or crappy double sided tape one). These gauges are great as they utilize ALDL or Canbus (choose which when ordering), so you can literally monitor anything from Oil Pressure, to Water Temp, To Injector Timings, etc... it goes on in a massive list.

Once you think you have the firewall in the right spot, double check, then triple check, then come back the next day and quadruple check it all. Once its in, its very hard to change.

You will need to fabricate custom wipers, even tho they do fit the firewall and are perfect for the windscreen, they fowl our bonnet. As this is required you will need a custom cowl to suit after the wipers are made. Otherwise you could reshape the curve of the bonnet where it meets the windscreen, however i'd advise against this, easier to make new wiper arms.

If possible, have a brand new windscreen set aside to test before final welding of the firewall.

The seating position does move back, by a fair amount. Its safe to say, you wouldn't want more than 1 adult passenger, you can carry a couple of small kids in the back.

The leg room under the dash is restrictive. Its not as open as you'd think, the dash setup sits quite low. Im not too sure on legroom in the C4 corvette, but think along similar lines to Lotus Exige, etc...
Its not the easiest to get in and out of, you will want a low down seat, not a super high sitting seat, but its not too bad. However that said i'm only 5'7" so its easier for me to get in and out of than say someone pushing 6'0" +.
It does make the car feel a lot more sporty.

LX_SS

The interior/engine bay harness is only part of it, you need the rear body harness as well, it has part of the bcm harness in it.

Do a conversion on the 5.3 to accept the ls2 crank sensor. Also look into if you can use the LS Ecu you have with the Powertrain Interface Module, may be able to do that still, not sure. You will need access to a tech 2 to make sure everything works as well.

You cannot get the gauges to work without the ecu, same as the climate control, it doesn't work without the bcm, to which you need to connect the bcm to other various inputs, hence why just use the gto entire body harness to you interior light and everything else.

Bcm is useless without its matching key. Which is useless without the steering column key barrel section.

PM me you email and i'll send you some pics of the firewall cutout etc....

LX_SS

Updated post #151 with some tips.

LX_SS

Had the cnc machine working for the past 24 hrs, something nice to top off the dash, will post when completed.

peterc005

Unless we see some pics it never happened.

LX_SS

I could post pics now, but i still need to do the final finishing/sanding then polishing.
Should be able to post some pics tomorrow.

LX_SS

Ok so here's a couple of pics. Should keep peter happy :-P

Keep in mind, its not finished and its hard to get a photo of good quality without flash, since the flash just reflects the hell out of it.
First pic is the 3d printed dash logo. Was just something to test out.
Second pic is where its at, took the 3d printed template, changed the writing font, also machined it out of 5mm aluminum plate on the CNC.
The machining process didnt take 24 hrs, that was just testing out the machine to fix all previous problems, the machining took about 6 hours.

Not too bad for a first attempt on the CNC, couple of things to note, both my cnc machines don't have a fast enough spindle for the cutter. Since i did this on my small machine, its limited to 2800rpm which is about 5000 or so rpm still to slow. One day in the future when im not stone cold broke i'll invest is a 10k rpm spindle which will allow me to use a even finer .5mm cutter to do the writing with.

The aluminum logo has been wet sanded on 800 grit for a nice finish. I might give it a shot later on with some 1200 if i'm feeling upto the task, but it has a nice satin look to it currently. I still need to also get my hands on some red paint (thinking same color as the spohn red or if anyone has any suggestions) and need to get a needle + syringe to inject the paint into the lettering cutouts to make it stand out. Once thats completed a clear coat will be applied.

Winter is not quite over yet, but we are getting some decent days now to start work on minor things.

Till next time, enjoy.

LX_SS

So some bad news.

