Getting close now. No real Documentation but car already had a fuel injection tank in it from the PO, so i swapped in a Walbro 255 feeding into a 'vette regulator. Routed through -6 AN line all the way up. Pretty much a standard LS swap fuel system. radiator is pretty straightforward as well, even used the stock truck Hoses with very slight modification.
No long term, but running close on my deadline and well over budget so the Stock bench gets to stay. Clears the shifter, Just no short people allowed to drive as it pretty much needs to be all the way back.
Wiring harness all installed, PCM tucked up nicely in the fender, right by the battery.
Got the CAI ran as well, painted to match the block
AAAANNNNNNDDDDD....
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oDKp2aiN5QCCsxNe7
For some reason the video did not seem to embed like it was supposed to....link at the bottom of first fire up in the car.
This post will bring us up to date on the car!
Car made its maiden voyage out of the Garage!
Granted, It was trailered. Still needs Exhaust, Rear Gears, and legality check (lights, horns, signals, etc) before i can tag it for road use.
I did make a new Shift Knob for it though. Old aluminum one was a repurpose from a past project and got quite hot in the sun. New Micarta one should not have the same issue. and it a bit larger and more comfortable.
Currently, on the Lift with the rear end torn apart. The T56 did not want to play well with the stock 2.56(!!!!!!!!) rear gears. But then i ran into an issue. Everything i bought to swap 4.10 gears for was for a GM 8.5 10b. Turns out the car has an 8.2 10b rear. So as of Tonight, it is still on the lift awaiting me to get the proper parts for it. Best option is looking like i am going to pull an 8.5 from a newer wagon and use my already purchased 8.5 Gears and swap the entire Rear axle. Need to get moving though.. Tune is scheduled for June 7th and i plan on hitting the local stops of the Power Tour June 12th!
It don't Fit!
Love where this is going.
Welp.....picking up an 8.5 from a bubble body wagon tonight to swap in.
And I was wrong. Car has a realatively unheard of 8.75 10 bolt. They existed, but only a few years and mostly in wagons and hd/tow package cars.
GM rear ends are weird, I am still not entirely sure why there is a 12 bolt and 12 bolt truck where the truck rear end had a smaller pinion bearing and smaller housing ends.
Sean
Great build ! Look forward to your progress
Did some stuff and things today.
Picked up a used 8.5 rear end from a 96 Buick Roadmaster last week. Regeared it with my 4.10's i already had. First time doing gears...here hoping it holds up!.
Installed the new rear end today. Easy swap, took an hour. No pic, as it looks just like the old one.
Then i decided to work on my Exhaust. First steps was i knew my trans crossmember was in the way, It needed some clearance holes.
Then did a bit of piping. Options were limited.
Also had some new meats dropped off for it as well. No budget for wheels right now but tires were needed due to dry rot on the old ones.
OjaiM5
New Reader
5/25/19 9:37 p.m.
Looking good! I wonder what would be the perfect wheel?
I'm thinking just good ol' Rallys or American Racing salt flats
OjaiM5 said:
Looking good! I wonder what would be the perfect wheel?
I'm thinking just good ol' Rallys or American Racing salt flats
I'm thinking something a bit more modern. Going with 18's for the final set most likely, simply due to tire choices available in 18's vs 17's. I'd like a bit firmer handling than 15's with a big sidewall can provide.
thus far, i like the American Racing Draft wheel. But still looking and weighing my options as most likley they will not be purchased until next spring.
OjaiM5
New Reader
5/26/19 9:39 a.m.
I had never seen the Draft wheel. Really good looking!
Got it out and drove it on the road for the first time yesterday. Buddy came over and did some tuning on it. Part throttle only. Car runs well, no leaks. Stays a pretty constant 199* in yesterdays 80+ and humid weather. all vitals look good as well. Tune is in a good spot to break in the gears and clutch and get me by until i take it to the Dyno next friday.
4.10's are definitely lower than i would prefer based off what driving i did yesterday, but i will get used to them. Seem to be set up decent as i heard no noise from the rear end while tuning. overall, very happy with the first drive. Can't wait to get it tagged next week so i can drive it a bit further without worry.
Awesome. Needs whitewalls now.
Drove it home from the garage, about 20 miles. It has a few issues, but still should be able to get it liscensed this week and start driving it.
Earned the roadkill stickers there were already on it. Brakes started dragging on the way home, and the longer i drove it the worse they got. So this is me, working on the brakes in the parking lot of a local Sub Shop, where i convienlty had dinner while they cooled off a bit.
