Phase I done, Phase II-interior almost done, and now Phase III-drivetrain (454 LSX!)
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Look forward to a review on those...I know my rocker panels and latches would appreciate me redoing the hinges on my car. Some of the paint on the door sill has already given up and left!
haha, that makes two of us!
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__________________ Phil's Car Domain
1985 Z/28 clone - 10 sec. budget 383 project?
1988 GTA - The real deal, no add ons.
1968 Cutlass S - The Red Baron.
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Neil: yeah the battery is where the spare tire was before. Also no need to run the parking lights through a hole, just run the wires out by the headlights and then drop below under the battery trays!
Tommy Z-28, man you have given me an idea to consider! I like it!
Yeah, Mike as for the color, I went to the stealership to look at a vette with Lemans Blue and I saw a HHR w/ the Imperial Blue and side by side I liked the Imperial Blue over the Lemans Blue. So, that is what I am going with, John already picked up a gallon of it.
Hi, my name is Dennis and I have been following this thread for a bit now. That car is going to be amazing. Some time down the road that is exactly what I want to do. Just go nuts on a Camaro. I am currently a student stdying to be a mech engineer. As of now I am making my first crazy car. It is the poor mans vertion of your super car.
I would really like it if you would take a look at my cardomain site and let me know what you think. Thanks
I dont know if thats what I think of when I hear a poor mans restoration....But they car is going to be amazing...what color are you painting it, when do you think it will be completed?
Well I ment a poor mans dream of a "nuts" car. Like a cheap supercar is what I ment. His buildup must be in the 50K range. I am in the ballpark of about 1/2 that.
It is in the bodyshop right now. Its third week so far. Still needs about another 1 or 2. Getting painted Artic White. All over. Nothing flashy. I wanna keep it mellow.
The dual dumps are gonna be the first thing that goes. I am gonna switch to a 4" mufflex set up with extra mufflers. It is also going to get dynoed right after the paint is dry. I will let you know what is puts down the second I know.
Last edited by dennisbernal91z; 11-01-2006 at 02:06 PM.
Dennis, ahhh yeah your car is SICK!!! I just flew threw your pics and I am amazed....you put alot of time and $$$ into that car. Anyway, thank you for the nice comments about my car!!! Gotta get back to work.
Thanks a ton. Means a lot coming from someone who is making my dream car.
The one thing that I like most is that I did it all myslef -building the motor and the bodywork. All with 0 automotive backaround. Just magazines and TGO!
Well enough about my project, lets see more pics of your monster!
Dennis, That makes your car even more amazing, this is coming from someone in the same situation with no automotive experiance...and I dont know if I couple pull of what you have done...atleast not without some help!
Yeah, I thought about doing the bodywork myself and .........the thought passed in a heart beat. I left that to the pro's! But, yeah I am amazed and my hat's off to you Dennis!
I am hoping to post some more pics soon, especially of the door switches. The STB is back at BMR getting powdercoated, the k-member from Hawk's/Spohn arrived this week (I ordered it in black powdercoat) and i'll check with Racecraft Perf. on the status of the LS2 418 cu.in. and see how there coming with it.
I thought I was going to have a nice rough estimate, but the more I think about it, the more wrong my estimates are. I have 98% of all my recipts too. I have never added them all up though.
Non-car people allways tell me "well if you wanna spend a lot of $, why not just go out and buy a corvette?"
I tell them they just don't get it, and we should talk about something else.
All I am possitive of, is that I have spent about 12,500 on my powertrain.
motor-tranny-clutch-DS-rear.
I would love to know the final price on a project like this too. Maybe slowly upgrade things to be more like your car, over the years...
Non-car people allways tell me "well if you wanna spend a lot of $, why not just go out and buy a corvette?"
I tell them they just don't get it, and we should talk about something else.
Tru. I've only put about 2 g's into my camaro, but I already get the 'Why?' from a couple people. I'll have to borrow your line and start telling them we should talke about something else .
Neil, your going to have one amazing, unique car when this is all done. Great work.
I am hoping to get those kinda #s rwhp someday. Maybe with a blower or something. My dream is to have 500 rwhp. For now it is what my motor can do only so I gotta find a way to squeeze another 100 outa someplace. Till them the N20 can help out. haha
What clutch/tranny is this project going to have?
(I hope my car is nice enough to be in shows someday. The second I get it back from the paintshop I am taking pics and calling super chevy and chevy high pro... Maybe I can get in the young guns section. Is 22 too old?)