Started on all the steering stuff, got it mounted and sorted, tested the travel and it fell short despite my conversation with the company i brought it off assuring me it had the travel i required.
So after much more searching i found another CTO rack and pinion with the same 7 inches of travel the standard steering has (as they are hitting the stops on the control arms). However the new steering rack will cost $3250 and thats before conversion to aud so thats not in the cards atm. (Note : it may be possible to have full travel using the Unisteer Pontiac 2nd Gen kit, if they are able to increase its travel by .25")
In the future once the car is completed i might head down that route again if i can afford too but as the only funds for the car i have left is for the painting, i wont be dipping into that for the rack.
So its back to the HQ Steering box for the time being. I need to fabricate a solid mount for the idler arm, the one i have for it currently is just temporary. The steering shaft, steering box universal and steering shaft support bearing have been sorted, and will be ordered shortly to give me steering.
The biggest downside with this is now my fans on the radiator are hitting the steering box, so i will need to cut off 1 of the fan supports and make a new one to go around the box.

The rhs rail still needs to be fabricated, which im hoping to do soon, then the sump will be marked out to be shortened in height as it sits a bit low. Engine will come out for this, once its out i'll finish up all the grinding for the firewall/trans tunnel, smooth it all out. Then refit engine and make the headers.
Still a strut tower brace to make, Probably going to change the radiator fill bottle to an aluminum unit, also have to machine new sleeves to go in the roof to suit the small shafts of the C&C t-tops, as this hole currently is a bit large the tops arn't the tightest. Also need to fit new door pins to the hinges and modify the doors for the new handles and make the mounts for the rhd mirrors.

There's lots more work still to go, but there's a plan and the weather isnt as cold so its allowing for more work to be done. It would be nice to have the car completely drivable mock up, before painting by mid summer, then possibly ready to do body work.

LX_SS

So with the bad news in mind, on friday i made a long *** journey to the far side of town and got some steering bits to compensate.
List of goodies as follows :
All Flaming River Components.
3/4" DD Steering Shaft Stainless Steel Polished
3/4" DD Steering Shaft Support Bearing - Rod End Mount
3/4" DD x 3/4" DD Universal Joint

Now with the universal, this was meant for the steering box end and being thats its converted to rhd using the HQ Monaro power steering unit, there is no universal available to bolt on. The manual steering units are 3/4" -36 and are available.
So the only option is to make an adapter using the original flange and/or rag joint if you desire. So i spent friday night making up a template on the 3d printer before i begun machining.

Today I had a spare few moments, so i machined the steering shaft to suit the steering column universal joint and bolt that locks it in place. As this steering universal is more suited for a 17mm DD shaft and i couldn't find one friday with all the searching i did, i went with 3/4" (readily available) and made up a very small shim plate (0.5mm thick) to wrap around the DD shaft. It makes a nice tight snug fit and shows absolutely no play at all when the unit is bolted together.

Tomorrow i will begin machining my Steering Box Adapter. Unlike the 3d printed adapter shown, the machined one will be made with a 3/4"(0.750") bore (without the flat edges) to allow me to position the steering wheel straight, and get the steering box straight to mock up position. Once its in the correct position the 3/4" DD Shaft Stub will be welded to the adapter with multipass tig welding. I will also fabricate a bracket up to mount the rod end support.

Here's some pics to prove that im still doing stuff :-P

LX_SS

Steering Shaft to Steering Box Adapter has been machined, with the 3/4" DD Shaft Welded to it. I probably could have machined it all from 1 piece, but it was easy to weld in a piece.

The Support Bearing mounting plate has been cut/drilled and tacked into position. Tested the steering rotation with super smooth action, no binding what so ever :-)

The only thing left, is to remove the engine and engine bay components, final weld the mount into position, then align the steering wheel and drag link centrally. Then drilling the adapter to the steering box as i left it undrilled for final alignment.

The steering wheel has splines to allow for minor adjustment of steering wheel position but i want everything else as close as possible. Since my Steering Box currently has slop it in it, the position might ever so slightly change when the unit gets reconditioned.

1992 Trans Am

iTrader: (2)

This is such a sweet project! Impressive!

LX_SS

I have STEERING !!!

Even with the small amount of slop it feels very nice, 1 full steering wheel rotation from center to full lock either side.

Once i get the box reconditioned and the slop taken out of it. It will be even better.

Also like to add that since the steering column itself is collapsible, the steering shaft itself doesn't need to be.

The Steering Shafts have zero binding, etc... Super Super Smooth action.

Next up, Shortening the height of the engine sump, then cleaning up the engine bay and welds, i might prime the bay even.

