Slouch

Well, I'll get right to it.
I need a couple of new found TGO friends to come over and help me with my project...

Just ordered a CE 8 point roll cage and some BMR subframe connectors I am going to be welding in (Hopefully this weekend)

To give you a scope of my project in order and why I am asking for help:

Interior gets removed and roll cage/scf are welded in. (Will need to source new interior & seats)

Car gets dissembled for paint, Engine, transmission and drive shaft come out for engine bay paint.
All exterior components come off, antenna hole in passenger fender gets welded & bondo. Whole car gets media blasted (Walnut shell) new doors with power windows (need to source) and ground effects (need to source) Everything gets primed and painted, doors get shaved may get nicer handles or dorman kit, unsure at this point, new hood, Everything gets painted (Thinking burnt orange)

The steering box may be replaced at some point but I know I will be replacing all the other components for the steering system as the steering is really "loose" lots of play.

Source a wrecked 1998-2002 camaro, swap rear end W/disk brakes, motor, transmission, suspension, dash? (maybe) gas tank, rewire harness ect... Custom exhaust and get a BAR sticker (Its got to be legit)

This is not going to happen over a weekend and I am not in a really great hurry, there will deffinately have to be waiting periods between these stages as I dont make the big bucks...

So if you know what you are doing I would be happy to have some help
sethcotton@gmail.com

OUTATIME GTA

iTrader: (2)

That sounds like a big undertaking, really similar to what I plan to do to my other 'bird over the span of a couple years, unfortunately, I don't know what I'm doing yet, haha.

Might want to remind folks who you are and where you stay, because I can't remember frankly and it would probably help if you are trying to recruit assistance.

Slouch

Seth is my name, I live in Livermore Ca.
So anyone in the east bay? I know I see allot of camaro's rollin in my town and I figure there has to be at least a couple of guys on this board.

Slouch

51 Views and no replies... Guess no one wants to be my friend.
More beer for me I guess...

Slouch

Just wanted to throw this out there... I just got my 10 point roll cage and for anyone thinking about installing one (Mine Is a Competition Engineering) Please know that it is 160LBS. This COULD be made up partially by the removal of the rear seats and belts (Bout 30 lbs maybe?) and lighter seats.

In my particular case I want an extremely stiff chassis (I want my car to handle) so the weight is worth it, not to mention i will be unloading weight everywhere else I can think of, but it definitely has put a real damper on my dream of hitting 3000Lbs...

fryer1979

Sorry bud, if I was closer to you I would love to get my hads dirty, there's nothing like a cold beer in one hand and a greezy wrench in the other (drinkmorebeer, where you at brother?) Unfortunately east bay is at the very least a 6 hour drive for me, and that much driving wouldn't leave much wrenching time. Since I am one of those viewers to your page, I thought I would at least give you a reply. Good luck with your project but feel free to shoot me a PM if you have questions, I wrenched for about 10 years before I switched to "wildlife observation".

Slouch

Well, at least I got a reply...
I was beginning to think I was all alone in this thread...

Anyhow just taking a break for a few minutes, so far I have gotten the bumper/fenders/side skirts & most of the interior out/off the car. This morning I went and took 92 doors with power windows off a car along with the newer style ground effects all around & a new drivers side fender
(unfortunately in my haste I missed the fact that the fender has a dent in the exact same place as the old fender I was replacing... Though it is much less profound and will be easy to roll out/fill out)
The newer side skirts look to be in good condition but the lip is not great... Better than what I had by far but still needs some work, figure if I am going to fix one it might as well be the newer style.

Cataloging all the bolts/screws is really time consuming but I know I will be better off for it in the long run. Anyhow going to get back to it, got to get the carpet and center console out and get the bars cut in.

Slouch

Maybe I should throw up some pics?
I could document my progress or something?

As of now there is only the dash and center section of the spoiler to be removed.

