Project: LS1 Chevette

[romulus22]

I'm hoping the shocks don't raise the rear too much. Just want to stiffen it up a little. Worst case scenario I'll run the helpers on the track or get a set of adjustable dampening shocks and stiffen up the compression stroke.

Here's a picture showing stock/ street rears/ slicks. Not as many size choices in 14" as I thought there would be. 15's might have looked fine I just didn't want that DUB look.



I'm really hoping to have the reared in place soon. Then finish plumbing the fuel lines and brake lines. Driveshaft and a few other things. Then I'm going to get into contact with some shops to wire it all together. Wiring is something I don't even want to learn. It frustrates me so I don't even try. I'm hoping I can get all this done by the end of summer.

[Halgar]

Then I'm going to get into contact with some shops to wire it all together. Wiring is something I don't even want to learn. It frustrates me so I don't even try.

I hear ya on that! I don't much care for wiring stuff either. My electrician is a car geek, he'll buy salvage vehicles and referb them, everything from a car-B-que to minor scratch and dent. My favorite project he did was grafting a PT Cruiser body to a Dakota 4x chassis. He had to shorten the chassis and lengthen the body to do it, looked great. He thought that the computers from each vehicle would talk to each other, they did not, so he got the factory manuals and traced every wire for every single accessory and function and grafted the two together. It was a pretty trick ride when he got it finished.

But anyway, yeah, boooo on electrical work!

[Halgar]

I'm certain that this is the aforementioned PT Cruiser

[RC10th]

I found it extremely valuable to have a spare harness on hand. Makes it WAY easier to trace wires on the ground and see which pins are what and what goes where. Also if you have a bad connector you'll have a spare.

[PlastiZapCA+]

The reared is a Moser. 3.00 gear with a spool and 35 spline axles. Completely overkill for the current powertrain. But who knows what might happen in the future

You'll need that strength if you dead hook at the track. It will come in handy when you install the turbo. That spooled diff will be fun on the street, there is a guy on my Camaro forum that runs one. Just have to watch it with that short wheelbase. That car is going to humiliate a lot of Mustang GT drivers lol.

[Morpheus]

Amazing projects.

[romulus22]

Well it's been a very non productive summer. But I'm starting to get back out there. Here's just a few small things I've done.

Finished my exhaust.



Off the car before it was finished being welded.



Put the rear window in.



Plumbed the brakes from the master under the dash all the way to new stainless braided lines to the calipers with new pads and rotors. Plumbed the trans cooler. Mounted the overflow reservoir.




Still trying to finish the rearend but I'm having trouble locating the correct tubing to lengthen the torque arm. Definitely won't be driving it this summer. Hopefully next spring

[slotcarrod]

Winter beater?

[romulus22]

Put some skinny winter tires and about 200 lbs of sandbags in the rear it might not do bad in the snow. But I've owned and driven a car with zero heat and interior in the winter before. Terrible!!!

This was my daily driver junkyard turbo civic gas saver car. Fun little car till it blew from running double the boost it was tuned for.

[RC10th]

The dash is...... interesting

[romulus22]

WOO!!! Finally making progress on the torque arm. Instead of trying to fab one from scratch I bought one and am modding it to fit. All hardware and 9" weld on tabs included. I bought one for a 64-70 Cougar thinking I would have to shorten it if anything. As you can see I need to lengthen it quite a bit.



And until I scrounge up a piece of 1" plate this is my front mount. Currently using 2-.5" plates as a temporary spacer. Mount will bolt to the trans tailshaft housing and a tab welded to the crossmember. As with everything I'm going strong. My '91 5.7L Z28 broke 2 tailshaft housings from hard launches. The car never wheel hopped I just think it was a poor design. The housing is just very thin cast alum. My mount will be drastically stronger.

[romulus22]

Torque arm and mount finished. Panhard bar mount and shocks to mock up before the rear gets pulled for final welding.

[Jimbo302]

Looking good. Great choice on the rear setup.

[romulus22]

Finally!! Rearend is finished being mocked up. Time to pull it and finish welding it before painting it.

Shocker I had to modify something else. The mount had the PH bar at a pretty decent angle sitting at ride height. So I changed the angle of the bolt and it's pretty good now.

[slotcarrod]

This is going to be a little rocket!