68 Chevelle LS Build
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Joined: Jul 2012
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From: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
68 Chevelle LS Build Well, here it goes...
Im mostly a euro car guy (92 Mercedes SL300-24 Brabus, 98 BMW 750 and a 83 BMW 633) but had a 76 vette that i used to drive from time to time before i sold it and i wanted to get my hands on a chevelle, camaro or a nova. Spent months on ebay looking for a project and got this, 68 Chevelle. Its perfect candidate for an LS swap. Got it for 1k and another 1800 shipping it to my part of the world and here she is
Ebay Auction pics
Arriving at 3am and seeing it for the first time
Lifted it up and thankfully its a clean frame with a bad floor panal
Ordered P-S-T body mounts and new hardware and while i wait, separated the body and sent the frame to the sandblaster
A quick grind to the frame to see what im dealing with
The resting place of the body till i locate fenders, rad support, hood and other bits and pieces
Im mostly a euro car guy (92 Mercedes SL300-24 Brabus, 98 BMW 750 and a 83 BMW 633) but had a 76 vette that i used to drive from time to time before i sold it and i wanted to get my hands on a chevelle, camaro or a nova. Spent months on ebay looking for a project and got this, 68 Chevelle. Its perfect candidate for an LS swap. Got it for 1k and another 1800 shipping it to my part of the world and here she is
Ebay Auction pics
Arriving at 3am and seeing it for the first time
Lifted it up and thankfully its a clean frame with a bad floor panal
Ordered P-S-T body mounts and new hardware and while i wait, separated the body and sent the frame to the sandblaster
A quick grind to the frame to see what im dealing with
The resting place of the body till i locate fenders, rad support, hood and other bits and pieces
Last edited by spitfire980; Feb 7, 2013 at 03:42 AM.
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Well you sure have your work cut out for you! Fortunately you can buy nearly all of the parts you need from several aftermarket suppliers. Your challenge is that there are likely few swap meets in your neighborhood with old GM car parts.
For a moment I thought two of those pictures were showing snow in the UAE. Good luck with the build.
Jon
PSI
Jon
PSI
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Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 41
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From: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
You would be surprised how big American muscle is in the Gulf, there is no shortage of vettes and camaros but iv seen very few chevelles.
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From: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
It was really foggy that night but wanted pics of the car being delivered really badly.
I had a question, since im going with a cable driven LS with 4L60E, would it be better to buy a complete engine with harness and then buy another harness from PSI or should i be on a lookout for an engine without harness or PCM then just purchase the rest from you?
Thread Starter
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From: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Update: well, its been a hectic few months, gathering parts and shipping them but here is what i managed to gather and install so far
Frame got sand blasted and blistein shocks installed that i picked up cheap off ebay
Before and after:
After that, i installed the full UMI package which included front and rear sway bar, upper and lower control arms, frame braces and Polyurethrane differential bushing. Not bad for a first timer working on muscle cars and finishing in 5 hours.
Im also going to install the front end rebuild kit from P-S-T along with the body mounts. In the mean time, i have managed to get my hands on a donor truck. LQ4 with 4L80E. The plan is L92 heads and Holley Hi-ram along with autokraft oil pan and dirty dingo motor mounts.
The block in question
The donor truck
Frame got sand blasted and blistein shocks installed that i picked up cheap off ebay
Before and after:
After that, i installed the full UMI package which included front and rear sway bar, upper and lower control arms, frame braces and Polyurethrane differential bushing. Not bad for a first timer working on muscle cars and finishing in 5 hours.
Im also going to install the front end rebuild kit from P-S-T along with the body mounts. In the mean time, i have managed to get my hands on a donor truck. LQ4 with 4L80E. The plan is L92 heads and Holley Hi-ram along with autokraft oil pan and dirty dingo motor mounts.
The block in question
The donor truck
Last edited by spitfire980; Dec 23, 2015 at 03:13 AM.
