🔧 BUILD LAME Turbo V6 Camaro

General Information

Hello! Welcome to the shit show! I am updating this post in 2021 to explain what new readers are about to witness. If I knew that this thread and build were going to explode into what it is today, I would have started it out a lot different.

This car was (and still is) a basket case. The whole inspiration for starting this project was to start learning how to modify engines in a car that I didn't like. That way, if and when I screwed up, I wouldn't be ruining a nice car. It spiraled out of control from the first moment that I felt boost. I loved what I had created, but it took a ton of work to get to where I was. As soon as I got the car running nicely I was always saying "I'm going to fix______, and THEN I'll just enjoy driving it." You know the drill. Drive, break, fix, repeat! Before I knew it, I enjoyed driving and working on this turd more than the nice car I was trying to preserve!

The point is that the focus of this thread shifts A LOT. To complicate matters, I never have just one ongoing project open at a time. I listed some thread contents with links below. I will update this as new milestones or big updates happen. Just know that even if you click on the shortcut, you may have to scroll past other project posts to reveal the outcome. There are also some mini-projects and very helpful advice from other members in between, so read the whole dang thing if you want!

2018-2019
1. A late introduction
2. Discovering how a PCV works (and plugging it)
3. Custom grill for intercooler
4. Fuel pump trap door
5. Learning that I'll never learn anything from my goofy wide band gauge
6. Deleting AC completely, but retaining heat
2020
7. Low profile heater hose fittings
8. Deleting an air bag without setting a light on the dash
9. Starting a second round of floor repairs
10. ABS delete and line lock installation
- A separate thread for the electrons
11. Installing catch cans with nice brackets (Way overkill)
12. Figuring out the "blow by" problem once and for all (F-body intake plug)
13. Second clutch job, first rear cover job, and preliminary transmission swap research
14. Floors are "done", and Interior is installed.
15. I don't know how to tune, but this wide band might help.
16. Poly trans mount. Yeah, it actually deserves a link.
17. I waved the tuning white flag. Dyno Brian sets me straight!
18. T5 Pro5.0 shifter
19. New shifter was too much fun. OG T5 explodes, and my transmission conversion ideas start to get serious.
-TKX conversion
-TKX swap official write-up
20. Reconfiguring my exhaust for a quieter and less leaky future
21. I'm not done enjoying this car for the year, so I install a $100 T5 instead of a bulletproof conversion. SPOILER ALERT: It only lasts two months.
22. Minor repairs/updates that make the car livable (lighting, stereo, speedometer re-zero, and a clutch master cylinder that actually does it's job!)
23. Wheels and addressing rust again since I got time!
2021
24. Custom center caps
25. 1.9 roller rockers and LS6 springs
26. CAI V2.0
27. TKX is delayed so it's time to address the little annoyances.
-OE pan is junk. Dorman pan gets hot rodded
28. TKX is still delayed, so I install just one poly engine mount and beef up my flimsy turbo drain plumbing
29. TKX does NOT ship the following Monday. Flywheel bolts upgraded to ARP M10 x 1.0
30. When you're on a Chinese garbage budget, you better be ready to work harder. (Oil drain fitting hot rodding)
31. Finally repairing the oil sender pig tail, replacing the other engine mount, and test fitting the TKX.
32. Finally addressing rear brake lines while I wait for more transmission parts.
33. Modifying an ICM for a WOT box
34. Dash gets re-instrumented so that diagnostics become possible.
35. N2MB WOT box
36. Porked crank key. PSA: Be careful installing your balancer!
37. Car runs great after plug change, but the rear main seal needs to be changed again.
38. BURNOUT! Also, I kinda bought a cam.
39. Turbo drain finale (better be) and full exhaust commenced
2022
40. Downpipe V3 and BMR strut tower brace
41. Panhard bar and relocation for bro truck exhaust
42. Muffler, driveshaft, torque arm, and giving up smoking.
43. First trip to the GS Nationals (feat. time slip)
44. The very custom AC project is born
45. New dyno results (up 50 hp!)
46. Exhaust hanger repair before Michigan/S.S. Badger/Wisconsin trip
47. Sizing a better turbo
48. Painting but still not installing the IS3 heads and Monster clutch unboxing
49. Firewall brace
50. New ECM
2023
51. Out of storage and SC engine buy failure #3
52. Modified double roller and spitballing crankcase evac ideas
53. Completing the rear suspension. UMI rear control arms.
54. Cracked headers and L32 swap begins
55. My newest L32 was trash. I'm upgrading the L36 instead
56. Side project: The ultimate-ish intake manifold takes shape


