Project LS1Bandit finally hits the road!
10-24-2008, 12:27 AM
#27
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The wheels are Work VS-XX - a 3 piece forged wheel. I did quite a few back-and-forths with them trying to make sure to get the offsets correct.
FWIW, my measurements indicated I needed 17x10.5" with 5.75" backspacing in the rear and 17x9.5" with 5.5" backspacing in the front. However Work was unable to do the 5.5" on the 17x9.5" wheels so I had to go with 5.68". It seems to have worked out OK though.
FWIW, my measurements indicated I needed 17x10.5" with 5.75" backspacing in the rear and 17x9.5" with 5.5" backspacing in the front. However Work was unable to do the 5.5" on the 17x9.5" wheels so I had to go with 5.68". It seems to have worked out OK though.
10-24-2008, 07:20 PM
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The pictures are somewhat deceptive. It rides *really* low. I scrape quite a bit as it is and I currently have a problem that if I hit much of a dip in the road at speed the front wheels hit the fenders. I'm trying to figure out if just rolling the fender a little will alleviate the problem enough or if I have to figure out something slightly more drastic.
10-24-2008, 08:02 PM
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It also depends a bit on whether you're doing all of the work yourself, or if you're having a shop do all/most/some of it.
I'm planning on doing a much more thorough documentation process on my project website (www.ls1bandit.com), but I'm really swamped right now because not only am I trying to square away the final details of this project I'm also closing on a house next week.
The super-fast version is that you'll get 95% of what you need by reading the stickies in this forum, and following what the 1st gen camaro folks have done. Some of the differences are that the stock f-body oil pan works OK, and the transmission cross-member from your 2nd gen should work OK.
It also depends on whether you're going with the T56, or an auto. I went with the T56.
In terms of the parts I chose to use, really briefly here's what I went with (note that my goal was not to find the cheapest solution, if that's your goal, you probably aren't going to want to follow all of what I did):
Wiring harness: Speartech
Engine mount adapter plates: ATS
Engine mounts (polys from energy suspension): ATS
Clutch mount plate: ATS
Radiator: Summit
Shift/brake pedals (my 2nd gen was originally auto): stock 2nd gen (which I got from Classic Industries)
Fuel tank: Rick's HotRod (note there's no EVAP connections on this, which is an issue for me right now since I'm in CA)
Fuel regulator: stock corvette regulator
For the a/c I decided to "delete" it. I got an American Graffiti a/c delete box. The under-dash stuff is still there, but everything in the engine bay is gone. Makes things a lot cleaner and easier.
For the gauges, I wanted to keep everything looking as stock as possible. For the most part I want people to think it's just a nice restoration until/unless they pop the hood. So I kept the stock gauges (actually, I got a set of early 2nd gen gauges that have the 8K tach and 160MPH speedo because they seemed more appropriate than my stock 6K tach and 100MPH speedo). Keeping the stock gauges means a bit of extra work, so unless you're trying to keep it stock I'd say just get new gauges that can feed directly off the computer.
But if you want to keep stock gauges, one of the stickies describes how to do the oil pressure and temp gauges. For the tach, I got a converter box from Terf. For the speedo I was going to also get a converter box from Terf but as mentioned earlier, I've been waiting over 2 years for him to send it to me, so I was going to go with the Cable X box mentioned earlier in this thread. However I got a message from someone on pro-touring.com saying that there are a couple companies that will convert stock mechanical gauges to take the signal from the computer directly without a converter box, and keeping the stock faces. So I'm thinking of at least exploring that possibility.
No matter what tranny you go with, you're likely going to want to replace your ring and pinion gears because the stock gear ratio is nowhere close to what you'd want for either one. With the T56 I opted for 3.90s. The stock 2nd gen rear-end is beefy enough that you really shouldn't need to replace it.
You should plan on reworking your suspension too. At the very least you'll need new front springs because you're going to be shedding a lot of weight going from the big iron block to an aluminum. But if you're going through the effort of putting an LS1 in, you're probably wanting a quality-performing car, so a thorough overhaul of the suspension, brakes and steering is probably a darned good idea.
