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LTX and LSXPutting LT1s, LS1s, and their variants into Third Gens is becoming more popular. This board is for those who are doing and have done the swaps so they can discuss all of their technical aspects including repairs, swap info, and performance upgrades.
I have always wanted a black and gold 84 trans am. Especially with factory recaro seats. My search for a black and gold car was very difficult and when i did find the one i wanted, the owner did not want to cooperate. So I settled for this. A white and black one that I found in Norfolk, VA, that for the most part is spotless. I have another 6.0 with a built 4l60e that I am in the process of putting in.I love my 87 but there is just something about the early cars that sets them apart in my opinion.
Picking the car up in VA Put my billet specialty wheels on that I used to have on my formula. I was a little on the fence at first but they are growing on me on this car.
Currently I am focusing on preparing the interior for when im ready to install it all. The current interior is blue but i am converting it to tan. Ive already started to re dye some beechwood panels to camel tan. I brought 2 pairs of recaro seats to Back in Time auto upholstery in Mt. holly NJ to be redone and they came out excellent. current blue interior
Ordered some speedhut gauges for the car. I had them ordered in a background pattern that is slightly close to factory. At the moment im trying to adapt them to a factory cluster housing.
Im trying to keep these gauges recessed like factory behind the trim. I still have some more cutting to do to the factory cluster housing so i think with some trail and error I can get it to fit. the plexiglass is just a spacer for the whole cluster. If anyone has any insight it would be greatly appreciated.
Last edited by punkmaster98; Jun 27, 2018 at 09:11 PM.
Took a lot of cutting but the factory cluster housing is all closed up now and the fitment it pretty good. Looking forward to seeing how it looks installed.
On the front end Im using a Heidts Hot Rod tubular Kmember. Mine is one of the early ones from when the first came out. I bought it when I drove my formula to the thirdgen expo a few years ago. At the time they didnt come painted. I havent seen any other vehicles with it other than Silverstreak? Looks to be very well made and looking forward to getting it out of the closet lol.
Looking forward to starting on the motor. Its a blueprint 6.0 bored 30 over from summit. Ill be using a cammotion Titan IV cam with 243 heads. Very curious to see how well this combo will work. Im borrowing the rear and 4l60e from my 87. That car has something special in the works as well. It will be getting a 4l80e
The original steering wheel has started becoming brittle and has seen better days. Just got a poor condition spare redone to swap out. Couldnt beat the price. $203 with return shipping.
Steering wheel looks great John, who did it Chuck Pelton?
Seats look amazing also.
Actually someone named Alex Babineau on FB was advertising refinishing wheels. I sent him mine and in a few days it was completed. Came out great.
" I've been doing them for the Pontiac fiero community for years now. For these types of wheels, basic recovery is $160 + shipping. I also offer extra padding for $15 and spoke refurbishing for $25. "
Last edited by punkmaster98; Jul 23, 2018 at 09:17 PM.
Well Jon, I am sold on this guy Alex to redo my steering wheel if you trust him enough with your parts, because I trust you. Will reach out to him soon. Coming along nicely by the way, I honestly sent you that FB message on a whim, had no idea your ride was even getting work done to it. Looking good.... but that LSX is going down.
Drivetrain has been removed. What a mess! There is oil all over the engine bay. That will take some time to remove completely and clean. Also the battery tray is pretty much shot so i need to get that replaced ASAP. Thankfully i purchased a spare from another member on here. I got the interior out as well and its spotless. My hand slipped and a piece of seamsealer chipped out. most of it around the seat area was dried out so I started scraping it out. Once I have that all clean i will re seal it, I plan to do the cowl as well.
This was the mess in front of the radiator spliced into the headlight wiring. I bought another headlight harness and a brand new isolation relay so i can get the light working properly.
You're doing some nice work there! If/when I ever get to replace my gauges, I'll probably be doing speed hut also, they're a great alternative to the norm. Looking at your wheel and the interior work, makes me really want to get mine done, all that needs to be done is everything, right?
Removed and installed fresh weatherstripping on the rear hatch. I cleaned the channel before applying the new seal. The hatch was a royal PITA to close. The latch is currently maxed out in height. should I leave it there for now? I have left the rear hatch closed 2 days now out in the sun.
