My build thread: '02 TA - LS6/T56/Moser
12-12-2011, 07:57 AM
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Staging Lane
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My build thread: '02 TA - LS6/T56/Moser Copied and pasted from NKYFBA.
This weekend I picked up a 2002 WS6 A4 Trans Am in Indianapolis. I got the car at a good price, and although it has a few common issues, it should make a good platform to start this build. For those that don't know, my stepfather (Steve) passed away in a fatal car wreck in June of 2010. The 98 Trans Am has been sitting, untouched, in the garage at my mother's (Penny) house since the accident. It has been my plan, since I made the decision to have the car towed back to the house after the wreck, to purchase another TA and continue his project. I only hope that I can build this car to suit his attention to detail.
The 2002 is bone stock, all original parts, minus the C6 Z06 wheels (which will be changed for the wheels on the silver 98). I want to thank Dennis and Tamara for stopping on their way to Chicago to look the car over with me. It really helped to have a couple F-body people check things out with me.
Pardon the filth, as it sat on the same lot for 3 weeks without moving:
The one issue with this car, that I'd like to get fixed asap, is the driver side door sags and is out of alignment due to this. The pin has play in the upper hinge. I'm assuming I can get a replacement hinge/bushing kit and fix this...?
The first thing to tackle was getting the 98 on wheel dollies and up on the lift.
For those that want to see the car, and the outside damage, here's the link. The car is pretty bad.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44...t/IMAG0345.jpg
Time to assess the damage:
The pumpkin had rotated upward and sheared the bracket/bolts from the rearend. I'm not sure if this happened during the accident, or when the car was flipped back upright from its roof. The u-bolts were all hand-tight, which makes me believe the driveshaft was removed for moving/towing.
Because of the movement of the rearend, the driveshaft removed itself from the tranny.
Rear suspension damage:
In investigating the Be Cool radiator..... :nonod:
Pulled the fans to find the whole core has warped:
Broken rack & pinion:
Yes, that's a hole in the oil pan
And the progress for the day:
T56 is out, driveshaft is out, & exhaust is out, except the driver side header (clearance issues with bent frame). The trans was a b*tch because the drivers side of the trans tunnel is pushed in. After a little adjusting with a 5 lb sledge, we got the clearance needed to slide it out. The transmission mount bolt sheared off which I'll need to drill/tap.
The engine will come out this weekend, go on the engine stand, and I'll pull the oil pan to inspect. I'm REALLY hoping the engine turns freely and the bearings aren't toast.
The front suspension and A-arms look ok, but I won't know until I get them off the car to further inspect. The panhard bar looks fine, but I'll need a new rear mount. There's also a bolt sheared off in the rearend (pictured above) that will need drilling/tapping. I'll probably source a machine shop to do this for me.
I was really surprised that his fiberglass panels for the rear seat delete came out un-cracked. I thought for sure they would be smashed to pieces, but that'll make it easier to do the seat delete/audio mod to the '02.
Here's the current list of parts that are on the 98, some usable, some broken:
-Ls6 Longblock
-T56 Trans
-Ls7 clutch w/ 01-02 OE slave cylinder
-Pacesetter longtubes - 1 3/4", 3" collector
-Be Cool radiator
-98 A4 ECM flashed to M6
-HP Tuners software
-Moser 12 bolt w/ 4.10's, 33 spline axles
-Turn One power steering pump
-SLP Lid
-Modified harness to work with M6 and Ls6 (since the car was orig. a 98 A4)
-QA1 Front Coilovers
-Front & Rear Swaybars (maybe Eibach?)
-Drilled/Slotted rotors F&R
-TSW Willow 18x9.5, 17x8 wheels
THE FOLLOWING PARTS ARE BMR:
-Tubular K-member
-Tubular adjustable lower A-arms
-Tubular non-adjustable upper A-arms
-Strut Tower brace
-Weld-in relocation brackets
-Panhard bar, tubular, adjustable
-Xtreme torque arm
I'm crossing my fingers that the engine shut off before the car came to rest on its top...
This weekend I picked up a 2002 WS6 A4 Trans Am in Indianapolis. I got the car at a good price, and although it has a few common issues, it should make a good platform to start this build. For those that don't know, my stepfather (Steve) passed away in a fatal car wreck in June of 2010. The 98 Trans Am has been sitting, untouched, in the garage at my mother's (Penny) house since the accident. It has been my plan, since I made the decision to have the car towed back to the house after the wreck, to purchase another TA and continue his project. I only hope that I can build this car to suit his attention to detail.
The 2002 is bone stock, all original parts, minus the C6 Z06 wheels (which will be changed for the wheels on the silver 98). I want to thank Dennis and Tamara for stopping on their way to Chicago to look the car over with me. It really helped to have a couple F-body people check things out with me.
Pardon the filth, as it sat on the same lot for 3 weeks without moving:
The one issue with this car, that I'd like to get fixed asap, is the driver side door sags and is out of alignment due to this. The pin has play in the upper hinge. I'm assuming I can get a replacement hinge/bushing kit and fix this...?
The first thing to tackle was getting the 98 on wheel dollies and up on the lift.
