Page 1. Introduction
Page 2. Engine Removal
Page 3. The Swap kit
Page 4. Engine/Tranny Purchase
Page 5. Engine Install
Page 6. The Paintjob
Page 7. Cooling & Exhaust
Page 8. Wiring, Clutch Hydraulics, Misc.
Page 9. Start-up, first drive
Page 10. Photoshoot
Page 11. Performance Results & Videos
Page 12. Conclusion
At this point, I got that little tingly feeling as I realized everything was "go" for the first big start-up! It just so happened that this day was also my 23rd birthday, April 19, which definitely added to the excitement of the day. After a thorough double check of all systems, I hopped into the car and while sitting on my knees (no seats) cautiously switched the key to "on". The instrument cluster lit up and I heard the fuel pump prime for a few seconds as the fuel reached the fuel rail for the first time in a long time. I took a deep breath and rotated the key one position further, which immediately started the LS1 cranking. After only about 1 1/2 cranks the unexpected happened... the engine roared to life, filling the garage with a thunderous heatbeat of open header madness. After about 10 seconds, the power was cut and a big smile formed on my face... first try! Here's a video of about the third time starting her up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjRdUzPWDM8
The first start of the engine sparked a flurry of buttoning everything up; afterall I had 13 days left to my target date of May 2 to have the car ready for a 400 mile journey. Although I've allready covered many of these topics, to be accurate with the timing of the project I still had to install the radiator, exhaust, clutch, body and interior... heck, the car didn't even have a windshield yet! By April 31 suprisingly I had gotten to the point where the last items on the list were to bleed the clutch and brakes. I had my girlfriend give me a hand (how romantic!) with these last two jobs... that was the price to pay to get the first ride ;). I tested clutch and brakes while the car was still on the jackstands and then lowered it to the ground and ready to be driven for the first time in many, many years.
The first drive was, let's just say a bit scaryl. The car was severely out of alignment causing it to walk all over the place and it seems I had to stop every quarter mile to zip tie something out of the way that was rubbing. But I did get the chance to gas it and grin a few times, though my girlfriend had quite a different reaction haha. The next day I had an appointment for a complete alignment... it was time to put the car away and get some sleep, if such a thing was even possible!