MaineIrocer86, I plan to drive it and show it! I figure ok, I am putting some cash in this car but I am also putting an efficient drivetrain in which can get me good driveability, reliability, gas mileage and respectable horsepower! Alot of people are shocked that I want to drive this car often, and I say why not? It will have the qualities I just mentioned plus alot more to make this ride comfortable and enjoyable! I can't remember if I mentioned my plans for the interior so I'll list them real quick:
Recaro Seats - full black leather with power and cold weather pkg. (Model = "Trend"). Leather inserts in the door panels and thinking of wrapping the headliner in black suede (got that idea from Titus on Rides with his Expedition, it looked sweet....I think I might feel like a pimp though and that might feel good, )
I will have a JL Audio W7 12" sub in the back (still am trying to think of a custom sub enclosure which is different than all the traditional ones we have all seen). Thinking of doing something angled with plexiglass on top to see the sub and also mount the amps on top, dunno yet? I already have the JL audio amps 500/1 and 300/4 and the sub, pulled it out of my other car which I sold.
Alpine or some equiv. head unit which has iPod, Blue Tooth and satellite radio capabilities. Oh, and of course going to add a 1,000 pounds of Dynamat to the car, especially on the inside of the firewall
A Valentine radar detector will be hardwired in. and for now that is all I have. Oh, I am also going to dye the 2002 camaro dash and center console a nice, deep black.
Oh, Dennis, I am debating on whether I should splurge for a G-Force T-56 (with custom gear ratios) or just get a reg. T-56 and as far as the clutch.....I don't know yet, I have heard great things about Centerforce. What do you think?
sounds like your interior will be very clean!
are you going with the 4th gen door panels?
ive also heard that you might be able to swap in the 4th gen plastic panels behind the doors with some mods, dont know how itd look though...
__________________ Phil's Car Domain
1985 Z/28 clone - 10 sec. budget 383 project?
1988 GTA - The real deal, no add ons.
1968 Cutlass S - The Red Baron.
A centerforce clutch is not going to hold up to the power of a 418ci LSX motor... it might be ok for normal driving but if you want to race it at all or do alot of "spirited" driving its not gonna hold up. Ask me how I know
__________________ '99 TA 'vert: LS1/A4/2.73's, 11's/315's out back, Borla & SLP lid, my current DD. '91 GTA: LS2/A3/9", 645RWHP, 9.81 @ 138, my old DD. -Jeremy-
Thats what I like to hear...personally I have never understood why some people built the cars then the most driving they do with them is on and off there trailors!
Your going to have a kick a** Car when your gone...i am more then jelous haha
No, not in the spray booth yet....hopefully by mid next week or by next Saturday. I just stopped by the shop and checked out the new greasable door hinges (from Andyz28.com) and the door popper switches which are almost finished! The door hinges (and John will probably comment on this) took between 7-8 hours for both doors! So, not an easy job. But, they do look like a solid product.
I was kicking between the AndZ28 kit and Top Down Solutions kit. Only about a $10 difference. I've heard good things on the TDS kit, but this is the first report I've heard on the AndyZ28 kit.
I bought some kit off eBay for $13 from someone who sold his car. It was so bad the ground effect piece on the goor put gouges in the rocker panel on the driver side, the passenger was and still is fine so I kept the other bushing set and pin as a backup. Just recently there's a little light scraping (took off the clear coat of the new paint) at one of the two gouge marks but the door still feels snug, I think I need to adjust the piece on the door. I don't know who made this kit though.
i bought mine from classic industries... they worked great... i hated the saggin doors.. they look simple andwho ever creatd those is makin alot of money
i bought mine from classic industries... they worked great... i hated the saggin doors.. they look simple andwho ever creatd those is makin alot of money
How was the Classic Industries kit, to install? 2 hr job like advertised or PIA? Classic has a good reputation, so I'd lean towards them than the other two I mentioned. Besides, theh price is, compared with the others.
How was the Classic Industries kit, to install? 2 hr job like advertised or PIA? Classic has a good reputation, so I'd lean towards them than the other two I mentioned. Besides, theh price is, compared with the others.
i installed them before i got the car painted... it was a b!tch takin off the tap welds or whatever it was... but it was all good it lined up pretty good...took me more time to adjust the doors than installin them ..
that door popper looks perfect!
i saw a 55 nomad at a show that was somewhat full custom, and it had those style door "handles". anyway, the guy used a large chrome button that i thought was kind of tacky. i think this route is much smoother!
__________________ Phil's Car Domain
1985 Z/28 clone - 10 sec. budget 383 project?
1988 GTA - The real deal, no add ons.
1968 Cutlass S - The Red Baron.
Really? here has to be a manual way to open thhe doors then. Safety regulations require that.
On customized cars, it doesn't really matter. On OEM cars, it does.
i already gave him a suggestion on that, to use chargin post on the back of the car, if the battery goes dead, you just charge it without having to have the hood open
I wonder how the new Vettes handle that then, they have no physical handle or lock either.
i would guess that the c6's probably have like a backup battery, or even an independant batteryfor just the doors. although on most new gm cars the lights come on automatically, and if you want them off you have to turn them off manually. but i think everything shuts off and you have no real worries of your battery dying. but yeah a manual backup would be a good idea unless he wants to install a second battery to run independantly for the doors.
My 402 should be close to that 
.
