Falconiroc

Ternades, I wish. No I can purchase them at auction. There are cars that they had labelled for only Dismantlers/Parts yards/Dealers to be able to purchase, and only a few cars that were labeled for public auction. They verified that I can bid on any of the cars.

ternandes

iTrader: (7)

Oh well... a person can dream...

Falconiroc

I took a break this week. I just started classes for my MBA, and I've been out of it for about 9 months, so its been a rough week! That is not to say I haven't thought about it. That would be a lie! I have worked on my project spreadsheet, which I've got stored in google docs, I'm trying to carefully outline the project so I miss less, and run into less problems. Naturally there will always be problems, but if I plan well enough there will be fewer I figure.

I'm not sure I want to post a list of planned mods or anything because its pretty extensive, and I guess it looks more like a wish list than an actual list of parts I'm buying right now.

Red87SC

I'm sure everyone would like to see the wish list. If you post it up people might be able to make cheaper or better suggestions as to what you're buying. Granted, they might make that list bigger lol

Falconiroc

You know, I never thought of that. I think I'll take your advice, I would absolutely love to get suggestions!

Falconiroc

Here is a list of parts that I believe will be required for Stage 1:
Stage 1 Upgrades:

Looks:
SS Style Rims - These are the rims I have pretty much always wanted
BMW E36 Angel Eye Headlights - I wanted to do this mod with my last car 5 years ago when some folks first started talking about doing it, and now after seeing it done by a few members, its definitely getting done.
Paint - These two Colors are a couple that I've liked from other cars, but I'm very open to suggestions here, as I'm not a paint expert:
1. Dupont Blue with Extra Metalic
2. Electric Blue Metalic (stock 1991-92 blue)
Clear Marker lights with yellow bulbs
Clear Turn signals with yellow bulbs
New front Ground Effects - one corner is cracked. There is a possibility I may repair the break, but the likelihood is I'll just replace it.
Hood - I may replace the hood in stage 1 with an ASCD SS Hood.
Spoiler - Still deciding if the Z28 spoiler is going to stay or be replaced by an RS one (I may also get an IROC one, and shave the tail light)

Interior:
4th Gen Interior from Donor car, I will attempt to use as many parts and components as I can get to fit and look good with a moderate amount of modification/fabrication, other parts will come from the 3rd Gen components I have or be purchased.
Reverse Indiglo Gauge inlay. I love these things, I really like the look of them.
Shifter - If The donor car is not an SS/WS6 I will replace the shifter with something better

Engine:
LS-1 from Donor car
High-Flow Oil Pump - Will be replacing to insure new components, and because its a pain to replace inside the car
I may do a few more bolt-on small upgrades, but I'm hoping to keep the budget fairly small in terms of Upgrades to the engine itsself Let me know what you suggest!

Transmission:
T-56 from Donor car
New Clutch if it isn't pretty new from the Donor car - Which clutch would be Ideal, and which is best bang for the buck?

Electrical:
I plan on using the entire 4th Gen wiring harness.

Suspension:
Spohn Torque arm (car doesn't have a torque arm, I don't really want to replace it with a stocker, so its getting an upgrade.
Springs - If the car doesn't sit right, or if the existing springs don't allow the wheels to fill the wheel well more than stock, I'll get new springs to lower it appropriately. I don't really want to drop it to the ground or anything, for a while this will be a dialy driven car.
Sway Bars - These don't look particularly large as-is, but I can't be sure if they are stockers or not yet.
Wonderbar - This car was originally an RS, I will add a wonderbar
New Steering Linkage - The existing linkage is old and not in good shape
Bushings - They just need to be replaced, will replace with set of polyurithane bushings - Suggest a brand!

Brakes:
LS-1 Brakes from Donor car, will try to use as much of the 4thgen brake system as I feasibly can.
Flynbye Spindles - Will send my Spindles to be machined
Flynbye Hubs and brackets for LS-1 Brake mod

Exhaust:
LT Headers, either Hawks or the place that does Coated headers, don't recall the place off hand.
Y-Pipe
Cat-Back - I am currently undecided on cat-back.. Id really love to hear some sound clips of LT's with a Y-Pipe and Cat back (I realize the catback will likely need to be cut and welded, since the Y-pipe will not dump in the stock location. Eventually I'd consider doing the duals over the axle into a GMMG style muffler configuration. I have to keep smog legal depending on where I move to in about 6 months.