Some pics :

LX_SS

So the next step, Engine Sump.

I purchased the GM Rear Sump Pan suit HQ which is the same as the GM Performance one i think. Anyway, once fitted to the engine, i noticed it sat down 1.5 inches below the x-member. As these sumps were readily available in Australia vs having to order from the US(i.e. a $399 usd sump would cost me around 600aud + Freight).

Anyway, solution is to cut and shorten the sump, however this will leave the pan a bit short on oil capacity so you also need to widen the sump.

Here is some pics of the sump being cut, It still needs to be trimmed and cleaned. Templates will be made up then the final aluminum pieces will be made, tacked and tested before final welding.

The curve where the oil filter goes is the very bottom of the oil filter, so no point going higher than this. I think it works out to 5 1/4" height. The new bottom will be made in a few pieces with 4 pieces that taper into the center for a drain plug.

peterc005

Why did you add the rod end bearing support?

Was it to enable you to route the steering column away from the exhaust?

I'm thinking of replacing my rag joints with universal joints, but thought since they were all Saginaw steering boxes the same parts as the LHD carts would work?

LX_SS

Rod end support is because i run 3 universals in the setup, at the base of the column(on the firewall) is the 1st, the small shaft connected to it is the 2nd (this is the one that would normally connect on the VY Steering Rack), then that goes to the 3/4" DD shaft which has the 3rd universal on it to connect to the steering box. With the 2 shafts that are independent you are required to run a support to keep them stabilized otherwise the shafts flop around.

When i thought of the steering setup originally i wanted to run it over the top of the rail to give the most exhaust clearance i could get, however with the Steering Box it limited me to how much over the rail i could go, However the position of where the shaft is gives me a lot more clearance than what was previously there.

I have no idea on the LHD Saginaw boxes at all, so i'm not sure what will work from that.

The rag joint that was on the steering box originally was a poly one, which wasn't that old but had a slight twist/kink in it, so that made me want to replace that part entirely and to not have to worry about future rag joints.

The hot rod place i got the shaft components from had an adapter that went from the Rag joint to universal, however its a rather wide plate and i didn't have the clearance. In my mind it defeated the purpose of eliminating the rag joint if i went this route. I hope I don't get too much road vibration through the setup, so only testing will tell. If i do get too much, i can always do a slight modification and put the rag joint back in.

After i'm done with the engine sump, i'll be fabricating a proper idler arm bracket and i also have to fix 1 of the 3 mounting holes for the steering box, it doesn't line up. Why i have no idea.

Also underneath the rail, i have to put in mounts for the swaybar as i don't have any. Not 100% sure what i'm exactly doing there, but i have a few thoughts of what i can do with braces/sway mounts etc..

peterc005

Make sure you add reinforcing to where the steering box bolts onto the sub-frame, this is an area of weakness.

The Saginaw boxes had either 2 or 3 bolts and are interchangeable. Variable ratio box from a WB is probably the best. These boxes are used everywhere, including Nissan Patrols, Jeeps etc.

Maybe you bow has three bolt holes, but there are only two on the frame?

Replacing the top rag joint with a universal joint adds clearance for the exhaust where it is most needed.

LX_SS

The section where the steering box goes, has been replaced with 8mm plate, also where the 3 bolt holes are, they have ferules inside the rails to stop them crushing.
For some reason one of the bolt holes is .5mm off. not sure why.

I know mine is the variable ratio steering box.

Its been so long i can barely remember what the original/converted equipment was like, the top rag joint was the one that was in the way of the headers ? then there was another shaft that went after that to the column ?

LX_SS

Does anyone see an issue coming out this far with the sump, so far from what i have worked out it should come out just enough to be underneath the starter motor on the driver side (passenger side in us).
I can't remember if i have enough clearance for the exhaust doing this, from memory it shouldn't be too much of an issue provided i don't come out any further.

That side section is removable in the templates, but apart from doing maybe a similar thing on the other side of the sump where the filter is, increasing that 2 inches, i'm not sure how i can gain much more room/capacity in the sump.

I don't want to go forward in the in the sump like the 4th gen units, as i plan to retain the Y-pipe through this area.

