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Something that I need to start planning for is installing carpet in a completely redesigned floor in my car. Anyone with suggestions/experience please chime in.
Using a stock carpet (mine is long gone) isn't going to work because the transmission/driveshaft tunnel is radically different, the firewall is farther into the cabin and obviously I have massive wheel tubs.
Some more parts arrived today. The Holley dual fuel pump , the fuel filters (I'm shocked at how big these are), the fuel regulator, the pressure gauge and all of the required fittings needed for the complete fuel system.
I will drop these off at the fabricators tomorrow and take pictures of any progress he has made since I was last there.
The Holley fuel pump is their newest but the product information doesn't give any details on whether it's brushless or not. Perhaps that detail is left out purposefully as the patent is still pending. The pump is capable of 200 gpm which is insane and it is E85 compatible.
The fabricator has notched the rear bumper for the wheelie bars but the rear ground effects still need to be added so I'll see how that works out. Dwain is also going to mock-up a center console for me and all of the rocker switches will be installed there instead of over head on the roll cage.
I have asked the wiring guy to also add in a hidden kill switch to disable the ECU from getting power to prevent anyone from trying to 'borrow' my car.
I am also going to have surface mounted, locking hood pins installed to give me piece of mind that no go fast parts are 'borrowed' while the car is parked on the street if the wife and I head out somewhere on a sunny afternoon.
On Saturday the NHRA inspector is going to be inspecting my car and roll cage to give me my 7.50 certification. I am hoping to be there for it. That is going to be a really nice milestone.
I have asked the wiring guy to also add in a hidden kill switch to disable the ECU from getting power to prevent anyone from trying to 'borrow' my car.
I added one of these to my main line going to my fuse box:
It looks like we think the same when trying to prevent worrying about our cars/projects/investments.
Does anyone really want another update yet?
Today I stopped by Richmond Engines and the following pictures show what I saw,
What is sticking out of the block? It looks even longer at this angle. What is that plate on this side of the block? Is there anything sweeter than seeing the LSX block sitting in the CNC machine???
The block sitting in the machine cradle waiting for first thing tomorrow morning. The head bolt holes are getting drilled out for the 1/2" ARP head studs, the cylinders are getting bored 100 thous to 4.125 and the other machining work needed is to be done too. This is a big step and it really makes me smile.
PS
I never get tired of looking at that bowtie on the side of my block.
Last edited by victory_red_SS; 12-06-2019 at 08:44 PM.
I didn't record the numbers (I'll get them later) but Kyle at Richmond engines did do some tests on the Brodix heads.
The combustion chambers (with the particular valves used) measured 70.5cc. The spring rates are really strong and Kyle said that those numbers were a good news/bad news deal.
The good news, this motor is going to rev, easily to 8,000 rpms and we already know that its going to flow huge volumes of air.
The bad news, the valves springs are not going to be happy doing a lot of street driving. No real surprise there. It's not like the plan was to use the car to go to the corner store for milk.
On nice sunny weekend days, the car will never see rain, when I'm not going racing I will take it out to any local car shows where it is welcome. The fun on those days will be hunting, hunting for Corvettes, Camaros and Hellcats which I would try luring to the next street legal nights racing.
Kyle was saying yesterday that he will spend most of today drilling for the 1/2" head studs, boring the cylinders and machining for the rockers. I did ask him to take pictures/videos for me.
I didn't record the numbers (I'll get them later) but Kyle at Richmond engines did do some tests on the Brodix heads.
The combustion chambers (with the particular valves used) measured 70.5cc. The spring rates are really strong and Kyle said that those numbers were a good news/bad news deal.
The good news, this motor is going to rev, easily to 8,000 rpms and we already know that its going to flow huge volumes of air.
The bad news, the valves springs are not going to be happy doing a lot of street driving. No real surprise there. It's not like the plan was to use the car to go to the corner store for milk.
On nice sunny weekend days, the car will never see rain, when I'm not going racing I will take it out to any local car shows where it is welcome. The fun on those days will be hunting, hunting for Corvettes, Camaros and Hellcats which I would try luring to the next street legal nights racing.
Kyle was saying yesterday that he will spend most of today drilling for the 1/2" head studs, boring the cylinders and machining for the rockers. I did ask him to take pictures/videos for me.
What about the strong spring rates causes them to not be happy with street driving? Is it the springs themselves that will have issues or just excessive stress on other valvetrain components from the heavy springs?
What about the strong spring rates causes them to not be happy with street driving? Is it the springs themselves that will have issues or just excessive stress on other valvetrain components from the heavy springs?
I guess I left that part out, the strong spring rate will cause excessive valve wear with too much low revving driving. Kyle was saying that with my setup I will get about 250 - 300 passes before I need to change the valves. Less depending on how much street driving I do.
The good news is, changing valves is something I can do.
I guess I left that part out, the strong spring rate will cause excessive valve wear with too much low revving driving. Kyle was saying that with my setup I will get about 250 - 300 passes before I need to change the valves. Less depending on how much street driving I do.
