ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Yeah I knew about that one...it comes up by looking up a 00 regal also. But since I get a discount at autozone, and I enjoy instant gratification so much, trimming the ribs alittle didnt bother me. I heard of one guy still needing to hit those ribs with alittle dremel action, I guess due to some casting flash on his tensioner...

Either way you go, the Regal pulley gets two thumbs up from me!!!

This thread has gotten a tad large huh?? I thought about starting other threads for some of the "newer" projects. But ILl keep updating this anyway. Some decent info in here from me and all of you responding to it.

J.

91_Formula

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the great thread and all the pics and info. I am looking for more details on the tranny cross member you used for exhaust clearance. I tried searching through the thread...

Did you make it yourself? What are the dimensions of the stock it is made from? Do you have any pictures of it by itself? thanks

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

This thread wont have much info on the crossmember. I built it for my last car. But Ill link you to the thread that I made when I built the crossmember and when I finalized my exhaust. It has some pretty decent pitures of it..but I can provide more if you need them.

The material was 1/4" thick 2"x2" angle for the sides (overkill), and 1x3 rectangular tubing. It was kinda hard to get ahold of. I ended up ordering it online. Basically a bunch of measuring and trial and error to build the thing. I got the torque arm mounting parts from Spohn...and I was already running his adjustable torque arm.

Here's the thread...

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/ltx-...tml?highlight=

Let me know if you have any more questions.

J.

P.S... She's in her new home for the winter. Although I did take her out for alittle the other day until the snow/sleet chased us back in.

91_Formula

iTrader: (1)

Thank you very much for the link, that is great. If you did it again would you do it exactly the same or what would you change?

From the photo's it looks like the collectors are 2.5"? Based on your experience do you think a person could make 3" pipe from the collectors work with a similiar design?

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Hmm....Well, if I had to make another crossmember, Ide probably try to gain even more clearance. I might have put the angle sides so that the vertical part of the angle goes up towards the car instead of towards the ground. I like the material I used for the cross bar part. The 1/4" angle was way overkill and tough to work with. Forget about egging holes out if you miss-drill them. haha. Takes forever.

My collectors are 2.5". My y-pipe is 2.5" all the way back to the flowmaster merger collector. Then its 3". I feel that a good flowing 2.5" y-pipe is plenty for most applications. Plus, with the cut out open, there isnt much holding the gases back. Anyway...besides the point. You could make 3" collectors work. I wouldnt be able to with my current crossmember...but if I re-built the crossmember, 3" collectors and y-pipe is definetly doable. People have done it. cant remember who off the top of my head though..maybe they'll chime in.

Oh...also...if you arent mounting your torque arm to the crossmember, you dont have to make it as beefy as I did. If you are leaving it on the trans, you could use much lighter material and theoretically give yourself even more room.

Like the last post in that other thread says...My setup might not be the best...but I basically just got under there, and built it so it worked. haha. If you need anything else, like I said, feel free to post up.

J.

BMR Sales

Nice job on the tear down and rebuild! Looks good!

Tmic87TPI

iTrader: (3)

I've been following this build, just never posted... my only complaint is you put it in the wrong car, that driveline was meant to go into my car...
haha
looks great man and Ill bet it drives great too. btw I think its time to edit your sig pic

screeminchicken

iTrader: (2)

J,

newbie question,

When u removed your A/C=heaterbox , were u able to do it just from the outside by the firewall area ? Cam the back half of the box in the passenger compartment under the dash be left alone ?
the reason I am asking, I had t remove the LS1 dash out of the donor car to get to remove the 4th gen AC box. I reallly dont want to remove the dash from the 82. Any direction advice is really appriciated

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

screeminchicken: The thirdgen is SO much easier to disassemble. You do have to go inside, but only to access three bolts that go through the firewall into the bottom half of the HVAC box. You have to pull the carpet back alittle, and you probably have to move the insulation that is up against the firewall alittle. The screws are usually nice and shiny...you'll see them. Pretty sure there are only three... Also...if you are putting the box back in, be careful when you tighten them. They are easy to strip.