Falconiroc

Hello all, sorry for the wait on this project, the family and I went on vacation for a few weeks so I have not been working on the project recently. This is not to say that I haven't been "Working" on the project, in fact I should probably do a little less talking about the project if I don't want to drive my better half completely nuts.

There are a few very positive stories about the swap as it sits right now! (At least I hope).

I've made arrangements with a local guy to buy his 1998 Z28. I am not getting too excited yet, as I need to drive down to his house, drive it, take a look at it, and give him my deposit. I'll pay 2 payments one in Aug, and one in Sept and it will be mine. I'm going to bring him a written contract (Bill of Sale) today. It has 180k on the odo, so its got a load of miles, but its in excellent shape. The T-56 needs a rebuild. From the sound of it the 1-2 synchro is toast, and the 2-3 is going that way. I've been thinking about this for a very long time, and I got a lot of good advise in a thread yesterday, so I'd like to thank everyone for responding.

As for the T-56, I'm more nervous with rebuilding this than I am for the rest of the swap. I've been reading several instructional tutorials on how to do it, and I think with a Service Manual ($14.95,plus the PDF I downloaded) I have the mechanical aptitude to do it I believe. I rebuilt my own 700-R4, at least back to the planetary gears, added a shift-kit and everything. Discovered that I did a few things wrong but hey, I learned some things in the process.


If things go as planned, and I am able to acquire this car I plan to do the following:

1. Rebuild the T-56, I haven't decided yet if I will build it with stage 2 components, or if I will just do a stock rebuild with steel forks yet. Recommendations here would be awesome if you have them.

2. Continue prepping the 1991 for the swap. Ultimately, I am a third-gen guy. There is the possibility the new body style may grow on me, but my long term plans have ALWAYS included an inter-cooled Turbo setup, and quite frankly, I believe the Third gen Engine Compartment to be superior to the 4th Gen for this application. I'll do more in preparation than I initially slated because I will have more time since the 98 is running.

3. Gather parts to rebuild the LS1 prior to the swap, so when I put it into the 1991, it will have a bit more power, a fresh rebuild, and a complete exhaust, previously I was going to use stock manifolds, and just get it in as cheaply as possible.


The way I see it, I'll be revamping one car so it will be essentially new, and when I make the actual conversion I'll have a new car.

Falconiroc

I put my Deposit down on my donor car today, and I'll be driving it home in 2 weeks.

I purchased a 1995 Firebird Formula. it is in decent shape, but is in need of some major TLC. It isn't exactly what I wanted, but it will help me to get on the road faster so I can sell the Harley.

The GOOD:

- Interior is in decent shape, some minor issues with the drivers seat and a cracked dash pad
- Exterior is in excellent shape and I will be able to sell the parts easily.
- Engine felt strong, and seems to run really well


The BAD:
-Its an automatic, I will need to buy a T-56 for it.

I plan on driving the 'bird while I prep the '91 for the swap. I still plan on building up an LSX engine for it, but I've decided to build a 6.0L from a LQ9 Longblock instead of buying a donor car.

I'll post pictures when I get it home and get it cleaned up!

Red87SC

Sounds like a good plan.

Are you actually going to an lt1 then later to the lsx or are you just going to drive the 4th gen til the lsx is ready?

Falconiroc

I'm debating that, but the timetable may be long enough away that I would want to swap in the LT-1 then later the LS-1. I want to convert to OBDII/ LS1 ECU anyway so in theory I wouldn't have to change the harness a second time right? I am definitely going to be driving the formula while I prep the '91!

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

A LSx PCM controlled LT1 harness is worlds apart from a LS1 harness. There are similarities, but they wont interchange at all

IMHO you should pick an engine and go directly there. Harness, PCM, fuel system, mounts etc all change swapping between and it sucks doing it twice. If I were you, Id drive the stock engine until the LSx was ready. Get all the necessary parts in order then swap it in a very short time span

Falconiroc

Thanks Pocket, this is why I love this board so much, because there is a wealth of knowledge available like this. For some reason, I was under the impression that by changing to the LSX PCM that you would be required to have the same sensors etc that an LSX would have therefore making the harness somewhat interchangeable. I am new to the swap process though, so it should not be a surprise to me that I was incorrect in that assumption.

