In the last couple of months my builder (Gary Box out of North Olmsted, Ohio) and I have been finishing up on my 510 big block chevy motor and powerglide trans that will be put into my 95 TA in the next few weeks. I have been wanting to do somewhat of a journal on it, to let everyone know all of the things you will have to go through to actually make this happen.

If any of you have read earlier posts of mine you know that I had started a build on a 388 LT1 with Trickflow heads and a 100 shot of nitrous. I was going to beef up the stock 4L60E and do some racing with it.Several months into the project as we looked at all the parts on the shelf we started talking about all of the time and money that had gone into researching and getting what we thought were the right parts....when we found that I had spent around 7000 to build a pretty stout LT1. As we talked about the power that would be made we began to see that for a little more money an engine could be built quite a bit cheaper carbed and make a lot more power.....we talked amost 3 hours about this and decided it was time to go carbed!! And since my builder had an unclaimed 454 in his shop, it was going to be a big block no less! This is when he warned me that it's not a simple engine change but we will likely have to touch every system in the car, meaning trans, electrical, fuel, cooling, instruments and suspension. This was going to go from a pretty wild build to downright crazy. Little did I know he was so so right. This car would need to be gutted and put back together from top to bottom.

Since the engine was already pulled I had started on the disassembly several months ago. The engine bay is pretty much empty having recently taken out the heater box on the firewall. The only thing left is the power brake box and the steering rack, which will be removed and replaced this Sunday with a manual rack and pinion from smithperformance.com. I had also started last week on three small items that need to be done. 1. Welding an aluminum plate over the hole created when I removed the steering box. 2. Removing the complete interior to patch a couuple rough spots in the floor and replace the carpet. 3. Relocate the battery to the trunk.

While none of these sounds like much I assure you that the teardown was no small task. Budget wise, if you are careful you can make some money by selling of the computer stuff and other various LT1 parts that our fellow f bodders need. I made close to 2k selling these items and sold my transmission for 300 dollars. Thus, my engine upgrade was practically free as selling these items paid for the difference in the price of the motor. I also bought a super beefy powerglide made to handle Gary's 1400HP Corvette (it runs 7's and is street legal in Ohio ) to use as the transmission. The real difference in the cost of the projects will come in the cost of all of the other systems that need to be changed. However, for the power the car will make, not to mention the fact it will be very unique, in my mind was worth it.

This week we will be putting in the Rack and pinion and the motor and trans. I plan on returning to the site to update you guys on my progress as we enter hopefully the last few weeks of the project. Wish me luck!!

 

Ok so tell us about the MOTOR!

 

I figured that question was coming. Unfortunatley I can't remember some of the specifics so I'll have to call my builder but here's what I do remember.

510cid
SRP forged pistons (domed) 11.5 to 1 compression
Forged h beam rods
Eagle forged crank
Crower Cam (700 lift, don't have exact specs on hand )
Trick flow pushrods
Harland sharp roller rockers (1.7 I think)
Dart aluminum heads ported by Gary Box
1 wire custom made alternator
Miloden oil pan
Summit balancer
MSD Crab style distributor
Mallory Ignition Wires
MSD 6AL Ignition

If you have any questions on specifics I can get them just have to make a phone call!!

 

Guys go here to check out a few pics I have of the motor during it's build up.



http://www.cardomain.com/ride/634484/4

 

I hope ya set it DOWN in the car and at least 1" further forward. We do that to keep the front end from hunting sky.

 

Nice piece Jerry!
Is Gary's Corvette a Burgundy 63 split window, chassis car? If so, I have seen it run, along with it's predesessor look alike.

Are you going to juice your TA?

I think your going to love the BBC!

Good Luck!

 

Good info

 

No that burgundy car is not Garys. His is a black 63. It has won the fastest street car in Ohio competition there at Norwalk twice and he still holds the track record for et and mph in a street legal car. I also noticed that I forgot to mention my intake and carb. Well the intake is a holley strip dominator and the carb is a race version 850 cfm holley which is I admit small for the application.

 

Looks like it was a street car from the cardomain page… is it becoming a dedicated drag car?

 

Do you still have the trick flow heads?

 

The car is not going to be drag only. It's going to be a mean occassional uncomfortable street car! The car domain pages are from last year when the car had just a couple of bolt ons. It's basically going to look the same other than the cowl hood.

It will not be in any way comfy but, damn it, I am going to drive it on the street!!

BTW, I don't have the heads anymore, sorry.

We are waiting on the motor plates to come and then I'll post some pics of the motor going in.

 

Must be somewhere that doesn’t have emissions testing/enforcement…

 

I have two ways around emissions. Number 1 is that the car can be registered as a collectors vehicle after more than 5k dollars have been spent on it. There are a couple stips; You have to have a secondary vehicle as a dialy driver ( I do ) and you have to prove with receipts and pictures.

Number 2 is that I have a second address in a city that does not require testing.

 

You have to post some videos of this thing when its up and running, I bet its going to sound like a total monster.

 

I sure hope so!! Big breathing 2'' headers, Dart heads and a holley dominator intake with true dual exhaust...........she should breathe pretty good

I don't know how to post vids but I guess I'll have to figure it out.