Waiting for sub frame connectors at the end of this month, they get welded in, then the roll cage, then the drive train gets removed and the seams get welded. I will then paint the engine bay and address any rust I find. (Its not bad, California car, but the battery tray needs some rust bullet)

I will then tackle plastic repair (this ought to be interesting, I have never done this before but I am going to try the 3M panel filler recommended in the "Lets take the guess work out of plastic repair" thread. I may even skip a step and start on this next weekend if I cant find anything else to work on (Still need to remove the gas tank before I weld though)

Then its on to the doors, I want to get some nicer handles I think, Can you guys show me some nice ones? Willing to weld them in :P I saw I set some kid installed that were flush and looked killer, maybe you know which ones?

I am debating aircraft stripper or media blasting... normally I would just paint over with primer BUT the damn paint is peeling and flaking off (Stock paint)
So its got to be down to bare metal, smooth/fill any imperfections,
etch primer, primer sealer, primer buildup, block sand, primer buildup, wet sand, primer buildup, final wet sand, first shot, second shot, third shot, wet sand, buff, reassemble.
By the time I am done with this I will know every square inch of this car...

At this point I will rebuild the steering system, buy a tubular crossmember and then save for four to six months so I can locate a wrecked 98-02 camaro for the drive train interior/ect... But I am not even trying to think of that part yet, its a whole nightmare all its own....

Here is what it looked like when I got it last year... It sat outside for the winter neglected and the paint is done now.

fryer1979

One thing that helps me keep bolts organized on long term projects is placing bolt groups into plastic bags (like zip-locks) and labeling the bags. Very low tech I admit, but I have rarely ever lost bolts and fasteners. It's cheap, quick, easy, and it works.

Slouch

This is exactly what I am doing. Zip lock, painters tape & a sharpie

Slouch

Here is where I am now, after 2 weekends...

Slouch

Decided its going to be Hugger Orange instead of burnt orange... Single stage no clear but buffed to a shine.

A1c88camaro

Sounds like fun. Were are you located?
I like workin on cars when i am not dealing with military bull.
Depending on your location i might be able to come help an hang out.
And Learn stuff.

Slouch

Im in Livermore so if you get stationed at Camp parks its close

A1c88camaro

You are about 1hour an some mins away from ya.

Slouch

LOL, I hate being so far from myself... I always feel lost

Anyhow, if you want to come out weekend after next I will be welding in my SFCS and at least getting started on the cage.

Next weekends plan is to install some linoleum in my parents upstairs bathroom in return for me using their backyard and shop for the next year to work on my car (Its a hell of a deal)

After that I will try and get the gas tank out and begin to clean the car.

By the way, what branch? I'm no longer in the Army myself :P

Slouch

So I just bought "all" the materials I need to strip and fix the ground effects I bought...
It cost $175! DAMN! I got the XXX bumper stripper so I will let you cats know how that works when I use it. I only got two cans, if it works well I will probably pick up some more of it.
Using 3M automix flexible to repair the lip, also got the 3M adhesive backed repair strips (they go on the backside and hold things in place while you spooge the goop)
I also got the 3M rigid automix as there is a hairline crack in the passenger side spoiler lip I intend to repair before I primer. I could just primer fill it but it is more than likely without proper fixing it will eventually rear its knarley little head up again once I get the new paint on so I figure I might as well get er done right the first go round instead of wishing I had later.
will also be filling the little emblem area on the front bumper, never really liked that.

Was going to pick up my jongbloed hood but the damn materials to fix this set me back so now I have to wait three to five weeks.

A1c88camaro

Sounds good. An yea, lol Totally blew that sentence out. But good laugh.
I got friday an saturdays off. So When ever I will cruise over an help.
I will pm you my number an we can figure crap out.
I am in the Air Force. Got 4 years left. Been in for 2 years.

Slouch

Ok, so I got the gas tank out for welding, may replace with a newer tank when I pick up the wrecked Z28...
Whe people say you really have to lift the *** end of the car up, they are not joking!



So I started to get the connectors in now that the tank is out, I started on the passenger side and spent about four hours working on it. I would not suggest this product (Weld in Competition engineering) to anyone who does no have a considerable amount of metalworking skill, i am not just talking "I can weld", fortunately I have three years of welding and metallurgy under my belt and I am an engineer so I think I know what I am going to do, never the less I have some major gripes, see pics below, they are worth a thousand words.

So here is the how the sub frame mounts, no real complaints about that other than the tube could have been welded shut on the end (Will do in myself)



Now for the fun, about the top of the hole is where I need to get the connector to.



