I used to watch "Pimp My Ride" and they would always do off the wall stuff with actuators and stuff, any how, check out this web site. http://www.firgelliauto.com/

 

How's the progress with getting the engine running?

 

Subscribed... this is going to be cool.

 

I don't have the car here at my house so I am limited as to how much I can get done over there. Off the top of my head, I THINK I just need to run some transmission lines, and cram my Silverado radiator in there....and she's ready to start. I know there's probably a few other things I am overlooking, but it's close.

I have decided that the dashboard is just not going to look modern enough and won't match my overall interior design. I am going to do some custom fiberglass work and cover the whole thing in leatherrrrrr.....err uh, vinyl. Expect to see some progress pics of this soon.

KILLER66
that's exactly the kind of stuff I need....but way too much money. I do intend to win the lottery soon though so I'll grab that stuff up then.

 

Yeah I know, but theres a company that specializes in the automotive industry. I just have to find the magezine once I do I'll let you know.
I'm support all the B Body projects, I just wish there were more Buicks. Awsome build.

 

really cool project. i´m also thinking of buying a impala and put in a 5.3 engine. just qurious wich setup on the generator,power steering pump ect you use or have you customized it? are you using the truck waterpump? do you think a camaro/ corvette f-body opil pan would fit better without cutting it? how is the ground clearence with those headers? i´ve looked at my friends impala and he has problem with the ground clearence with full lenght headers. what´s next in the project?

Keep up the good work

 

Well, it's hard to say how low the front end will be. Right now I don't have fenders on the car, but I know it is sitting way too high. I will need to cut the springs after I get the front end assembled and get the car as low as I can comfortably. Lat car I had was 4.5" at the lowest point, and it never scraped anything. The headers are definitely going to be the lowest point on the Impala though. You can use 2012+ Camaro manifolds if you don't want to use LT headers.

The steering linkage is on the back side of the crossmember on Impalas. I don't know if the Fbodies are too, but I am thinking you will need to cut an Fbody pan. Kwizz built a 66 Impala and I think he used the Holley pan, and his is tucked up above the crossmember. Mine definitley isn't. I used the GMPP Musclecar pan. It hangs like an inch below the crossmember.

All of the accessories are right out of a Yukon. Didn't change a thing except I do plan to swap out the fan for an electric one. My radiator is out of a Silverado....still waiting to see if I can jam that huge thing in there.

Power steering pump is the one that came with the 5.3. I had to buy a few connectors and some power steering line, but I got it all to hook right into the stock steering box. There is a thread on here with all the part numbers to do it, but good luck trying to use the search funtion on this site......it's terrible.

What's next.....well, I want to say I am going to get the beast running, but scheduling issues are limiting my time at my friend's garage. Tomorrow I am going to go pick up the dash and start customizing somethign a lot more modern. My interior is going to be way more modern than I originally intended, and the dash was just to old and plain. Below are some pics I am using for inspiration (but don't expect it to turn out THIS good)

 

okay. does the intake from the truck fit in the car with the hood down? just wondering,because the intake is pretty high.do you use the truck engine harness and computer or did you build your own?

 

I don't have the fenders, core support or hood on the car at the moment, but it looks like the intake will clear just fine.

The harness is right out of the truck, and so is the computer. I did send out the computer to be retuned though.

 

okey.sounds good. because i´m also gonna go with a truck engine when it´s time. wich water pump do you think would work best, the truck pump or a camaro/corvette f-body ls1 pump?

 

If you switch out the truck water pump, you will need to switch out the other accessories as well. I think there's a way to just change pullies or something to make it easier and cheaper, but I don't know how to do that. It has been done before though.

 

i know that, i´ve just forgot that i need to change the front accsessories also except the alternator. maybe a little of. but if i only want to use the alternator and waterpump, is their a serpentine belt for only that setup or is need to be custom if so?

 

Sorry, don't know the answer to that. I am just using what came with the truck. I'm sure someone else knows though

 

no problem. btw, do you know if the truck oil pan works if i´ll cut it. just thinking if the truck pan is to low compares to a holley,f-body pan ect?

 

Truck pan is a lot lower, yes. I don't have the measurements off the top of my head, but I think it's more than an inch lower than the GMPP pan (GMPP pan is already an inch or more lower than the Holley pan). Truck pan is just not gonna work unless you want to risk tearing it off over every speed bump.

I think there's a thread about all the pans and their measurements listed as a Sticky on this forum somewhere.

 

okay. i´m gonna check it up then. no new updates?

 

I worked on a new dash design today. I will be posting pics tomorrow.

 

Here's some dash progress. Going for a more "Lamborghini" look, rather than "racecar". Actually, the area with the 4 small gauges was inspired by the interior of my favorite car; a Dodge Viper.

Here we see most of the pieces cut out of 1/2 and 1/4 MDF.



The Viper inspired guage area



Pics during mockup




And the assembled skeleton




Next, I sprayed the whole thing with contact cement and sprayed a piece of stretchy fleece material as well. After waiting a few minutes for it to tack up, I draped the fabric over the skeleton and began working it into the contours. NOT easy. Anyway, this is how it turned out.




I then slathered on some fiberglass resin and letit soak into the fabric. Once that was cured, I flipped the piece over and applied pieces of fiberglass mat to reinforce the structure. Then more slathering of resin. Tomorrow I will clean it up and do a little bodywork to get a smooth surface, and then I will [attempt to] apply the "leather" ....ahem, vinyl. Oh before I can do that, I need to figure out a way to do the inside of the two main gauge pods.

All of the gauges are now recessed, instead of sticking out from the dash. Much more modern....to match my modern engine.

 

really good job. are you going to use gagues in those two holes on the sides?

 

No, the ones at the very ends are for heater vents (out of a G6)