Yes, word on the street is the BMR K member sets the engine high and back. One of my priorities is to test fit the stock K member with my oil pan and see if it fits. If it does fit then I am pulling out the BMR K member. Always thought the BMR was too flimsy and won't be sad to see it go.

 

I have a set of the Holley engine mounts for the stock kmember that slide the engine forward 1/2 inch. I can send them to you to try if you'd like. I'll be using the UMI mounts with their kmember and won't need these.

 

The word is correct. At least the one we had in our car moved it back about a 1/2 inch and up. Makes fitment of everything behind it interesting as many things no longer fit like the Holley/Hooker transmission crossmember.

The FBody pan will fit with the stock K member. That's the only pan I've tried. Took just a little hammering in one corner for a bit more clearance.

If you want to go tubular, we now run the UMI RoadRace k member in the car and it allows the engine to sit forward (with the FBody pan) far enough to use the Holley transmission crossmember without having it hit the transmission case.

 

Does not the length of the pushrod have an effect on where the rocker tip contacts the valve? This element is critical with an adjustable rocker assembly.

Not to belabour the point but I think I'm missing something with the checking methods described. Is it not the same as a Gen 1 small block (as in the adjustable pushrod/checking springs/marker method)?

 

It is indeed different than an SBC. On an LS the rcokers are pedastal mount to a base surface. Not just slid over a rocker stud. You torque them down to spec and then do your wipe check. The shims raise it off of that mounting plate which affects the dimensional position of the roller over the valve tip. Once you get that dialed in, then you can check pushrod length.

On stock ls motors you just torque the rockers down. No setting lash. Once you change cam, lifter, etc, you have to start checking. Your pushrod length will end up being measured with lifter preload added to it. When you torque the rocker down you'll feel the preload right before the bolt bottoms out. That basically when you know you've nailed it.

 

The LS engine has a pedestal mount rocker and zero lash. Rockers sit on a mounting pad and can be shimmed up or down to move the fulcrum. That's the only adjustment possible.

The pushrod length is "measure to fit" so it is the last thing you measure. Looking for zero lash + whatever preload the lifters require.

-------

Oops.... didn't mean to post on top of you Shifty. We were both writing at the same time.

 

Thanks. I remember struggling with the LSX however it's been a few years since I had my hands on it. And seeing as it wasn't mine, I've not had the opportunity to follow up. That said, with the Texas Speed cylinder heads and big a$$ cam waiting, and possibly back to the YT rockers, there'll be more measurements coming up.

 

That is very generous of you, thank you. I might as well do it because I'll never know unless I try. I'd like to give you something for it though. I'll send you a PM and we'll get it figured out.

 

Thanks for confirmation about the BMR. Yes, I had an interesting time with fitment too.

I did call UMI a little while ago and they said clearance to F-body oil pan is 1/4 inch. I didn't think it would work with the oil pan I am using. Does 1/4" agree with your experience?

 

PM sent.

​​​​​

 

Decided it was time to test fit the intake manifold.

LS3 was blessed with a great intake manifold but surprisingly the LS7 is not. There are big gains to be found by ditching the stock LS7 intake, especially when upgrading cam and heads.

By big gains I mean +40 RWHP with a Mamo ported MSD Airforce intake. Usually I don't fuss too much with looks under hood, but the "MSD Atomic Airforce" logos are so tacky that I paid extra to have the lettering shaved off.




The shape of the manifold is wildly different from LS1/LS3 so there is no chance of using my old LS1 throttle cable bracket. Fortunately, MSD very recently released a throttle cable bracket, part number MSD-2707. Look closely for the 3-piece crinkle black bracket in the picture. Update: MSD bracket did not clear the hood. I had to make my own bracket.




Homemade throttle cable bracket that clears the hood.




I was hoping to reuse the Nasty Performance fuel rails from my current engine, but the fuel injector angles are different between LS3 and LS7. Another call to Nasty Performance and problem solved. They sent me a set of fuel rails compatible with my tall injectors so I can carry the injectors over from the old engine.

 

How do you know you've moved the full stroke of the cam? Watch a dial indicator while you move by hand?

 

Yes, dial indicator on the spring retainer.

 

Not very interesting news to most people, but a BIG DEAL for me.... Today I worked under the hood of my car for the first time in 9 months since my back became injured.

A little more progress and I'll be up for some of the jobs that need to be done with the car.

 

Just made a BIG improvement to the drivability of the car. It has never driven as good as it does now.

My throttle body has the touchiest idle screw known to man and i figured out why. My engine was starved for air at idle so the throttle blade had to be opened up a long way to compensate. The swept area increases dramatically as the blade opens, so any little change of the idle screw causes large change of air flow. Basically, the blade was so far open that it was impossible to do fine adjustments at idle.

I drilled a 1/8" hole in the blade to give the engine the air it needs, closed down the blade angle to where it should be.... and for the first time ever I have fine control of air adjustments using the idle screw. Made a few complimentary changes in the tune and this is the best idle I've ever had. Car drives a lot nicer and I don't have to worry about whether or not the engine is going to die when I push in the clutch.

