I am a 21 year old kid who is taking on his first real project car. I work on it when I can, but I am a full time CNC machinist student, and work as much as physically possible (to pay for this money pit). It's a huge learning curve but I do all my own work, if I don't feel comfortable doing it my dad or buddies help me. Here's the run down:

Chassis:
-Completely rust free 4 cylinder car from Florida. Was grandma fresh and I bought it right down the road from me for $2000. He sold it because it was "too nice to ruin with a v8 swap," lets just say I didn't tell him my plan. I enjoyed driving the turd for a summer, besides the 80 horsepower it goes down the road great!
-Maximum Motorsports full length sub frame connectors
-8 point Jegs roll bar
-reinforced upper and lower control arm mounts
-Summit 15 gallon fuel cell sunk beneath the floor
-Taylor battery box
-Wolfe rear firewall
-Summit seats
-RCI 5 point harnesses

Front end:
-4 Cylinder springs (for now-have a set of hypercoil 175 lb for when I go coilover)
-Strange 10 way adjustable struts (grinded my spindles to make fit)
-AJE K member
-Moog ball joints
-Poly A-arm bushings
-ceramic brake pads
-Maximum motorsports steering shaft
-Flaming river manual rack
-Steeda bumpsteer kit
-Strange manual master cylinder

Rear end:
-8.8 with 9" ends
-Strange 1350 yoke
-Motive 3.73 gears
-Moser spool
-Full Yukon rebuild kit
-Moser 35 spline axles
-LPW ultimate cover
-Strange 4 piston drag brakes
-Weld 15x10
-Mickey Thompson 275/60 radials

Rear suspension:
-UPR double adjustable upper control arms
-UPR spherical bearings
-Wolfe offset double adjustable lower control arms
-Team Z lower coilover brackets
-Competition engineering upper coilover kit
-Viking double adjustable coilovers with 150lb springs

Engine:
-Junkyard 5.3
-Full Fel-pro rebuild kit, all new bearings, rings
- cts-v oil pan
-ARP rod bolts
-ARP head studs
-LS2 timing chain
-Z06 Cam
-"yellow" valvesprings
-LS7 lifters
-Brian Tooley pushrods
-Comp trunnion upgraded rockers
-stock 862 heads, lapped valves a bit
-LS1 intake
-Red blue computer

Turbo:
-Ebay GT45 from DNA motoring
-2.5"/4" hotside
-3" cold side
-ebay 3" core intercooler
-Ebay 60mm wastegate
-HKS blow off valve
-twin Emusa wastegates

Transmission:
-Junkyard 4L80e out of a 3500 van
-Transgo HD2 shift kit
-Yank 3200ss stall
-Derale deep pan
-Lokar dipstick
-B&M ratchet
-Derale trans cooler in addition to built in radiator cooler

Goals for this project: 600 Horse, Break into the 10s, DRIVEABLE

 

Looks good man. Better get some sticky tires though!

 

Sub'd

 

Here's the before pic of the car. ZERO rust.

 

Block all cleaned up, cam bearings and cam in!

 

Whats the deal with the yukon denali cluster? Pics of that cluster? What all is needed to wire that in?

 

I'm doing a very similar build, check it out.

http://www.theturboforums.com/thread...5-3-4L80E-S475

 

There's a "reader's ride" in the September issue of GM High Tech w/ this setup in a Malibu Wagon. It reads, "5.3l, LS9 cam, gt45 running 10psi". BUT, it says that he ran a 10.6 quarter w/ an old Z06 cam and "conservative boost"... so guess he could run deeper into the 10's w/ the current set up.

 

I like to hear that! It helps I'm a few pounds lighter than that wagon. And I'll be pics of the cluster tomorrow. I don't know if I'll use it yet or not

 

Pretty good haul today courtesy of craigslist and 900 bucks!

 

Lots of goodies!

 

Bottom end done

 

I have a brand new stock timing chain/gears. Should I run this or upgrade, maybe to a double roller? I plan to spin it to 6500ish and want to be reliable. While I'm in this deep I'm considering lifters, hardened pushrods, and trunion upgrade. What do you guys think?

 

Ls2 timing chain, melling pump, timing cover, and head studs on

 

Roll bar mocked up

 

cts-v oil pan and accessories

 

Now I can finish up the motor!

 

The gauges and plug in for you. I don't know if I'll use yet, but liked the idea of possibly simpler wiring.

 

Looks good currious to seeing the gauge setup, also why the heck can't i find deals like you got on that rear and other parts!!??

 

I have a little over 6 grand penny pinchin the whole way so far. I have budgeted about 10000 to get it going down the road with room to get faster later. You either have to know people who know people or there's always craigslist