I know I will be using this 4th gen's body harness, interior harness and interior, but luckily there is a lot of information out there on how to attach an LS-X Engine harness to an LT-1 4th Gen Wire Harness. According to their threads, it looks easier than integrating an LS-X Harness with a third-gen Harness, but this may be another one of those things I'm wrong on here.

Would it be wiser to convert the 4th Gen to an LS1/T56 before moving everything to the third-gen? The only reason I ask this is that I plan on using th entire 4th gen harness, so if I were to get it working in the 4th gen it would be a bit easier moving to the third gen, and it would give me more time to do more suspension prep and other parts into the third gen before driving it. Having the Firebird just allows me to take more time on the '91. The other reason why I'd consider this is that the '91 didn't really have an interior when I got it, it was about 50% of the way stripped to begin with, and the existing harness is a massive mess, which is why I didn't plan on re-using it.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Id drive the firebird as-is (repaired) and build the 3rd gen separate. Sell the bird when the 3rd is complete

hardon85

Hey Falcon I have enjoyed reading this thread. Now correct me if I'm wrong but you want to take your IROC and put an LSX T-56 with the 4th gen interior is this correct? And you are buying a 95 formula with an LT1 auto with the interior in rough shape? If I'm correct it doesn't seem to me like the formula is really going to help you out much. Not trying to tell you what to do but it seems like you could be wasting a lot of time on this formula for not much in return. I'm with Pocket if you want an LSX I would just start there save your money and look for the donor car you want or need. I wouldn't put to much stock into parting the rest of the car out as you could make some money back but in this economy it could take a couple of years to get all of the other parts from the donor car sold not to mention all the time it would take in taking that car apart and the storage space in the meantime you would need. One thing I'm gonna do as it gets closer for me to do the LS1 swap if I do go with a donor car is find out what pieces I want to take and use from a 4th gen and find what the going rate for these parts is, total it up and that's the most I would pay for a donor car. But I wouldn't go through all the trouble of converting the formula to LSX as that is just wasted time and money if you just plan to strip it anyway. Also from looking on Craigslist it doesn't seem the LT1s bring a whole lot of money I see a lot of them going for $500 with most of the pieces (accessories, wire harness, ecm) that doesn't include transmission but it gives you an idea. Also the autos don't seem to have much value either as so many people are taking them out for the T-56. Also the LT1 and LS1 T-56 have a different input shaft which if I remember correctly they are a couple hundred dollars. As you can see you will be spending a lot of money just to spend it again later.

Now on the other hand it's not like the LT1 is a bad choice or motor and I would say in the horsepower per dollar ratio they would would probably be the best choice. One thing is they bolt right in as externally they are the same as the V8s that came in our cars. But if you're like me you will be thinking "this thing is great but I wonder what the LS1 would be like" And I know eventually I would go with the LS1 anyway so that is my plan. Good luck and keep the updates coming.

Falconiroc

That is very good advise Pocket. I intend to follow it to some extent or another. This '95 needs TLC pretty bad, which is why I got it for such a steal. I considered turning the car around for a bit of profit. One concern I have about the 1991 Camaro is that it has no interior, which was a motivator behind me getting a whole car as a donor car. I wish I could have been able to afford the LS1 car for a donor but the boss set my budget a little low for the timeframe in which I had to acquire a workig car. I am very excited to continue project with these 2 cars either way.

Posted from my Android Phone, so sorry if there are grammar errors.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Interiors arent so bad

$250ish for new carpet
$100-300 for a nice set of cloth seats
$free-150 for a complete set of panels
$100ish console
etc

Not a whole lot to do compared to the engine swap

Falconiroc

Hardon85, thanks for your response. I was probably too hard on the car in its description. It does need some TLC and maybe 3 or 4 parts need to be replaced, but overall its not bad ands its gray, which I like. Yeah, the auto part is an issue, but it was the car I could find. Whether I swap it, or sell it I want to give it the T56 treatment. Firstly because I want to, but also because in the event that I decide to sell it whole to get a better donor car (LS1/T56). All in all its not a bad car, but you have a great point, it isn't exactly what I want.

