Well, it took me a couple of years to find the car for my build. Then it took me 3 months to find a house with a garage so that we could be together! Now I am putting it together.
The Car: 1971 Camaro RS Z28
After bidding and missing out on numerous cars on ebay, then driving miles and miles to see 'rust free' cars that turn out to be 'metal free', I find an abandoned project on craigslist just 5 blocks from my house. The previous owner had owned it since 1977, and his brother owned it before that.
What I got with it: new 327 with a muncie m21 4 speed, all the parts to reassemble it, shy of seats. Car was completely stripped down, blasted, and reassemble with lots of new parts and powdercoating. There is no rust and I got pics of the bodywork in multiple stages to prove it...Nice.
The guy even stored the car for me for 3 months while i looked for a place to put it. Ended up moving to a new house with a garage.
So the first thing I did was pull out the 327/4speed and checked out what was inside it. Turns out the seller was very honest and it was as he said it was. NEW. So I went down to my local hotrod shop, KMS C.A.R. Parts, and did some wheeling and dealing and worked a trade for a complete LS1/6speed out of a 99 TA for my 327/4speed and a core 454/4speed auto that I had from a mid 90's pickup that I parted out.
I figured I would document the build here and I welcome any advice that any of you that have done this or something similar to it have. I will post as many pics as I can, and I am taking pics everyday that I work on it.
Stay Tuned!!!
Last edited by Marktainium; 03-27-2009 at 11:31 PM..
__________________ 84 C4 -LS1/T56 in progress(delete:radio-A/C-heater-anything that doesn't make it faster)street legal light weight road racer 1973 Buick Century-delayed by new project, but an L92 waits patiently for it on a stand 2002 Hardtop Z28-MMM M6 Strano-Sway Bars-Springs-Koni S/As-C5 Brakes-Hooker LTs,ORY,CB 2007 2500HD "Classic"-6.0 5-speed ECSB 2wd-trim delete-Bilsteins-Federico Sway Bars-3.42s-Cragar Soft-8s w 285/70/17 BFGs
Catching up with my progress. Here's a bunch of pics... got an old LS1 block and trans housing for some mock up. I built my own motor mount plates from a blueprint off of this site, seems to work, although the hole size on the blueprints said 9/16 where they should have been 7/16. I figured that out before I drilled luckily. So here's how it sits, you can see the variance between stock 4 speed shifter hole and where the 6 speed shifter box sits. Will trim that soon. Heres a shot of the motor as it gets cleaner and cleaner. Got these shorty headers out of the local classifieds for 200 bucks, and am considering my own custom install of a Procharger that I removed from a boat I used to own. Thats it for today...
Took the day off of work and went over to a friends shop, Momentum Auto Parts, to use the lathe! Since I am doing a fully custom Procharging on this motor I have to fabricate everything. So I started with this 5 inch chunk of 6061 and made this crank pulley adapter. The plan is to mount the charger on the passenger side of the engine, just over the stock serpentine belt tensioner and a little outboard.
I took a boroscope to the LS1 I got and checked out the cylinders and found that this motor needs a rebuild. No big deal, as Richard from the shop I got it from, KMS C.A.R Parts, told me to feel free to tear it down and if it needed work to bring it back and they would get me another one. Almost thought service like that was dead...
That was a full days work....whew... only 28,000 more parts to fab, assemble, etc., till I'm done!
Here's a cool motor thats for a buddy's PT Cruiser...I know,I know,...anyway, rumored to be 750hp...
Last edited by Marktainium; 03-27-2009 at 11:33 PM..
Great start to your project,keep us posted.Check out the 2nd gen camaro called "Silver Bullet" might give you some ideas on fabbing your intake/turbo/intercooler. My Chevelle is a N/A motor and I still find myself fabbing something every day.
No real progress to report, have to do responsible things too it seems. Did get a couple of new parts though... Here's the oil pan GM # 12614821 ($256cdn) also got the dipstick # 12603506 ($24cdn), and the oil pickup (gm calls it a screen) GM # 12608593 ($57). Still waiting on the windage tray and dipstick tube.
Good luck man! I have a 78 that I have wanted to do a LS1 swap in for YEARS. How much $$$ do you think a ls1/6 speed would be, not including any performance mods to the engine, lets say the engine is stock as you can get pulled right out of an fbody.
