Not all of us can race 12 months a year, so winter is the "upgrade/repair" season.

Personally, no big plans, nothing to repair. On the wish list is a two-step rev limiter, otherwise it's ready to roll next April when the track opens again.

Anyone got big plans? Other than Stephen actually getting the car running???

 

I need to put Humpty back together again. I am switching to a two-piece RMS block and getting a new crank. I also am thinking of switching to a solid roller setup this time. I have a new rear-end coming (just a 3.73 geared 7 5/8" for now... ), and bought the leather interior out of a 40,000 mile 92 GTA this fall.

Five7, are you allowed to use a two-step in Sportsman at Bandimere?

 

I've been thinking of ditching the TPI and getting a different intake....maybe a Stealth Ram...or waiting for the new BBK that will be coming out in January

 

They don't run a strict NHRA Sportsman class there. They allow a staging rev limiter, but things that control the throttle are not allowed.

 

gettin a LS1

 

startin the build up on my 468 big block once xmas is over and my snap on bill is payed off or payed to where its almost gone. then tons of body work but end up still puttin money into the 305 till the big block is done. maybe get a better fuel pump, put my N.O.S superpower shot kit on since its been sittin for about 3-4 yrs try to get into the low 14's if not luckly high 13's if things go right with out killin the 305 just yet

 

winter huh, mine will prolly go through next winter. since the 305 blowd up, might as well start fresh. anyways, 383, forged bottom end, afrs, lt1 intake, put the long tubes back on and fab up some fancy exhaust, and learn to tune it all. g force kit, spec stage 3, pro 5.0. 9 inch. sfc and a cage, some koni yellows, some nice tires to go on the gtas for solo I. ram air II hood, 4th gen wing, tint, that stuff should make it look killer. thats prolly it. oh, gonna spray the moon at the drag strip

 

I'm planning on upgrading my fuel system and ignition. I want to sump the stock tank and install a better fuel pump with larger lines. I also want to get a MSD pro-billet distributer and a box with a timing retard during starting...starter struggles a little to turn the engine over while hot with the timing locked down at 36 degrees. I also need some new tires and would like to step up to some larger ET streets..maybe 28x10.5 or 28x11.5.

 

i am either going to raise my compression a couple points and keep spraying it,or lower it a few points and bolt a big procharger.

 

clean the car up a bit, maybe do some suspension mods and maybe fix a oil leak from the back of the TPI manifold. i dont have money to do anything else LOL

 

NT 555R Drag Radials
Vilgilante Torque Convertor (2800)
Trans Go shift kit
-And possibly the new intake that is suppose to be released come spring time for TPI cars.

 

the BBK one? i am also looking into that

also thinking of classic or collector car plates for my camaro. that way i can scrap all this emmission stuff and get a stealth ram and do whatever else i want and have some fun LOL

 

I just finished installing the hood and cutting a hole in the top of the scoop for the air filters to fit through and it looks good. The top of the front carb is just below the top of the 6" cowl scoop. The filters are 5" tall on top of that. If I put some fuel in the cell, it would probably fire right up but I'm still a little way from considering it finished. I'd take some pics but the front of the car is still covered in fiberglass dust from all the hood and scoop cutting and the nose of the car is still off for better access. I'd like to make the nose a quick disconnect item somehow. The engine looks real nice and there's over $400 worth of steel braided hose and fittings to run all the fuel lines to 2 carbs.

I still have a bunch of minor tweeking to do before it's finished but the only major thing left to do with the new engine is to relocate the steering column! The new aluminum heads have some massive exhaust ports. This pushed the headers outward at least 1/4" on both sides. The passenger side header is now right up against the "frame rail". This moved the engine more to the center of the car, but not quite. Moving the engine closer to the driver side puts one of the left hand header tubes, the one with the factory dent to clear the steering column, too far into the shaft to make the dent bigger for it to clear. I only need to move the steering column at the firewall over about 3/4".

 

I'm just fixing some problems from last year, changing the fuel pump that took a dump and regular winter maintinence like fluids, valvesprings, going over the suspension, ect.... A new radiator would be nice as the stock one is not cutting it in traffic on the hotter days, so thats on the list along with a new set of ET Streets.

Hopefully I'll be ready to go when the track opens again in Feb/March

Steve

 

rebuild the front suspension and setup the rear,...install some beehive springs 1.6 roller rockers and install a big shot nitrous system...get a G-force T5 kit so when i blow up the stocker i have a backup...full slicks, build up the 10 bolt with girdle, solid sleeve 30 spline axles, install SFC's and rip it up...

 

tune the holley some more (did that saturday)

put the 4.10's in it (did that sunday)

cowl hood? depends on funds

 

Start on getting the 427 together
Get a roll bar installed
Redo the fuel systems

 

Well lets see.....