I've thought about the possibility of not being able to sell the remainder of the parts. I hope to be able to sell some and figure out how to get rid of the rest.

I am just like you here, I really love the LS engine, from the sound of it to the technology it uses, but having an LT powered third Gen would be fun too! I think the direction I am leaning is to turn this firebird and pursue a more suitable donor car sometime soon in the future. Meanwhile, there is a ton of work yet to do on the '91. Thank you so mug for your replies as they have been very helpful!

Falconiroc

Lucked out on the third Gen, it had brand new black carpet!

Falconiroc

Thanks to some great advise here on this site, I am going to try to either 1. Turn this Firebird by giving it the TLC it needs and make it run really nicely then hopefully sell it for a profit. I'll then be on the lookout for an LS1/T56 car.

hardon85

Hey one question on the donor cars are you looking for a running driving one or a wrecked one? I looked through most of this thread and saw you talking about insurance cars how exactly did that go?

Falconiroc

I sat in on an auction, and it was pretty wild. These cars are desirable for the re-builders and the dismantlers, so the two F-bods that I saw sell both sold in the 3-4k range.

Because of this I'm just building my own starting with a Truck 5.3 or 6.0. They're very affordable from what I've been able to find.

In the mean time I purchased a 1995 Firebird Formula to drive around. I should be able to give it some TLC and turn around and sell it for a profit, maybe 1k or so.


My plan is to build the engine and get it all going and the motor running without a trans, but with a clutch etc all ready to go. I'll sell the Formula, and buy a T-56 & Rims/Tires and be ready to roll.

hardon85

How did you get in on the auction?

$3,000-$4000 doesn't seem to bad depending in the condition. I know you have a lot of different things you're thinking about but if I had the money I would get the donor instead of starting with an engine and going from there. I read through pocket's thread about swapping in a 5.3 and I believe he did it for $2,200 but he said the motor cost less than $500 if I remember correctly and he did it far cheaper than anyone I've ever heard of and I believe he even went with an auto and he said everything he got was a deal somehow. But by the time you go through swapping the intake, oil pan and getting all the accessories it's all gonna add up. But if you get a donor car it will basically bolt right in with the conversion mounts and you will have the T-56, wire harness, ECM, clutch and pedals if you need them. Not to mention there would be lots of other parts you could use from the 4th gen LS1 donor; fuel tank, aluminum driveshaft, rearend, wheels, brakes and not to mention the all important dash, door panels and center console that you're looking for (including the cluster), and if you get a Trans Am you will get a sweet set of seats (if you don't like them you can sell these easy enough if they are in decent shape) assuming this stuff hasn't been wrecked.

I know what it's like negotiating with the "boss" all to well, but if you show her what you will all get with a donor and what it would cost to buy all the pieces she may understand a little better even though the up front cost is a lot it will not nickle and dime you as bad but there will still be other costs like fuel lines and the wiring and I'm sure there are other costs that I can't think of right now, but I think it would still be less than getting all the pieces.

Again as I've said before I'm not trying to tell you what to do but I'm planning this same thing and have looked at all the different routes to take, but when you look at all the extra goodies you get with a donor and what some of these pieces cost like I see a lot of T-56 swaps going for $2000 with everything you need I've heard a clutch costs $600 and $100 here $200 there adds up quick. Hell think everything over (I know you're doing that already) you haven't bought anything yet so it doesn't hurt to look around, but if it was me I would try to sell the formula and use that money to buy the donor you need.

Also I must admit I haven't read everything in this thread but I haven't seen anyone mention to you that a complete 4th gen interior isn't gonna bolt right in. People have made the dash, console and door panels work but that still does take some work as far as other things like carpet or headliner I haven't tried but have read they will not work at all, as far as other pieces like a pillar trim, kick panels, sail panels and other misc trim have never been done before either to my knowledge. There was a guy working on it but I think he must've given up because I haven't seen him post in a long time, but what he was doing looked like a lot of work. So I guess what I'm saying is you are probably gonna need some 3rd gen interior parts. Good luck and keep us updated.

