heavy_chevy29

I have to say, you are doing everything I lack the ambition to do myself lol. its coming along nicely. keep up the good work.

irishhockey34

iTrader: (12)

absolutely awesome. great fab work and props for building it yourself in your garage.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

well, you guys win first of the goodies from Jason at PA Racing showed up

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Bit late, but for your coils. Why not mount them low on the block? No headers to run through/burn on and theres not mounts, K-member or anything in the way like most relo's have to deal with. Easier valve cover access and I cant see you constantly fiddling with the coils for any reason

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

well, that looping primary is pretty prohibitive of putting coils down there, and i have a remote oil filter taking up some real estate down there too.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

i painted the engine bay this weekend. i'm embarassed by the results it's a rattle can job, and i ended up with some really bad textures in some areas. it pictures well, but that's it. it will get me through this season. i'm planning on a 10 pt next winter, and i'll put some strut bars in the engine bay then, and redo all the paint properly then.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

well, this week wasn't as productive as i'd hoped. still waiting on parts. i WAS able to spend a little time getting the motor plate edges straightened up and i'm beginning a polishing process on it. i got some nice professional polishing stuff and realized that i don't have a tool that will spin the wheels fast enough for the stuff to work right. instead of spending money i don't have on a polisher, i'm going to put in some sweat equity and wet sand it. it'll take some time, but will be nice when i'm done.



also got a teaser picture from the coater. he is using cerakote air dry stuff and it takes a full 5 days to cure can't wait to get these back. i got a surprise trip out of town for work this week so progress will be stalled for a few days time to get it on when i get back though!

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

got back from my business trip to find quite a few goodies showed up

HUGE thanks to Jason at PA Racing. He wasn't happy with how things were going with my old k-member and wanted me to step over to a rack set up. We worked a deal that worked for everyone and he sent out this new k-member, rod-ended a-arms, rack setup with bump steer kit, 3 knuckle/2pc steering shaft to snake around my new headers, and a set of drop spindles (that haven't arrived yet).





snaky!



headers are done



New alternator bracket from ICT Billet. These guys sell mostly on ebay, but have a website too, www.ictbillet.com and are easily becoming one of the biggest bang for the buck in LS accessories, brackets, and other nic-nacs. I contacted these guys a couple of months back about a void in the market for an affordable, alternator only bracket. they took the bull by the horns and designed, prototyped, and put into production this alternator bracket within weeks. their service is hard to beat too. i ordered the part on saturday, they had it shipped monday and at my house wednesday. not bad!



getting the last little bit buttoned up with my new steering shaft, then i can start final assembly

zz17iroc

iTrader: (4)

Looking good Matt, all those shinny new parts. It kinda looks like my garage right now with all the new parts I have laying around.

My rebuild is coming along nice and slow, got to have money to go fast. I could not afford a Dart SHP block so I opted for that Summit Racing prepped 355-383 GM 880 4 bolt main factory roller block with Howard billet mains. I dropped it off at the machine shop last Friday to have the billet caps line bored and as of yesterday they have not touched it. They also told me it will not get done this week, but I'll be patient and not rush them. But when I go pick the block up, I'll ask them to do a bore measurement in front of me to make sure all is good. They better hope it's correct, I just don't trust anyone anymore especially Benning Auto Parts and Machine here in Columbus, Ga.. That's why I purchased a prepped block from Summit because it would cost me the same price and at least I know Summit stands behind their products and are not shady.

Anyway, sorry about the rant. Your car is coming along very nicely.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

yeah it's definitely taken a long time to get to this point. i hope that new engine block works out. are you going to try to get it together to do some racing this season?

this thing was a huge trepidation. glad it's done.



will address brake reassembly tomorrow, would like to have them bled before the motor goes back in, for a handful of reasons, but mainly cause any leaks will be easier to deal with if the engine is out.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

i think the front end diet is on the right track


in other news, i've got the brakes reinstalled and all plumbed. i just have to bleed them. once bled, i will be able to get the engine reinstalled. things will happen at a rapid pace once this is done

RamIt

The car is still a pig. You're just an animal.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

Brakes are bled! ok, brakes aren't fully bled, but i have verified i have no leaks in the engine bay so this happened last night as a result

pulled this out of the box. such a nice piece!



this is a Monster LT1-S twin disc. no it isn't adjustable, and i do realize that i am playing with fire a little instead of going adjustable, but the cards fell in such a way that this clutch made a lot of sense to use. I can't thank Monster enough for stepping up and providing this piece for me and am extremely excited to see how it goes We believe i have the potential to be the first into the 9's on this clutch, and would be the fastest on this clutch as a result.



and in



had to share this one. i found a leaking pipe plug on the line lock solenoid. it's position doesn't allow me to reach it easily, so i made a wrench to get to it. this was way easier than pulling it all the way apart just to put another rotation on this single pipe plug, lol.