Add a roll cage, (See this post https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=269498)

Add a fiber glass hood

Change to a Crower 00355 solid lifter cam (244 / 250 @50, .508/.513 lift) Currently have Performer RPM cam.

While heads are off I plan to have .025 to .050 milled off which will boost CR from 10.7 to 11.4

Add a torque converter (2500-2800 stall)

Then get ready to race and break into the 12's

 

Gonna replace the used up 383 with the 406 that has been sitting in the garage since 1997. Hope to pick up a tenth or 2. I figure oil blowing out the dipstick tube ain't a good thing.

 

Since I fragged my trans earlier this year, I was scrounging the local junk yard looking for a nice chevy TH400 core. I found two of them, but one had a damaged case, and the other had lots of metal shavings in the pan. I paid $200 for the both of them, in hopes to at least make one good trans. I brought 'em to my shop and disassembled both; the one with metal shavings had a burnt up rear planetary set, but the one with the damaged case had a straight cut planetary set in perfect condition - It's a TH475!:lala:

 

6 point roll bars (DONE)
Rear disk conversion
Aluminum drive shaft
Five point harness'
Pro5.0 shifter
TPI conversion
Adjustable torque arm??

 

Nice find. I was looking for a TH475 for the gears when I used a TH400. I now use a powerglide so I stopped looking.

 

I am hopefully going to be doing:

Solid Roller Camshaft
9.5" 4000 stall
CE Sump (currently running stock tank/lines)
Rewiring the car

Should pick up some ET and mph .

 

I'm swapping out the 305 for a 350, getting the trans rebuilt and if I have some money left a new rear end

 

i plan to hook up my heater! i work from 2:30pm to 3:30 am,and its damn cold in the morn, too cold to get by with just the seat heater.

 

Plans, plans, plans. I was really wanting to leave the Vortec stuff on the BB but in stock form it just sucks too much. I decided to rebuild the 454 and run a nice soild roller cam. Did find out this vortec BB is not a tall deck. I read they were and was told they were but I was looking at it and somthing dident jive. Finally got ahold of a short deck intake and it happens to bolt right on. The lack of the 4th ring also is a dead give away.
Got some more of my stuff back from the ex too including my drag radials. SO as long as the swap goes good I should be hitting the track come spring.

 

There are no tall deck Vortec blocks. I could have told you that. I have yet to see a production tall deck block newer than 1990. Any of the 5 ton trucks that got a gas engine from 1991 on, got a Gen V 454 which is a short deck. When they switched to the Gen VI blocks a few years later (aka Vortec style) they were still only short deck 454 blocks.

The one piece rear seal, cast timing cover, steel crank with 4 bolt mains and roller block is still nice to have.

 

To the best of my knowledge, only the 427 and 366 BBC's came in a tall deck variation.

In addition to my trans project, I'm also going to replace all the valve guides in my Dart 360 heads. I found one of the thin wall, expanded in guides had partially dropped out on to the underside of one of the exhaust valves. They will all be replaced with the solid, drop in shouldered type, to prevent this from happening again. I'm lucky the valve didn't hang open and cause catastrophic engine damage. I figured as long as I'm having the guide work done, I might also consider having a full CNC port job done from either CFE or Modern Cylinder Head, if I can get a decent package deal.

Stephen, let's see some pics of your car with your new engine and that 6" cowl scoop.

 

The car's still covered in fiberglass dust from cutting the hole in the cowl but I'll see if I can take some pics of it this weekend in the garage. I don't get much time to do any work on it during the week and it's going to be a real cold weekend to even open the garage door.

With 5 months to go, I'm not in a real big rush to get it finished but when you figure I'm only getting things done on the weekends, there's not a lot of days left. My "to do" list is getting smaller. It's that steering column relocation I'm putting off that really needs to be done. Once that's done, the rest is easy (as long as the engine runs). I want to hear it running soon just to know everything works.

 

My old setup:

Sportsman-II Iron heads
224/230 .502/.510 112lsa cam
Flat top pistons, 8.96:1 c/r
Vortech S-trim 10/12 psi (22d timing)
36lbs injectors
Singleplane EFI manifold, 1205 port
3670lbs race weight with driver
Did: 12.40 @ 119mph on street tires.


New setup:

Trickflow 23* Alum heads
230/244 .510/.540 112lsa cam
Reverse dome pistons , 9.14:1 c/r
5.850" Rods, 9.015" installed, .044" quench
Vortech S-Trim @ 10/12 psi (34d timing?)
3-core FMIC Intercooler, 3" piping
55lbs injectors
Singleplane EFI manifold, 1205 port
Tubular K-member, a-arms, and mustang rack and pinion.
Weight goal: 3200lbs with driver.

Wonder what it will run this year?

