Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

it's a 1pc rms block, mounts are moroso solids

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

Completely forgot to update

I have most of the interior in, now fiddling with seats and belts. Will need to do some fabrication for those. Dashpad will be cut to a tight fit and installed and then it's just bleeding the brakes and some small stuff like installing pass. side glass and door panels.

rear lamps installed, rewired and working as they should




T tops installed, aligned, interior going back in

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

battling door rattles:

Saper

Nice progress!
EVO X seats?

For my 1982 TA I got Recaro seats from ITR, but recently I bought Recaro from EVO X for another project and they are so awesome I want put them in Trans Am... but with ITR's I can still easily use back seats...

how they compare (ITR vs EVO):

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

seat is in, belts too. Was a lot easier than I thought.





it's comfortable too LOL

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

forgot some pics

how the frame for the seat is set up:


back on it's own wheels


one last look on the underside. No leaks, everything works as it should.


the only oil leak it had was from the drain plug, replaced that with a stock type one. Has a larger sealing surface and I used an O ring instead of the brittle nylon washer


Now it's on the wheels for the underside to hardly ever be seen again. Kind of a shame.

UltRoadWarrior9

Really nice custom work here. Most people don't even realize and can't appreciate the work that went into this custom exhaust, and the entire build for that matter...

The original exhaust I believe was a Stainless Steel OBX Racer? but since the trans was a manual, the slave cylinder interfered on the drivers' side. The work it took to work around that is nothing short of amazing...

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

Thanks for the kind words. Yes it was a set of OBX longtubes.

gerrutcamaro

It really looks awesome & i can't express enough how happy i am with the job you've done.

UltRoadWarrior9

TT, did you use the exhaust manifold gaskets that came with those OBX longtube headers?

Some here have no faith in those supplied gaskets, but I don't see a problem. They look decent enough quality...

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

No, I used Percys dead soft, I always use those or copper. There's a pic of the fitment of the percys somewhere in the thread. The headers do have thin areas on the flanges next to the bolt holes, there's very little meat for sealing there. A bead of red silicone will help a lot there.

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

Almost.....

















Oh yea, what looks like a scratch on roll cage in front of the dash is actually duct tape residue, need to remove it on some spots with white spirits

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

Finished Yay

I buttoned up the last small things. IT's ready to go back to it's home.

repaired fuse box hinges (can't get a fuse box lid here), 2 tie wraps is all it took and works like new


Didn't have a shifter ball, so a temporary solution was in order. A t5 ball won't fit. I had a cracked old ball, so I figured I'd route out a hex and glue a nut in there to get it on there. Also taped it up after glueing the cracks. Looks like crap but works for now







new shifter plate also, now with functional shift indicator illumination. This is a hawks unit and requires cutting the holes for the buttons




Here's how I cut the holes

took great care to cushion everything in the doors... no more rattles. Closes like a new car



[img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yrZhpvfHv3A/V1rMZoNmG0I/AAAAAAAATvw/O1tLKs_o_zItA9jDuOFhDEQc2u8az8rVgCCo/s1152/20160610_122737.jpg/img]

Installed new steering wheel after mofying an adapter I had, the one that came with the wheel didn't fit







sure looks the business with the cage belts and seats


and a vid of the engine rumble in the car, windows are down

gerrutcamaro

End of an era

You've done amazing work & i am absolutely thrilled that i can finally admire it on my driveway & enjoy driving it.

gerrutcamaro

And it's off for the final touch ups at the painter's (i hope )












One happy owner

camaro1185

What brand recaro seats are those?

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

recaro LOL

camaro1185

I meant what MODEL recaro seat.....funny guy!

gerrutcamaro

They are from a lancer evo, not sure what kind exactly

gerrutcamaro

Current mod list...with many thanks to Twin_Turbo for his hard work & especially for the big & small custom parts.

