Brent's '72 Custom/10 SWB stepside build

[royo]

Originally Posted by brossow

Switched ISPs on Monday and have been battling with the ensuing cluster**** ever since. Wanted TV, phone and Internet all on one bill -- switched to the cable company for phone and Internet on Monday and it was down by Tuesday. Had it repaired Wednesday and it was down again Wednesday evening. Had it repaired Thursday and it was down again within hours. Finally today they looked at the main line coming off the pole to the house and discovered it was literally falling apart. Was essentially without phone and Internet at home since Tuesday and blew 2.5 days of vacation time because of the mess. Grrr.....

Anyway, the LCAs showed up Tuesday, but it was my older son's birthday and I didn't have a ball joint press anyway, so they sat in the box until yesterday evening. Got them installed tonight and temporarily hung the drop spindles in place to see how things were going to look. (And no, the LCAs weren't bolted in tightly in the pic below.) I'm quite happy with how things are turning out up front! Unfortunately, stupid me forgot that I needed springs to go between the control arms so I ordered a 1" drop set yesterday and will have to work on other stuff until they arrive. Need to get the power steering stuff cleaned up and ready to go, so it won't be totally wasted time.

Also pulled the rearend back out from under the truck and gave it the coat of Chassis Black that had been forgotten. Oops! Looks great now and tomorrow it'll get bolted in for good.

That's about it for now. TGIF!

nevermind i found it

[brossow]

Got some more work done yesterday and today in between searching for jobs. Realized in the middle of the night Sunday/Monday that the backing plates I had been planning to use were ones from my '64 or '66 projects. It actually friggin' SNOWED yesterday morning, forcing me to do some work inside. (Note to self: don't EVER decide to spray paint in the basement again, no matter how cold it is outside.)

So I stripped the new rotors and calipers of all the protective grease and gave them a liberal helping of caliper paint. I'm VERY unimpressed by the stuff, especially compared with good stuff like Chassis Black. I guess that's why it's $7 a can instead of $25. Oh, well. In retrospect I really should've powdercoated the rotors instead of painting, but no big deal. The part that shows is going to rust regardless and can't be painted anyway. Also painted the power steering box, though I may go over it again with a coat or two of Chassis Black for added protection from the elements.

After the paint dried, I sat in the basement and packed the new wheel bearings. Discovered I could have saved a bit of money by buying them without the races, which were included with the spindles. Oh, well. Installed the inner bearings and seals and wrapped the freshly packed outer bearings in plastic for later installation.

Was gonna go out in the cold and put the spindles on last night but realized that I still didn't have the proper backing plates ready to go. Rats! So today as soon as it warmed up (day started off at 24°F) I went out and removed, media blasted, and powdercoated the correct pieces from my pile o' parts. They turned out nice! Also PCed the Pitman arm as long as it was already stripped and the oven was warmed up.

Ran some errands to pick up some stainless hardware to attach the dust shields, new dust caps for the rotors, etc. Got it all bolted on this afternoon and except for the crappy caliper paint I couldn't be more pleased with the results.

Tomorrow (weather permitting) I'll bolt on the steering parts and finally be able to bolt the front wheels back on. Then it's time to clean out the garage and roll everything in for the winter. Hate to even think about six months of not working on it, but such is life in Minnesota without a decent garage. (And hey — without a job, there's not much left I could afford to do at this point anyway.)

[brossow]

This announcement has been a long time in the making! I'm happy to announce that as of this afternoon my truck (or what remains of it) is back on all four wheels for the first time in more than a year. Clearly there's a lot of work yet to be done, but for the first time in this project I really, really feel like I've accomplished something significant. There have been a lot of little "victories" along the way (such as my brake pedal assembly of which I'm extremely proud) but this really makes it feel "real."

Before I roll it away for the winter, I still need to finish up the steering stuff with a new gear box and Pitman arm and I want to get the engine and tranny dropped into place at least temporarily. But after that, the plan is to carefully set the new cab onto the frame and then pack it up until spring. It's depressing to think about not doing anything until next April, but that's life in this part of the world when you don't have decent facilities in which to work year-round.

Before I upload the pics, I want to offer a heartfelt thanks to everyone on here who has encouraged me and provided answers to what were sometimes stupid questions. I wouldn't have gotten nearly as far as I have without this place, and I appreciate the opportunity the site provides for me to post some pics, show off my hard work that no one else I know even seems to care about, and ramble on as I'm doing now.

I'll have more to offer before the snow flies, but just in case I hope everyone reading this has a great winter and whatever holidays you celebrate between now and spring.

Brent

[Alan's Classic]

It looks awesome!!

[msgross]

I was happy to get mine there as well, I even have a pic from that day hanging at my desk at work... next pic will be all the body panels installed for fitment...

good job,

[big_al_71]

Thats too bad not been able to do anything for months, great progress so far. If you were closer I would offer you my shop, tools and all the help you needed to get it back on the road....
Good luck and happy holidays!!!!

