Progress 5/23/09
Got the UCA bushings in from Summit, and pressed them in with a balljoint tool
Got the new U-joint installed, and bolted the driveshaft in
Got the bumper guts painted after I sprayed them with Rust-Fix
Got the brake line brackets installed, and got the prop valve painted
Progress 5/24/09
Got the brake dust shields, header panel brackets, coil springs & rotors done today. I modified the stock hood latch since the L88 hood doesn't use a latch. I used a grinding wheel to cut the latch release mechanism off the mounting plate. I have a spare in case laying around in my stash, so if I ever need a new one, it's in stock. The backing plates & springs are gunmetal grey, the rotors are cast iron grey, and the header panel & hood latch panel are semi-flat black.
Progress 5/25/09
Got the A-arms installed today
Progress 5/27/09
Got the springs in, put the shocks & brake rotors on, then bolted on the wheels & tires. It was good to see her on the ground again with the new shoes!
Mmmm...Bilsteins! Didn't know they were assembled in the USA, but that's cool! Fine german engineering while supporting American manufacturing!
ON THE GROUND!! WOOHOO!!
Progress 5/29/09
Got the MC, calipers painted today, and got a couple parts in from Classic Industries...
Radiator hoses, PS pressure hose, trunk & hood bumpers and a color wiring diagram (I need ALL the help I can get when it comes to electrical LOL)
Progress 5/31/09
Got the calipers on, steering installed, swaybar & PTFB swaybar brace installed
Unfortunately, the brake lines don't fit in the calipers. The banjo fittings on the hoses are for 10mm banjo bolts, but the calipers have 7/16-20 bolts. Gotta get new hoses!! Rrrrrrr!!
Progress 6/5/09
Got the Alan Grove alternator & power steering brackets test fitted...I found out that the PS bracket requires a pump that has 2 bolt holes on the backside of the reservoir...I mistakenly ordered a 1-bolt reservoir, and had to order a new one. As you can see in the pic above, I wsa in the midst of test fitting the PS bracket when I found out the pump I had wouldn't work. That'll piss ya off, let me tell ya.
The Alan Grove brackets are SWEET. They fit perfect, I only had to shim one bolt on the alternator. It looks a lot better with the alternator mounted lower, and the PS bracket mounts the pump straight up, instead of angled like the stock bracket. They still have to be painted at this point, they'll be gunmetal grey.
Progress 6/6/09
Got the bumper & header panel brackets installed today, and got the bumper fascia cleaned up
Progress 6/7/09
Got the steering shaft finished up (gunmetal grey with antique bronze on the the collar), cleaned up the header panel, attached the bumper brackets and got the radiator support panel cleaned & painted. Also got a plastic elbow for the passenger side valve cover where it'll connect to the air filter.
Progress 6/10/09
Got the Qjet back from Sean Murphy Induction after he gave it the Stage 2 treatment! Also got the steering column finished up...painted the shaft in gunmetal grey, and the collar in antique bronze.
Progress 6/13/09
Got the PS pulley painted & installed, got the radiator in, painted the inside of the header panel, and installed it on the car. Then I used a straightedge to make sure everything was aligned. Only had to shim the sleeve for the alternator to cylinder head bolt with a .060" washer, and they lined up perfect. Once they were set up correctly, I primed, painted and bolted them on.
Progress 6/13/09
Got the fenderwells cleaned up & painted, and got the front bumper installed! It still needs tweaking to get it aligned right...the gap is like a canyon.
Progress 6/15/09
Got the inside of the front fenderwells undercoated today, and got 'em installed
Progress 6/23/09
Got the headlight buckets cleaned up & installed, painted the mounting cups & adjuster screws, painted the insides of the turn signal housings (Rustoleum aluminum), and put it all together. Taking shape little by little...
Progress 6/24/09
Got a new choke pull-off from SMI...the one that was on there was the original one...and very nasty looking. Also got the oil filter mount painted, and got the evaporative cannister cleaned up, installed & hooked up.
Progress 6/29/09
Got the oil filter relocation setup mounted, and worked on the bumper gap a little bit. Had some cool 12-point headed bolts in my stash, so I used them for the oil filter mount. I'm using a WIX 51515 filter, which is actually for a Ford application, but that's what the relocator kit requires.
Bumper looking a little better
Progress 6/30/09
Got the inside of the lower valence painted, then installed it. Also got the steering shaft in, got the headlight and engine wiring harness installed.
Progress 7/1/09
Got the hood laid on (no hinges yet). Looks SWEET!! I think the L88 hood is the best hood for a "big bumper" 2nd gen Camaro.