The good news is, changing valves is something I can do.
That's interesting so do the valves just fatigue or does the seat wear?
That's interesting so do the valves just fatigue or does the seat wear?
I will ask that very question when I stop by there early next week. Valves are one thing. Seat wear is something I can't fix and at the cost of these Brodix heads I don't want to be replacing them every year or two. I'm pretty sure that at that cost the wife just might decide to cut off my ***** (finally)
You should be able to cut the seats out if need be and replace them. After all they are set in the heads like that anyway.
Carpet- if it doesn't have to be a pro job you can get a roll of it and cut it to fit and use double sided tape to secure it. That's what I did in the Nova. It looks good from 5 ft away but not near as nice as factory.
Are the guys going to give you a price break if they can get their names in the magazine? That's advertising for them.
For carpet i would even try a sound system shop. Ive had a few custom setups over the years that looked oem. they are masters of the craft and have oem looking material im sure
You should be able to cut the seats out if need be and replace them. After all they are set in the heads like that anyway.
Talking with Kyle and the seats are where the wear is going to be. Knowing that they can be replaced is good information, thank you. Considering I painted Richmond Engines' shop and home I will always have enough repeat business to have the machining maintenance issues done in shop.
Originally Posted by 63 Nova SS
Carpet- if it doesn't have to be a pro job you can get a roll of it and cut it to fit and use double sided tape to secure it. That's what I did in the Nova. It looks good from 5 ft away but not near as nice as factory.
Double sided tape I am handy with. I have also familiar with cutting carpet so this may be an option. Seriously, who the hell is going to be looking at my carpet when they could/should be looking at a Supercharged 427 in the engine bay of a Cobalt.
QUOTE=63 Nova SS;7722669]Are the guys going to give you a price break if they can get their names in the magazine? That's advertising for them. [/QUOTE]I guess I will find that out soon enough. The wiring guy said that's not why he does his work which is fine. More than getting a discount, I am hoping that it spurs them on to finishing their work in a very timely manner.
Originally Posted by 07MetallicSC
For carpet i would even try a sound system shop. Ive had a few custom setups over the years that looked oem. they are masters of the craft and have oem looking material im sure
I will check into that option as well. I did have a custom upholstery shop work on adding red to my black seats. He told me he could help me out but he moved out of his shop and I have yet to find him again, assuming he didn't just retire.
My dilemma
I am a bit of a loss as I try to understand the performance/custom car industry. I find almost all the shops I have dealt with are full of BS.
I get lied to about parts being ordered and, on their way, when that isn’t true. Do those people forget what they told me, or do they think I don’t remember what they said?
I get lied to about when work is going to be started/completed.
I get lied to about the true cost of the labor. It’s amazing how fast the bill can go from $0.00 to $5,000.
Throughout my project I have always paid my bills when payment was requested. I believe that a man’s wages should be paid when due. I don’t work for free and I do not expect anyone to do otherwise.
Having said that, the question I can’t really answer is ‘why is this part of the auto industry so rampant with lies’?
The wiring expert was supposed to start back on Nov. 1st. Still no wiring done.
The engine was supposed to be built by Christmas but that is now impossible. The drilling for the ˝” head studs, the machining for the rocker arms and the boring for the pistons was supposed to be done already. So far none of that has happened or been started even.
It seems everyone has the mentality that if the other guy isn’t done yet, ‘why should I finish my part’? The problem with that attitude is then, nothing ever gets done because the other guy didn’t do his part.
I keep wondering, what am I supposed to do different??? I am beyond patient; I am not rude or crass when I deal with the shop owners and their staff. I treat people as I would like to be treated and it still gets me/my project nowhere.
After almost 14 years I don’t understand why people don’t do what they said they would do, in the timely manner that they said they would do it in.
I let the fabricator know today that I am not going to ‘just wait’ for the wiring guy to do his job. I said, “I have waited too often, for too long and I am tired of it” If the wiring guy doesn’t want to do the project that is fine. I will just look for someone else.
I am now actively searching for someone who can do the wiring if the current guy won't show up and do the work. I am making a deadline of just before Christmas for significant progress to be achieved.
When people tell me to be patient I keep thinking no one has been more patient than me. 13 years and 7 months patient, I have most people beat in the patience department.
Last edited by victory_red_SS; 12-09-2019 at 08:33 PM.
I am happy to share that one of the stumbling blocks for building the motor has been removed. The LSX block has been drilled for the 1/2" head studs. Because the high nickel content LSX blocks are harder than others and because these are not common blocks the info on how to drill and tap them for the 1/2" head studs is less than standard.
Having said that, Kyle, at Richmond engines, has now gotten these holes drilled and tapped and I couldn't be happier. Kyle has also bored out the cylinders to 4.125", drilled out and installed the lifter bushings and drilled out the oiling holes in the valley of the block. For some reason GM only had one drilled out while the others weren't but they are now.