But there is a "little" problem with the seat mount bolt...



Honestly haven't nailed down how i am going to fix it yet, but i have a few ideas.

Slouch

Here is another issue, these are not "cut to size" as you can see. I want the square stock to be level with the rear sub frame section (the oem piece) so I can weld a square stock member over to it. This "kit" did not come with one, but on the bright side there should be enough material left to use after I cut this one to size. I am planing on welding in a plate to the rear seat area (The angled piece) and then cutting an angle on the square stock and welding to the plate. Yet another problem is once I get the connectors level with the oem rear subframe there will still be about 1/2-3/4 hanging over the rear seat area... I think I am just going to box that in and weld it to the bottom.




One good thing I can say is that there shall be no clearance issues with these... Remember, these still need to go up about 1 1/2-2"



I already have a hell of a lot more ground clearance than any other kit I have seen.

1piece@atime

iTrader: (1)

Keep up the good work. Wish I was closer, I love a good project!

FYI, this would be a lot easier to read if you would fix the pic's in entry #11 to be one on top of the other rather than side by side.

vindeezl

iTrader: (2)

Great project you have going there

I would definitely go with the 4th gen tank (as I am planning to do also) for the swap.

Slouch

OK, so I am pretty much ready to start welding, damned tank was empty so i am getting it filled tomorrow, unfortunately I have a meeting tomorrow night so I wont be able to do anything until Tuesday night and thats if i am not totally burned out from work...

Here is the passenger side fitted, you can see what I intend to do about the seat bolt.



Here is where I am going to join the sfc to the rear frame, I am going to buy some 1/8" plate and cut a square from the center of it and weld it to the member that joins the two pieces, then I am going to weld it to the sfc and rear frame.



Clearance is amazing! LOL, the entire sub frame connector goes inside the cabin...



And got a surprise on the drivers side! Look, it clears the bolt! Unfortunately the jig they used to make the connector was WAY off so I had to hit it with an oxy accetaline torch and bend the bracket, its still not straight (Its twisted to one side) so I whipped out my 24" monkey wrench and twisted it straight, may need to heat it up some more while its bolted in and bend it right while its attached to the car. Iether way it will be corrected while or before being welded in.



Also, the subframes on these cars are at different locations (Obviously considering their correlation to the seat location) pasenger side was 5" from the frame, drivers side only 2 1/2" I really doubt thats going to make any difference.



Will have to bang that sheet metal up to the connector to weld it, but first I am going to cleat it with a 7" wire wheel (This thing is no joke) it will take all that gunk off the inside as well.

If you look closely at pic 2 & 5 you can see I cut 45's on the ends of the square stock, I have the return pieces made to box in the ends, once I get them welded together I am going to make a template of that arc and scribe it onto the boxed end so I can grind the shape where the rear seat is. Then I am simply going to weld it on to the rear seat area, I was going to put a piece of plate on it but descided that is I use a plate from the sfc to the rear frame it will pretty much nullify anything that piece would do anyway.

Slouch

Here is a little more detail on how I intend to use the 1/8" plate...



And for those who haven't seen yet, here are the Cerullo seats I am having re upholstered (Even though they are brand new) to match the paint scheme of the car.

vindeezl

iTrader: (2)

New seats look sweet!

Are those the ones Kraguns was selling a while back?

fryer1979

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO new seats! ;lkjgasdg, sorry had to wipe the drool off the keyboard. Seriously though, It's looking great man. I wish I was closer to you, I would love to be in on a build like that. Looks like you got a good start going, love the pics.

Slouch

Well, I had to get the seats so I know were to put the roll cage... realistically the seats are adjustable, so its all about finding a position I am comfortable with and then welding in the cage.

Firebird90

iTrader: (1)

Stange... I didn't see this post...
I'm in Livermore. I'm near Robertson Park....

PM me your location.

Slouch

Did you used to do tile work?

Anyhow, I am going to hit the seats with VHT after getting a quote from Cerullo $700 for the leather covers, $400 for vinyl...
So I said, $400 to go from grey vinyl to black vinyl? VHT=$40 can...
Still need to find the center fabric in the color I want and get it embroidered...