Then, there is an electrical issue. I get a voltage drop to the entire interior fuse block with any new draw. Hit the brakes, drops voltage enough the radio cuts out. Hit the horn, cuts out radio. not sure if it is a dirty connection possibly at the bulk head or what. But it is the entire fuse block, not just a single issue. The rear window is the only power window in the car, and it will only go down in spirts as it drops the voltage enough it will not work hardly at all. Need to get and keep 12v to the fuse block, so that is a big issue i need to trace down.
Otherwise, it gets tagged tuesday, DD'd for the rest of the week, and drive 2 hours on friday i hope for my Dyno tune! then off to the Power tour next week!!
Shimmed the MC to alieviate the brake issue (i hope)
as for my odd voltage drop, the PO had a wire under the hood labled incorrectly. I thought i did not need it, but in fact it was a 2nd power feed for the interior fuse block. Had to rewire the radio, as it was wired as a constant on once this lead was plugged in, but now brake lights work without key on (they did not before), and radio does not cut out due to power loss when i hit the brakes. Hopefully all hunky dory now and ready to go.
Hit the Rollers on Friday. Disappointing results.
Car ran well on the 2 hour drive down on the "get me by" tune done by a buddy, but definitely picked up some power once it spent some time on the dyno. Ran well all the way back, and spent all weekend cruising around in it. Was able to do a few full throttle blast in it and am happy with the car.
Brake boosted took a dump on dyno day, but otherwise it is ready to rock and roll to the power tour wednesday! but manual brakes SUCK, but hasn't stopped me from putting a few hundred miles on it this weekend.
It's funny seeing the difference between the shifter locations in your T56 box and my NV3500 box. The ash tray is more of a concern to me than the seats.
There is actually a mid shift conversion for the T56 box out there as well that gives you a shift tower location similar to the NV3500. It's a little bit of a pain and a few $$ though. The NV3500 was definitely less work to make fit. Cool seeing this build too!
gearheadE30 said:
There is actually a mid shift conversion for the T56 box out there as well that gives you a shift tower location similar to the NV3500. It's a little bit of a pain and a few $$ though. The NV3500 was definitely less work to make fit. Cool seeing this build too!
I've seen the mid shift conversion, but it moves it too far forward.
Not all of this work was required to make the trans work, but it certainly helped.
Drove it up to the power tour. today, went as good as it could. Car drove really well. met up with the tour about halfway between their stop from Spart to Indy. Followed them up to Indy and blended right in. Overheated a bit in traffic, but otherwise it went perfect.
Took the car to the Drag strip last night. A few First happened.
First time for the car at a track obviously. But it was also my first time ever drag racing a car. Used to race ATV's at local county fairs, but never drag races a car. So, first time ever drag racing a stick shift as well. It was interesting.
First pass was my best. It was busy, and we got there kinda late so was only able to run twice.
Time slip. I am right lane, car 800. Left lane was my brother in his 2012 Caprice PPV with a Cam, CAI, and LT's
Full race trim...I.E. the exact way i drive it everyday minus my tools from the back.
and a Misleading Photo...
From this Video....I lost. we both spun off the line pretty bad. I spun all the way through 3rd. First run i hooked really well, this pass was like a wet road it was so slick.
Wagon Video Link
Was a good night, Going back in a few weeks so a few other buddies can get in on the fun with their swap cars. a 260Z with a 5.3 and a 79 c20 truck. Both were not quite ready for tonight, but in hopefully can be in 3 or 4 weeks.
well...been a while. longer than i had thought.
Put over 5k miles on the car last year. most un-eventful. Took her camping, to LS Fest east, local Car shows, Cars and Coffee a few times. Enjoyed it for being what it was.
In reply to Underpowered :
Were you planning on coming back to LS Fest this year? Should have my LS/5 speed Caprice ready for the autocross this time.
Then....i just had to keep going. a project is never really done is it?
Bought some stock in Rock Auto
Mostly reliability upgrades. but alas, apart she comes. New shocks, springs, Lower control arms up front (got new rear LCA's before LS fest, apparently stock 40 year old bushings are not a fan of 300+ HP and 5k PRM launches) UCA bushings, and a few other parts.
oh...this too. Stage 2 T56 rebuild. First time tearing into a trans. a few learning points along the way, but in general not bad.
all that work for a car that looks exactly the same. it seems my worn out stock suspenion sits almost exactly the same as what should have been a 1-1.5" drop. oh well. Next up as soon as i can get parts and money is assured will be A/C and New wheels before power tour this year!
Daylan C said:
In reply to Underpowered :
Were you planning on coming back to LS Fest this year? Should have my LS/5 speed Caprice ready for the autocross this time.
never miss it! I'll probably just be hanging out at the show n shine. Not competitive enough to actually race it in any events down there.