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Thread Starter
Teching In
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From: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Well, good news and bad news
Bad news: the shop where the car is getting the work done hasn't been paying salaries for the past 4 months so all work has halted to a screeching stop and I need to start hunting for a competent shop that knows what they are doing.
Good news: I started paying the body guy on the side to get some tasks done so I got him to install the AMD front floor panels, patched the rear floor panels and installed a dynacorn front lower cowl panel so officially the car is major rust free!
Now, im lost what my next plan of attack should be?
Option 1: Paint the bottom of the car, spray primer on the body and interior quickly to avoid any more rust and install dynamat on the interior and install a Auto American Wire update kit (basically get the car ready body wise until final paint)
Option 2: Mate the frame to the body and start installing the LQ4 and 4L80E, install the fuel tank and plumbing and all that's required to get the car running (get the car turn key ready but the body is still bare)
Or what you have done or will you do if you were in my shoes?
Bad news: the shop where the car is getting the work done hasn't been paying salaries for the past 4 months so all work has halted to a screeching stop and I need to start hunting for a competent shop that knows what they are doing.
Good news: I started paying the body guy on the side to get some tasks done so I got him to install the AMD front floor panels, patched the rear floor panels and installed a dynacorn front lower cowl panel so officially the car is major rust free!
Now, im lost what my next plan of attack should be?
Option 1: Paint the bottom of the car, spray primer on the body and interior quickly to avoid any more rust and install dynamat on the interior and install a Auto American Wire update kit (basically get the car ready body wise until final paint)
Option 2: Mate the frame to the body and start installing the LQ4 and 4L80E, install the fuel tank and plumbing and all that's required to get the car running (get the car turn key ready but the body is still bare)
Or what you have done or will you do if you were in my shoes?
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Well, good news and bad news
Bad news: the shop where the car is getting the work done hasn't been paying salaries for the past 4 months so all work has halted to a screeching stop and I need to start hunting for a competent shop that knows what they are doing.
Good news: I started paying the body guy on the side to get some tasks done so I got him to install the AMD front floor panels, patched the rear floor panels and installed a dynacorn front lower cowl panel so officially the car is major rust free!
Now, im lost what my next plan of attack should be?
Option 1: Paint the bottom of the car, spray primer on the body and interior quickly to avoid any more rust and install dynamat on the interior and install a Auto American Wire update kit (basically get the car ready body wise until final paint)
Option 2: Mate the frame to the body and start installing the LQ4 and 4L80E, install the fuel tank and plumbing and all that's required to get the car running (get the car turn key ready but the body is still bare)
Or what you have done or will you do if you were in my shoes?
Bad news: the shop where the car is getting the work done hasn't been paying salaries for the past 4 months so all work has halted to a screeching stop and I need to start hunting for a competent shop that knows what they are doing.
Good news: I started paying the body guy on the side to get some tasks done so I got him to install the AMD front floor panels, patched the rear floor panels and installed a dynacorn front lower cowl panel so officially the car is major rust free!
Now, im lost what my next plan of attack should be?
Option 1: Paint the bottom of the car, spray primer on the body and interior quickly to avoid any more rust and install dynamat on the interior and install a Auto American Wire update kit (basically get the car ready body wise until final paint)
Option 2: Mate the frame to the body and start installing the LQ4 and 4L80E, install the fuel tank and plumbing and all that's required to get the car running (get the car turn key ready but the body is still bare)
Or what you have done or will you do if you were in my shoes?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 41
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From: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
True, but its better than having rust reappear while working on getting the car turn key ready
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 41
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From: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
So which mounts should i get? im guessing tall and narrow?
This one is the correct one?
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com...sp?prod=3.1117
also, for tranny crossmember, since my car didnt come with one, im thinking of going with this one
http://www.summitracing.com/int/part...elle/year/1968
This one is the correct one?