For those that want to see the car, and the outside damage, here's the link. The car is pretty bad.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44...t/IMAG0345.jpg
Time to assess the damage:
The pumpkin had rotated upward and sheared the bracket/bolts from the rearend. I'm not sure if this happened during the accident, or when the car was flipped back upright from its roof. The u-bolts were all hand-tight, which makes me believe the driveshaft was removed for moving/towing.
Because of the movement of the rearend, the driveshaft removed itself from the tranny.
Rear suspension damage:
In investigating the Be Cool radiator..... :nonod:
Pulled the fans to find the whole core has warped:
Broken rack & pinion:
Yes, that's a hole in the oil pan
And the progress for the day:
T56 is out, driveshaft is out, & exhaust is out, except the driver side header (clearance issues with bent frame). The trans was a b*tch because the drivers side of the trans tunnel is pushed in. After a little adjusting with a 5 lb sledge, we got the clearance needed to slide it out. The transmission mount bolt sheared off which I'll need to drill/tap.
The engine will come out this weekend, go on the engine stand, and I'll pull the oil pan to inspect. I'm REALLY hoping the engine turns freely and the bearings aren't toast.
The front suspension and A-arms look ok, but I won't know until I get them off the car to further inspect. The panhard bar looks fine, but I'll need a new rear mount. There's also a bolt sheared off in the rearend (pictured above) that will need drilling/tapping. I'll probably source a machine shop to do this for me.
I was really surprised that his fiberglass panels for the rear seat delete came out un-cracked. I thought for sure they would be smashed to pieces, but that'll make it easier to do the seat delete/audio mod to the '02.
Here's the current list of parts that are on the 98, some usable, some broken:
-Ls6 Longblock
-T56 Trans
-Ls7 clutch w/ 01-02 OE slave cylinder
-Pacesetter longtubes - 1 3/4", 3" collector
-Be Cool radiator
-98 A4 ECM flashed to M6
-HP Tuners software
-Moser 12 bolt w/ 4.10's, 33 spline axles
-Turn One power steering pump
-SLP Lid
-Modified harness to work with M6 and Ls6 (since the car was orig. a 98 A4)
-QA1 Front Coilovers
-Front & Rear Swaybars (maybe Eibach?)
-Drilled/Slotted rotors F&R
-TSW Willow 18x9.5, 17x8 wheels
THE FOLLOWING PARTS ARE BMR:
-Tubular K-member
-Tubular adjustable lower A-arms
-Tubular non-adjustable upper A-arms
-Strut Tower brace
-Weld-in relocation brackets
-Panhard bar, tubular, adjustable
-Xtreme torque arm
I'm crossing my fingers that the engine shut off before the car came to rest on its top...
Last edited by Badmeat; 12-13-2011 at 08:31 AM.
12-12-2011, 04:42 PM
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Launching!
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holy *****!!!!!!!
sorry about you're loss. was the car hit in the front? i have an fbody that took a hit in the front, somehow the engine was affected and i ended up replacing it. Had a terrible vibration!! good luck with you're built..
sorry about you're loss. was the car hit in the front? i have an fbody that took a hit in the front, somehow the engine was affected and i ended up replacing it. Had a terrible vibration!! good luck with you're built..
Last edited by jsmith564; 12-12-2011 at 04:49 PM.
12-12-2011, 08:55 PM
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Staging Lane
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The impact was the drivers side, between the wheel and the back of the door. It impacted so hard that the trans tunnel is warped and the steering column is where the radio should be. Yet the BMR subrame connectors aren't bent at all....
It also rolled, so the car is beyond repair.
At this point, assuming the engine is ok, I'm shopping for headers and a k-member.
I'm thinking I'll just go with the Pacesetter longtubes since that's what he had on the car. Followed by a Pacesetter ORY and SLP Loudmouth 2 w/ dual tips.
As far as K-member, I'm thinking the UMI road race model with the extra bracing.
I picked up some door bushings to hopefully fix the drivers door sag. We'll see how this goes...
I'm going to be ordering the UMI roadrace K-member and at least headers very soon. Time to decide on exhaust.....everything will be stainless.
My debate comes down to headers and y-pipe combo. I would love to get my hands on some Texas Speed headers, but it seems they've been out of stock for a while. Same goes for LPP. That leaves me with Hooker, stainless and around the same price ($580-Summit).
If I chose to go with the SLP Powerflo system (leaning toward), which Y-pipe should I go with. It seems Texas Speed and SLP make inexpensive, stainless ORY pipes, so which one?
Any additional thoughts on an inexpensive <$1500 full stainless system are welcomed.
Pardon the shitty camera phone pics...
Progress after 10 hours:
Just the body is left:
98 longblock off the stand, T56, and Moser rear out:
LS7 clutch and part of the broken k-member/motor mount:
Pile of mostly un-usable parts:
Salvage worthy stuff:
The valve cover took a smack on the drivers side. Bent all the mounting bolts, but the head appears to be ok:
LS6 intake was busted as well:
Notice the retainer from the valve cover contacting it/the spring/rocker arm:
And here's the rest of the retainer:
Plugs:
The good news is, the motor turns freely...so I think the bearings are ok. The bad news- hopefully the valve is ok where the retainer broke. The valve cover was impacted from the back/side and shifted forward. I can't see any cracks on the heads or any damage to them. Luckily I have the LS6 intake off of the '02 so I lucked out there.
