Let the games begin....

[roadking77]

Looks good Jon, I hear ya on the cost  , thats about 2/3 of what I will have in my entire motor!

[5th T/A]

Jon,

Holley Terminator EFI looks great. Glad to see you are moving forward.

Nothing cheap about this hobby. I’ve seen a broad range of builds from economical to the sky is the limit. Some are done quickly and others take a decade or more. I enjoy reading about all of them.

[FormTA]

Ya, mine was the worst of both. 10+ years and low budget.

You'll be glad you went EFI!

[rkellerjr]

Nice job on a great project!

[MNBob]

I have had the PTFB drop links for 3 or 4 years and am very happy that I got them!  That steering shaft looks really nice; definitely will look into that.

The Terminator EFI's are said to have a lot of capabilities.  Give us a report on it when you get it installed.

Having just purchased a new engine, I feel your pain.  Being an old fart, I justified it as a bucket list item.

[jonathonar89]

Finally got some time in on the car today.  Been so busy with work and my truck all summer.

I've been putting off doing the frame on my car so long because I've wanted to do the professional route of sandblasting, primer and paint.  Today, I finally got aggravated and said, "Screw it!  I'm getting this done!"  Took a rag with brake cleaner and wiped down a majority of the visible spot on the frame. 

Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

After that was done, I used some black rattle can spray paint to coat the frame.  The paint was OER brand chassis paint.  Came out pretty nice with the extremely bare minimum of prep and no primer.  I didn't have any primer on the shelf, so I didn't use any.  Again this was simply about getting it done and moving on at this point.

Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr


While on this subject, I figured I would finally show off my Lab-14 lower control arm frame reinforcements.  John at Lab-14 sponsored me when he started his business years ago.  His parts are an awesome upgrade for factory F-Body frames.
https://lab-14.myshopify.com/

Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

[jonathonar89]

Long awaited test fit for me today.  Set my LS1 in the frame with my '97-'04 C5 Corvette oil pan.  Long story short, it pretty much fits with the minor exception of the oil drain bolt hitting the frame.  I knew about this going in so I will have to address that at some point.

Driver side...
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Passenger side...
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Oil pan drain bolt where it's hitting the frame...
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

General front view...
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

[ryeguy2006a]

Huge step forward!! Congrats, I can't wait to see more. 

[roadking77]

Paint job looks great. Thats all I did on mine. After looking at my 77 once everything is in place you can hardly see it anyway. I though you were selling the motor?

[jonathonar89]

Paint job looks great. Thats all I did on mine. After looking at my 77 once everything is in place you can hardly see it anyway. I though you were selling the motor?

I did post an ad on a few sites along with Facebook but unfortunately no interest at all in the engine.  Not even one question about it.  I just took all the ads down for it over the weekend.

[Nexus]

Exciting stuff. I like that you painted the bock Pontiac blue. Looks right at home there!!

[5th T/A]

Jon,

Sorry you weren't able to sell your engine, my wife has a saying everything happens for a reason, or doesn't happen for a reason. The motor looks great and should provide all the power and refinement you want or need. I know your life is busy right now, but some day when your car is finished you will be happy your motor didn't sell.

[MNBob]

Frame paint looks good.  Motor seems to be setting right where it should be.  Maybe you can cut out a little notch for that plug.

[jonathonar89]

Finally got a chance to work on the car again today.  To start, I pulled the engine out, put shorter bolts on the engine hoist chains to clear the firewall and a got the engine back in the frame.

One thing I noticed was the UMI SBC motor mounts were pulling off the frame.  After seeing other online forum recommendations to use 1" setback plates, I was feeling the engine needed more setback.  To achieve this and "widen" out the block mounts so the frame mounts would sit flat, I simply relocated the SBC motor mount to the block mounting point on the plate as seen below.  Now the motor mounts sit nice on the frame.  I think my solution, at this point, will be to weld the Car Shop 1" setback plate to the new relocate position of the UMI mount.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

With the engine shifted back a good amount, I got around to test fitting the shifter.  It's back a bit but it looks like it's clearing the console (loosely installed).
Below is the 1/3 forward position...
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr
Below is the 2/4 rearward position...
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Now, that I got the engine set back some more, the drain bolt almost comes out.  I think I can notch the frame but man is it ever so close!
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Also got to see how the pilot bearing is fitting with my phone camera.  Looks good to me.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

I'm not much of a video guy but I did end up making a video today showing what I have going on with this setup if anyone wants to see a "live" version of what I have posted here.  I'm not trying to be an entertainer or YouTube famous, so sorry in advance if this is not the most exciting video lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-qghTmb944

[5th T/A]

Hey Jon,

I am really happy you are back to working on your car and making progress on getting the LS engine in. The oil drain plug looks close, I agree you should be able to notch the frame to provide enough clearance.