Now back to 2018!
1688935182526.png


Now that this car is running and driving, I figured I would start a thread dedicated to all the questions I’m about to pummel this group with. This is the first time I've really built anything to move quicker than stock, so I'm hoping to learn a lot from you guys before I make unnecessary mistakes. I also have a thread in the Turbobuick.com 3800 section, but I'm not getting as much input there due to a lack of audience. Here goes nothing...

The car I have is a 2002 Camaro with only ONE factory option (rear window defogger). The story supposedly goes that my buddy's dad was looking forever for a new Camaro because he never buys anything for a penny more than the best deal. He almost ran out of time as this was the final model year for the F-body, and '03s were already on the market. The dealer from which he found this car bought it for the sole purpose of being able to advertise "Brand new Camaros for under $10k", so this was the one he took home.

Fast forward to 2018. The car was structurally a wreck from living in the rust belt, but has a great interior, okay black paint, a third pedal, a 3800 (which is a plus in my book), and a lot of sentimental value since I remember riding in it when it was brand new. My buddy’s dad handed me the keys in hopes that I would enjoy it and make it a race car. To be honest, I don’t care for F-bodies, but I couldn't resist this one for the reasons above despite knowing that the floors were in desperate need of existing again.

I already had my dream car which is a 1986 Buick Regal Grand National. As much as I love that car, I like it the way it is in fairly stock form and modifying Buicks has gotten terribly expensive anyway. I figured a black 3800 Camaro could easily fulfill my childhood dreams of racing a badass turbo Buick V6 car while being on a budget, so here I am.

The car is now equipped with:
-6765 ebay turbo
-Precision PW40 wastegate
-Custom turbo exhaust utilizing a stock Camaro and FWD manifolds
-Air to air ebay intercooler
-AEM 50-1200 fuel pump
-Siemens Deka 80# fuel injectors
-Open 3” downpipe
-Custom 3” charge pipes
-Intense mail order tune
-Very ugly but functional upright radiator conversion (the core support was all just rust anyway) :dunno:
-Custom space saving AC delete without bypass pulley
-Midwest Chassis bumper support modified to mount my intercooler
-Spec Stage 1 clutch kit

The car is far from refined and has a lot of little issues to sort out, but I will leave the first post as sort of an introduction to that. I hope you enjoy hearing about it. It’s been fun to build!

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Mr_Roboto

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Honestly for a lower buck setup the timing control is the big thing. The cam sensor would swap in which is okay but you'd need a companion crank sensor for it as well which could be a bit more complicated. Port fuel injection is doable but would require fabrication with today's intakes if you don't want to spend a fortune. I'm talking a simple, brute force setup to get to 4-700ish HP with E85. There's a lot of information to the carb+boost stuff that just wasn't there in the 80s that makes it way more doable.

-Megasquirt I ignition control on a GN distributor with the reluctor swapped out
-Blow through Holley carb (easy enough to do)
-EFI fuel system of some kind
-Moderate size turbo
-Maybe no IC due to blow through
 

v6buicks

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Honestly for a lower buck setup the timing control is the big thing. The cam sensor would swap in which is okay but you'd need a companion crank sensor for it as well which could be a bit more complicated. Port fuel injection is doable but would require fabrication with today's intakes if you don't want to spend a fortune. I'm talking a simple, brute force setup to get to 4-700ish HP with E85. There's a lot of information to the carb+boost stuff that just wasn't there in the 80s that makes it way more doable.