The 4th gen unit is sort of like an aftermarket HVAC unit you'd get from classic air or something. It was sort of a pain to remove from my 4th gen donor car I remember.

Its really simple..just make sure you got all the bolts on the outside too. And you probably already know, but you'll need to pull the top half off and pull the EVAP out of the box. Also remove the blower motor etc etc. It'll come right out for ya.

Oh...BMR thanks for the props!

Tim...yeah I know the sig has to change. Im lazy...and I miss my black car hehe. So its sort of a tribute now I guess. Haha. It'll get fixed one of these days. Im hoping to get some better pictures of the 86 this summer, so Ill use those.
As for the driveline going into the wrong car...I tell ya what. If I wreck this one, you are first in line to buy it all how's that? haha.

J.

Tmic87TPI

iTrader: (3)

well I can't blame you for missing that car, it was beautiful... course the blue one has such low mileage that you really couldn't go wrong with either car. not to mention some of the PS jobs in this thread for the paint job on it were awesome.
but lets not even think about you wrecking this one... Im not sure I'd want the driveline, it could be cursed! haha

-Tim

3.1EyeCandy

iTrader: (3)

Justin - I'm looking for any pictures you have that show where you placed (if?) the heater core diverter valve. Do you have any? Can't seem to find 'em...

birdonnos

yeah i would like to see how you used the heater core diverter valve also

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Ide like to see that too... hahaha.

I didnt use one. Two reasons. One, the LS1 doesnt use one. Two, the 86 didnt have one either. However...this spring, Ill be fitting one in. I swapped my 87's HVAC controls over to the 86, so it has the vac operated line for the valve. I think the heater core is keeping my A/C from getting as cold as it can.

I plan to use a valve similar to the one that was in my 87. I need one that will still allow the coolant to flow through the LS1 when it is shut off to the heater core.

If I cant make something nice and clean that works well...Im going to just put manual valves in...or disconnect the heater core completely for the summer. I dont want to clutter things up too bad just to make a valve work.

Keep an eye on this thread in spring when I start working on her. I might just continue this thread...if not, Ill have links to any new threads I start. Got a few interesting mods and some work I need to do to her.

J.

Spike-Z

iTrader: (4)

Hey J.
How you doing man? I was wondering if you had the chance to install the new TICK master? I bought one too but it was delivered @ the border mail and I aint going there for a few weeks. What do you think it will need to fit our cars? I mean, it cant be that different from a stock master right? If you could show me a pic of it, it would greatly help, I have never seen one. lol

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Hey whats up spike. Things are goin good...except Im looking out my window right now at the winter storm that just slammed into us. Friggin 4 inches in about 3 hours, and its still comin down. Sooooo ready for spring.

I actually just recieved my Tick master on friday. I wont get a chance to play with it until it warms up. Im going to do it when I pull my k-member to notch it for oil pan clearance.

Im not sure what its going to take to fit this sucker. Its NOTHING like the stocker. Its fairly massive. I have a feeling some metal will need to be removed depending on where you drilled your holes. It might not matter...I really wont know until I plop it in position. Im fully prepared to cut out some metal and weld in some pockets to fit it. Hopefully it doesnt require TOO much butchering. haha.

And just for you...couple pictures. Sorry they're alittle crappy.







The adapter bracket is their new billet design. Its a solid unit for sure. Thing has some weight to it. haha. The line is nice...but the adapters and elbows for the lines have me worried. I think they might be poking into something. We'll see. Im sure someone else will be installing theirs before I get to mine. But you guys can expect lots of pics and a write up about it from me...during install and after install. Im expecting big things from this thing.

J.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

HO-LY mackerel, that thing's a MONSTER!! I'll definitely be watching to see what's needed to make that sucker work...