LX_SS

Here's a couple more with the other side having the extension.
I'll probably have to trial fit the engine again with the sump all cleaned and with this template on it to get 100% confirmation of clearance.
Its only 50mm wider than the sump flange.
I will have to put in some baffle plates on either side to stop slosh around corners as well. If i go this route.
Proper templates will be more accurate, this is just to give me an idea.

Edit : engine has been trial fitted, the front corners of the extension need to be 45's, however apart from that, there is more than enough clearance for the exhaust.
The sump @ 5" 1/4's from flange is level with the k-member. Oil pickup has been shortened 25mm in height to clear sump base.

LX_SS

Starting to come along, Its fun welding Cast Aluminum, least its not a used sump and only had traces of oil on it. For anyone wondering, 5356 filler rod, 6061 plate.

Edit : added some more pics

LX_SS

Not my finest tig welding i've done, but i can't complain since i need surgery on my right hand. I'm just trying to get as much done before i can't use my hand after it gets operated on.

Tomorrow i'll finish the back of that side, then do the other side. Maybe design some baffles whilst im at it.

LX_SS

Some more progress, Still trying to source some trap doors for the baffles, might see what the removable section is made from, hopefully not aluminum as i can easily get blank hinges that will work in anything other than aluminum(as they usually have nylon bushes).

Still need to cut the bottom and weld it all entirely. Once this is done, i'll pressure wash it to get it all clean, then trial fit to work out baffles. Bottom plate will be done last.

Takes time i guess, some quick snaps before i finished up.

I think i should have more than enough volume considering the standard width vs the new much wider version.

LX_SS

Been really struggling with my hand today, however i did manage to get some done.

Welded 90% of the sump, still needs the bottom and maybe a touch up in a spot or two, pressure washed the sump after welding so its all clean, test fitted to engine to find where to place baffle. Made a baffle with a trap door, and welded it to the standard baffle plate. I'm considering adding one on the small side as well, its tight but can be done. Baffle and trap door are SS304, was much easier to find Stainless Steel hinges than aluminum ones. (aluminum ones usually have nylon bushes, which melt when welding)

I had some dramas with the welding, sometimes it would take to both plates without an issue, and sometimes no matter what you would do you couldn't get it to merge with a plate (usually the cast side). But got there in the end. Maybe it was partly my hand playing up and making it more difficult than it was.

I still need to cut the bottom plate to suit and weld it on, as well as make a new bung for the drain and weld that in also.

I will cut the plate tomorrow, but i'm very low on argon gas, so might not be able to weld it in, should be able to tack it at least.

I defiantly learnt a lot about modifying the sump, lots of do's and dont, what i would do if i was doing it again. Ideally a jig or two setup would help a fair amount but for just one unit it isn't worth the extra work, i can accept minor imperfections. After all, this isn't a show car.

Some more pics to enjoy.

LX_SS

So today i decided on adding the trap door/baffle to the smaller side of the sump, welded that all into position and that's complete.
Made up the template for the bottom piece and marked that out, its ready to cut.
Also machined the drain plug, cant forget that, its kinda crucial.
Once the plate is cut out, i will set it up in the mill to drill the for the plug, then those can be tacked onto the sump. However i'll be lucky to get tacks done, my argon is very very low and a new bottle won't be here till tomorrow. So no leak testing till tomorrow.

Will post pics later on tonight.

LX_SS

More pics as promised.
Bottom plate has been drilled for sump plug, also which is pictured.
Welding of bottom plate + leak testing will be done tomorrow when i get the new bottle of gas.
Once its done and tested, i'll do a final clean and then fit it to the engine.
Maybe i might even put some oil in it. See how many liters it takes.
In overall view, it would have been nice to take a strip of say 60mm wide aluminum (3mm thick) and mark where you need it bent, however i found that bending such thick aluminum tends to form cracks on the edge, so i chose not to bend as such.

LX_SS

Sump is all done, leak tested, fitted with new gasket and fitted to engine. Sump holds approximately 6 liters with 3/4 full oil filter, so that's around the 6.5 quart mark when full. Its a fair bit of oil compared to what the sump was originally rated at 5.2 liters/5.5 quart.