New gm performance parts 383 stroker block, 1 piece rms 4 bolt mains
Eagle 4340 forged rotating assembly with forged pistons
Moroso high volume oil pump
Milodon stroker oil pan with built in windage tray
Comp cams Solid Roller Cam (286/292 - 248/254@.050110lca)
Comp solid lifters with oil grooves with 1.52 comp pro magnum rockers
Dart pro 1 aluminum heads 215cc runners 64 cc combustion chambers compression ratio 10.7:1
dart single plane intake manifold (ported)
Mighty demon 825 cc carb
msd pro billet distrubuter
Holley 110gph fuel pump
Solid engine mounts

Tremec TR3550 5 speed (mustang)
lakewood bellhousing
Centerforce dual friction clutch (11")
Hurst shifter

9" rear, 3.27:1 diff
rear 12" Baer eradispeed rotors, PBR 3rd gen aljuminium calipers
front 13" rotors with Baer Black Label calipers

OBX stainless steel 1-3/8 full length headers customized for manual transmission,, 3" collectors to 2.75 duals
Spintech Super Pro Street 9000 muffler 3.5" in & out (with optional custom made db killer)
Custom stainless steel 3.5" exhaust
Custom header crankcase evac system with stainless check valve
Custom made crossmember
New stainless steel brake lines

Biesheuvel weld-in rollcage
Koni shocks
Eibach lowering springs
Bolt-in subframe connectors
Alston lcas
Umi lcarbs
Front Strut tower brace
PU bushings
Aluminum driveshaft with new 1310 to s44 conversion u-joint
Sparco 4 point CAM LOK seat belts
Recaro Lancer Evo seats with alcantara

Candy apple paint job
Underside covered with bedliner
Custom rear spoiler
Fiberglass hood with scoop
New front- and side windows
New NOS weatherstripping
'91/'92 Trans Am GTA tail lights
Custom radiator mount
Aluminium radiator with Flexalite dual fans
J&M strut mounts
Custom made coil mount
Remote oil filter
Custom made oil seperator tank
Custom sumped fuel tank
Ford css 8k ppm converted to 4k via rewired oem buffer box
Custom wiring harness using oem connectors relays and fuse holders
New hawks 5spd shifter plate
19" BMW rims (partially painted in body color)
275.35.19 Falken tires

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Any frustrations with getting in and out of the car with door bar? I've been contemplating that low slung style bar since I know I would be far too annoyed with a NHRA spec height bar.

Also, what series BMW are those rims from? They look great!

gerrutcamaro

The rims are just aftermarket ones meant for a BMW, i was to lazy to dig into my administration of 5 years back to get the exact brand, sorry

I have no problems getting into or out of the car, the seat belts are more in the way. The bar is really no problem at all because i already have to go up because of the low position of the seat (compared to a regular car). But, i do have to say i'm not as big as most dutchies with only 1.78m (5.8 ft) and 61 kilograms (134 lbs) so someone else might feel differently.

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

I had no problems fitting either and Im a bit bigger than gerrut. They really do not interfere very badly. Biggest prob is lifting a leg over the bar

UltRoadWarrior9

Nice build and thanks for updating your parts list Gerrut.

I'm building a 383 with the same GMPP 383 Block. I appreciate TT's attention to detail..

But I'm opting for a Moroso 20206 7Qt Oil Pan because it has a crank scraper and built in windage tray.

EDIT: Nice to see 60PSI oil pressure at idle

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Was the oil cold or are you just using thick oil?

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

10w40 synth. Not hot but not cold either

gerrutcamaro

Not 10w60?

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

oops yeah, 10w60 ultra helix racing ... just checked

Chuck84TA

Beautiful!!!!

UltRoadWarrior9

What kind of weatherstripping package do you prefer TT? I've had my car repainted and all old weatherstripping was removed, like in this project, so I'm curious what someone of your level of expertise prefers/uses? So many bad reviews out there regarding aftermarket (OER) non GM parts on this forum.

The Project

iTrader: (6)

Excellent build with incredible attention to detail.

I'm going to steal a few ideas for my build which I will finally finish....one day....before I retire

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Just curious what the seat belt laws are over there. US only allows one or two aftermarket harnesses/seat belts for highway use according to the books at least. However I've called the police division in my state (Arizona) responsible for roads and was flat out told as long as there is some type of restraint in the car and I'm wearing it they don't care what it is. Is it like that over there?

gerrutcamaro

Not sure what TT prefers, but the weatherstripping used on the built are from gmpartsdirect.com

The rules are pretty easy on older & imported cars, as long as the car passes an annual safety check it's okay ("does the seatbelt lock & is it undamaged?"), but cars that are sold new should basicly remain stock (the way they are approved for use in our country) but no one checks on it. In a worst case scenario you might get in to trouble with your insurance company after a serious crash.

r0t0rdr1ver

Wow...just wow. Excellent work!

gerrutcamaro

3d center cap stickers from http://3dcarstickers.com/en/auxpage_yourlogo/









et fini

IROCgiraffe

iTrader: (3)

Looks awesome!