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Yeah Im really anxious. Like I said, I have it set in my head that Ill need to cut a big chunk out somewhere, and make a pocket to weld in. Atleast that way, if Im prepared to do that, there will be less chance of a surprise.

Im going to pull my booster out, which isnt normally required for the install, just to give myself more room to work. Im also thinking about building a plate to weld to the firewall to reinforce the area more. Mount the master cylinder to the plate, get the master cylinder lined up perfect, tack the plate in, remove the master cylinder, finish weld...and now I have the perfect location and a stronger mounting place.

I also want to make a bump stop for the pedal. Right now, the carpet, sound deadner, and floor is what stops the pedal. The harder you push, the further it goes beacuse of the materials. So I want to make a steel stop, with a little bit of rubber on it to keep it from being metal/metal contact. Basically, I want this to be the last time I have to mess with my clutch hydraulics. I want the end all beat all set up...and I think its doable.

We'll see once I get into it. I know my holes could be drilled better...which is why I sort of want to do the plate idea. I dont want to keep egging out the holes that I made, because its just going to make the area weak and crappy. I wish I would have done it that way when the motor was out. Would have made welding SO much easier. But Ill get somethin done.

J.

EDIT:...Im looking at pictures of the stock unit...and trying to remember how it sat in the engine bay. I know the end of the unit comes close to something. I just cant remember what. Off the top of my head, I think Im going to have major issues. haha. Inner wheel well, AND the chassis rail over there. Which is what worries me the most. I can deal with the wheel well. But...Im sure there is a way. There has to be. part of the reason I want to do the plate idea is...if its not lined up perfect, there is no sense in cutting to make it fit. You might cut too much or not enough based on perfect alignment. Now Im getting alittle nervous about it...haha.

EDIT #2: Oh boy...this might get interesting...haha. I wanna talk to the guy that already has one installed. But have no way of contacting him. I think Ill have to make the indent in the wheel well bigger, and MAYBE put alittle notch in the chassis rail to clear the fitting. Not too bad though I guess.

Spike-Z

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for the pics!

You know, by looking at those pics, I think were gonna be good to pull this off. Im gonna go look @ my car tonight and see how close the master is to the wheel well. I dont think its gonna hit the frame rail. Can you measure how long is the master from the firewall to the 90 degree hose fitting? Ill measure the stocker tonight and see the difference.

I would be VERY surprised that it would hit the brake booster (maybe it will if youre using the bigger 3rd gen one). I switched to a 4th gen booster, and the clutch master being @ the same location for both generation, it should clear...

Ill post pics tonight! stay tuned kids.

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

From the firewall to the elbow is about 9.5". Just grabbed a quick measurement.

I remember my stock master cylinder being pretty close to that indent on the wheel well. The issue is...on your car, you might have the master cylinder holes drilled perfect...or closer than me anyway. So it might drop right into yours...but not on mine. Here's hoping both of ours drop right in!! haha

Booster wont be an issue. Im running the 4th gen unit. The wiring loom that Im hiding under the booster will be an issue though. Ill have to re-route that back up top. Thats why Im pullin the booster...that and its infinatly easier to work on that area without the booster in there. If I can get away with alittle hammering on the wheel well, Ill be happy.

J.

Spike-Z

iTrader: (4)

Ok, so I did my homeworks and took some pics. I hope that is a typo because if it isnt, were gonna have big big trouble fitting it there. Here are the stock unit measurements:

From the firewall to the elbow is about 4 1/4". We could manage to fit up to 4 3/4", maybe 5" before hitting the wheel well and busting out the grinder.

Spike-Z

iTrader: (4)

Id love to see a pic side by side of the stock VS tick. I searched ls1tech but didnt find anything.

Found this from a vette website... Theirs is actually smaller then stock. lol

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

No typo my friend. Its gonna be fun for sure. Ide MUCH rather modify the wheel well than the chassis. Just wont know how bad its gonna be until we test fit. Im getting the itch to work on it though. Like I said, some of you other guys will probably get to yours before I do.