-Megasquirt I ignition control on a GN distributor with the reluctor swapped out
-Blow through Holley carb (easy enough to do)
-EFI fuel system of some kind
-Moderate size turbo
-Maybe no IC due to blow through
Yeah, the port fuel injection is something I would definitely be able to compromise on. It would be cool, but probably not cool enough to outweigh the ease of a TBI or carb. It would still look really neat with modern dress-up parts and well made plumbing. Not to mention the performance.
 

Mr_Roboto

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The EFI could always come later. The idea is to get it going now and upgrade as you go along. I don't know that a ton of people would care if it was PFI after seeing the hair dryer hanging off the engine.

In terms of the accessory bracketry I wonder if you could use the stuff off the 86-87 Park Aves that came with a 3.8L. Probably hardish to find now but likely easier than GN parts. Would still be serpentine and the engines were very similar to a GN engine. Even had 2 dot rods in em and the crank would go between blocks (they used the FWD bellhousing pattern but another neat thing is they made roller lifter variants even!)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Engine-6-2...y:3.8L&hash=item3fd18da1fc:g:4GgAAOSw14Zdzy9r
 

Mattstrike

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Ah, yes, good ol' LG3. It's close enough that with some mods you can run one of those off the standard 3800 PCM. the only thing you'd have to do is swap over the crank sensor 3x/8x ring as the lg3 only has the 3x ring. I've got one sitting here that I planned to do exactly that with - OBD2 conversion and boosty up.

You'd be surprised at what you can interchange (with some minor modifications) between the original 3.8s and the 3800s. I've got a double roller timing set from a GN on my series 2 build in the SSEi.

But I also wouldn't be surprised to find that the old RWD 3.8 doesn't have all the same bolt holes as the old FWD block did - so the brackets, timing cover, etc. might not be a bolt on affair like we can do with the series 2 3800 stuff. It's probably something nobody ever wanted/needed/bothered to find out. The FWD block got the gerotor oil pump, which means the timing cover is completely different, though it might still bolt up you'd have to get a FWD camshaft at least. It's possible the LG3 balancer is weighted the same as the GN one, if so getting the crank trigger is nearly bolt on.
 
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Mr_Roboto

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Ah, yes, good ol' LG3. It's close enough that with some mods you can run one of those off the standard 3800 PCM. the only thing you'd have to do is swap over the crank sensor 3x/8x ring as the lg3 only has the 3x ring. I've got one sitting here that I planned to do exactly that with - OBD2 conversion and boosty up.

You'd be surprised at what you can interchange (with some minor modifications) between the original 3.8s and the 3800s. I've got a double roller timing set from a GN on my series 2 build in the SSEi.

But I also wouldn't be surprised to find that the old RWD 3.8 doesn't have all the same bolt holes as the old FWD block did - so the brackets, timing cover, etc. might not be a bolt on affair like we can do with the series 2 3800 stuff. It's probably something nobody ever wanted/needed/bothered to find out. The FWD block got the gerotor oil pump, which means the timing cover is completely different, though it might still bolt up you'd have to get a FWD camshaft at least. It's possible the LG3 balancer is weighted the same as the GN one, if so getting the crank trigger is nearly bolt on.

It does bolt up and the holes are the same. I can tell you that actually as I owned an 85 hot air engine and one of these as well for a period of my life.
 
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v6buicks

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But I also wouldn't be surprised to find that the old RWD 3.8 doesn't have all the same bolt holes as the old FWD block did - so the brackets, timing cover, etc. might not be a bolt on affair like we can do with the series 2 3800 stuff. It's probably something nobody ever wanted/needed/bothered to find out. The FWD block got the gerotor oil pump, which means the timing cover is completely different, though it might still bolt up you'd have to get a FWD camshaft at least. It's possible the LG3 balancer is weighted the same as the GN one, if so getting the crank trigger is nearly bolt on.
Until a few minutes ago I was thinking the same thing until I remembered that I have the parts to do exactly that. :cool:
Dan Jost 3800.jpg

GN stuff would be bolt onto the 3800 for me but nobody else. lol When Dan Jost sold me the kit, he said that the custom balancer and crank pulley was probably most difficult part to make out of all the parts he included. When I study it I know that I sure as hell would never have attempted it. Apparently the brackets bolt up with minimal modifications though.

