74' LT-LT1 swap, resto-mod-revival

[thedoctorisin]

putting in the lt1 is essentially a drop in situation because they share same chevy mounts. as for the transmission im going to use the th350 i have in my lt1 cutlass because im putting a 700r4 in that. but i know the trans will work and it will work with the stock shifter and no need to mod the drive shaft.

as for the fuel system im just going to run a high flow in line pump, then use the existing fuel line with high pressure rubber hose making the gaps. then just use regular fuel hose for the return.

i have the wire harness from the trans am so im going to wire up the relays and fuses according to the diagrams. the shobox.com website has a lot of good info. when the wiring actually happens ill take some pics. all i need to do is send the pcm out to get reprogrammed, around 120$ from lt1swap.com or there are a couple other guys doing it.

from there ill get the ac delete pulley which is smaller than the stock ac unit pulley so it should clear.

going out tomorrow to try and smooth out the doors some more. i also im going to pull out the locks because i need a new set. and the door handles. i also need a ton of other parts for the front half

 

[ctchap70]

Looking good Doc! I can tell already this thread will have a line of stars behind it! Quality work going on here.

 

[ezetorr37]

Looking good. Nice project.

 

[thedoctorisin]

thanks guys! ive been looking through your build threads as well as many others. great motivation to say the least. i wish i had more resources to use like a welder and better/ more air tools to get jobs done faster. if i wasn't doing the body by hand i'd be soo much further along.

there are some areas on the car where i'd like to do more such as doing a nice patch in the rear quarters and just re-skinning the doors and new fenders up front but that usually ends up with a high price tag.

i always laugh when i hear of a budget build because its never cheap.
that being said... I'm working on a budget haha, but i also want to be driving the car asap. Soo i look for a deal when i can find it but otherwise my patience gets the better of me and i start spending chunks of money.

im looking to do some spring cleaning and try to get rid of some 3rd and 4th gen parts to free up some extra cash for the project.

ill get some pics up later. i got my holes drilled for the spoiler ends and got the ac box off and been cleaning up the floor pan to seal it up.

 

[thedoctorisin]

i found a full rear spoiler the other day and with help from the stickies i was able to get the holes drilled out pretty much on the money.

i also pulled the rear bumper, its surprisingly heavy.

in an earlier post i mentioned some clunking in my rear end, not wanting to roll smoothly. i jacked her up, dropped the tank and lines and opened up the cover to find...

the spider gears spin but the pinion bearing is toasted. so thats one more massive trip to the yard. all part of the fun.

im going to pull the sub frame and hit it with a wire wheel and por15. then at that point i think that the rear half of the body will be done and i am going to get a new rear end from the picknpull when they have their half off day at the end of the month. then the parts and paint start piling back on the right place.

anyone know the alignment specs? i noticed my upper arms were taken off and the spacers removed... i have a rack at work.

 

[rydeer]

You can remove most of the steel on those heavy bumpers. I removed all the springs on the front then just weld the slider tubes together, this also lets you tuck the bumpers in tighter. The rear I removed the sliders and the brackets. The springs will bolt directly to the body. Again this will pull the bumper tighter to the body. Great (free)mod.


Front

extra rear stuff!

 

[thedoctorisin]

im going to have to look into that. the rear looks very nice. i want to see the front with it tucked with a wider shot.

 

[thedoctorisin]

so ive been keeping busy with the camaro. i pulled the sub frame

after a few hours will a few wire wheels i got the frame cleaned up and started in the some por15

after i got a top coat on i flipped it up against the wall and hit the bottom side.

i used the brush on stuff for one coat and then put a double coat in some areas. after the brush on stuff was done i used this por15 top coat spray and cover the rest of the frame with that. really made it shine and look amazing.

i also got in a pulled the dash and the ac box behind the dash.

i also pulled the rear end but the studs for the lug nuts are stripped. and the u bolt nuts have seized up pretty good. hopefully they will loosen up tomorrow.

i scrubbed the entire inside and firewall with industrial cleaner and a scotch bright pad. looks clean. one more round and ill paint it.

 

[Da-bigguy]

Great work so far! I can't believe how much you've got done on the bodywork with the car sitting out in the open like that!

 

[SupplySgt]

Checking back in to see the progress. Looks like you're moving right along!