Good pics by the way! Your clean engine bay always makes me jealous. Just something about that clean white paint... haha

J.

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

I posted on tech about it... but side by side pics to come this weekend. Im goin home to try to turn my 87 into a roller with the 86's old parts. I gotta move that thing and try to get rid of it. Im pretty sure I have at least one or two old stock master cylinders laying around. Ill see what I can do.

J.

EDIT: Someone on tech beat me to it... Looks like my measurement was off too. Atleast it was off to the positive. Loosing a couple inches is a help, but its still gonna be fun.

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Check it out!

Ok...not really. Just got the new engine support set up and ready to go for next weekends work extravaganza! This thing is sweet. Tons of beef and looks like its going to work great.
Sorry for the cell phone pics.

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

It was really nice out...so after stretching her legs and setting up the support bar, I decided to do a quick wash. She was FILTHY from the last time I couldnt resist driving her. See...





I was ashamed. Quick wash.







I know...same pics as Ive posted before. But Im a pic *****...what can I say. Plus...I wanted to warm this thread back up for this weekends work. On the list:

Pull k-member and notch for oil pan.
Weld up a small exhaust leak.
Install tick master cylinder.
Install Wideband O2 and re-wire pillar gauges.
Try to get more of that sticker above the GFX off.
Wave bye bye to the storage box....she'll be officially back on the street!

Stay tuned. Not sure, but I think Ill just keep posting in this thread. I might start a new one for each project though...who knows. Ill link em in this one at least.

J.

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

I was going to say the same thing when I first saw the picture, haha. Nice strut tower brace.

Spike-Z

iTrader: (4)

Looks good man! Congrats on taking her out
Im picking up my tick master this week-end. stay tuned!

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Ok guys... Could these be the first pics of a tick master cylinder almost in place on a thirdgen??? haha.

Im sorta dumb. All this time I was trying to figure out how the thing was going to fit. And last weekend when I had the car out, I was looking, and measuring, and thinking. Duhh...I have the exact same car sitting in my driveway completely gutted in the engine bay!!! I could have test fitted the thing long ago. haha.

Anyway...I stuck two studs into the adapter block to make sure the holes were lined up. It actually looks much better than I thought. There will still be some massaging required. Mostly on the wheel well. Like I said earlier, this will depend where you drilled your holes, since the position will vary.

Im pretty sure my 86's holes are towards the passenger side more than the 87's were...so that might be in my favor. I plan to just grab the ball peen hammer and go to town in that area.

On to the pics! They arent great, but they'll give you an idea of what to expect if you are trying to use one!





You can see the contact that the cylinder makes with the wheel well. The fitting on the end seems to be ok for now.



Didnt have it pushed all the way in in this pic.



But there she is. Shouldnt be a huge problem to get it together. Im thinking about using studs instead of bolts from the inside. Loctite the studs into the tick block, leave them long enough to stick inside. It should help install it easier. If it wont work...no biggie.

We'll see in a couple days!!!!

J.

Spike-Z

iTrader: (4)

Dude thats awesome. Thats SO good to see. The thing might actually a bolt on part if the car was manual from the factory. Thanks for the pics J. Ill have mine in my hands this coming week-end and post some pics too. We might be able to see the difference between a converted to manual car and an original. Either way, nothing a bfh cant fix.

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

I should have popped the stock one that I have laying around in place to see how it compared. I dont think its going to just bolt into a stock M5 car either. Its just too massive. But...it still isnt going to take much work to make it fit.

I gotta do my k-member work first, then Ill be jumping right onto the master cylinder. I have to pull my booster so I can move the harnesses I have running under there. So its going to be a couple hours before I can even try to fit the cylinder. Probably going to have to pull the steering column. So I plan to install my wideband at the same time so I can wire that without the column and crap in the way. We'll see!!