The dipstick is the same that came with the sump, and was not needed to be modified in anyway, so readings are accurate.

I could give the sump a light sand to smooth it out a little and a polish, but its just more work that i can better spend time elsewhere. Not as if you ever really see the damn thing.

Engine has been sitting for 6hrs also with no leaks from the sump at all, will see in the morning but i doubt there will be any issues.

I was going to put mounting tabs on the sump for a heat shield, but i can with wrap the exhaust y pipe or put the heat shielding on the exhaust itself, either way will work.

The driver side of the engine(passenger us) has 1 bolt that you need to use a socket directly on the ratchet for rather than an extension, the starter is a little tight but not too difficult to get out, if the sump came out further rearward there would be a problem accessing the bolts.

As you can see, the sump bottom is just below the height of the filter which is fine and where i want it to be, the sump bolt sits at the same height as the transmission, ideally i'd like to fabricate a sump guard somehow, but that would have to wait till the exhaust and everything under there is finished.

Will take some more snaps when the engine is in the bay again, but i'm looking at sorting out the transmission lines next before it goes back in. After this i'll fabricate the new expansion tank and redo the wheel arch (plans change from time to time).

When the engine is back in, the headers will be next on the line to be fabricated. I got some schedule 40 pipe lying about (quite a lot actually, so just trying to save costs where i can) so i'll make a header and see how much that weights. If its too much i'll switch up for some stainless piping.

I also need to sort out where im going to run the brake lines and other various things but i've already got enough work just taking it one step at a time.

edit : i wasn't fond of the aluminum and cast aluminum color mismatch, so the sump has been repainted in cast aluminum paint, all looks quite nice. No updated photos but.

LX_SS

After tinkering around with various items and having gone back to a normal wheel arch without the cutout for the expansion tank, i decided to mock up the engine in the bay and see where everything is at.

For some reason my driver side of the engine (rhd remember) is sitting about 7 degrees too far down, this was noticed by the uneven sump pan when looking at the cross member, also decided to check the tilt back on the engine and noticed it was sitting at 7 degrees also which is far too much.

So engine is coming out, the driver side engine mount will be relocated to the correct position(has new poly inserts) and once done the trans cross member will raise the entire assembly up about 5 degrees. This will also get me much more room on both the trans and engine pans.

The trans is another non explainable other than the fact it is a copy of the spohn unit in terms of height allocation.

Its still rather difficult to get the engine in/out and takes some maneuvering however i'd like to find a way to make it a tad easier. With that said i know why sumps arn't made this wide as when putting the engine in if your not careful you can hit both mounts its that wide.

Ahh well, all things take time i guess, find out in about a month the status of my hand also, if it needs surgery 100% or i can get away without it.

peterc005

Remember that the engine mounts are not symmetrical and are specific to each side. It's worth marking the mount clam-shells so they don't get mixed up.

Any more pics?

LX_SS

I double check the position of them, the one that comes out longer from the block is on the driver side, so its pushing that side up just not far enough. unless the k-member mounts also have that lhs vs rhs issue. However those look identical.

Once i sort it out tomorrow i'll take some snaps then, so you can see the sump in place etc...

scooter

iTrader: (11)

The mounts should be symmetrical, the crossmember is not. You can see that the engine is offset to the RH side in your picture here;

There is more space on the RH side between the coil pocket and where the crossmember sweeps down. It also looks like possibly the RH mount sits a little lower than our position, that may be to help with clearance. Unless you have different mounts and I forgot. I have been lurking in this thread for a long time

Going back and looking, it looks like you used stock mounts, so I am thinking it is a combination of the mounts not sitting level and the additional space on the LH side causing your issue. Also, you should refer to LH and RH not driver and passenger, it makes it confusing to follow for us, lol

LX_SS

From memory with the old 350 chev i always suspected the RH mount sat lower than the LH mount but i never checked it, for these ls1 mounts, i simply rivnut the existing holes so i dont need nuts underneath.
What i have done is removed the RH engine mount from the k-member, welded up the holes and re positioned them. I suspect this will get it somewhat more in a balanced position. I'll check today when i put the engine back in.
I suspect because the k-member mounting position was 1 inch rearward on the RH side, that there was maybe some funky things going on with engine mounting since the original conversion done sometime way before i got the car. There is a lot of unknowns since the car came into Aust.