Falconiroc

I called the insurance auctions local office, explained what I was doing and what I was looking for, and signed up for a guest account. I was not able to bid, but I was able to listen in on an online auction.

One of the difficulties was that if I were to register, they told me I could only bid on local cars. Only licensed Businesses that qualified as Dealers, Dismantlers, Rebuilders or the like could bid on vehicles out of their area. I sat in on auctions out of my state. In my case one was in Southern California, and one was in Texas.

Most cars went for what I would consider to be pretty reasonable prices except for desirable cars such as muscle cars, sports cars, some motorcycles and a few different types of trucks. I did see one F-body go for relatively cheap, but it had been in a roll over, and wrapped around something big like a large tree or telephone pole. From the look of the pictures there was a high likelihood of engine/transmission damage.. it was bad, but it still sold for nearly 2k!


I hear you on this. In the end, saving up 4k or so and buying a not too badly damaged F-body for the swap would end up being cheaper. You are most certainly right. I've done a lot of contemplating on this, and there are a few reasons I decided to go with a truck engine, some of the reasons were looking forward to what my project should culminate in, and many of them are more monetary, not in total, but in short-term availability.

1. There are some advantages with going with the iron truck blocks over their aluminum cousins used in the F-body. I am in no way knocking the F-bod LS1 at all, they are great motors and I would be 100% happy with one. I read an article about the GM LSX series motor (as well as many many other write-ups on LS1Tech.com) Basically it states that while heavier, the Iron blocks are stronger. If I end up with a LM7 (5.3), the thicker cylinder walls will help when running a Turbo (which is an eventuality in my project). If I end up with an LQ4/9 (6.0), their potential is higher due to the pure fact that they have larger displacement.

2. It isn't too difficult to get money for my project. I am a graduate student, but I have a pretty good job in the Software Consulting field, so I'm not rich, but I'm not poor either. The problem monetarily is more focused on the fact that I can get smaller amounts of money easier than I can save 4k at one time. Seems stupid, but it was easier to sell the project to the boss when I could buy a few parts at a time. It's the difference between me getting a few parts at a time and my project fund becoming an emergency fund when money is needed elsewhere. So in the end, yes, it will cost more. But it will get completed faster this way.

3. I only have my Harley to ride right now, and though I really enjoy riding, I've grown very wary of the exposure of riding. Here in AZ the temps range quite violently through my riding day. In the summer, its 95 degrees when I leave to work in the morning, so the morning ride isn't so bad. When I go home, its 120 degrees according to my air temp gauge. I have to pour a gallon of water into a long sleeved shirt and ride the 47 miles home in order to avoid getting severe heat exhaustion. The other type of exposure is the exposure to other drivers. Drivers who have your life in their incompetent hands. I've had brushes with death more times than I want to count, and with another child on the way, I'd rather trust my life to seat belt and air bag than to the pavement and other peoples cars. This is a personal preference.

I know this was my fault for getting the Harley, but its something I want to change badly, so thats why I purchased the '95. I have put the HD up for sale, and hopefully it will sell soon, but I won't make any money off of it, since I've only had it for a year, so I'm just asking for what I owe.

Don't worry, I don't feel like you are telling me what to do, but rather giving good advise. In the past when people have given me advise here, I have taken it to heart. The advise received by people like you, Pocket, and others has weighed heavily on the way my project plans have ended up. I will certainly be keeping my eyes peeled for a good donor car, and If I finish getting the '95 all TLC'ed up, and the '91 prepped then I'll consider that route again when I start getting the engine parts together. There are a lot of factors.

I've been around on TGO for a long time, I remember the very first 4th Gen part swaps and I've been wanting to do it since then. I've read every single 4th Gen Dash Swap thread, and every single LSX and LTX Swap thread on this board, and many of them on the LS1Tech.com site. I will be using the Dash, Console, likely the door panels, and probably the cluster, though I've considered using autometer gauges instead of the stock cluster.

I have new third-gen black carpet, and most of the plastic pieces for the rear half of the interior for a third-gen, so the interior shouldn't' be a problem.