J.

Jaysz28

iTrader: (30)

I have a tick MC installed on my swap without clearancing anything.....

of course, now I'm curious if I should have clearanced something. I installed mine with everything in place... huge pita

I also noticed that the steering shaft is rubbing on the braided hose

also, I'm using an ls7 clutch, new GM slave and the tick mc..... damn clutch still doesn't disengage. Granted, I have like 20 or 25 miles on the swap..... having FP issues and am waiting on my regulator fittings from summit

good luck with it

-jason

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

haha damn jason where've you been??? We've been looking for someone with one of these MC's installed in a thirdgen for awhile now.

Was your car originally an M5 car? That might have something to do it. I could have drilled my holes for this thing to fit...but I dont
think it would have been lined up properly with the pedal throw.

You have to give that LS7 clutch the full 500 miles before it will start to feel good. Mine was sketchy for alittle bit at first. In fact,
first drive with it would hardly let me shift at all. Its weird that you werent able to get it to disengage even with the Tick though...
Did you bench bleed the master really good before installing? Then bleed the crap out of it when it was together?

Lastly...any pictures of the Tick master installed in your car? I know its tight especially if you did it with all the parts in place.

J.

Jaysz28

iTrader: (30)

I've been here, lurking and searching

500 miles huh.... damn

and no pics, but I can try

car was an auto that I converted. I sorta guessed on the MC holes by using the rubber floormat as my guide.

Seeing your pick of it slightly crooked, makes me wonder if I need to do it that way. Again, you can't see squat with the brake booster in the way

I did not benchbleed the mc before installing it. There was no way to install it with it full. I did bleed the snot out of it, as I have a remote bleeder too. I even tried the mityvac option.......

I'll try to take some pics today. I'm going to be trying to wire up the cruise control unit from a blazer. Borrrowed that idea from 89Formula350 on LS1tech

-jason

Jaysz28

iTrader: (30)

Best pics I could get with the harness in place.....


-jason

Spike-Z

iTrader: (4)

Sweet! That gives me hope. lol Thanks for the pics Jaysz28!

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Those pics are nice. Thanks! I still dont think mine will just fit in like that. But it shouldnt require much hammering. Ide like to know if these will fit in a factory M5 car. That'd be good info...or it will just confirm I made my holes in the wrong spot. haha.

Tomorrow work begins! Hopin to have the k-member almost out by the end of the day.

J.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

This is why the mere mention of ghettocruiser's name makes dial-up modems cry...

Just razzin' ya man. Can't wait to see what else you've got in mind...

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

LOL... T-minus 2.5 hours and counting. I cant wait to bust some knuckles, get some weld burns, and stink like brake cleaner and paint!!!! Its been a long winter! haha.

J.

SheldonZ28

iTrader: (1)

Justin, i love you in a completely non gay way hahahaha.

Your swap has gotta be one of the best! And having been 1 step ahead of me the whole time, made my swap alot less stressful!

I put the motor in my car, but shhhh, dont tell anyone

Im thinking of one of these tick masters in the future, guess ill see how my stocker works for now.

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

OK!!! Here we go! Stupid rain screwed me up tonight. My driveway drains like a swimming pool. And it all ends up right where I was working. haha.

Anyway...decent night of progress. Blew the front of the car apart before it got dark. Ran into some time consuming problems while notching the k-member.... But the k-member is back in and its ready for front suspension. Im going to put up the tent and hope the rain lets up tomorrow.

You ready for some pics? I have a ton of them!

Support bar hooked up. This thing flat out works wonderfully! Already paid for itself in my opinion.









cont'd...

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Here are some pics to explain all this work. Think it was hitting during WOT???





K-member gone. That support bar didnt let the motor budge. It made working under the car awesome because there was no jack to go around. I didnt really lay under the motor...just in case. haha





You can see where I took the grinder to the stocker to get more room. More on why this was stupid in a little bit.