I recently replaced my hatch weatherstripping as well. Sometime in April... ...anyhow, I had to adjust the hatch/latch mechanism up as high as it would go for it to close. Several days in the hot sun made a difference, but as of August, it's still snug. I moved the latch down a little, but it's still not quite level/even where it should be. I just figured I'd give it time. My doors and T top stripping was the same way.
Battery tray is out. The acid must of gone everywhere! The paint on this side of the engine bay is pretty much gone. Gonna have a friend help install the new tray.
Battery tray has been welded in and the whole bay has been coated. Kmember is installed and the fuel system has plumbed. From the stock sending unit i put a 6an converversion fitting on the line going to a 40micron filter down to the vette regulator thats sitting in the stock location. From there its just a single 6an line all the way.
The motor is in!!! Ran into an issue though, I used the incorrect setback plate that did not have the relief space for the motor mount. The bolt holes did not line up at all. I have to hold the motor up and swap out the plates and the motor fell into place perfectly. Unbelievable the amount of room with this heidts kmember. The speed engineering headers went in with ease. Im sold on getting the headers ceramic coated for future builds. 99 buick v6 ps pulley
Had a plug an play harness made for my 84 by TGO member SCOOTER. Turned out excellent. He also happened to be local and his assistance has been a god send to helping me finish the car. He integrated the aftermarket gauges into the original dash and got it it all wired up working correctly. So close to firing!
Had a plug an play harness made for my 84 by TGO member SCOOTER. Turned out excellent. He also happened to be local and his assistance has been a god send to helping me finish the car. He integrated the aftermarket gauges into the original dash and got it it all wired up working correctly. So close to firing!
Had a plug an play harness made for my 84 by TGO member SCOOTER. Turned out excellent. He also happened to be local and his assistance has been a god send to helping me finish the car. He integrated the aftermarket gauges into the original dash and got it it all wired up working correctly. So close to firing!
Progress has been slow but slowing gaining speed. Was completely unaware that the brake kit I purchased was for bump steer. Ive sent a spare set of spindles out to BBU for modification. Going to temporarily install the stock tq arm so I can move the car around but I am pushing to have the Inner and outer SFC installed one time so I can have the SFC mounted tq arm installed. Once that is completed I think the vehicle will be ready for the y pipe. The spohn strut mounts dont seem to work with these koni yellows. Im swapping them out for pa racing ones that are a bit shorter.
Last edited by punkmaster98; Jan 7, 2019 at 12:41 AM.
Took the car To my friends at EFX Tuning to get the SFC installed. They are the only ones who have tuned my vehicles. The SFC went in great on the outers but the inners will require some modification to the hawks crossmember. Along with that my fabricated torque arm will not fit unfortunately. With slight adjustment the car now idles and moves under its own power thankfully. Just in time for MUFFLEX on monday!
Made it to Mufflex! They did a great job tucking the exhaust up. Came out way better than the y pipe I had previously from hawks. Its all Stainless besides the merge, decided to be a little different and use 2nd gen tips. I think when its all done it will look good.
Great build! I agree with your original post - I have a weakness for 82-84 fbodies! The later years are great, but just something about that old school gets me! The gauges turned out great too. I was looking into speed hut, glad to see how good their product looks and you did a great job making em fit. I've also never heard of Heidts (I'm a rookie) but you bragging about their kmember has me looking into em! Beautiful car, you're making some awesome progress! I had a similar set up with the 2nd gen pipes (mine were a lot less shiny, I used random pipes I found laying around my friend's yard to make the exhaust...lol). It gives third gens a great look! Keep us updated, can't wait to see more posts
I really like how your project is turning out. Very clean and tasteful
I would like to see a post on the gauge cluster build, complete with part numbers. A lot of firebird owners would appreciate it.
I will try to go into more detail on that. Someone else on here did it before i did and from what i saw they got theirs to fit a lot better. Mine is close but the speedo is just a hair off the mark. I will try to adjust it when im ready. Getting the whole cluster in was a pit of a pain because a friend helped integrate it into the factory c100