Street Lethal

iTrader: (16)

Not sure how I missed this build...

Subscribed.

khulsebus

iTrader: (2)

Zz17iroc, Columbus Georgia you say? That was my stomping grounds for 8 years while I was stationed at Benning.

zz17iroc

iTrader: (4)

Yup, I've been here since Jan. 08. I was a Drill Sergeant on Sand Hill until April 2010 and then I retired in 2012, so I stay here because the cost of living down here is way better than MD. But I do miss my hometown a lot. GA is okay I guess.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

last night i got the transmission buttoned up. so good to see this stuff back in it's proper home

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

so yeah....


still lots to do

xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

Sounds fast.

no green

Looks and sounds great. A lot of good work in here.

zz17iroc

iTrader: (4)

I think someone is getting ready for some turbos!? LOL, just a thought. It sure would be very easy to do.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

nah, these headers are too big for turbos on my current cubic inch. not on the horizon at all, lol.

zz17iroc

iTrader: (4)

Go big or go home, surely I was thinking big turbos.

357 Camaro

It sounds great man. I have watched vids of your runs. Very nice car man.


You look jus like a dude I know named Kenny I mean yall look identical body shape beard everything lol. At first I was like wtf is that Kenny haha.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

thanks all!

well, this part is done will pick up some VHT black exhaust paint for the mufflers today. the car should roll under it's own power this weekend.

Z28FAST1

Love it. Interested in results with the new clutch set-up!!

357 Camaro

really like how you have ur headers and and the way ur exhaust exits out the fenders. Love it actually how much did it cost u to build the exhaust headers and all?

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

Thanks! material wise i have under $350 in it. the coating for the headers was $260. my buddy donated the TIG finish welding on the headers, i gave him $100 to cover gas and time for him to come down. so that's about $700. to have these built at a shop using the same kind of material would be twice that or more easily. stainless would put these over $2500 probably.

357 Camaro

Id say u got hell of a deal doing a lot of it your self lol. It really does look great.


With the changes you have made how much time do you think you picked up at the track. Do you think you will get a 9 sec pass?

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

i believe it will be close. the mph indicates a 9.86 is possible as it sat last year if i got it dialed in better. i've dropped near 150lbs and hope to have gained some power with the new exhaust. i hope it's not slower, lol!

pulled the car out from the garage under it's own power today

357 Camaro

lol I like how the exhaust had the camera shaking when it went by bout blowed it over haha. It sounds great man.


That your red Camaro as well?

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

the red car is a customer's. he brought it over for some tweaking.

cool shot of the engine bay

DIGGLER

iTrader: (1)

sounds good!

Street Lethal

iTrader: (16)

Sounds killer Matt, very inspiring work!

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

small victory last night. i got the brake line leaks repaired. just have to do a final bleed. also, got my hood retainers in the mail, and painted my exhaust. also had some pedal pads show up from a buddy. they're built for a nascar team i guess and are cnc'd steel with an anodized coating. they're real nice. i will need to cut them down a little (basically make the mounting holes centered) and will get them in the car at some point. it's all in the small details, right?







i pick up the hood next tuesday, and intend to do a final once over of the car, as well as set front end alignment at some point. TNT is scheduled for the 23rd

no green

I put those on my car when I painted it last winter. This spring I go out for first t&t, 3 guys I race with got new hoods with aero catches. Imitation is flattery

Good luck hitting your date, it's coming along nice!!

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

i put a set of them on my old hood last winter and loved them.

took the day off and went on a field trip had my helper riding shotgun



this place was pretty nice



spoils:



oh yes.





still have to set toe, wire a couple things up, put interior back together, wash and vacuum, then we're ready. i'm going racing saturday, ready or not i guess, lol!

FRMULA88

Looks great, congrats !

357 Camaro

That does look great. Cant wait to see vids of ur 9 sec time slip . Good luck matt hope all goes well at the track i am going next week end. If weather is good.

quik88

that hood looks so much better than all the tall cowl hoods out there these days. seems like everyone is running a 10 inch cowl!!! haha i think i am gonna end up with a forward facing scoop sooner or later

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

nice little detail my mother-in-law got me for Christmas. WAY nicer than the parts store junk Mr. Gasket boot.



list of things to do:

-set toe
-quik-latch buttons on front edge of hood
-replace some coolant caps (over the ports on the water pump and the port on the radiator for the heater hose)
-hook up vacuum gauge
-hook up grounds for headlights
-possibly redo my air pan (time permitting)
-wash
-double check tune
-load on trailer
-put it in the beams

