A little story behind this car. My uncle bought it back around 2001. At that time I was 11 years old. I went for a spin the day he got it, and from that moment I was hooked! It then got torn apart and underwent a full build/resto. Crate 383, TCI SSF TH350, Currie 9 inch rear, disc brake conversion, full painless chassis harness, Weld drag lite wheels, Fuel cell...the list goes on. I would come over and lend a hand as he was building it. The car was finished in 2008, and I always told myself that no matter the situation, when he was ready to sell it I was going to buy it. Well that opportunity came September 2016. He called me up and decided he was ready to part with it.

While the 383 was a strong running engine, I've always been more of an LS guy. So here we are! I'll start with some pics of the car. You can follow me on Instagram as well @SMSPREMULLI

 

So here's the engine. It's a 2005 GTO LS2 pull out. 85K miles on the clock and bone stock. Got it home and stuck it on the engine stand where I could begin the teardown. Nothing too serious for now. Just going to freshen it up and drop it in with bolt ons because next winter I plan on putting some boost to it. Always thought an LS swapped and procharged muscle car would be bad ***! It will be staying behind the TCI Super Streetfighter TH350 with a 3500 stall. We will see how it works for now.

 

Got the engine stripped down. Everything looks great. Valve train is real clean, and the cylinders all look to have been firing nicely. Now to start cleaning.

 

Amazing what a little elbow grease can do! Soft wire brush, some WD40, and the pistons look new. For the gasket surfaces I used a fresh razor blade, scotch brite, and a little brake clean on a rag. Also got some new OEM head gaskets, ARP head bolts, Trick Flow pushrods, and fresh LS2 lifters/trays.

 

Engine is out! Had my Fiance lending me a hand with the hoist. The 383 will be going into my buddy's 79 Chevy truck. Should make it move out a hell of a lot better than that stock 350.

 

Some more goodies I've been compiling. Holley 302-2 muscle car swap oil pan kit, Dirty Dingo LS swap engine plates, TCI conversion flywheel, Lokar LS1 throttle cable, Lokar transmission dipstick (needed to relocate it to passenger firewall), Aeromotive return style regulator, Holley EFI fuel rails, and some JEGS pro flo 350 line to finish off the EFI conversion. The fuel cell already has an Aeromotive 340 stealth EFI pump, so I'm good there,

 

So that's pretty much where I stand for now. Going to be working on the engine a bit this weekend. I want to at least get the oil pan attached and clean up the heads so they can be bolted back on. Still have to order swap headers, throttle body, harness, ECM, and all the other odds and ends which I'm sure will nickel and dime me. My goal is to have it finished and back on the road for spring, so sometime in April. Stay tuned!

 

Looks great, love the color. I've got a 67 Camaro as well so I'm pretty partial to them. I have never seen those rear fender flares on a camaro before kind of gives it an old school look.

 

Thanks! The fender flares were done a while ago, so they are old school, lol. But it allows me to tuck a pretty large tire without doing a tub. I kinda like that it makes it stand out from others as well.

 

More progress! Got the new modified F body windage tray installed with the Holley pickup tube and conversion oil pan. Starting to look like an engine again. Heads will be going back on next, and then I can begin to clean up the block and get it ready for paint...Chevy orange of course.

 

Looking good so far!

I am about to take my ls swapped 69 on its first voyage this week

 

Very cool! The process is fun, but I definitely can't wait to be back in the drivers seat.

 

Nice project

 

Ok...so I suck at updating, but the car is together and running, lol. Here's the continuation of where I left off.

Engine is painted chevy orange! Used the brush on paint from POR15. Came out nice, as long as you have a softer bristle brush to avoid streak marks. Also got my headers...Dynatech Ceramic coated, 1 7/8 with a 3 inch collector. Very pleased with the quality, and they even came with 3in to 2 1/2 reducers to connect to my current exhaust. Cleaned up the cylinder heads to get ready for reassembly and while I was at it, I felt ambitious enough to polish the fronts.

 

I heard horror stories of people cracking aluminum blocks while torquing down head bolts, so I spent the $50 and got the ARP thread chaser tool for a piece of mind. It worked fantastic, and the bolts thread all the way in with ease afterwards. Also installed the brand new lifters and trays. Heads are torqued down with new ARP head bolts. Threw on a longtube while on the engine stand to get the full effect. Ready to drop in!

 

Engine is in! Fought me a little lining everything up while keeping the trans bolted in the car, but overall not too bad. Looks right at home in there.

 

Got the radiator hoses done. Top one is a combination of 2 hoses...don't ask what they're from, lol. I went into the back of Advanced Auto and scoped out what I thought would work. Spliced my steam tube adapter in the middle. Bottom hose is from a mid 90s Jeep Cherokee 6cyl.

 

Fuel system done. Used the Holley rails and Aeromotive bypass regulator along with all black Jegs pro-flo line. Came out nice and clean. Got the headers in as well and connected to the exhaust. Passenger header was a simple drop in...drivers on the other hand was tight as heck. Went in from the bottom with a little persuasion, but if I were to do it again I'd try to lay it in there before I dropped in the engine. Otherwise the gear box would have to come out. Also got my harness and tuned ECM from PSI Conversions which I started to install.

 

Engine is running! It sounds so smooth. Primed the fuel system with zero leaks, and it fired up on the first crank. Let it idle for a good 15-20 minutes until it got to temp and the thermostat opened. Couldn't be happier right now! Still have to fabricate the rest of my air intake and clean up some of the wiring, but for the most part it's done!

 

Great job on the swap and killer CAMARO!! Looking to do the same with my 70 GTO rag top. I am done with carbs and fumes!!