Progress 7/1/09
Ignition Wire Looms
Had a little problem with the ignition wire looms. I screwed up when I gave the part number for the Moroso Super Looms, and ended up with looms for centerbolt valve covers. I had to hack them up to make them work...but it looks kinda custom, and I'm happy with the way they came out.
I used the 2-wire separators on the stock separator brackets, and screwed a stainless steel screw thru the separator, into the existing hole on the stock brackets. I made one for each of the 4 lower valve cover bolts. I also used the stock "load spreader":
Then I hacked up the 4 brackets that mount to the cylinder head:
...and ended up with this, which will mount to the spot-welded brackets on the valve covers:
I mounted a 2 wire and a 4-wire separator to them (again with stainless screws), and mounted them to the valve covers with stainless bolts & nuts
Power Steering Lines
Also got the PS lines on. I didn't end up using the one I got from Classic Industries. I couldn't get it to fit right, so I used my original.
Alternator & Power Steering Brackets
Got the alternator and power steering belts installed. I just used Dayco Poly-Cog belts. The Alan Grove brackets area HUGE improvement over the stockers.
Ignition Wires
Last thing for today was to get the MSD ignition wires cut, routed cleanly and install the terminals. I'm real happy with the way they came out. I used the crimper that came with the wires. I'm using Autolite 25 plugs, which are a semi-short design, which helps header clearance. None of the boots touch the header tubes.
Progress 7/2/09
Got the new grill in today from NPD, and put it in. Not totally happy with it, since there's a gap on each side, and the stock one had no gaps. It is finished real nice though, a perfect semi-flat black. I had tried cleaning up the stock one, but it was a royal PITA...the paint stripper just got gummy and it looked like a fat ugly ass after several attemps at stripping it, so I gave up and bought the new one from NPD.
I had bought the exhaust right after I bought the car in August '07. I finally took it out of the box today, and laid it out, ready for install. I took a ride down to Buster's and had them weld the reducers to the flanges. I'm using the Flowmaster #17149 2½" diameter system for '70-'73 Camaros. It has the 50-series mufflers.
Progress 7/3/09
I installing the exhaust, which took 2 full days to get it aligned to my liking. It's a nice kit to install, but the key is to take your time...measure twice, cut once! I measured 3 or 4 times just to be safe LOL! I clamped it all together with Dynomax band clamps (I hate U-clamps). I used a dab of Permatex copper exhaust sealant where the ends of the clamps bolt together.
Got the new Russell braided brake lines in from Summit today, so I got them installed. Also got the parking brake cable guides cleaned, painted & installed.
Progress 7/5/09
Got the battery mounted in the trunk and routed the cable
Gotta pick up some more firesleeving for where the cable snakes through the headers.
Progress 7/11/09
Wrapped the starter & alternator wires in Thermo-Tec firesleeve, and secured them to the block with cushion clamps. I bolted the clamps into the holes in the block that were originally used for the spark plug wire shields.
Got the oil filter relocation lines in too. I made a bracket out of sheet metal that bolts to the lower rear bolt of the power steering pump to keep them from flopping around. I didn't want the lines chafing against each other, so I lined the bracket with some heater hose, and cut some pieces of heater hose into small strips and zip-tied them tight between the hoses.
Bracket for the back of the PS pump
Progress 7/19/09
Got the brackets for the electric fans cut out and finished, installed & wired the fans. I made the brackets out of .062" aluminum.
Rough cut
Edges cleaned up, holes drilled
Painted gunmetal grey
Fans bolted in w/stainless steel hardware
Fan wiring...kind of a spiderweb, but oh well. The grey wire goes to the temp probe that gets wedged between the radiator fins. You can see the white & blue adjustment screw on the top black box, which is the temp control unit. The fans, temp control unit and relay are all from Perma-Cool.
Temp probe in the radiator (the little black dot under the fan bracket). I'm not sure I like this setup, and may change it. More on that later...
Progress 7/23/09
Got the new coolant reservoir installed, painted the old cap black (new caps for a '77 are hard to find), and got the line lock plumbed & wired. This was my first EVER try at flaring lines. I tried flaring the stainless lines that came with the NPD hardlines, but it just wouldn't happen with a rented flaring tool, so I used the lines from the Hurst line lock install kit. It still took a couple tries, but I got it right. The KEY is to get the end of the line ABSOLUTELY SQUARE...any angle on the cut will screw up the flare.
Success!
Line lock switch, where the rear defroster switch was
Progress 7/25/09
Got the tach & gauges mounted. I used the old mount from my Grand National, I just cut one of the mounting points off, then put 3M double-sided tape on the backside so I could attach it to the underside of the dash.