I'm also thinking of making the radiator support removable, since this would make it sooo much easier to get the engine in and out. Not sure on that one just yet also.

Pics will come soon.

scooter

iTrader: (11)

I forgot you guys had companies that do the conversions because it is mandatory for the RHD. Yeah, I guess they could have done some goofy stuff to get it to all work together

LX_SS

Yeah, it wasnt the best quality conversion if i must say, it was a full mirror but things certainly were not accurate in terms of placement of items, the drag link was all skewy in comparison to the cross member etc... However i'm slowly rectifying all these items, k-member is done as well as the steering all sorted.


So i put the engine and trans back in yesterday, The RH side is now only 0.8 degree lower than the LH which is more than acceptable.
The engines rearward tilting however, could only go from 7 degrees down to 4, which is around 10mm higher. I still have clearance on the tunnel, but something is limiting the engine going up more, however it does look a lot better in the engine bay.

I still need to work out something for to make it easier to get in and out, its unbelievably hard to get the engine in/out with the firewall lip + width of sump and with the trans attached. No trans and its super easy. However i can't get the car high enough to get the trans in from underneath.

LX_SS

Promise i will take pics sometime today, currently working on the driver side exhaust manifold, and damn there is sweet **** all room to get 4 pipes in there with a steering shaft, i figured if i get the hard one out of the way, the other side is cake with so much more room. Its getting there however, only taken 2.5 hrs to get the 1st runner past the 2nd runner outlet, it includes tacking all pipes, cleaning the edges, and veeing the pipework.

Headers are made out of thick wall piping, 1.58 inch id (40mm), and 48mm od (4mm wall thickness). I know its not ideal for headers, however its all mandrel bends and straight pipe i had lying about that doesn't cost me any money to purchase new piping.
I'm thinking the money saved by not having to buy new piping can be better spent on getting these hpc/jet hot coated. Jet hot isn't too far away from me and would probably be the easier one to get done, not sure if i should go for their Hi-Lusture coat(heavy duty silver shine, similar to chrome) or the 2000 coat (black).

Also a brand new old stock item arrived today which made me even more in the red than i already am, but will post pics later on as i said of this also.

LX_SS

Ok, so here is some pics.

1st is how the engine is sitting now.
2nd is a lower shot of the engine.
3rd is the sump height on the k-member (i'm also changing the sump plug so it doesn't sit as low).
4th is runner 1 started.
5th is the front angle of runner 1.
6th is runner 1 + 2 front view.

LX_SS

Next installment.

1st is on bench block side.
2nd is on bench bottom.
3rd is top down view of runners 1 + 2 to collector.
4th is the close areas to the rail and k-member, each area has a minimum of 10mm clearance. I'm not sure how much engine movement there is under load with the ls1 and poly factory 350 chev mounts so if someone could chime in that would be great.
5th is the NoS tail light center panel.
6th is another shot of the panel

LX_SS

Back again after another 10 hours spent working on the headers for the driver side. Much progress done. Basically all the runners are done, i'll probably modify the 3rd runner as im not quite happy with how it is but it won't take more than an hour or two to get to the point where im happy.
The pipes still need to be welded, they will be taken off one at a time, fully welded, cleaned and smoothed then refitted and repeat x 3 more times as this will ensure i get the same placement.

I also had the engine mounts loose, and tested the engine movement left and right, the headers didn't even come close to hitting the rail, if under load it proves otherwise, i'll add a engine stabilizer to it to reduce the movement.
Weight doesn't seem to be an issue so far, i can easily lift them one handed and some cast units i have had with various other engines have weight far far more. I can't remember how heavy the original cast units were.

Tomorrow i hope to flatten out the area for the collector. I might also make the triangles up for the collector as well. So then its just the outer collector i'll need to make up.
I get why people charge so much for custom headers now, so much involved. Not difficult just very time consuming.

I have so many pics, but i'll only post a few up.

First 4 are just pipes cut, and mockup for runners 3 + 4 with the initial outlets tacked on the flange.
5th & 6th is the manifold all tacked up.