Slouch

UMI XXX urethane stripper dont work so great... Most of the paint came off but it did not take off the primer, now I will have to sand the hell out of the bumper.

Firebird90

iTrader: (1)

Wrong person.. lol

Slouch

Good, cause that guy was a moron... Come one over LOL...

On A side note, I must be high... I just realized I spent $200 on materials to fix the front lip I bought that is tore up when I can buy a new one for $300...

Slouch

Well, its 2:20 in the morning and I cannot sleep because what I had thought was pink eye actually turn out to be a sliver of steel poking out of my eye that has now been there for a few days...
I would like to take this time to say that I was wearing safety glasses and would recommend a full on shield + glasses when grinding under your car.

I got this out at about 4AM last night with a really powerful neodymium magnet... This is a real pita and CAN cost allot of money that could better be spent on your car if you have to go to the hospital.

Please learn from my mistake BE CAREFUL.

Slouch

OK, I am going to update with pics tomorrow but I don't want to hear any crap about my welds, that floor pan is really thin and I burned through in a bunch of spots. Furthermore welding upside down is a major pita and its impossible to get comfortable...

I am mainly saying this because I am unhappy with the look of my welds (I know I can do MUCH better) but I also know they are strong on all of the structural parts.

Going to back fill the seams with some kind of sealant so the holes don't leak.
One side was too far to weld to so I built up in a few places and just going to seal it.

Slouch

Ok, pics as promised.



Welding upside down really sucks...



Used an auto seal sealer to plug up all the little pin holes.

Slouch

There is the 1/8" plate I was talking about welding in, looks like crap but its definitely on there good...
This is allot stronger than any of the other sfc's on the market.
Its going to get sot with some black anti rust primer inside and out, couldn't do it today se the sealer is still drying.

Next weekend Cage install begins.

fryer1979

looks good to me, I don't know jack about welding so it's better than I could do.

Slouch

Maybe when I get it running someone with a four post lift will let me come over and touch those up?...

Firebird90

iTrader: (1)

iroc_valencia

Nice work , sad because i don't live in Cali , and of course , not in the USA.
But, i love get dirty and drink beer listening R&R.

Keep u the good work.

Greets

Slouch

Slouch

Ok, so i got the dash out... Was not as easy as I though it would be. Your instinct is to just grab it and pull after an hour or so of fiddling but that leads to lots of tore up wires and connectors... So I pateintly took everything apart only to find a rats nest of wires... Someone "tried" to install an alarm system/lo jack and a head unit... Im not sure who did all this but it has to be the most **** poor job I have ever seen.

When I get my donor car 98-02 z28, would it just be easier to pull the entire wiring system (The whole car) from the z28 and just hook up the lights to the existing rs lights wires? I meen everything else will be getting swaped over soooo... This is what I am thinking about doing right now, maybe its more than I need to but i dont think they switched voltages for the lights ect and the bodies are similar enough that everything should fit with minor adjustments right?

steNcho

Hey, it's looking good! I would love to have the time and space to give my z28 a complete overhaul like that. I live on Curacao (Island in the caribbean) but I would have loved to help you! Keep up the good work

Crash_Maniac

Wow actually found soneone with the same SFCs as mine was getting worried, just got mine in,what a mightmare, im glad i chose these though was worth th work, i luv them, my exuast is illegal, no CAT funds are tight and I had no exhaust from the manifolds back. made doo and the pipe i welded in Cats place is rattling into connector at idle kind of annoying, i apologize to everyone who flames me for not havin a cat, but anyway... what can I use to ssoften rattle, Dyna mat?

porkyzilla

iTrader: (1)

You have the wrong address I offered help and got a Wierd response from the email

Crash_Maniac

Checked my user cp settings email looks good, if your talkin to me... if not sorry

OUTATIME GTA

iTrader: (2)

The original post is from 2009 folks.
OP hasn't been here in over a year and a half.

UnderCover89TBI

iTrader: (25)

just hoping he has a thread subscription so he'll come back to nor cal third gen!

OUTATIME GTA

iTrader: (2)

Negative. I guess he gave up on his project. I removed him from the mailing list last year, bad email address.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/cama...ject-cage.html

vindeezl

iTrader: (2)