11 Sep 05
Parts gathering, and driveshaft

Not all this stuff happened today - slow but steady progress since the last update.

Tried a test-fit of the LS1 in the 65 without frame or oilpan modifications. Had to move the engine WAY back to clear the crossmember.
Passenger side view. You can see how the pan clears the crossmember.
Head is very close to the firewall.
As in 1/2" close.
Closeup of how the front of the pan clears the crossmember. I don't foresee a problem here, with the exception of the AC compressor. Also not sure how the relocation brackets to mount the engine will clear the compressor. At this point, I decided to wait until I had the Camino in the garage to try to fit the engine. Options include:
  • Make brackets that mount the engine exactly where the above pics put it. Not sure if that's too close to the firewall or not, or how well it'd clear the AC box.
  • Get the S&P brackets and oil pan modification. I'll still have to notch the crossmember for the compressor.
  • Set the engine back even more, notching the firewall.
  • Go with the BRP brackets, which locate the engine higher in the chassis. I don't like this option.
Got parts washer fluid, and cleaned the carbon off the pistons as well as the front and rear engine covers. Not too impressed with this water-based solvent - doesn't seem to really break up the grease so while I brushed the crap off, I have new sludge sticking to other previously cleaned areas.
Looks like part of the problem with the old heads may have been from piston-to-valve contact. Similar dents on 7 of the 8 pistons.
Clearanced the block for the LS6-style PCV (see this link for details). I don't want to put the crank in until I know that I've got the grinding done. Also cleaned up the casting flash in the oil drainbacks.
Late model Camaro steering column for the Camino. This'll get me the VATS, cruise control controls, intermittent wipers, and headlight controls on the colum while keeping tilt.
So long as I'm merging in the new technology, may as well merge in the power door locks. I've got the BCM to match these remotes (and the VATS in these keys, for that matter)
This huge strand of wires is not the new harness. This is just the power window/power door lock harness. Hoo boy. The black box is the controller for the "auto-down" feature, which has always struck me as a really cool idea.
Got the accumulator I needed. If I can come up with an AC vacuum pump that'll do R134 systems, I want to take the system down to a good vacuum and leave it to prevent any damage from moisture getting in. I also got the stock wiper motor. Let's see if I can adapt it.
This huge pile of wire is the interior harness. Some of the funtionality here will be removed (ABS, Airbags, stereo controls). There's a lot of work yet to be done here. I still need to get the chassis harness as well (not the engine harness, I've already got that)
The crank is back from the machine shop.
Remember this unspecified part from the dyno day failure? Found where it came from when I put the new driveshaft in.
I put the new driveshaft in (thanks Richard!). Was able to pull the car off the grass where it's sat since the tow truck dropped it off. When I put the car in reverse, it died. I tried to put the engine in park so I could restart it, and it wouldn't go. Got out and looked under the car, found that the tranny was not in there straight anymore. The block, on the other hand, appeared to be normal so it looks like that mystery part was part of the bellhousing. Sigh.. it gets worse.
I've got a large power gate. It keeps people out of my garage if I leave the door open, and out of the cars when I'm not out there. It's got all sorts of neat bells and whistles.. including an auto-close a couple of minutes after opening. (do you see where this is going?)
As soon as I realized that the car was not going to be able to back up on its own, and that it was blocking the alley, I rushed around to the front of the house to grab the beater and use it to push the car back. I did not think to turn off the gate. It bounced off the car more than once while I was pulling around. Hopefully this will pop out.
At least one good thing happened today: I got new heads. These 853s have a nice mild port to them, and came with a set of beehive springs (Comp 918s?). The cam I ordered (Thunder Racing TR224/224 on a 116LSA) came in a package with a set of new 918s (and new pushrods), so I'll go ahead and swap the springs out and sell these. I do need to clean up some carbon buildup in the cylinders before bolting these up though. Not a big deal.

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