LX_SS

1st is top view in engine bay no steering shaft.
2nd is front view in engine bay no steering shaft.
3rd is top view in engine bay with the steering shaft.
4th is front view in engine bay with the steering shaft.

LX_SS

Had a fairly lazy day off today, however i did spend two hours fixing that 3rd runner, as i said i wasn't happy with how it was yesterday.

So may as well just post the pics.
Included are the spark plug leads, just to show clearance, however the flange needs to be cleared for the front two plugs for the heat shrouds to fit.

Any comments/suggestions welcome, this is my first attempt at headers.

rb30z28

hey bud do you have any of the old interior panels still?

LX_SS

I do however most of it is pretty crud, however things like mounting points, shapes, and things like the top of the door plastics are all still good to me.

LX_SS

So after pondering on the headers for a bit, i reckon for a first attempt its not too bad, however i reckon i can do better after learning from the first set, so i'm in the process of remaking the driver side currently to use less bends and trying to make the pipes as long as possible to mimic long tubes to get away from the shorty design, its more appropriate to say they will be a 'mid tube' if there is such a thing. Longer than a shorty but shorter than a long tube.

Edit : so half way through, pipes were nice and less bends, then added steering shaft and that threw the header out the window, clearance is a bitch and if i didn't have the shaft in the way i could run a few less bends and longer pipes, but it just ****s a lot of it up. ahh well back to the original setup, least i tried i guess. all a learning curve.


The exhaust will run like a factory setup with a single 3 inch pipe from the cat to the rear which will split into 2 for twin rear pipes.

LX_SS

Here's another update for the fun of it.

Original setup, modified the runners a little, gave more clearance to the rail, did lots of die grinding of the pipes on the header and collector that i must say isn't fun work.

I'm still undecided if i am going to put the o2 sensors in the base of the collector or the y-pipe but im thinking the collector makes more sense, just depends if i have to shorten it in height.

Next job is to do the other side header now, then once done make the y-pipe and decide on location for the o2's. Once this is sorted the headers will be sent off to be coated.

Rest of the exhaust will be stainless 304 and also using v-bands to connect them all together.

I'll just post again when the other side is done, maybe some snaps when its being worked on not sure yet. Till then enjoy.

alex722607

iTrader: (3)

Fantastic looking build. Really like the gto interior bit. I know this is way off topic, but what are you going to do for wipers?

LX_SS

Gto wipers are perfect in the sweep, i just need to modify them so they step down after mounting on the pivots to clear the bonnet.

alex722607

iTrader: (3)

Any idea of how to mount them? I know that's probably not going to be a problem for you though :lol

LX_SS

it uses the gto wiper assembly. bolt straight on

LX_SS

V-bands arrived today, so some updated shots of the rh header and some close ups of my tig welding. Its all done finished for that side. Working on the other side currently. Then its time to do the Y-pipe, then i'll decide on location for o2 sensors.

LX_SS

So i brought some new wheels to suit, so excited, i was going to go with hawks but i cant run spacers legally and the exchange rate + import tax makes the wheels cost around the $2500 with shipping.

I purchased a set of KWC forged 18x8 4.5"bs +0mm offset / 18x9 5.25"bs +6mm offset, offsets match my current 15" weld wheels with the same rim width(my front are 5" tho).

Will post pics when i pick them up.

LX_SS

Since i'm having to get some big price items (estimated the power steering lines at $750,$450 is just fittings), i still need some tooling that i'll use as a one off, so i thought for the fuel line i'd have a crack at making my own cheap tube straightener.

Total cost : $16 for bolts, washer and nuts.

3D printed the wheels with 100% solid fill. ABS plastic, hopefully they should hold up with the aluminum tube. Largest is 3/8 to go through.
It has slotted adjustable top two wheels with a lock nut to hold the tension. I tested it on a 1 meter piece and it does indeed straighten the tube nicely, not 100% perfect but its enough to get from the coiled roll to straight(maybe like 95-99% straight).

Anyway, once the fuel line is done and the evap line, in theory there is nothing stopping the engine starting once the exhaust to the cat is done.

So things are looming closer.