I found that I can pick up all the 4th gen pieces I want for the interior for around $200 total in a local scrap yard, so that shouldn't be a big concern.

I'm working on my parts list, and comparing it with some of the other LSX thread parts lists that involve using an LM7 or LQ4/9. I'll post it when I'm done so I can get my project planning sheets updated.

I appreciate your recommendations, and your advise, it is very valuable to me.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

I did get a deal on almost everything, but took me 9 months to piece it together. Thats why Ive posted to look for a Fbody dropout for anything with a time schedule

FWIW, my 5.3 set me back $200 and I either traded for or built my own big spender items like crossmemeber, trans and wiring. I pulled off the swap for just under $2000, but I dont consider such an feat common or repeatable. Replacing things I cut corners on over the next few months pushed the total to around $2300. I had zero performance upgrades and reused as much of the 3rd gen stuff as possible. Most swaps go for atleast an intake, headers and sometimes cam which adds about $1500 on top of it

If I were to do it again, Id go for a LS1/T56 dropout from a 01-02 Fbody or similar LS2/T56 from a GTO which I think you should go for. I posted a link to tech about the guy who built a bottom dime budget turbo 5.3 car in your other thread in case you might want to go strait to turbo

Falconiroc

I'm building my parts list I've got an order in which I'm purchasing things for now.

I have a Project Document that I have in my google docs. I am still working on it, but I think its contents will help people going forward with these swaps If you'd like to see it, its here:

Project Spreadsheet

To give you the quick overview: I'm doing the interior first. Would be frustrating to me to have a motor in the car without having the capability to drive it, which is why the order is the way it is. Please feel free to give me suggestions, or let me know prices on some of the items I plan to buy new:

Modern.Third-Gen.Stage.1
.....Phase.3:.Acquire.Parts.for.Build
Order..............................PartVendor......Price
1...4th.Gen.Dashboard.........Salvage/CL......Cheap
2...4th.Gen.Console.............Salvage/CL......Cheap
3...4th.Gen.Seats...............Salvage/CL......Cheap
4...Door.Panels...................Salvage/CL......Cheap
5...Dash.Pad......................Salvage/CL......Cheap
6...Gauge.Cluster................Salvage/CL......Cheap
7...4th.Gen.Fuse.Blocks........Salvage/CL......Cheap
8...18.Gauge.wire................Ebay/Internet..Cheap
9...6.0L.GM.Gen.III.Engine.....CL/Salvage.......~$1000
....OR
....5.3L.GM.Gen.III.Engine......CL/Salvage......~$600
10..Motor.Mounts.................Spohn.............$87
11..High.Volume.Oil.Pump.......Ebay...............$114
12..F-Body.Fuel.Tank............Salvage...........$100
13..Vette.Fuel.Filter..............Ebay
14..Fuel.Lines......................Sal/Ebay
15..Upper.radiator.Hose.........Autozone
16..Lower.radiator.Hose.........Autozone
17..Vette.Or.F-Bod.Brkts.......Sal/CL/Ebay
18..Vette.Or.F-Bod.Alt..........Sal/CL/Ebay
19..Vette.Or.F-Bod.A/C.Comp.Sal/CL/Ebay
20..Vette.Or.F-Bod.PS.Pump...Sal/CL/Ebay
21..Filter.&.Intake.Duct..........Misc............$85
22..Y.Pipe............................Exh.Shop........~$150
23..3".Random.Tech.Cat.........Ebay
24..Subframe.Connectors.......Spohn...........$199
25..Torque.Arm....................Salvage/Spohn...$0-$369
26..Clutch/Flywheel..............Ebay/Inet/AZ
27..Throwout.Bearing............Ebay/Inet/AZ....$120
28..F-body.Hyd.for.Clutch......Ebay/Inet/AZ....$180
29..LSX.T-56.......................Ebay/Internet...$1300
30..Torque.Arm....................Salvage.........Cheap
31..4th.Gen.Alum.Driveshaft...Salvage.........Cheap

Falconiroc

I am not in a huge hurry to get this done, so I don't mind collecting the parts and then building later. Thats a big part of why I'm doing the interior first. I figure if I gather all the other items first, get the restore done, get a functional interior, and what-not, then I'll be ready for an engine/trans combo at that point. If I can save up a bit, and sell the '95 at that point I might be able to get a drop-out setup or something.

