1969Cutlass

Hey guys, so I'm currently on my 2nd turbo LS swap, needed another project now that my turbo LQ4 '69 Cutlass is going (had a full thread, ******* photobucket killed all the pics). Anyway, the car is a 1979 Mercury Zephyr I stumbled across at the JY while scrapping a 90s volvo. True one owner car, parked in a barn in '96 and recently left in a junkyard. The car has absolutely no rust anywhere and 50k original miles. So, naturally, time to rip it all apart and cut it up for a turbo LS right? I wanted a couple things different out of this one than the last car. I wanted it to look mostly stock from the outside, and I wanted it to be comfy and easier to take on road trips, so that means 80e (overdrive) and full exhaust. I bought an AJE K member, mounts, spring perches, a 5.3, 80e, converter, and I'll be using the GT45, intercooler, one of my spare wastegates, and the microsquirt off my Cutlass as I want to upgrade that car over the winter anyway. Anyway, enough blabbering. Pics!

When I spotted the car, freaked the **** out, and decided I had to have it




Favorite part of the car


The day we loaded her up and brought her home


I need me one of these fancy loader things




Elegant


little wash


lol


Dirty, but it'll clean up


Now its a party!




got it in the garage


Didn't take long


Anyone wanna buy a 50k mile 2.3? lol


K member in!


Hopefully gonna be picking up a set of coilovers and GT brakes and tube control arms for it used.

Toddoky

Fun project...I sent you a PM.

Romulus22

Cool stuff. I'd be afraid of that loader bending up the floor of my fresh junkyard car. I'm assuming he took care and everything went well with loading?

1969Cutlass

Yup, the guy has been running that machine for years and was super careful with it, make sure the forks were in a good spot, underside is perfect not even a scratch. I was amazed the guy is like a surgeon with that thing. Didn't even bend the exhaust lol

1969Cutlass

On my way to pick up a bunch of fancy front end goodies tonight, I blew a brake line on my silverado and had to give up and get towed home. So, hopefully I can make it tomorrow. He also has an 8.8 rear end, cramming all that in a 03 Malibu might be tough.

slogo

That thing looks really straight, gonna be a cool sleeper.
Hope you got plans for that GTA? next to it as well.

1969Cutlass

That GTA actually was my daily driver this summer, but my buddy wanted it and make me an offer so he now owns it. the Zephyr is actually in his garage. He blew up the 7.5 so hes throwing 4.11's in it. Its a mystery 350 lol. No one knows whats in it. I do know its a 75 010 350 block with a weiand team G, holley carb, and it has an aftermarket pan and timing cover and you can tell it has some sort of aftermarket cam in it. Its fun to drive, we're probably gonna throw together an angrier small block for it.

Mungface78

I'm in love with these cars and I don't know why! Looks super clean!

408GT

iTrader: (2)

Nice find! I just got rid of my Zephyr for another white 4-door LTD haha

1969Cutlass

Nice! I'm not too familiar with the LTD's, are they fairly light as well?



Got some fancy parts yesterday. Coilovers, tubular control arms, GT spindles and all new brakes, camber castor plates, K member that im probably not gonna use since i have the AJE and swap mounts, also got the sway bar and steering rack. Also got a posi 8.8 with new bearings brakes and diff cover, and new tubular control arms and new shocks. Also springs. Aaaaand, to finish it off, a set of 10 holes. Can't wait to throw all the parts on the car but it'll be a week before I can.

ijimmy

Awesome "family" car

408GT

iTrader: (2)

They can be if you completely gut them. Mine still has pretty much everything on it and last I weighed it, it was 3600ish w/ me.

Update: I weighed it over the weekend and it was 3470 w/ me in it.

Stampede4ever

Where did you find all of those parts at?


Thanks.

Firebird_lsx

Definitely looks like a sleeper! Good luck with the build!

1969Cutlass

Normally I use craigslist but lately I've actually been using Facebook market place, which is where I found these parts.

Thanks! I've made some progress this weekend and have pics to post later

1969Cutlass

Wow I've been lazy with updates. Well, here we go. Weekend before last I got the front end together, and stripped the motor and threw the mounts and oil pan on it. Turned out the motor was garbage. Gave up. Last weekend, my buddy who I bought the motor from hooked me up with a gen 4 5.3 for no charge as a replacement, and I slammed the pan, mounts, and 80e on it and shoved it all in the car. Next weekend hopefully will include fabbing up the trans crossmember and starting on the hotside.







rear tires are flat


Engine number 2! Gen 4 5.3.


had a few buddies over helping jam the motor in late at night


Mission success




Just set the old intake on to keep **** out of the ports and for hood fitment checking. Will be drive by cable


Also picked up another toy

ryeguy2006a

iTrader: (27)

Very cool project.

1969Cutlass

Not a whole lot too update, need to move the car to my other buddy's place who has all the fab tools so we can make the hotside and trans crossmember. In the meantime though, picked up an LS9 cam for a good price from another member here, will be ordering some pac1218's when the car is closer to done.

Budget LS Guy

How is your clearance on the trans tunnel with that big 4l80? Will you have enough space? Make sure you get your driveline angle at no more than 3 degrees. I used a factory k member and im fighting it now. I will have to install a tubular one like yours to angle my driveline to 3 degrees. Im getting bad vibrations because its at about 6 degrees.

408GT

iTrader: (2)

The 4L80 fits the tunnel fine. The only place you have to modify is where the round plug on the driver side goes. A little (ok a lot) of massaging will be needed.