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Those look great, are they just made from a 3d printer?

gerrutcamaro

Don't know, this comes from their FAQ:

Q: What are 3D stickers made of?
A: 3D stickers are made of high quality vinyl, with printed image on it, and covered with layer of liquid resin (2-3mm). This layer protects the sticker from external influence such as rain, solar radiation, and ext.

siuol

"et fini" ?

Never, there is no end.

Outstanding work, Just magnificent.

Louis

gerrutcamaro

Ssttt, the GF might be reading this as well

& thanks! Most credit goes to TT ofcourse.

maks10

Beautiful work man and amazing fin at the moment...thanks for sharing the center cap link and love all the choices made...especially roll cage, transmission, and paint!

gerrutcamaro

Thanks, the roll cage is a really fine upgrade, it corners very nice now.

84Z28dude

iTrader: (2)

Nice build! Need a video of it out on the road!

gerrutcamaro

H4 halogen





vs xenon 5000k

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Nice!

In the fog lamps too? Do those bulbs run hotter?

gerrutcamaro

No, they are just as they were before, but not the stock lights.

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

Well, after 1 summer of driving this thing is back at my shop unfortunately.

Gerrut contacted me about some issues he had.

First he had a lot of coolant loss intenally so I took the covers off, did a pressure test and sure enough water came spouting past 1 of the head bolts. Someone (the guy who built it..more on that later here) forgot to put adequate amounts of thread sealer on the bolts. There was none on this particular one but it could have washed away. Rinsing the engine with diesel, renewing the oil a couple of times and resealing all the bolts and it looked like it was good to go. Some minor mods on the crankcase evac system fixed some blowby issues. The BG carb had needed a little work also because of unsealed plugs on the inside and some other small issues. Nothing too bad and easily fixed.

So he ran it, ran it hard...ran it what it was intended for.

Then he noticed the engine was vibrating more and more (it was always a thumper and with solid mounts there are bound to be vibrations)

Then it got excessive, oil pressure dropped to a minimum barely getting 10psi for 1K rpms. This was a major concern but before it could be properly diagnosed the thign started to make a hell of a ruckus.

Uh OH! And I mean pounding like a 30lb sledgehammer underneath.

Something must be severely messed up. Sure enough it was.

This is the engine
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...3-stroker.html

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...3-stroker.html

first of all, it did not have dart pro1 230s, it has 215s. I already knew that because I checked all the valves. Not a huge problem, in fact better suited for a street 383.

When he contacted me I initially thought maybe the pickup had fallen off and was lodged somewhere with the crank hitting but when I heard it in person I knew it was something much worse. The engine was hard to turn over, very hard. This had all the hallmarks of a broken crank even though there was compression on all cyls.

time to deconstruct...

back on the lift

still looking good
https://photos.app.goo.gl/V4F8PxPzmAL7gy0v2






https://photos.app.goo.gl/UOqHNVDwGJUVLVpw1

off came the exhaust, tq arm and what not... next the trans.

What do we have here... uh oh! That sure as hell looks like an externally balanced 168t 1pc rms flywheel. This stroker was supposed to be neutral (internal) balanced (not internal/external combo like typical 1pc rms factory)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dESjd8KEw5e4CH4o2

leaking rear seal, brass powder from a completely messed up pilot bearing

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RVEdW9nBsW6n1P0v2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/AzNFBHU8pLQeqCNF3

The flywheel wouldn't easily come off, it had galled itself tight to the crank and the crank was loose, indicating it was broken for sure


Yup, broken

engine bolts missing on the front accessories, a lot of play on the balancer, yup it took out the balancer also


removed intake, oil is sludgy and full of metal

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xqOrwPguw4NIJbH22

a piece of broken dipstick

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mLNCXX3BZBWt0xpA3

no loctite on those bolts or even better a lock plate, they were all just hand tight ready to come out

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gN6fsIjwZLsuObmE3

the dowel pin is already bent from the loose sprocket

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2tyxFKR6tm9nvAx12

this does not look like an eagle assemly, it's black nitrided.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/54eO14YIq2bxMkdt1