I placed my order on a custom grind EPS 230/238 113+2 LSA cam, 7.425" Chromemoly pushrods, PAC dual valve springs, & titanium retainers package from Geoff at EPS. Should be here early January.
I also ordered a door hinge repair kit to fix the door sag issue. Katech rod bolts were also ordered today. The UMI road race k-member will be ordered soon as well.
Digging around on the local F-body boards, I found the old dyno sheet from June 7th 2010. This was right after the LS6 was swapped in...8 days before he passed away.
It also rolled, so the car is beyond repair.
At this point, assuming the engine is ok, I'm shopping for headers and a k-member.
I'm thinking I'll just go with the Pacesetter longtubes since that's what he had on the car. Followed by a Pacesetter ORY and SLP Loudmouth 2 w/ dual tips.
As far as K-member, I'm thinking the UMI road race model with the extra bracing.
I picked up some door bushings to hopefully fix the drivers door sag. We'll see how this goes...
I'm going to be ordering the UMI roadrace K-member and at least headers very soon. Time to decide on exhaust.....everything will be stainless.
My debate comes down to headers and y-pipe combo. I would love to get my hands on some Texas Speed headers, but it seems they've been out of stock for a while. Same goes for LPP. That leaves me with Hooker, stainless and around the same price ($580-Summit).
If I chose to go with the SLP Powerflo system (leaning toward), which Y-pipe should I go with. It seems Texas Speed and SLP make inexpensive, stainless ORY pipes, so which one?
Any additional thoughts on an inexpensive <$1500 full stainless system are welcomed.
Pardon the shitty camera phone pics...
Progress after 10 hours:
Just the body is left:
98 longblock off the stand, T56, and Moser rear out:
LS7 clutch and part of the broken k-member/motor mount:
Pile of mostly un-usable parts:
Salvage worthy stuff:
The valve cover took a smack on the drivers side. Bent all the mounting bolts, but the head appears to be ok:
LS6 intake was busted as well:
Notice the retainer from the valve cover contacting it/the spring/rocker arm:
And here's the rest of the retainer:
Plugs:
The good news is, the motor turns freely...so I think the bearings are ok. The bad news- hopefully the valve is ok where the retainer broke. The valve cover was impacted from the back/side and shifted forward. I can't see any cracks on the heads or any damage to them. Luckily I have the LS6 intake off of the '02 so I lucked out there.
I placed my order on a custom grind EPS 230/238 113+2 LSA cam, 7.425" Chromemoly pushrods, PAC dual valve springs, & titanium retainers package from Geoff at EPS. Should be here early January.
I also ordered a door hinge repair kit to fix the door sag issue. Katech rod bolts were also ordered today. The UMI road race k-member will be ordered soon as well.
Digging around on the local F-body boards, I found the old dyno sheet from June 7th 2010. This was right after the LS6 was swapped in...8 days before he passed away.
01-09-2012, 08:52 AM
#6
Staging Lane
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Good news is the engine did just fine when I performed a leakdown test. The valve is not bent...the spring, retainer, and even the keepers are fine. It appears that the valve cover contacted the rocker or retainer/spring just enough to allow the keeper to pop out.
I did receive some parts recently as well:
The next step, since I'm waiting on my cam from EPS, is to straighten out some cosmetic things on the car. I already rebuilt the drivers side door hinges with the kit from Total Auto (complete bitch of a job) and got the door re-aligned. I need to pull apart the steering column and fix the tilt-wobble, put the door panel back on the drivers door, and put the fender back on. I've also got to source a wheel lock key since it wasn't included with the car
I did receive some parts recently as well:
The next step, since I'm waiting on my cam from EPS, is to straighten out some cosmetic things on the car. I already rebuilt the drivers side door hinges with the kit from Total Auto (complete bitch of a job) and got the door re-aligned. I need to pull apart the steering column and fix the tilt-wobble, put the door panel back on the drivers door, and put the fender back on. I've also got to source a wheel lock key since it wasn't included with the car
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06-24-2013, 11:49 AM
#9
Staging Lane
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Been a while since I've posted on here...having a child, as well as building my daily driver took time away from the Trans Am.
I'm feeling the itch to get going on this...just want to make sure it goes the direction that I want it to.
I'm now thinking that a D1SC Procharger might be in order. I need to make sure that my cam won't be counter-productive to boost and that the transmission will hold the power. Looks like billet slider keys and steel 3-4 shift fork might do the trick. Aiming for 550-ish whp on 8-ish lbs of boost seems feasible.
Thoughts?
I'm feeling the itch to get going on this...just want to make sure it goes the direction that I want it to.
I'm now thinking that a D1SC Procharger might be in order. I need to make sure that my cam won't be counter-productive to boost and that the transmission will hold the power. Looks like billet slider keys and steel 3-4 shift fork might do the trick. Aiming for 550-ish whp on 8-ish lbs of boost seems feasible.
Thoughts?