Now if I could just make the car more quiet.... My ears are suffering after driving around doing some tuning. Not driving it all winter I forgot how damn loud it is. It's fantastic and punishing all at the same time.

 

A little old school innovation. That trick helped immensely when tuning one of my old carbed combinations.


There's always ear plugs. I've taken to using them on occasions. The wind noise from the windows down takes it's toll too.

 

Good to hear. Take it easy.

 

Stumbled across an old post by TTOP350 and got this idea for a $6 ram air. I probably will do something fancier and a little more stealthy in the future but this should get the job done for a while. But the nice thing about this method is that it is entirely reversible back to stock in a matter of minutes.

Bought some steel flat stock and made three c-shaped brackets and drilled a hole in each end. Each bracket is 2-inch tall.




Inserted the brackets between the air dam and the bumper. Re-used the body screw at the bumper side, and installed some #10 bolts on the bottom (double nuts to keep from loosening). The air dam now scoops air into the fender and battery compartment. Ya, I know it looks really amateurish but that's my skill level when it comes to fabrication. Next, I will box in the air filter so it becomes pressurized at speed.

 

Never a bad idea (amateurish or otherwise).

 

I forgot I posted about that, it must be OLD !! Have a link to it? You could turn the 2 on the ends sideways and remove the middle brace.
I have an addition I'm doing to mine when I ready it for the track this winter.

 

Direct link to your post.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/alte...ml#post5107926

Man, I didn't even think about turning the bracket sideways, and it's so obvious!

 

Mo high flo fo lots mo go!!

 

Another thing I've done is get some different rear shocks. I have learned that the Koni "red" shocks I have now are tuned for stock spring rates and are not capable of controlling the high spring rate I am running. This may be a contributor to why my car is so spin happy. Hopefully I can get the car to ride and hook better at the same time.

I went for the Viking "Warrior series" double adjustable shocks. Not a dedicated drag shock, not a dedicated autocross shock, just a good all-around shock in the middle of their product line up. I am using part number B223 made for lowered cars (puts the sweet spot of the shock movement at correct right height).




Here is a picture of the adjusting *****. 18 positions for compression, and 18 positions for rebound. ***** are at bottom where it can be accessed on car. Link to adjustment guides, http://vi-king.com/technical/




***** will be awkward to reach facing the tire but I was worried the sway bar could strike the ***** if faced the other way.

 

Those are nice looking. Will be looking forward to a performance report soon!

 

Me too.

 

^^Me too^^.
Went to their website to see if they have a comparable strut but I see (their website) is "under construction". I'll have to download their catalogue when I'm back at my PC.
If they did make a strut with that range of adjustment for both compression and rebound, it would certainly help my track performance and not compromise the driveability.

 

You'll want to call them and talk it through. All the shocks have adjustment ***** but not all have the same valving. They aren't cheap so it is worthwhile get personal help with a real person on the phone.

 

Definitely a different ride now. Need to spend time finding settings that I like. Right now I have it on 4 compression, 10 rebound. Rear suspension travels more than it used to and took some sharpness out of bumps in the road. But it bounces some at slower speed and I need to settle it down.

No difference of traction yet. But I did have fun painting my lane from a roll in front of a Corvette, which earned me a thumbs up when he cruised by later.

 

Never said this to a guy b4 but I've Just been eyeballing your rearend where the snubber hits. Is there any witness marks where they've been hitting?
May be worth a gopro under there to see if the body is hitting the axle snubber and loading/unloading the suspension on launch.

 

More than a witness mark... that's almost polished! There is a finger width clearance between the bump stop and the axle. What is normal clearance?

 

That could be from just normal driving. Should check it somehow for launch only.

 

Safe to assume you are running lowering springs?

I usually trim my bump stops by the mount of the drop to maintain full suspension travel. You can also reshape the bump stop to control how stiff it is.

Part of suspension tuning really.

 

I am concerned that if I shorten the bump stop then the tires could be cut by the fender lip. My wheels stick out a little much for my taste but I'm not in a wheel buying mood right now.

I think cutting stock snubbers causes the material to crumble over time. There is a coating on the outside that helps prevent that from happening but it doesn't penetrate to the material inside.

UMI sells Jeep rubber snubbers that are 1" shorter than stock F-body snubbers. I ordered a set but am still thinking about whether it is a good or bad idea considering my wheels.

 

Have you considered rolling the rear lip to prevent them from cutting the tire or scratching the wheels?

I have poly bumpstops that I've trimmed up over time, but my wheel/tire combo fit inside the wheel wells.

of course, my car prolly looks like a 4x4 compared to your car.

 

Increased compression to 6 and no more bouncing. Looks like these settings really do something. I was worried facing the ***** toward tires would make the ***** hard to access but it turned out to be pretty easy if I lay on the ground.