I got a Stage 1 kit from SC&C which has adjustable upper control arms, greasable race bushings and a tall lower ball joint. The front and rear sway bars on the 2nd gens are pretty good, so I stuck with them. But I got new struts and bushings for the rear sway bar.
It's probably time for your body bushings to be replaced. I replaced them with solid aluminum&steel bushings from pro-touringf-body.com. I also got GT suspension kit from them, as well as some weld-in subframe connectors.
I replaced the lower control arm bushings with del-a-lums from Global West. And replaced the shocks with QA1 adjustables from Global West.
I replaced the sway bar bushings and end-links with polys from Energy Suspensions.
For the steering, I replaced pretty much all of the linkages with Moog parts, except I got a new steering box and rag joint from ATS, and tie-rod sleeve from Global West.
For the brakes, I got Wilwood disc brakes from Precision Brakes, the 12.2" ones - DS480 kit in the front and DS421 kit (with emergency brake) in the rear.
That's the fast run-down.
10-24-2008, 11:05 PM
#31
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wow, great looking car. i've been dancing around this post for days as i'm a huge fan of those cars and knew it would make me want another T/A. I was 13 years old and my "girl friend" had an older sister that worked at the movie theater around the time Smokey and the bandit came out. I must have watched that movie a thousand times. to make it worse the older sisters boy friend drove us there in his 74' Trans Am.
i owned a 1980 turbo T/A, now that car is crying for a turbo LS motor
i owned a 1980 turbo T/A, now that car is crying for a turbo LS motor
10-30-2008, 03:40 PM
#33
For tips and advice ... expect it to take *significantly* longer than you expect, and cost a lot more than you expect.
It also depends a bit on whether you're doing all of the work yourself, or if you're having a shop do all/most/some of it.
I'm planning on doing a much more thorough documentation process on my project website (www.ls1bandit.com), but I'm really swamped right now because not only am I trying to square away the final details of this project I'm also closing on a house next week.
The super-fast version is that you'll get 95% of what you need by reading the stickies in this forum, and following what the 1st gen camaro folks have done. Some of the differences are that the stock f-body oil pan works OK, and the transmission cross-member from your 2nd gen should work OK.
It also depends on whether you're going with the T56, or an auto. I went with the T56.
In terms of the parts I chose to use, really briefly here's what I went with (note that my goal was not to find the cheapest solution, if that's your goal, you probably aren't going to want to follow all of what I did):
Wiring harness: Speartech
Engine mount adapter plates: ATS
Engine mounts (polys from energy suspension): ATS
Clutch mount plate: ATS
Radiator: Summit
Shift/brake pedals (my 2nd gen was originally auto): stock 2nd gen (which I got from Classic Industries)
Fuel tank: Rick's HotRod (note there's no EVAP connections on this, which is an issue for me right now since I'm in CA)
Fuel regulator: stock corvette regulator
For the a/c I decided to "delete" it. I got an American Graffiti a/c delete box. The under-dash stuff is still there, but everything in the engine bay is gone. Makes things a lot cleaner and easier.
For the gauges, I wanted to keep everything looking as stock as possible. For the most part I want people to think it's just a nice restoration until/unless they pop the hood. So I kept the stock gauges (actually, I got a set of early 2nd gen gauges that have the 8K tach and 160MPH speedo because they seemed more appropriate than my stock 6K tach and 100MPH speedo). Keeping the stock gauges means a bit of extra work, so unless you're trying to keep it stock I'd say just get new gauges that can feed directly off the computer.
But if you want to keep stock gauges, one of the stickies describes how to do the oil pressure and temp gauges. For the tach, I got a converter box from Terf. For the speedo I was going to also get a converter box from Terf but as mentioned earlier, I've been waiting over 2 years for him to send it to me, so I was going to go with the Cable X box mentioned earlier in this thread. However I got a message from someone on pro-touring.com saying that there are a couple companies that will convert stock mechanical gauges to take the signal from the computer directly without a converter box, and keeping the stock faces. So I'm thinking of at least exploring that possibility.