Has arp rod bolts and nuts, no arp bolts on the mains (although it clearly is a 4 bolt main) Check the for sale and build thread on the motor. Not only are the heads not as advertised, neither is this

this stuf is salvegeable

https://photos.app.goo.gl/aGeSc0L1OqjWNWq42

pistons and bores look ok

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jz0wI7FzEK1MHcCZ2

this does not, mains are burnt also indicated by blueing of main webs

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ABG4eBKac5TdOGnF3

billet comp cam, trash!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gzWRVjmmU5YXZhVD2

More on this later

press fit pins, seized in pistons. Hard to move, 1 completely stuck. Result of crap buildup between pin and piston

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pDJmt8KK5dYQiqs23

all bearing shells on rods are worn down, hammered down and pounded out of shape, falling out and misshaped. The result of no oil and some hard pounding

https://photos.app.goo.gl/z4PPFpBwY8qe0hMz1

burnt and damaged mains, needs align bore for sure if not completely toast

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z86Fd2UGWQcvo7Es1

caps also beaten to hell, ground out and bores messed up

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RSdkgCsyoT8GqI263

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zTqUxRwfUCsVhhmq2

this engine was supposed to have a 1pc crank

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Day8KJqXz786jsIU2

and it's not an eagle, It's an RPM china special, not 4340 but 4130 forged 1pc rms, rods are RPM brand also

https://photos.app.goo.gl/0DUzXBSQBz6naA6Y2

all rods seized, rods sticking up nice and tight

https://photos.app.goo.gl/N4Y3kcZvfg2Bpeip1

now here's the kicker

He bought this engine and this trans:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...lete-swap.html

the trans is flawless. Not a TKO500 though, it's a TKO2
However it came with a 2pc rms flywheel apparently being out of a 400. No such thing as a 1pc rms 400. Where this flywheel came from? No idea, I didn't install this.

Some other guy here in NL did. He was the one that initially mated engine and trans and dropped it in with that gorilla welded POS of a crossmember that didn't even put the engine in straight and plugged off the VSS hole because well.. a ford vss is so damn hard to find eh?

It also came to my attention that when first fired in this car they had lifter failures. They did soemthing (replace a couple lifters?) but not the cam. It was not checked...ot was it? The result is that mangled piece of billet we see above.

One thing to note was that the front seal was slathered in rtv. To me this means someone took the timing cover off without completely dropping the pan (which is not possible without lifting the engine) and messed up the seal and did an external patch job on it. Who? I don't know but I'm led to believe it was the guy who installed all this. The same guy who bolted up that wrong flywheel.

So now gerrut is left with a trashed engine. The initial installer claims its due to loss of lubrication bbut it's not, the lubrication was lost because of the crank. It's a progressive crank that was partially polished where it originated. Indicating it's been cracked for some time.. Then migrated through the oil feed, losing all pressure. This when quickly took out the bearings, helped by thsat 36 something oz of counterweight that should not be there, shaking everything to death including the balancer.

The intial installer is also the one who lost the lower part of the lokar dipstick in the engine.

All in all, a sd story of total engine failure due to using the wrong parts, having no attention to detail and also being hosed by a seller here who sells something for what it's not. I'm convinced this whole ordeal started with the flywheel. Not even a 1600 dollar crank will live at high rpm with the wrong counterbalance.,

what a sad sight

https://photos.app.goo.gl/tzxTwUULIt7prDPP2

UltRoadWarrior9

That is very sad...
But, this is good knowledge for everyone else to learn from. Need the good pics too that you provided. Why don't you upload to the forum so they can be kept?

At least Gerrut can rest easy knowing your fine craftsmanship and attention to detail, else I'm sure he'd be half insane mad and ready to sell his ride (or 'disappear' someone)

What are your guys' plan for the next engine?

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

The pics will not disappear being on google photos. Too bad they disabled hotlinking.

Not sure yet as to what will be done. Getting stuff over here costs serious money. You have to add at least 30 to 50% to the price.

86CamaroDan

Holy crap. The sheer fact someone slapped that together and blatantly lied about the parts used blows my mind. I got bit on a "built" 10 bolt years ago(too tight backlast - lasted 6 months even after being corrected), and stuff like that and this is why ill never buy used parts that have been modded again. I was out $250, i feel bad for you guys. that sucks.