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

so sorry for the delay guys. it was a CRAZY weekend. i'm actually traveling for work this week and am sitting in at the Atlanta airport right now and it's the first time i've been able to stop since saturday morning. yesterday was full of around the house responsibilities and i barely got the car off the trailer.

saturday morning we got to the track way early. Mason Dixon runs their entire junior program before lunch. I had no idea. we didn't get called to the lanes till after 2pm, and we had been there since about 9 am. by the time we got called up there, my wife, daughter, and myself were already pretty beat. DA hovered around 1200' all day. i made 4 passes in total. first was an easy pass and went a 10.46 @ 134. mph matched the best MPH last year in 2700' better DA ( DA on last outing last year was near -1700'). second pass i turned it up a little and got REAL loose on the 1-2 shift. i got super close to the wall and got a "talking to" from the track officials. they didn't like i'm on a tiny tire and didn't understand why i had to launch at 5000 rpm. i assured him we were there to be serious and not goof off. we have video and are planning on reviewing what happened and make changes. kinda made me mad though, lol. i also noticed a smell of ATF coming around the shift boot after the second pass.

put the car in the air and there is definitely transmission fluid on the bottom side of the car. no evidence of it getting under the tires, but i wanted to address it. i thought i found it as there was a large amount around the shifter. i pulled the shifter and resealed it. I also wiped down the bottom of the car. we got back up in the lanes and made a 3rd pass. best pass of the day and a career best MPH: 10.32 @ 135.4

last pass was nothing to write home about. spun hard, and realized i'm still dripping trans fluid. i loaded the car up and went home. all in all a great day. wish i had some stills of the car at the track, but here's what i have to share.



new weight without and with driver. that's a total loss of 170lbs. i believe i have another 60lbs to pull out of the car as well.



time slips



such a pretty view at this track



some video. first is of the sketchy 2nd pass, the next is of the fastest pass of the day





looking at the slow motion video, it seems i need to further tighten the shocks. we'll get that hammered out on the next outing.

overall, the day was a huge win! i still have to figure out why the transmission is leaking cause i didn't fix it. hopefully it's not a big deal. looking at some data from last year, it looks like i've gained about 3.5-4 mph and dropped .15-.2 in similar air. can't wait till good air this fall. car is gonna stroll.

FRMULA88

SCARY>>> looking at my personal best time slip hung on my wall at work, we would give each other a run for the money to 1000' !!!

Just curious how much total timing you got in yours ?

FRMULA88

great job! all that hard work over the winter paid off

I hope the leak is nothing major.

Mine will **** a little ATF from the t-brake solenoid while in storage, doesn't leak otherwise.. go figure.

zz17iroc

iTrader: (4)

Nice

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

i LOVE my new headers. had the trans out, parts run to the store, leak fixed, and trans back in the car in 3 hours, and i was taking my time. I bet i could have done the whole thing in an hour had i not had to stop and go to the store



found the leak it was exactly what i thought it was. when i drilled the holes in the tunnel, i went right through the top of the shift rail extension housing, lol.



decided to tap the hole for a #8-32 screw and put some ATF compatible RTV on the threads. i feel confident in it.



Racing saturday

357 Camaro

Gotta say I love the purple k member. I hope you have a better weekend at the track then I did haha. Made 1 pass and then rained out.

83 Crossfire TA

iTrader: (2)

Huh, you shift and clutch a lot like I do... that's also why my car is not likely staying a stick... after a day or 2 of that my left knee is killing me.

Are you using the line lock to launch? Is it just to prevent rolling in the lights or is there some other reason?

What's up with Mason Dixon complaining at you? There's plenty of cars hitting small tires as hard or harder than you, what is everyone wrong? I had a few >5K launches last fall at capitol (one on the limiter at 6K :P ) but of course I don't think that anyone could tell in my slow *** 305 ;-) (had to be slow if a T5 lived behind that...)

Nice passes

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

yeah, i'd like to make a pedal stop and hone the movement of my left leg a bit. it's too much and takes too long to make the gear change.

line lock and 2 step are on the same button. i use the line lock to keep myself from rolling. i prestage, then set the line-lock with less brake pressure than i would normally use for a burnout, this allows me to bump into the stage beam. since the car likes to go red, i try to bump in as shallow as possible.

who knows about mason-dixon. they all thought my car was a sleeper and was "really wild".

STREETDEMON

matt is your mc linkage adjustable? could you do your pedal stop and push a little more oil sooner for less pedal travel? i've got mine set so it doesn't have to go anywhere near the floor to hit gears at 6500+. if i line it up flush with the brake pedal it has to go clear to the floor to make higher rpm shifts.