[jonathonar89]

Hey Jon,

I am really happy you are back to working on your car and making progress on getting the LS engine in. The oil drain plug looks close, I agree you should be able to notch the frame to provide enough clearance.

Thanks, it’s been a rocky road financially this year but we’ll see how everything turns out.  We’re doing the best we can with what we have.  I know this LS1 install is far from budget oriented but my goals from here on out is to keep the car somewhat modest.  I’ll spend money on lowering springs, nice bushings, brake pads, nice clutch or other small items but I’m not trying to overdo it anymore.  When I was younger, I wanted the 335 tires, mini tubs, link suspension, LS9, T56 and everything else “pro-touring”.  Now that I have a family and real budget, I’m not chasing that dream anymore.  There’s always going to be a new efi system, updated suspension, crazy brake kit or whatever else released.

Hopefully I can get back on it soon.  Blasted out an oil change for my mom after work this evening and I need to do her driver rear brake soon.  Also have a ton more work to do on the truck.

[jonathonar89]

Hey guys,

Just want to give FYI that I won’t be updating my build for a while.  I was working on my truck on Monday and accidentally dropped the spindle on my finger.  I hate the terminology but this unfortunately has caused an “amputation” of my finger tip.  I will be needing to address important things such as health insurance, medical bills and getting back to work. 

If anyone wants to check in or see how things are going, send me a PM.

Thanks,
Jon

[5th T/A]

Jon,

This is terrible. I wish you a quick recovery. I guess better to lose a finger tip instead of an entire finger.

Hang in there, you will get past this.

[jonathonar89]

Hello Everyone,

I have unlocked this thread for commenting again.  I locked my build threads when my injury occurred and have not been on the forum much this past year.  Not much updates with the car this past year but I plan on getting on top of it very shortly.

Jon

[langss]

Glad to hear you are doing better. Sometime after your last post I lost access, and it took a while to figure out what was going on, so I would have missed out on any and all of your progress. Just the same its good to have you back.... Forum has been just a little dead lately.....

[rkellerjr]

Good project, good progress.

[jonathonar89]

Worked on doing some painting yesterday.  I'll keep this one short.

LS truck alternator and power steering bracket pressure washed and scrubbed with a brush...
August update by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Painted with Rust-Oleum black engine paint...
August update by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Hung up on the engine yesterday with a brand new pump I bought at my local Autozone.  Original pump from the truck engine I had was missing the cap and the reservoir was crushed by previous owner/mechanic.
August update by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

[jonathonar89]

Yesterday a friend of mine told me my factory '00-'01 F-Body LS1 look hideous, poor flowing and I should buy headers from Summit.  While I did partially agree with him, he got me motivated to clean up what I have to prove a point.  Factory GM LS manifolds support 400-600hp depending on the engine and the outlets are 2.5" from the factory!  After I cleaned them up, I showed my friend and he ended up being impressed afterwards.

In the below picture, the one on the left is how both looked when I started yesterday.  The one on the right is after pressure washing and scrubbing with a brush and degreaser. 
August update by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Here both are pressure washed and scrubbed...
August update by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

While the manifolds were drying, I went to my local Autozone for some paint. 
August update by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Here they are after I laid some paint on.  I "assisted" the drying with a heat gun...
August update by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr
August update by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

And, finally, a test fit on the engine.  These look 10x better being washed and painted.
August update by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr
August update by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr



Let this be a lesson for many of us.  A couple hours of elbow grease and a few dollars went a long way on this one.

[jonathonar89]

Working on the Detroit Speed hydraulic clutch conversion this evening. 

To start with this project, there is an OE installed plug that's in the firewall in between the lower bolt holes for the brake booster.  The plug and this factory punched hole was not allowing the DSE clutch plate to sit flush against the firewall.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Since I'm someone who likes using factory parts when I can, I ended up drilling a hole in the DSE plate to allow for the factory rubber plug to pass through.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

After the hole was drilled in the plate, it now is able to sit flush against the firewall.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

With the plate in place, I scribed a line to find the areas where I will weld.  Welding is not necessary for the installation of this bracket but Detroit Speed instructions say this is optional/recommended for a fully weather tight seal. 
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Paint stripping tool pretty much on the areas I scribed.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

In place and nearly ready to get welded.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

More to come soon....

[ryeguy2006a]

Glad to see you making progress on the T/A! Looks great. I can't wait to hear this thing fire up!

[5th T/A]

Great to see you back at it. Manifolds turned out great, well worth the effort.