Progress 8/9/09
Since the L88 hood I bought doesn't have provisions for a latch, I made a closeout panel that goes over the hood latch, and got the power window circuit breaker refinished & installed.
Progress 8/23/09
Got the fender to firewall brackets, hood hinges and fender reinforcing bars cleaned & painted, then installed. Word of advice: put the fender to firewall brackets in before you put the fenderwells in. It was a crippling experience twisting my arms in ways they shouldn't be twisted just to get the bolts in.
Close fit to the oil filter lines, but there's about a ½" clearance.
Shameless detail pic
Also got the closeout panel painted in gunmetal grey.
I slit some ⅛" vacuum line and attached it to the front edge of the closeout panel to prevent any rattles
Closeout panel installed
Progress 8/26/09
Got the speedo cables installed today
Progress 8/29/09
Got my camera mount in the mail today (for the big first drive), and got the front air dam extensions ready for stripping & painting
Progress 8/29/09
Got the hood installed & aligned today, as best as possible. The gaps are a little big, but they're consistent around the perimeter of the hood. I used bolts to hold it up for now until I got tired of it and bought some low-tension springs.
Got the new grille in from NPD and got it installed too
Progress 9/5/09
Got the front air dam finished & installed. Since the air dam part of the front valence was in pretty ugly shape, I made an aluminum piece to cover it up. Came out great!
Here's the template I made
Piece laid out on aluminum sheet
Then I cut the piece out of aluminum, primed it and painted it
Complete air dam installed
Progress 9/6/09
It didn't take long to get tired of having to slip the bolts into the hinges whenever I lifted it, so I bought some 120# tension garage door springs from Lowes, cut them to length and put them in. I cut them to the exact length of the stock springs, and they just hold the hood up. I'm going to cut a couple coils off to get it to stay up better...a stiff breeze would blow the hood closed.
THE BIG DAY
Got 'er started and running! It took a couple tries. First problem - the air horn on the carb was loose - the screws were finger-tight, so I tightened them up. Then I found out that I had hooked the vacuum advance to a full-time vacuum port, when it should be ported vacuum. Then, I just had to adjust the timing and idle mixture screws to get it running smoothly.
Here's a couple vids of after I got her running good
Out of the driveway
http://s472.photobucket.com/albums/rr86/V8TEC357/?action=view¤t=RIDE010.flv
Line lock test...don't mind the missed shift LOL
http://s472.photobucket.com/albums/rr86/V8TEC357/?action=view¤t=RIDE013.flv
Full throttle test...another missed shift, DAMMIT!
http://s472.photobucket.com/albums/rr86/V8TEC357/?action=view¤t=RIDE019.flv
The Ram clutch is a little stiffer than the stock one. It feels good, especially with the SpeedDirect clutch linkage. I've had a more time behind the wheel since the video was shot, so I'm not missing shifts anymore. I'm sure the trans appreciates that.
The suspension feels GREAT...the car rides nice and firm, but not so much that its even remotely uncomfortable. The combo of the poly bushings, stock '80 Z28 springs, F41 swaybars and Bilstein shocks make for a real nice combination...and NONE of the poly bushings squeak (I think greasing the bushings with Mobil 1 synthetic grease helped). It's not gonna tear up the slalom course, but it does real nice on the curves out here in the country. It'll feel even better when the chassis gets reinforced with the installation of the subframe connectors & G-Braces.
The brakes feel good too with the combo of the Russell lines and Hawks pads. The pads require a bed-in procedure which should be followed to a "T". Once that was done, the improvement over the stock pads & rubber lines was definitely noticeable. Took forever to bleed a totally dry brake system though! The line lock works real good too.
It feels like it picked up some power too. It needed a tuneup BAD before I tore it apart, so there's definitely more power under the hood now. The carb still needs some adjustment, and once that and the ignition timing gets really fine-tuned it'll feel even better.
I still gotta install the parking brake cables, install the subframe connectors and G-Braces. Gotta take it down to Buster's to have the frame alignment checked, weld in the SFC's, and have them do a front-end alignment. After that, I'll put the G-Braces on.
This spring the interior will get changed to black & grey, the gauges will be installed in the dash (with more Auto Meter Ultra Lites), and I'll install the stereo & amps. I'll start on all that once the holidays are over.
Stay tuned!!
Page 1: The Story
Page 2: Mods & Plans
Page 3: Pics w/Convo Pros & Hoosiers
Page 4: The Inspiration – Why I sold my GN and am building this car
Page 5: Restification Progress Reports - Page 1
Page 6: Restification Progress Reports - Page 2
Page 7: My '05 Z71 Tahoe 4x4 & Miscellaneous Stuff