-- Joe

 

A few of the new crate engines are actually tall deck blocks, thats where the misinformation I recived came from. I was supprised to see all the good stuff the engine came with from the factory, its been too long since Ive seen a 4 bolt 454 its although every RV owner with a BBC swears there engine is a 4bolt.
It's going to be nice to drive a sleeper 3rdgen with a BB under the hood I just need to order some more VC stickers that say 305.

 

Just picked up a set of used AFR 190's with an hour of run time. Will upgrade the valvetrain with Comp Cams Pro Mag rockers, ARP rocker arm studs, and some good chrome moly pushrods. Want to go from 12.88 to mid 12's without sacrificing streetability.

 

1.Buy and install Spohn rear control arms and Wonder Bar
2.Get my Spohn subframes welded in
3.Put in seat covers that have been sitting around since May
4.Try not to freeze when working on car over winter break

 

why would you even mod you car?!? keep it till it has like 150k then start mods


oh, my winter/next summer plans are new 383 and a sunset orange paint job

 

i think hes talkin about the 02 trans am hes getting


me i plan to get my bottom end balanced and the motor put together, then install it and convert my car to a 5 speed

with the help from you guys of course

 

1. Headers
2. Buy the Vigilante converter from my buddy and have it restalled to around 3k or 3200.
3. NX wet kit... probably 150 shot
4. Put money away for the tranny when it gives up the ghost...

 

I'm trying to put the new motor together and enter the car into the hot rod pump gas drags dead line feb 18. Did I mention the hole car is in pieces. Just had it painted and the rest of the bar put in to make it legal to go 9.99 or faster.

 

Well, my plans have been modified slightly.

A couple of weeks ago somebody on the Board said something about searching eBay for "ZZ4" (don't even remember what the discussion was about). On a whim, I did, and a disassembled shortblock came up. The guy is in Colorado Springs, so I gave him a call to get more details. He had already hot-tanked it and magnafluxed everything. He'd even rough bore it to make sure it would clean up for a .030" overbore. He thought it was going for too much money, but said he'd make it worth it if I won, and had other things available if I lost.

I bid, but lost. I called him a couple of days later about other possibilities, and he said the winner hadn't made any attempt to pay or contact him. He had put a 4-day pay limit on it in the payment instructions, so he said call back in a couple of days. Sure enough, the winner reneged, so he said come down and look at it and we'd talk. In the meantime, he'd do the rough boring.

Went down to look at it Friday. He built a complete machine shop behind his house, really clean operation. The block did clean up at .020", ready for the final hone to .030"-over. The crank is reasonably clean but should be polished. Rods checked out. So, it ended up in my garage, Summit shipped Saturday, won a ZZ4 cam on eBay - looks like an "iron-headed ZZ4" is going in the Camaro this winter.

 

New Dart Pro1's

 

well i just bought some brand new headers im going to try there stepped hookers and the paint and body work completion should be march area, pearl black and i jsut got the 4th gen interior, that is all going in also! pictures lots of em!

 

my winter plans? figure out why my damn near new 5000~ mile shortblock has .025" endplay

Once that problems fixed the trickflows are getting hogged and milled, and a nice big honkin solid lifter cam is gonna find it's new home in my engine. Then its time to gut the car in an attempt to get race weight under 3200 pounds. No carpet, one race seat, tubular kmember, lightweight brakes and a 4 gallon fuel cell to name a few things....

Eric

 

love your sig man! you get that from me?

"GFX Haters UNITE!"

 

By chance are you running a scat crank? If so pm me. I have some useful info. By the way, I am not a scat basher. I have run scat cranks with zero problems.

 

yes i did! were two of the few people that do much to sportcoupes


my motor just went to the machine shop so itll be back in a couple weeks. cant wait to put this thing together!

 

After decimating a th-350 trans during a 7.18 1/8th mile pass a couple weeks ago, will swap transmission during holiday break.... At least that was plan.

Son brought home 91 Camaro RS and a lot of parts, building his own bracket car. he drove most of last year with me taking over after last points race. Am spending christmas vacation welding full cage in his car and assembling 4 bolt forged motor for his car. He wants to be able to run in mid to high sixes in 1/8th mile NA. Has many good parts, mech roller cam, 5.14 gears, 5600 stall converter, 13-1 compression and th-400 (xmas present from dad).

Expect to have car together and running in a couple of weeks.

Due to both Holidays being on Saturday, our local track is actually closed for two weekends.

 

Ahh Gee. What a shame. I still have 12 - 14 weeks before the track opens.

 

you know, looking at your sig with the "future concept" of your car in it, it looks alot like my car will look like. that's funny!

sportcoupes rule!

keep me updated on the car man

 

no scat crank, just a stock cast unit. But i'm always up for good info so if you get some free time, send that info my way.

Thanks,
Eric

 

No major plans for me. Just install new springs, headliner, electric choke, paint my hood, and clean up the wires in the engine bay.

 

Motor is out and just trying to figure out what parts to put in. Like Stephen said lots of winter left up here so no rush.