That's interesting to hear about the LG3 stuff working too though. The worst part about my kit is that I don't think any of it will be useful if split up. Maybe the LG3 stuff could help. Does it use the same crank pulley as a GN? I feel like the FWD stuff would need to hug the engine a little closer.
 

v6buicks

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I was so excited to post my progress until just now. Although the picture makes it look like crap, my welds are much improved.

According to my original plans for the winter, the floors are "done." However, this section of floor took so much less time compared to the parts I did last year, that I'm going to go back to the driver side to clean up the parts I left alone. It seriously pains me to cut this car up even more instead of finally throwing the carpet back in, but I know that I'll thank myself later. It's a mess...

I don't know what I'm doing, but surely somebody needs to here this. If your're repairing rust damage, cut ALL of it out and then cut a little more out. it doesn't pay to leave any rust or thin metal because you WILL end up coming back to it. Also, having the right tools for the job is a must. I'm not kidding. Switching from a wire wheel to surface prep roloc pad saved me hours and I'm still paying for it. I thought that if anything the wire wheel was just going to be too abrasive, but it's simply not the correct tool for the job. Surface prep pads will make a much better welding surface.

I'm sure there are people I could have asked here instead of just going for it. However, as mentioned, sometimes we just need to go for it and learn from our mistakes. I've always learned more from real experiences anyway.
Patch 2 2-20.jpg
 

v6buicks

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I'm over this. I think it's time for a little break from this kind of work. As much as I would like to be done with welding patches I can't help be be reminded that there is a lot of unfinished work under the hood. I'm not quitting. I just need a new form of motivation because getting better at repairing rust damage isn't cutting it anymore. Generally, the more complete the car is the more anxious I get to go for a drive. The more anxious I get to drive the car the more motivated I get to finish it.... you know what what I mean? I'll come back to this. Since the passenger side is completely done I will put some chassis saver on it and undercoat it. Then I'm going to move on to the brakes. Having a car without brakes is very inconvenient when I'm constantly shuffling them around.
Patch 3 2-20.jpg
 
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v6buicks

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I'm not going to lie. Motivation to work on this rusty turd has been very low. I kind forced myself out the door yesterday to try regaining my momentum again. Although I didn't get much done, I think I have my motivation again.

First, I got onto my creeper, and had a wheel fall off. I thought for sure that was going to set the tone for the night. ? After screwing around with that for about a half hour, I got the nut thing retapped, the caster dyed, and everything back together. Then I was finally able to work on the car.

Laziness wouldn't allow me to take the car off the jack stands just to put it right back, so I got ramps and a rubber wheel chock to hold the tires while I loosened the lug nuts... Why have I not gotten a good impact yet? Good question. I don't know.

From there, everything went surprisingly and refreshingly easy. The lines came of the hoses super easily. What a relief! I'm still going to replace the hoses anyway. I'm just shocked that I wasn't at the bench vice after snipping both the hose and line off trying to retrieve the bracket. Even those weren't in terrible shape. I took them to the wire wheel, and encapsulated them. Once I get some new hoses I'll be ready to start bending lines!
Brake lines 1 2-20.jpg

So I'm spoiled... I got this tubing straightener for Christmas a few years ago. To be honest, I'm not really sure why I asked for it. It was pretty expensive, and yesterday was the first time I ever had a reason to use it. I must say it saved me a lot of time though. Straightening coiled tube by hand is time consuming if you truly want it straight. This gets it done better in only seconds.
Brake lines 2 2-20.jpg

Brake lines 3 2-20.jpg
 

v6buicks

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I'm back at it! After finding out that I had to have an unexpected mouth surgery, I took a little break from the car to sort out more important things. I planned on having this entire weekend for recovery. Nonetheless, I got all the brake plumbing done!
Line lock 2-20.jpg


New brake line 2-20.jpg

I wish I could be jumping for joy, and moving on to other things, but cars don't usually go THAT smoothly.