Part of the trick is I have to teach my butt what different settings do and feel like from the driver seat. I am going to run through the range of settings and keep a log of driving impressions. Hopefully this will give me insight from driver seat what to do for different situations.

 

Shifting gears back to the LS7...

It has taken about 5 months but I finally have an oil pan baffle that fits. Turns out the problem was the baffle, not the oil pan. The manufacturing process has been changed and I got the first sample to come off the new process.

The only things left to buy are pushrods and a damper but spending has come to a screeching halt because my wife left her job to focus on helping family for the time being. Change of finances --> change of plans. I might end up selling the engine.

 

Hope it all works out. Best of luck.

 

Spoke too soon .


Family is more important.

 

I have air conditioning!

Need to do some idle tuning with AC on because engine dies more than it wants to stay alive. Also don't have high speed fan wired yet (just speeds 1-3). But AC idle kick does work and the system seems to be operating correctly.

Looks like this year is developing into the year when I do the cheap little things that makes the car more civilized and enjoyable.

Here is links to how I set up AC with the Holley HP EFI. This allows for a more elaborate control strategy of fan and AC compressor than the guidelines Holley will give you

Wiring: Post #191, https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/ltx-...ml#post5828014
Software: Post #354, https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/ltx-...ml#post6003903

 

Been dialing in the Viking "Warrior" rear shocks and I am astounded by how much more movement there is in the suspension now. The ride has improved dramatically and the suspension has a lot more motion than ever before. I'm tuning for comfort right now but I have no doubt that 60' time has improved already.

Current settings are C=4 and R=7 with 150 lb/inch springs in the rear. Still experimenting a bit but that's probably the district it will be in for driving on the street.

Really glad I took the risk to experiment with these Viking shocks. Been blaming the stiff springs for the rough ride and poor traction but it was largely in part due to the shocks.

 

Shocks are a great tuning tool..

 

Strut tower brace Part IV -- the Kenny Brown H.P. Motorsport edition

After many years of patience, I finally found a Kenny Brown strut tower brace. As you would expect, it is the best strut tower brace I have handled yet. It is the lightest weight by a long shot. It has the best fit to the towers. It slips into place perfectly!.... but I can't close the hood. Darn Firebird hood foils my plans again!

So after trying every rigid mount strut tower brace I know of, my final conclusion is there is no off-the-shelf brace that fits under a base model Firebird hood. It will have to be custom made if I want one.

Contact with hood is across the middle span, as seen by the dust from my old hood insulation. It took me so many years to find a Kenny Brown strut tower brace that I'm not mentally ready to sell it yet.
Update: Turns out this is an H.P. Motorsport part. Extremely similar and on par with Kenny Brown.

 

I wish I had known this a long time ago, . I have a QA1 3 point and it doesn't fit either. I was going to cut and re-weld it to make it work, since I have a 4.8 I have room above the manifold.

 

Ya, fortunately, I found a good thread about the QA1 so I didn't have to buy one to know the outcome. Also, I'm only looking at rigid mount braces so all the styles with hinges are out of scope.

That's the key here. The one important lesson I learned is the TPI engine is the tallest but that engine never made it into a car with a base model Firebird hood. It's not a combination possible to fit a strut tower brace made to go over the TPI intake.

 

QwkTrip have you considered putting on a formula's power bulge hood?

 

A good shop could build one for modest dollars. Especially if you have an "almost fits" to use as a template.
Or modifying the present part might also work. Then you could say you have a "custom" Kenny Brown brace. ( just saying...)

 

Formula looks good (my favorite 3rd gen really) but the world needs more guys like me that can make a base model car cool.

If I ever stumbled across an early TA aluminum hood I might do it purely for the weight reduction. Some day I might try an IMSA hood just to see what it looks like on my car... and possibly make room for a supercharger.

 

Understood and in agreement. Long live the Sport Coupe. (Sorry. That's a Camaro thing...)

 

Apologies if you had this earlier in the post, I read it and didnt see it.

How much oil are you planning to run in the wet sump? I saw a few posts on ls1tech with LS7/wet sump setups where people are running 7 quarts, but with the dry sump running 8 or 10.5, even 7 seems low. Asking for a friend

Thanks
Chuck

 

The LS7 dry sump has a larger oil capacity because it takes longer for the oil to return to the holding tank due to the de-aerating process. The early LS7 had an 8 quart oil capacity. Later on the capacity was increased to 10.5 quarts, not because of the LS7, but to meet requirements of the LS9 engine with piston oilers.

My wet sump will hold ~6.5 quarts, and an oil cooler can add another couple quarts capacity (while managing oil temp). An Accusump can add another 2 - 3 quarts but I won't be using one. Accusump is too big to fit in the engine bay and I don't use my car hard enough to need one anyway. I've got a hobby car, not a race car.

Only reason I didn't use the dry sump is because the external tank is HUGE and I wasn't up to cutting up the car and moving battery to the back. The wet sump was far more practical. And a little side benefit is it will make more power too.