[jonathonar89]

Haven’t welded in a few years and it definitely showed me today.  The summary of my day…

-Why did my first welds look awful and not stick for crap?  Oh….my gas tank was empty.
-After I got my gas tank filled, why did I just blow a hole through the metal?   Oh…my settings were too high.
-Oh great, now that I’m getting my welds figured out, half of this install looks ok and the rest looks like garbage….gotta break out the grinder.
-Ok, now that these ugly ass welds are ground down, I can cover it with chassis primer so it won’t looks as bad.
-Done

Man, I gotta say for a $30-$40 clutch bracket, this was one tough install.  Installing and removing the pedals and brake booster a few times to get the perfect fit is definitely a hard task along with all the marking, grinding, cutting and welding.

Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

[FormTA]

Progress is progress! Doesn't look too bad from here and you can blame it on your handicap now. I'm sorry, is it too soon? 

[jonathonar89]

Progress is progress! Doesn't look too bad from here and you can blame it on your handicap now. I'm sorry, is it too soon? 

hahahaha.....that one took a sec for me 

[rkellerjr]

Coming together, good progress my friend.

[NOT A TA]

Good to see you're back at it!

[jonathonar89]

Alright some further updates this week...

Since I don't have a driveshaft for the car and I'm going to literally be making roughly double the horsepower compared to stock, I decided I'm going to install a stronger 1350 yoke on the transmission and rear end.  After speaking with a welding and performance shop, I'm going to get the axle tubes welded to the center section and install a crush sleeve eliminator while the 1310 is out and getting swapped for the 1350.  I would love to do the axles, gear and differential but it's just too much money for me to spend right now.

Step 1 was take off the wheels....
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Next was take out the axles to make it lighter...
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Got the rear end out and started pressure washing and scrubbing...
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Dried up after washing...
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Since I'm having a shop do the welding, the guy at the shop said it would be cheaper for me overall if I do as much prep work for him as I can.  I got as much as I can degreased and started some light wire wheeling in the area that will be welded.  I plan on doing more before I drop off at the shop....
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Axles after I degreased them...
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Bummer....after pulling out and degreasing, I looked closer and found out there are two different axles that were in this rear end...
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Since I'm converting the car to 1988-1992 1LE front rotors, which have a metric wheel stud, I decided to buy some GM Genuine metric wheel studs along with black lug nuts for a 1992 Trans Am on Rock Auto.  I'm pretty excited about this part.  The drum brake rear end also has short wheel studs, so installing the 3rd gen metric studs should bring everything into correct specification.

These are the "now garbage" wheel studs that came out.  Glad I took it apart and found the mismatches.   
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Since the axles were broken down and cleaned, I decided to throw some silver engine paint on them.  Came out nice for "quick and easy".  Now I'm waiting for axle studs to come in the mail.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr


After the axles were prepped, I decided to degrease, wire wheel and paint my sway bars.  Factory is black.  I like most things to be stock-appearance but I figured I would try something different with the silver instead.  Original GM sway bars and PTFB rear drop links painted silver....
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

1981-specific WS6 brake booster and aluminum/plastic master cylinder.  Quickly disassembled, painted and greased.  I would love to send this thing out for a zinc coat restoration but rattle can paint will have to do for now.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr



A few words....

I'm pretty excited with how this rear end, suspension and brake system is coming together for being basic parts.  1988-1992 1LE front rotors, 1981 WS6 booster/master cylinder, 1979-1981 rear discs/calipers, 3rd Gen GM wheel stud conversion, Kore3 black braided stainless hoses, Hawk HP Plus pads and GM 3.42 rear gears.  For the suspension/steering, I have an original GTA/IROC steering box, PTFB steering shaft, original GM WS6 sway bars, PTFB HD drop links, PTFB GT Pro leaf springs, solid leaf spring plates, Detroit Speed front springs, AFCO Racing control arm bushings on the stock arms, and non-adjustable Bilstein shocks.  Wheels are '84-'87 16x8 convex WS6 with BFG Z-rated 255/50-16 tires.  I like this combination, now that I think about it more, as it will be a good representation of originality, GM Performance and very slight modern enhancements.

[scarebird]

Nice work.  Note you MUST adjust and cycle the parking brake function of the rear calipers BEFORE bleeding the brakes - otherwise you will be plagued by a low and spongy pedal.

[5th T/A]

Seems like things are really moving along. Good progress and looks great!

[MNBob]

Great work, lots of progress!  Those exhaust manifolds came out nice and I can see how the would flow well as they are shaped like a header.  I wouldn't worry about the welding, its fine.  The 81 master and booster has been a great combo for me, it has been good with the D52's in the front and Blazer rear.

Welding the axle tubes is a good idea.  My welding shop also blasted the rear assembly for $20.  It seems like the factory wheel studs were pretty short, if you do anything they need to be longer.  I have been really happy with the PTFB drop links.  Larger yokes can not hurt.

[ryeguy2006a]

Great work Jonathon! Love seeing all the progress. All that cleaning, sanding, preparation and painting makes for some really nice looking parts. One of the best feelings when building a car is bolting on nice shiny painted parts.

I look forward to seeing what you do with the LS to T10 adaptation.