This MFer is a leaky SOB! Part of the problem is that SJM uses double flare components in their line lock kit which is to be expected. I'm not blaming them for the leaks. It's my own fault, but I hate double flares and their ridiculously tiny 3/16" flare nuts. Sure you can get them tight, but how on earth are you supposed to crack them loose again after years or driving? Whatever. I got everything much tighter than I like, but its sealed now. Time to bleed.

SIKE!

Leaking master cylinder 2-20.jpg

Sorry it's out of focus, but you can probably see that there's brake fluid running down my booster despite installing a NEW not remanned AC Delco master cylinder. I was fuming because this is not the first time that this has happened to me.

Long winded flashback story time: (skip 5 paragraphs to return to Camaro content)
Only days before my first time bringing the GN to GS Nationals in Bowling Green, KY it was discovered that my Powermaster braking unit had bit the dust. I had rebuilt the master cylinder, confirmed that the pressure switch was good, replaced the accumulator, and finally rigged up a special gauge to plumb into the system. This was able to tell me once and for all that the pump had gone bad.

I'm sure you non-Buick people are scratching your heads and wondering what on earth I'm talking about. I don't have pictures of what I did, but here's one of the system I removed. Imagine the infamous Bentley/Rolls Royce braking system except it uses normal brake fluid and an electric pump instead of the cam driven mechanical pump.
Powermaster.jpg


So I'm only a day from embarking on a 5 hour trip down to Beech Bend Raceway with virtually no brakes in an obsolete 80s tin can. I thought for sure I was screwed, but as I was sulking at work I was also browsing craigslist.

As luck would have it, there was a yard in Indy with very a well picked over El Camino and Cutlass. Combined they had almost every part I needed to convert my GN to vaccum brakes! Done. I took an extra half day off work, bought a new master, pulled the parts from the yard, got home around 5PM and worked until about 2AM to get the car roadworthy. It was pretty epic.

The point of this story is that everything I bought that day came from the junkyard except for the master. I even still have the same junkyard booster on it which needed the rainwater drained out of it! I couldn't take the gamble on a junk yard master, but guess what? It leaked anyway! I still drove it to KY because I wasn't racing and it wasn't leaking enough to cause a noticeable issue. It just made my newly painted booster look like crap.


ANYWAY
Remembering this story made me start to believe that nobody knows how to build a damn master cylinder even though our lives depend on it. Therefore, I decided to throw the original back on. Why not? It worked. I bench bled it, threw it on, and started bleeding the system again. Guess what? :s00ls:

Leaking OG master cylinder 3-20.jpg

:fu:

Before I blow a gasket, is there anybody who can recommend a GOOD OE style master? I was thinking about trying Napa until my buddy who recently vacuum converted his GN got a leaking Gold unit.

So there you go. That's what I've been dealing with. Fun stuff! I hate brake fluid so much.
 

Turbocharged400sbc

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picture links are gon though google image result shows some still showing for the article/author

original article with black and white pics appeared to have been made in 2000ish

gearotor SI timing cover can work on GN 3.8l engines using the newer crank gear and some block drilling and tapping... damper work requires retrofit of sensor rings onto early balancer and some SI (LC3, LG3, LN3, and L27/67 SI) accesory drive stuffs.

most is minor differences regarding the crank snout changes from slip fit, press fit and the newest slip then press fit and cam snout/thrust differences

and no longer being able to use the pump with a V belt accessory system due to reverse rotation waterpump and the inlet neck location.

there's a buncha little bullshit but this should ferret out what MIGHT be usable/tryable