[brossow]

Some good news and some bad news the past couple of days. The good news is I got a new job. Start Monday at a higher wage than I was making previously. The bad news is that when I attempted to set the LS1 in place it quickly became obvious that it wasn't gonna be that easy and that I was going to have a lot of research to do. Current list of known issues:

1. Clearance issues between the alternator and AC compressor and the frame
2. Possible clearance issue between the F-body oil pan and the front crossmember

I absolutely hate having to research this stuff for some reason, but it's time to suck it up and do it. I know the answers are out there. Time to start looking....

[Ackattack]

I didn't have any clearance issues with my F-body pan and the crossmember. But your motor mounts may be different than mine....I made my own.

I'm using corvette accessories. It basically mounts the A/C compressor in the frame, but it does clear. I think the truck accessories would be the easiest and cheapest way to go. Good luck!

Oh, and congrats on the new job!

[brossow]

Thanks for the quick reply, Ackattack! Wonder if you'd mind looking at the slightly more detailed post I made in the general forum? Here's the link:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=312879

Thanks in advance!

[msgross]

Like I said, things happen for a reason (new job with mo money and all).... congrats.

I would PM 68 short step or hart rod since they have experience with this engine swap... I have seen them cut frames on the pass side to clear something...

[nuke1]

Congratulations on the new job and also getting the truck to a point where you have success. everything is looking great and things always happen for a reason. Later
James

[brossow]

Got a little bit done today. After being frustrated with the engine not fitting as nicely as I had hoped, I decided to get the rear sway bar installed instead. Turns out the brackets for the end links needed to go exactly where the custom gas tank rails are at. I got it set up so that the rear bracket hole is secured with the front bolt for the tank rail. Still have to drill a hole for the front bolts, but I need to get a 3/4" spacer and longer bolts for those because of how everything lines up. I'll finish that up tomorrow, I hope.

Tonight, after some great advice and help from another board member, I decided to move the motor mount stands back to the 6-cylinder position in order for the oil pan to clear the crossmember. That necessitated creating new slots for the bottom studs since the 6-cylinder hole on the crossmember was not in the right location. Only had time to do the driver's side tonight as I didn't want to piss off the neighbors with drilling and cutting after 9 PM. Drilled two 3/8" holes and then used a Dremel cutoff wheel along with a saber saw to create the slot. Ground it smooth, painted it with Chassis Black for protection, and will let it dry overnight. Have to do the other side tomorrow and I guess I'll have to wait on reinstalling the engine stands until Tuesday since I want the paint to dry completely before those go back on.

Pics follow as usual....

[brossow]

Things are looking up (for the most part)! Had a great first day at my new job. Didn't have to go in until 9 AM, so I was able to get the other side drilled, cut, smoothed and painted before leaving for work. Paint was dry, of course, by this evening and I got the engine stands reinstalled and the engine dropped right into place. The best surprise of all was setting the tranny onto the CPP crossmember not just for the support but also to see where I would need to drill holes. Look at the last pic and you'll see why I'm so pleased. (Yes, those are existing holes in the frame that line up absolutely PERFECTLY with the crossmember. I could have spent hours measuring and planning and not had it come out that good!)

The down side is that the F-body headers I already had and was hoping to use simply aren't gonna clear the CPP stands. Even the stock F-body manifolds don't clear. I'm afraid that I'm gonna be shelling out beaucoup bucks for a set of Thorleys, which I'm sure are the right answer anyway but damn I was hoping to save some money. That can wait until spring, I guess, since I don't plan to fire it up anytime soon. I just want to make sure that I'm ready to hit the ground running when I pull it back out in the spring and don't want to be delayed by having to order new engine stands or something. (And yes, I know there are pics of the Thorleys clearing the CPP stands, but I'm still paranoid that there's something "off" with my setup.)

Oh, well. Engine and tranny are temporarily in place, one less thing taking up floor space in the garage. Now I can get the steering and suspension buttoned up as soon as my new power steering box arrives. Might even go back out in the dark tonight and try to get the sway bar end links reinstalled and reinstall the bump stops on the UCAs.

[brossow]

Weather here has been absolutely lousy. Snow on everything and temps in the 20s and 30s. Things aren't looking any better until Sunday at the earliest, sunny and a high of 41°F. I've got new parts sitting here just begging to be installed, but I can't do it when it's sleeting outside and I can't even push it into the garage to work because there's too much junk in the way. All I really needed was one more week and I could have had everything wrapped up for the season. Grrr....

