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Another update: The car now runs!!! I only have manifolds on it though, and the coolant system isn't hooked up, so I can't let it run for very long. A friend of mine is a professional calibrator, so he came over and programmed the computer for me. The engine uses a mix of components, so we had to cobble together a tune for it. Once the car has an exhaust and cooling system we will take it to the dyno for the final tune.

Last weekend I bent up the coolant lines out of 1.5x.065 steel tubing. The fine folks at Autozone let me walk around in the back looking for the rubber hoses, and I was able to find everything I need. Now I just need to put a bead on the ends of the metal tubes, and the cooling system will be pretty much done.

Here are some pictures taken this week:

The fuel pump and filter (I still need to make a shield to protect from flying rocks):




The engine oil cooler:




The engine with the MAF I picked up (the engine can be tuned to run without, but it's nice to have):




The switch box:




Some shots of the coolant lines I made:






A shot looking backwards showing the tranny cooler and the diagonal brace:

Lookin' good!

Keep it up and you will be driving soon...

hey i just noticed your build .Very cool. I was thinking of doing something similar myself originally. I made up plans but I figured the wheelbase would be 120" or over and couldnt figure out what to do for bodywork so i went rwd. What did your wheelbase end up being? What extra parts did you need to eliminate the torque tube?
I'm also building an ls1 car. What sort of cam you thinking of? I'm thinking about an XER273(224/230) or an XFI custom(224/230).

You're pretty close with your calculations; my wheelbase is right around 119". My plan is to only use the car for track events, so I'm not too worried about the bodywork aspect.

Mating the transaxle to the engine is pretty simple. The required parts are a bellhousing from an LT1 engine and crank spacer. The LT1 bell is shorter than the LS1 bell. Even with this, you end up with the convertor too far away from the crankshaft. I bought a spacer (GM sells it, as do a lot of other people. I got mine from Summit) that presses into the rear of the crank. The convertor then pilots on this. The spacing of the bolt holes on the flexplate is slightly off as well, so you will need to enlarge the bolt holes. Finally, you will still have a slight gap between the flexplate and the convertor. I used a single washer at each bolt to solve this. RPM Transmission sells 4 speed and 6 speed Vette transaxles ready to go for this application if you want something turn key.

For now I am using the stock 5.3L engine from a Tahoe with a Camaro LS1 intake and Vette LS6 exhaust manifolds. My calibrator buddy loaded in a new tune though, eliminating all the torque management, adding in some timing, and getting rid of all the emissions stuff. My plan is to drive the car like this for a while to get used to it, and then start adding some power. I already have been thinking a turbo would fit nicely into the car.

Ken

It turns out you were right. I have been working a lot of late nights since the last update trying to get the car ready for our last track day of the year. Long story short, I took the car out for the first time yesterday. Of course, it had to rain. I am going to be spending a lot of time cleaning off the surface rust (I haven't painted it yet). Anyway, the car ran pretty well, but I am facing some trans problems. I may have overfilled it, causing the fluid to foam up. When the tranny wasn't acting up, the car felt great. It's pretty quick when I jump on the throttle. Now, I can't wait until spring and some warm, dry weather. With the temps in the low 50's and rain, nothing would warm up. All in all, I am glad I took it out, because it was great feeling to drive it, and I now have a much better idea of what needs to be worked on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxD-q34Hhz8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-WUXNfdznM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pe7jaoPcKM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ilzXKGvHvI

http://flickr.com/photos/marowy/2975967934/

http://flickr.com/photos/marowy/2975973148/

http://flickr.com/photos/marowy/2975972360/

More pictures and videos to come later. Thanks to everyone here for the comments, suggestions, and support.

Ken

Ken,

Man That Thing Is AWESOME !

Great Work, Sounds Great. You should be real proud of your accomplishment. Now on to development. Enjoy!

Man, that sounds AWESOME!

And why does it remind me of the new batmobile?

Thanks for the compliments. A friend of mine owns a shop, and they did the exhaust. It uses Dynomax bullet mufflers. I bought them because they are small, and inexpensive. We were really surprised at how quiet they were. When you look through them and see nothing, the natural instinct is to think they will be loud. I couldn't be any happier with them.

MonkeyNutZ,
You are at least the second person to suggest it looks like something out of Batman. I haven't seen the latest Batmobile, but it has to be cool.

Ken

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU3FpVKWVdM
Lots of random footage

Wow. great job getting in on track. I cant imaging what that must have been like.

keep it up.

Andrew

Awesome! You should be proud.

Dude that car is awesome. I knew i should have gone to grattan on saturday! never know you were in michigan?

Thanks again guys. I am pretty happy with it. When I got out after driving it for the first time my legs were shaking. It really turned out better than I had hoped for.

One of the main concerns was the steering. When I ordered the rack and pinion, the first sales rep told me I was crazy for going with manual steering. He said there is no way I could muscle the car around the track for 20-30 minutes at a time. I never really got to push it because of the wet weather, but the steering effort is what I would call perfect. The ratio is fast enough to catch the rear end, and yet I can steer in the parking lot with no issues. There is a lot to be said for having a light car.

I have a lot of things to button up still, but I can't wait to try it again.

sodamninsane,
We try to make it to Grattan 2-3 times per year. I am working on a two day event out there next year. It's a fun track; a lot more fun in the dry. We run events at Gingerman, Grattan, and Waterford. You should come out next year, and I will take you out for a ride.

Ken

Ken,

I've riddin grattan when I had a motorcycle a couple of times. It's awesome, easiest way to say it. I now have a solstice and doubt they will let me run the track without a real rollbar so we'll see how well that goes. I'm working on picking up a miata as a track toy for now as my other option.

Thanks for the offer, let me know when you are going out next year!

Andy

Andy,
As the organizer, I can tell you for sure that we do allow convertibles. I don't suggest it as a long term option, but we do allow it so people can get out on track and get hooked. We are looking into a two day event at Grattan next year where we will run backwards one day.

Even if you don't have something you are comfortable driving on track, come on out. We will get you rides throughout the day.

Ken