No matter what tranny you go with, you're likely going to want to replace your ring and pinion gears because the stock gear ratio is nowhere close to what you'd want for either one. With the T56 I opted for 3.90s. The stock 2nd gen rear-end is beefy enough that you really shouldn't need to replace it.
You should plan on reworking your suspension too. At the very least you'll need new front springs because you're going to be shedding a lot of weight going from the big iron block to an aluminum. But if you're going through the effort of putting an LS1 in, you're probably wanting a quality-performing car, so a thorough overhaul of the suspension, brakes and steering is probably a darned good idea.
I got a Stage 1 kit from SC&C which has adjustable upper control arms, greasable race bushings and a tall lower ball joint. The front and rear sway bars on the 2nd gens are pretty good, so I stuck with them. But I got new struts and bushings for the rear sway bar.
It's probably time for your body bushings to be replaced. I replaced them with solid aluminum&steel bushings from pro-touringf-body.com. I also got GT suspension kit from them, as well as some weld-in subframe connectors.
I replaced the lower control arm bushings with del-a-lums from Global West. And replaced the shocks with QA1 adjustables from Global West.
I replaced the sway bar bushings and end-links with polys from Energy Suspensions.
For the steering, I replaced pretty much all of the linkages with Moog parts, except I got a new steering box and rag joint from ATS, and tie-rod sleeve from Global West.
For the brakes, I got Wilwood disc brakes from Precision Brakes, the 12.2" ones - DS480 kit in the front and DS421 kit (with emergency brake) in the rear.
That's the fast run-down.
It also depends a bit on whether you're doing all of the work yourself, or if you're having a shop do all/most/some of it.
I'm planning on doing a much more thorough documentation process on my project website (www.ls1bandit.com), but I'm really swamped right now because not only am I trying to square away the final details of this project I'm also closing on a house next week.
The super-fast version is that you'll get 95% of what you need by reading the stickies in this forum, and following what the 1st gen camaro folks have done. Some of the differences are that the stock f-body oil pan works OK, and the transmission cross-member from your 2nd gen should work OK.
It also depends on whether you're going with the T56, or an auto. I went with the T56.
In terms of the parts I chose to use, really briefly here's what I went with (note that my goal was not to find the cheapest solution, if that's your goal, you probably aren't going to want to follow all of what I did):
Wiring harness: Speartech
Engine mount adapter plates: ATS
Engine mounts (polys from energy suspension): ATS
Clutch mount plate: ATS
Radiator: Summit
Shift/brake pedals (my 2nd gen was originally auto): stock 2nd gen (which I got from Classic Industries)
Fuel tank: Rick's HotRod (note there's no EVAP connections on this, which is an issue for me right now since I'm in CA)
Fuel regulator: stock corvette regulator
For the a/c I decided to "delete" it. I got an American Graffiti a/c delete box. The under-dash stuff is still there, but everything in the engine bay is gone. Makes things a lot cleaner and easier.
For the gauges, I wanted to keep everything looking as stock as possible. For the most part I want people to think it's just a nice restoration until/unless they pop the hood. So I kept the stock gauges (actually, I got a set of early 2nd gen gauges that have the 8K tach and 160MPH speedo because they seemed more appropriate than my stock 6K tach and 100MPH speedo). Keeping the stock gauges means a bit of extra work, so unless you're trying to keep it stock I'd say just get new gauges that can feed directly off the computer.
But if you want to keep stock gauges, one of the stickies describes how to do the oil pressure and temp gauges. For the tach, I got a converter box from Terf. For the speedo I was going to also get a converter box from Terf but as mentioned earlier, I've been waiting over 2 years for him to send it to me, so I was going to go with the Cable X box mentioned earlier in this thread. However I got a message from someone on pro-touring.com saying that there are a couple companies that will convert stock mechanical gauges to take the signal from the computer directly without a converter box, and keeping the stock faces. So I'm thinking of at least exploring that possibility.