 
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Mr_Roboto

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picture links are gon though google image result shows some still showing for the article/author

original article with black and white pics appeared to have been made in 2000ish

gearotor SI timing cover can work on GN 3.8l engines using the newer crank gear and some block drilling and tapping... damper work requires retrofit of sensor rings onto early balancer and some SI (LC3, LG3, LN3, and L27/67 SI) accesory drive stuffs.

most is minor differences regarding the crank snout changes from slip fit, press fit and the newest slip then press fit and cam snout/thrust differences

and no longer being able to use the pump with a V belt accessory system due to reverse rotation waterpump and the inlet neck location.

there's a buncha little bullshit but this should ferret out what MIGHT be usable/tryable


I saw a guy that took the bottom half of a new cover and TIGed it into the top half of an old one for his stage motor. Was a slick setup.
 

Mr_Roboto

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It would be pretty sweet to ditch that crappy Buick oil pump. As similar as the old V6 and the SBBs are, I wonder if I can do that on my B350. That would be slick!

https://www.turbobuick.com/threads/timing-cover-gerotor-oil-pump-project.250580/page-2

This is a good link that explains a lot. I'd look for an 86-87 3.8L. They're actually SUPER similar to a "109" motor btw and use 2 dot rods and a 7148 ECU even! Some are also roller engines which the originals never were. I'd bet you'd need to tweak some stuff and/or space it out but the accessories could be fun for someone looking to serpentine swap as well.
 

v6buicks

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I'm experiencing a massive set-back. These brakes are just tearing me up.

I finally got a cooperative master cylinder yesterday. After bench bleeding and installing it I found my first problem with the SJM line lock kit.
SJM before.jpg

This supposed to be a bubble flare. I can tell by the lack of witness marks that this was not sealing at all.

Luckily, I have a purpose built bubble flaring tool kit which I am have noticed is getting difficult to come by. Even the kit I have was discontinued by NAPA despite being a beast of a tool.
SJM after.jpg

That's more like it. It seals nicely too.

I'm going to go on a short rant. I'd make it longer if I wasn't also about to show my incompetence, but I digress. What the F*** is up with the aftermarket? Do they actually think this kind of quality is okay? Brakes are not a system to screw up as our lives actually depend on them. Are parts made like crap because "competent mechanics" should be able to notice and address these issues on our own? I just don't get how anybody could manufacture something like this, sell it to the masses, and get a good night's sleep.

I'll leave it at that for now. I got everything back together, started bleeding the system again, and still had issues. This time I don't see any leaks. The master and booster are dry, I replaced the stupid NPT tee that came with the SJM kit in favor of an actual brake tee, and I have tons of bubbles coming out of the front bleeders. The rear system is pretty much separated since the ABS delete. I spent all night chasing this issue, and never found it. I think tonight I'm going to throw the wheels back on, pull the car outside and clean up my mess. I can honestly say that I might be unable to see an otherwise obvious leak because the whole garage floor and area under the master is just wet dirt and brake fluid. I periodically spray it with water to neutralize it too which doesn't help matters.

Sorry for boring updates, but it's all be boring work too. The weather was nice here though.
Brake bleeding 3-20.jpg
 
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v6buicks

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Brakes get project cars sold. Get the cupponickel line. Supposedly great to work with.
That's what I used for all the new stuff I had to bend myself. That stuff is amazing. I can't believe how quickly I was able to make respectable looking lines. The rest is stainless which is the opposite, but sturdy.
 

v6buicks

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Let's see here. Looks like I was at my whit's end the brakes last time I updated. I have not done very much with that yet, but I am pretty sure that I know where my issue lies. I'll talk more about that when I get to it.

I did do what I said I would though! Cleaning the garage was huge. I didn't realize how much the mess was bugging me until it was cleaned up. However, now that I have a clean/dry floor, I'd like to keep it that way for a little while. No more brake stuff for a little while. I'm going to finish another project I've been talking about for a while.