_87TA_

Any updates? I'm also subscribed to your blog. Your orginization is motivating me to get my *** in gear!

Falconiroc

Finals has taken it out of me! I've been over and looked at the beast a few times. I need to look at the frame to make sure its not bent, so I'm going to be doing some close-up looking, as I know the front clip has been replaced. If it has a bent frame, I'm stripping it and getting another third gen for the project, so I'm hoping its not. I should know this weekend!

Falconiroc

Hey everyone, I Have made little physical progress on the car, and the reason for that is this:

When I purchased the car, the previous owner had won it at an auction for storage units. This was okay with me, because I can just get a bonded title and in 3 years, it becomes a regular title.

As I have torn down this car, some of the parts I pulled from the car really made me take a step back and wonder what exactly the history of the car had been. I have never got a vehicle history report or anything, because I'm a pretty good judge of a cars history based on what the car's body, and undercarriage looks like.

But the case that I was seeing was odd. It was obviously someone's project car already. It had undercoating in the wheel wells, a T-56 cross member, and brand-spanking new carpet. I was concerned that the car may have been stolen and stripped in the storage unit.

If it was stolen property, there is no way I could use it, I'd have to get rid of it, and take the hit (albeit a rather small one) for the cost.

Today I ran a car fax and it came back clean! the vehicle is not stolen, and hasn't been in any accidents. Even better, it has only been registered in TX and AZ, which is why it is pretty close to rust-free.

I've been thinking of my plans for the car, and my methodology in putting it together. With some of the recent events with a couple swap cars (BlueZee28, and 57Kid) its evident that these engines have the umph to really tear up the hardware, even if you are pretty careful. With the purchase of the 1995 Formy, I have a car to drive, so I'm not in a hurry to get this one on the road. This might seem like a downer for those who might be really interested in seeing this thing come together and get on the road (even a small part of me joins this group). On the positive side of this, it means that I am going to be doing a LOT More with the car during the build-up. (Think 403LSX Block, forged internals, L92 Heads, FAST Intake, Built T56 from D&D Performance etc) I need to build the body/frame, suspension to handle it all first though.

The primary things that have been holding me up from doing work on the car have been the heat (Horrible heat), and the fact that the car is 30 miles away from my house. We're moving in the next few months here, and we're moving the car to our new place so I will be able to work on it frequently. I'll start getting the progress updates up here, and get my build sheets posted so I can get some good feedback on the suspension/frame stuff that will best benefit the monster.

I have some questions to get me started:

1. I want to race this car on road-courses but still retain the ability to send it down the straight aways on the drag strip, I would love some recommendations on what type of setup would work well for this.

2. Turbo? I have always always wanted a turbo LSX third gen, but is this really practical for a road-course car? I've seen how boosted cars build boost and loose traction again post-launch, would this create an unstable element when accelerating out of corners? I have not had an opportunity to drive a Turbo V8 before, so I'm not sure out of personal experience.

3. I have this bug that keeps making me want to do dual exhaust over the axle. I've researched the hell out of this and I think I'm going to copy another Board Members set up:
(Props to Neil by the way, sorry to steal your setup man... imitation is the purest form of flattery though.)


With the relocation of the panhard rod, and the upper brace, is that enough clearance that you wont hit the exhaust in cornering? Can you do this without going with a fuel cell? From some of the other pictures in his thread it doesn't really look like the pipe would require the fuel cell, but I'm curious.

Falconiroc

Unfortunately I sold this car to another Third-Gen Fan. I needed a car I could drive while I worked on it. I purchased a 1999 T/A LS1/T56, and I absolutely love it. I wish it were a third gen with all the '99 T/A interior/Engine/Trans, but it wasn't in the cards for now. I am determined to do a wild third-gen build sometime in the future though, and I will definitely keep up with the TGO boards.

Falconiroc

I will soon be reviving this thread, as I return to the Thirdgen world. I should be purchasing a 10th F-body (7th Third Gen), either a 1991 RS or 1992 RS. I'll be reforming the thread and posting pictures soon!