No matter what tranny you go with, you're likely going to want to replace your ring and pinion gears because the stock gear ratio is nowhere close to what you'd want for either one. With the T56 I opted for 3.90s. The stock 2nd gen rear-end is beefy enough that you really shouldn't need to replace it.
You should plan on reworking your suspension too. At the very least you'll need new front springs because you're going to be shedding a lot of weight going from the big iron block to an aluminum. But if you're going through the effort of putting an LS1 in, you're probably wanting a quality-performing car, so a thorough overhaul of the suspension, brakes and steering is probably a darned good idea.
I got a Stage 1 kit from SC&C which has adjustable upper control arms, greasable race bushings and a tall lower ball joint. The front and rear sway bars on the 2nd gens are pretty good, so I stuck with them. But I got new struts and bushings for the rear sway bar.
It's probably time for your body bushings to be replaced. I replaced them with solid aluminum&steel bushings from pro-touringf-body.com. I also got GT suspension kit from them, as well as some weld-in subframe connectors.
I replaced the lower control arm bushings with del-a-lums from Global West. And replaced the shocks with QA1 adjustables from Global West.
I replaced the sway bar bushings and end-links with polys from Energy Suspensions.
For the steering, I replaced pretty much all of the linkages with Moog parts, except I got a new steering box and rag joint from ATS, and tie-rod sleeve from Global West.
For the brakes, I got Wilwood disc brakes from Precision Brakes, the 12.2" ones - DS480 kit in the front and DS421 kit (with emergency brake) in the rear.
That's the fast run-down.
I'll be checking up on your site for sure! Now to start saving up!
11-14-2008, 05:31 PM
#34
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one of my all time favortie classics.i was actually debating on getting one, but after discussing about it with the ol man the ss was the better choice for me. hopefully down the road one day.congrads. btw look at the site for those rims is that $600 a rim? imagine a black and gold ss
11-14-2008, 05:53 PM
#35
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Yup. That's about right. I paid a little less because I managed to squeeze my order in right before they increased their prices, but yeah pretty close to that.
And it was a bit of an ordeal. I spent a ton of time taking all sorts of measurements to try and determine the right offset/backspacing. Once I got all the numbers, they were sent to Japan (where the wheels are actually built). Then the Japan folks called back and said, "are you sure???" because the spacing was so different than what they're used to (normally these rims go on modern cars). We double-checked and said, "yup". But they still didn't totally believe us, so they managed to track down a 2nd gen f-body in Japan and did measurements themselves and they came back and said "the backspacing is right, but you won't be able to get the center caps on the front tires because the [errr... blanking on the name of the piece ....] extends too far from the wheel." But I was replacing the brakes, which changed that dimension and I felt it would just barely work.
They finally said, "OK, but you need to sign these papers saying that you 'know what you're doing'". And they finally built them and shipped them, and they worked out just about perfect.
The only minor quibble was that I couldn't get precisely the backspacing I wanted on the front, and as a result I'm getting a little bit of a rub on the fender when I hit bumps at speed. But I think if I get the fender rolled I'll be OK.
And it was a bit of an ordeal. I spent a ton of time taking all sorts of measurements to try and determine the right offset/backspacing. Once I got all the numbers, they were sent to Japan (where the wheels are actually built). Then the Japan folks called back and said, "are you sure???" because the spacing was so different than what they're used to (normally these rims go on modern cars). We double-checked and said, "yup". But they still didn't totally believe us, so they managed to track down a 2nd gen f-body in Japan and did measurements themselves and they came back and said "the backspacing is right, but you won't be able to get the center caps on the front tires because the [errr... blanking on the name of the piece ....] extends too far from the wheel." But I was replacing the brakes, which changed that dimension and I felt it would just barely work.
They finally said, "OK, but you need to sign these papers saying that you 'know what you're doing'". And they finally built them and shipped them, and they worked out just about perfect.
The only minor quibble was that I couldn't get precisely the backspacing I wanted on the front, and as a result I'm getting a little bit of a rub on the fender when I hit bumps at speed. But I think if I get the fender rolled I'll be OK.