First I painted my valve covers and did a really poor job.
Valve Covers Painted 1.jpg


Then I baked them with the heat gun to force the bubbled/thick stuff dry and sanded them flat.
Valve Covers Painted 2.jpg


Viola! Not perfect, but they look much better than what's already on the car. To be fair, the castings were really rough to begin with.
Valve Covers Painted 3.jpg


While I waited for this to dry naturally, I shifted over to the catch can bracket. I'm so happy with how this is turning out so far.
Catch can bracket 1.jpg


I put a couple tacks on the power steering reservoir bracket and crossed my fingers. It fit even better than I thought!
Catch can bracket 2.jpg


Catch can bracket 3.jpg


Catch can bracket 4.jpg


Then I finished welding, cleaned some rust off the original bracket, and coated it! I got a bit fancy this time. I put rust converter on the pitted parts, regular paint on the mounting surfaces, and undercoating on anything that wasn't a mounting surface. It turned out too nice for the car.
Catch can bracket 6.jpg


Catch can bracket 7.jpg



Tonight I'd like to completely finish the driver side. I'll replace the valve cover, make the hose, get super excited, take a few pictures, then remember that the big PITA is on the other side. lol
 

v6buicks

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It's nice when things go better than expected! I'll call the driver side done.

10.jpg


...But that didn't take very long, so I kept trucking. I've been dreading this part. It would have been so much easier to do this when the firewall plate wasn't installed yet, but I didn't know that I was going to run dual catch cans at that time. Getting the drill started was a pain in the dick but it's done including the touch up. lol
7.jpg


8.jpg


9.jpg


Pretty slick if I do say so myself! The only thing holding me back now is another 45 degree fitting to go on the passenger side valve cover. I also want my oil changes to be easy, so I made a little spout. Getting to the petcock was going to be impossible without removing the whole catch can otherwise.
11.jpg

Stop laughing at my brake lines!

I haven't started the passenger side yet, but It looks like it will be easy too.
12.jpg


I plan to start a thread regarding the hose ends. Those things were not as easy to put together as I imagined, so I'm hoping some racers can give me some insight. This was my first attempt. lol
Hose end fail 3-20.jpg


I'm so close to driving this car again that I can almost taste it!
 

v6buicks

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Here's the thread in case you're curious. These fittings are not as straight-forward to assemble as they appear.

Driver side done 3-20.jpg

My fittings look like poop now, but oh well. Overall, it's much better.
 

v6buicks

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So I tried to make cool video explaining a dilemma having with questions to you guys, but I'm a lot better at writing than I am with figuring out video editing software! You'll have to suffer some more. I think it would be cool to make some quality videos, but I guess I need some practice.

Anyway.... I was on the 3800 Facebook page asking a question about crankcases without vacuum and longevity of seals. Blah blah blah. I might ask it again here. Most of the people on there are clueless. The few people who aren't don't realize that the F-body intake comes with some quirks, so I got some L67 PCV advice instead. Then some dude responds with a picture of his F-body intake without a throttle body on it and tells me to plug one of these passages even though my PCV is already plugged.
Throttle passage.jpg

To be honest, I thought he was dumb. It has to be a passage to the PCV if it connects to the crank case. On the other hand, why would it be so small? Also, why would GM bother routing it to the throttle? I blew some compressed air into that passage with the oil cap off and sure enough a nice big cloud puffs out. I guess that would explain my "blow-by" but I'm still wondering what the hell this is! I really don't want to pull the entire intake off to find out, but the curiosity is killing me. I could plug it and never worry about having blow by issues again with my 8 second racecar catch can set-up. :ROFLMAO: ...but I hate messing with stuff that I don't know anything about.

Any ideas? Should I just throw my pipe plug in there with JB Weld and quit thinking about it? lol
 
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v6buicks

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Brackets can be tough to figure out at times, but I still find them to be one of the fun parts. At least it's custom and allows the car to do something it never did before. The only parts I hate are brakes and rust repairs!

I'm glad that I can inspire somebody. I don't sugar coat anything on here. My Instagram is kind of the same way. A buddy suggested that I change my handle to "trials and tribulations" and it would be super accurate! I swear I'm having fun though. Lol
 

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