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com...sp?prod=3.1117
also, for tranny crossmember, since my car didnt come with one, im thinking of going with this one
http://www.summitracing.com/int/part...elle/year/1968
I've been looking around for LS swap kits for my '69 Firebird and came across this set up. Thus far, I like it the most. Obviously it's all about preference, but you may want to consider.A Body Install Kit - BRP
Thread Starter
Teching In
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From: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
I've been looking around for LS swap kits for my '69 Firebird and came across this set up. Thus far, I like it the most. Obviously it's all about preference, but you may want to consider.A Body Install Kit - BRP
Thread Starter
Teching In
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From: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Let me know how that goes for the stock manifolds!, im curious as to whether they will fit or not. The pan is a pricey one but its had the best reviews all round. Id much rather spend a bit more coin then spend several hours or days trying to get the steering not to hit the oil pan by raising the engine or moving the engine back, then having to deal with the intake being too high and driveline angles messed up.
I totally agree with you. I'm still trying to figure out the motor mount situation. I have found no real good Pontiac motor mounts and it looks like the DD slider set up needs them. On second thought, I could possibly pick up a good set of BB or SB poly mounts and have them installed in the corresponding holes to use the DD Sliders. Thanks for helping me out with that.
As far as the manifolds go, I do not believe it to be an issue at all. That being said, I really want to put a turbo on this next year, so I'm not sure how much it matters. I've never been a fan of headers because it makes working on the car such a PITA. That could be different with the LS motors, I don't know, but we'll see.
As far as the manifolds go, I do not believe it to be an issue at all. That being said, I really want to put a turbo on this next year, so I'm not sure how much it matters. I've never been a fan of headers because it makes working on the car such a PITA. That could be different with the LS motors, I don't know, but we'll see.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jul 2012
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From: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Update time!
The garage where the car was being worked on, hadn't paid the salaries in 4 months and was closed by the Labor Court. I had already agreed with a new shop that when my salary comes, ill tow the frame and the body and they can start from where they left off. I come to find this paper stuck on the door of the garage while my BMW E24, Chevelle frame and parts and the Mercedes R129 Pano roof where still inside totaling over $22,000!!.
I call the manager and he simply says deal with it, the owner of the garage is ditching my calls, emails, messages and even a visit to his office was useless. I had to go to court and open a case for them to open the doors so i can get my stuff but the case is still pending. I was passing by the garage one day and noticed the back employee door was open. I walked in to find 2 workers practically living in the garage, I paid them 30 bucks each to flip the frame on its side and slide it out of a regular sized door! along with my pano roof and all the chevelle parts but the E24 is still locked in.
Called a crane to take the body for sandblasting then primer
Primed up, there was a small holes in the center of the trunk and at the rear quarters...no biggie but surprisingly no major rust!
Donor truck having the LQ4 and 4L80E taken out then selling the truck for scrap
Stay tuned for more updates!
The garage where the car was being worked on, hadn't paid the salaries in 4 months and was closed by the Labor Court. I had already agreed with a new shop that when my salary comes, ill tow the frame and the body and they can start from where they left off. I come to find this paper stuck on the door of the garage while my BMW E24, Chevelle frame and parts and the Mercedes R129 Pano roof where still inside totaling over $22,000!!.
I call the manager and he simply says deal with it, the owner of the garage is ditching my calls, emails, messages and even a visit to his office was useless. I had to go to court and open a case for them to open the doors so i can get my stuff but the case is still pending. I was passing by the garage one day and noticed the back employee door was open. I walked in to find 2 workers practically living in the garage, I paid them 30 bucks each to flip the frame on its side and slide it out of a regular sized door! along with my pano roof and all the chevelle parts but the E24 is still locked in.
Called a crane to take the body for sandblasting then primer
Primed up, there was a small holes in the center of the trunk and at the rear quarters...no biggie but surprisingly no major rust!
Donor truck having the LQ4 and 4L80E taken out then selling the truck for scrap
Stay tuned for more updates!