The crankshaft arrived and it was finished at the factory after Jim sent over the bob weight. I'm including pictures of my Callies Compstar crankshaft
Saturday I head over to Kreymr Racing to talk with Dwain and snap some update pictures there. The electrical wiring started this week which is also good news. This is definitely a more up beat post than my last one.
drilling lifter bushing holes Bored and lifter bushings installed .5" head studs drilling .5" head stud installed Callies Compstar crankshaft Counter weighted and balanced Nice oiling holes
I was at Kreymr Racing today handing over more $$$ and that's ok because everything they do is top quality. I can't really afford them but I also can't afford to not have them do what I need done, to get this thing done.
The wiring has started and should be completed in short order. The plan with the wiring guy is to keep working with minimal days off between now and New Years. In the pictures the black box in the center of the dash is the Holley Dominator ECU. The fuse panel is also installed as is a second panel for relays.
Wiring started including the Holley Dominator ECU. Look down and you see rocker switches in the new console. The panel on the left shows the relays needed.
One thing that I probably can't afford to do or do without is a center console. Dwain really came through on this part. The pictures don't give the complete look because the dash is off for wiring. I like where the rocker switches are mounted and I really like the look of this console. The whole interior is going to be either victory red or black so I need to choose a color for the console. Because the carpet will be black I am favoring red for the console. The roll cage, which is red, is going to be painted black and the silver parts on the dash are also going to painted red. I have the same color scheme in the engine bay except for a few components which will be silver (including the super charger). I am up for feedback on the color of the console.
Console top view. Console side view.
Another item almost done is the wing for drag racing. This wing is mounted to a trunk lid specifically for the track. I still have the original trunk lid and wing which will be swapped out for street driving.
Racing wing and parachute mounting. Underside of wing.
Dwain has also redone the mounting points for the parachute as well as the parachute deployment lever. I like the positioning and the functionality of it, requiring only a forward motion to deploy.
Parachute anchor poing and mount. Parachute deployment lever.
Under the hood, Dwain has mounted the dry sump's oil tank. It is going to take some adjustments to the radiator and the water pump to allow for the routing of the hoses but the quality of workmanship that Dwain and Scott means that it will look like everything was always designed to be there.
Dry sump tank side view. Drysump tank top view.
I also took a picture of the Vortech racing bypass valve sitting in it's proper place. This bypass valve is almost twice the size as the one that comes with the kit. Again it looks like it was always supposed to be there.
Vortech Racing Bypass Valve.
The last thing is a big milestone to me which I already shared but this time I have the picture to share, my NHRA 7.50 chassis certification.
I had to make a trip back to Kreymr Racing because Steve, the wiring guy, discovered that the Holley fuel pump isn’t big enough. The reason is because of my using E85. That puts the Holley pump right on the edge of capacity and I’m not a believer of being on the edge of anything. Over build so there is reliability, which as we know means pay more $$$ and in this case the pump required is 400% more $$$.
While I was talking with Dwain, I snapped a couple of more pictures of the progress. One of the items was done to make it easier/quicker to pull the motor. While this modification seemed like a wish list item, Dwain and Scott made quick work of it. Considering a Cobalt was never designed to have a V8 under it’s hood let alone with a Vortech S/C attached. Once I have all of this painted it will look like it came from the factory this way and it’s only 4 bolts to disconnect/reconnect. In the second picture is also the ARE drysump oil filter mount mounted.
The picture shows the smart coil relocation bracket mounted. These brackets have two pins for quick removal/re-install. This is another item that Dwain and Scott made short work of. They also made and installed a heat shield for the brakes master cylinder which wasn’t on my do list but there is no arguing that it was an important thing to do.
There were a few things talked about that are worth mentioning. Steve will be ready to test the electrical system on Tuesday except for the couple of items such as the pump and injectors. Also, Dwain has dealt with the steering column, the steering rack and the header pipes. Another issue put to rest.
The other item discussed with Dwain was that he believes they will be finished this week. The word finished :surprised :surprised has never been used by a shop, regarding this project, ever before. I know well enough that a couple of tweaks here and there are going to be needed but to be so close, to have the bleeding stop, is monumental to me.
My wife really isn’t going to be happy with the latest bill but at least the end is finally in site.
That crazy that you are so close man awesome updates
You're right, it is crazy. It seemed like this would never end and now the end is so close.
I don't really want to tell my wife, Maria, how much money I need to spend in the next 2 weeks, because she's not going to be happy. BUT, the end of this project is near, how cool is that anyways???
Hey at least she supports your hobby! Looks great man! I can't wait to see it finished!
Yes my wife is really great for me.
I was at the fabricators early this week and he's winding down on his end. I told him to get the numbers together as I don't want to do the 'talk' with my wife more than one last time. I expect the car should be home with in 7-10 days so I can start my part of getting it painted and putting things back together.
I also decided that I am going to run separate fuel pumps on the car. The Holley for the street and the MagnaFuel Prostar 750 EFI at the track. It means switching things around between street/track but I can handle that.
Last edited by victory_red_SS; 01-11-2020 at 07:55 PM.
12-03-2019, 08:04 AM
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