Looks like you got a great build going. I have conversion kits built around the LH8 pan that’s a full poly kit with a lifetime warranty or even if you just need a cross member let me know. Also just to let you guys know I got a deal direct from GM and I can retail the same oil pan with pick up tube wind age tray for only 249.99 as a kit which is far below even a GM employees 30% discount plus im getting about 15 in a week. I’m the biggest buyer of these oil pans in the US and pass the savings onto to the enthusiast im just tiring to make these conversion kits easier for everyone.
Im also finishing up a front brake adapter kit for the C5/C6 brakes and I have the rear 98-02 F-body brakes already ready to go.
Let me know if you want some pics of the LH8 in a 2nd gen installed I got a whole bunch when I made the kit. Or if you need any help with the build feel free to give me a call
Also check out the 5.3L or 6.0L truck motors if your on a budget a guy at my shop got 326HP at the wheels on a $300 ebay engine with a used Z06 cam and some $180 ebay headers. There a dime a dozen and im getting kits for the truck accessories so no costly relocation kits. A LS conversion with a donor drive train is getting to be comparable to the cost of just a new crate motor.
I did speak to someone at brp briefly about the pan, but it was 298 plus 25 for shipping as per your ebay ad. Also there was no concrete eta on it and with the hassle of brokerage for me in canada, direct from gm was easier and as I understood, not too far off of my landed price from you guys anyway. I have studied your pics intensly though, I must admit, and am finding them very helpful. Thanks for that for sure!
H3 pan with BRP kit means no modding or notching frame or cutting oil pan to fit.
__________________ 1970 Camaro LS1(+N2Osoon), LS6 Stg2 heads, Futral Custom Cam, Victor Jr Intake, etc, etc Now Running!!!http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3069774 06GSXR750 Frum Roll Racing
Congrats on getting one it’s a tough item to find right now most places have a 6 month national back order, I sell them for 249.99 when its bought with any conversion kit and 298 if its just the pan kit. I’m not trying to make money on these pans just trying to get the enthusiast a good GM oil pan.
I have been working with GM to get these in a steady flow and have been able to get about 15 in a week now but im just ordering so many they cant keep up yet. I should have LH8 in stock and ready to ship by the end of this month with a constant supply from now on.
Good luck on the conversion and let me know if you need a help with any part of the conversion.
Hey are you keeping it fuel injected or doing the carb route? If you are keepin it injected, what are you doing about the fuel system? In the research I have done that seems to be the most PITA part about the swap.
After bidding and missing out on numerous cars on ebay, then driving miles and miles to see 'rust free' cars that turn out to be 'metal free', I find an abandoned project on craigslist just 5 blocks from my house. The previous owner had owned it since 1977, and his brother owned it before that.
That cracks me up . "Metal Free" cars. Love your sense of humour. There are so many cars out there that are "mutton dressed up as lamb". Or sheep in wolves clothing. You worry that if you went over a big bump they would break in two...
I'm keeping the fuel injection. I am going to fab up my own pump system using 2 walbro 255's in tank run in parrallel. I think the fuel system will be fairly straight forward, being that I am procharging it and am using a rising rate fuel pressure regulator and return system. It's all custom on my car anyway, so I figured with enough research I should be able to make a pretty simple system.
And yes, there are alot of different opinions of what rust free is out there....
I went with the H3 pan as I want the engine as low and far back as possible. I must admit I didn't even try the f body pan, but when I put the dummy motor in without a pan on it, it looked like it would be too close. In saying that I also noted that there is a lot of space at the back of the engine, and maybe the f body pan would work if the engine was mounted in relation to the pan.
I'm going to go visit Art Morrison's shop at the end of the month to look at his front clips, may have a new front end in my future...
Last edited by Marktainium; 04-10-2008 at 11:40 PM..
Mark's LS2 2nd Gen Camaro build 
If thats the case, i could'a hooked you up with a pan, with only 5000km's on it for half of that!
. "Metal Free" cars. Love your sense of humour. There are so many cars out there that are "mutton dressed up as lamb". Or sheep in wolves clothing. You worry that if you went over a big bump they would break in two...