Cont'd...

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

First rough cut. Just kinda did it by eye. Oh...and whoever says the stock k-members are weak or just stamped steel....they need to try cutting one apart. Total beef.



Put it back up to double check what I had cut...and to mark for adjustments.





Template made for the new metal.



Cont'd...

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Metal cut. Dont ask how I get such nice curves using my 4.5" angle grinder. haha. I love that thing.



Ends bent up. I made the ends taper in alittle bit. Just to give it a less boxy look....even though no one will ever see it.



Fit.



Still smokin. Been awhile since I welded. Took me a bit to get into the rythm. Nice thing about that thick metal...you can just crank it up and burn away. I used a piece of 1/8" thick plate for the boxed section.



OK here was where trying to grind really screwed me. I made some of the areas paper thin. I mean so thin you could poke through with a screw driver. So naturally I was burning through. SO I had to make little pieces to go into those two holes. Made my weld job ugly because I had to spot weld them or risk going through. Its all good though...solid as a rock again.



Cont'd...

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Here it is all ready. Its not as dramatic as some...but you'll see the room I have.





I dont think Im going to hit now. Not with poly mounts all over the place.





Cont'd...

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Can fit a whole digit with ease! Better than not being able to fit a piece of cardboard!



Thats it for tonight folks. Its all bolted back together, just waiting for suspension. Then its time for the TICK!!! Hopefully that goes smooth and Ill have time to mess with my wideband. I won free Flyer's tickets for Sunday's game....so I really need to wrap up before like 3 on sunday. Fingers crossed!

You'll get another slew of pics tomorrow for sure! Unless you're sick of looking at them!!!


J.

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Wow...am I beat. Sore as heck and tired. Its 2:00am..so forgive me if I dont make sense here and there.

Haha. Jist of today's work. Got the front end put back together this morning. Started intalling the wideband set up. Fitted the Tick master cylinder. And did some wiring. Ran into some snags...also had to deal with rain on and off. I didnt take too many pictures because I was frantically trying to get it back together before tomorrow. Its supposed to be nasty weather. Didnt want to get caught in that.

Here are some pics...and Ill wrap it all up at the end.

The rain put damper on things.



You guys have seen a front suspension 1000 times. But here's a pic to prove I put it back together at least... haha.



Here you can see my wideband O2 sensor. I already had a bung there with a plug in it. So it was an easy install for the sensor.



And the mess that I made. I pulled the column so I could pull the booster. Just easier to work.



Cont'd...

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

The Tick master almost fit. It was in fact hitting my wheel well. It also was sitting on some seam sealer. No big deal. I just hammered on the wheel well alittle, and trimmed the sealer. Fits great!!











Cont'd...

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

After mock up, I bench bled the master. Here is my bench bleeding setup. Its a motive power bleeder, and a piece of an old slave cylinder. I removed the locking tabs, so you can just push it on to release fluid. No mess.





Due to the Tick's configuration, I had to move my clutch master cylinder resevoir. So I had to build a bracket. Came out nice though, and I like the new postion much better. Sturdier, easier to get to, and easier to fill.





You can see it better while pumping the pedal from the inside too. So you dont go dry.



Cont'd...

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

So I got it back together, and went for a drive. Pedal feels good, car shifts good. Still notchy...but Im looking into it. My pedal is pretty close to where it was though...which was surprising. Thats how far it took for it to shift smooth though.

Before they were dead even...now its just a tad lower.



Anyway...thats it for now. I also put a different breather setup on, and as I mentioned installed my wideband O2 gauge. Ill show them later. But for now...Im going to bed. Ill post up tomorrow if the weather holds out for more pics and more babbling by me. Haha.

J.

Jaysz28

iTrader: (30)

I had to thread the all the adjustment out on mine. The pedal is out as far is it will go, so my pedal sits a lot higher than that.

Glad to see it went together reasonably well

-jason