So in the meantime, I've been rethinking some of the rearend stuff. ECE had 4" drop leaf springs on sale, so I ordered a pair of those plus their rear crossmember. I'm not happy with how things are lining up in the back and as much as I hate to do it I think I'm going to end up moving the gas tank to provide better clearance for the sway bar brackets. I just can't have the tank rails with the rubber spacers sandwiched between the end link brackets and the frame. Just doesn't seem like a good idea. That's where the ECE rear crossmember comes in, opening up a little more space for the tank and allowing me to bolt it directly to the frame minus the rubber spacers. (Read back in this thread to see why I used the spacers.) I'm actually thinking about removing the crossmember and then sliding the tank in from the back so the tank rails actually rest on top of the bottom frame rails instead of hanging underneath.

But I ramble. Bottom line is I'm just whining about the lousy weather.

[Hart_Rod]

What year of Fbody manifolds did you try? I used 98 Fbody manifolds on my crewcab and they worked perfectly on my setup (ECE motor mounts).

[brossow]

Mine are '99s. I'm not surprised yours cleared the ECE mounts. Those are designed the way they should be IMHO, immediately sloping downward. As much as I like most of my CPP parts, their mounts inexplicably go UP a couple inches with all the gusseting instead of straight out and down. Hindsight being 20/20, this is a case where I would have gone with the ECE mounts from the start. But I already had the CPP mounts on hand after purchasing them for a different project and I didn't (at the time) see a reason not to use them. I think if I had the ECE mounts this would be a non-issue. But as it is, I'm faced with the choice of dropping hundreds of dollars either way, so I might as well go with the headers and gain the performance (which I'd want anyway) rather than getting the ECE mounts.

Either way, I've got all winter to think about it and save up.

[Hart_Rod]

I think the 98 Fbody's would work for you. You can pick them up for around $50. I've got an extra set, unfortunately, they are in FL and I'm not sure when I'll be back there.....

Check out Shifty's thread. He's got some good pictures and discussion on the manifolds.

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/conver...tepside-4.html

[brossow]

Good info, Rob. Thanks as always! If I can pick up a set of '98s cheap enough, I'll give 'em a try. Still think headers are the long-term way I'll want to go but we'll see. I'll keep my eyes open over the winter for a pair. A lot depends on how my new job goes and if I get the pay bump I'm hoping for.

[Hart_Rod]

Originally Posted by brossow

Good info, Rob. Thanks as always! If I can pick up a set of '98s cheap enough, I'll give 'em a try. Still think headers are the long-term way I'll want to go but we'll see. I'll keep my eyes open over the winter for a pair. A lot depends on how my new job goes and if I get the pay bump I'm hoping for.

I agree the thorley headers are the way to go. I should back in FL the end of january and I'll see if I can the fbody manifolds out, that is of course if you still need them by then......

[brossow]

Did some searching and posting over at LS1tech and now have offers of '98 manifolds coming out my ears. HOWEVER ... look at these two pics and tell me if you see a difference. The top is a '98 and the bottom is my '99. They look identical to me, and I've been told over there that '98 and '99 are the same. I know a call to Thorley would eliminate the confusion, but now I just wanna know....

[Hart_Rod]

Here's a picture from Shifty's thread. The top ones are 98 and then the 99's. It does look like the drivers side are very similar. The drivers side wasn't the problem for me, it was the passenger side. The 99's wouldn't work but the 98's would. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures with them bolted on, .

[brossow]

My donor must have been an early '99 build, then, because the manifolds are identical to the top ones in Shifty's pic. (And I know for sure what year my LS1 came from; I've still got the title around somewhere.) Neither side clears with the CPP stands. Looks like I'll be calling Thorley in the spring (unless I get a nice Christmas bonus at the new job ) and hoping like hell they clear.

Still am wondering if I should cut my losses on the CPP stands and place another order with ECE.

[Hart_Rod]

I'm sure you could always resell your CPP mounts to offset the cost. I guess the question is, do you eventually plan on doing the Thorley headers? If so, you might as well do them now while you're putting everything together......JMHO

[brossow]

It was cold (30°F) but sunny here today, so I finished up what will likely be the last project task for the season. Got the power steering box from CPP installed and all the steering stuff put in place. I'm not at all sure what I'm doing with the steering stuff, unfortunately, so it may have to come apart at least partially in the spring. Didn't center the center link or make sure the gear box was centered before bolting the stuff up, but I just wanted it bolted on so I could start getting it packed up for the winter. Over the next few months I'll do some reading and try to learn the proper way to do it.

Also got the bump stops reinstalled on the UCAs. Didn't get the end links reinstalled on the front sway bar because it was too darn cold to fight with it; those can wait. Next order of business is to pray for a warm, sunny day and then gut the garage so I can cram everything in for the winter. Right now I couldn't even park a bicycle in there....

[brossow]

Well, decided it was time to quit stewing about it and just do it. Just placed an order with ECE for their motor mount kit. Will undoubtedly still get the DT headers in the spring, but this whole design thing with the CPP stands has been bugging me for too long. I'll save 'em and use 'em on another project, I suppose. Or maybe put 'em up for sale, but I don't want to lose too much money on them if I do. *shrug* We'll see....