My first car was a Beretta...had a couple since then. My last one (that I just sold for insane money) was a 3.4 swap/5spd summer daily that ran 13.29@101 on 87 n/a. Pretty sweet car for a FWD...and looked amazing.


This new one, I just rescued from the junkyard. I recently bought a low-miles truck LR4 that's drive by cable and the harness to go with it. I tuned it for free with my phone from LS-Droid. I already have a 2wd NV3500 5spd (not super strong, but I'll be small displacement, lightweight and small tires) and just picked up a Explorer 8.8 3.73 LSD for $200. There's a lot of fab work to be done...but my goal is a RWD v8 Beretta to slide around for $5000 in about a year. It's gonna be a quick and dirty build...my never-ending 80Z Camaro has kinda soured me on perfection.










I don't have a whole lot for pictures, cause I've been doing most everything on youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/GEARHEADdezign

And here's the video picking up the car:
I've also got a lot of stuff on converting the truck LR4 to LS2 intake and LS1 pan on the cheap. Just made some DIY trap doors for the Fbody pan baffle. Let me know what you think!

 

Man, I remember seeing so many of those in the late 90's growing up. How are you doing the rear subframe?

 

THat looks like a really clean car to have been sitting in a junk yard. The drivers side door handle isn't even broken!

 

^^ X2
That car is way to clean to be in the boneyard. Amazing score!

 

Yeah, those door handles are time bombs in the winter...but this one will never see another winter anyway. haha

It sat in the boneyard earmarked for a 3800SC project that never happened. Works for me though! I like that it's decent, but not great. So I don't feel bad about getting the grinder out.

This video shows the initial plan:

But I have pivoted to the Ford 8.8 instead of stealing the Blazer 8.5...and I still kinda wonder if I'm stupid going the nv3500 route. It's free fiddy, but I'd surely be better off with a T56 or even AR5. The AR5 route is really tempting bang for the buck.
Oh and obviously the new car instead of cutting up my old beast. I still can't believe the price I got outta that thing - guy offered me out of the blue. I never even tried to sell it! And I do miss it pretty bad right now...I only have my Silverado and Blazer to "carve corners" with. haha

 

I've got a buddy who lives in Owego, that I'm pretty sure has a T56. I can ask him if he still has one if you want? If you are already thinking this way, just go for the trans now. You'll be much happier down the road, because you won't want to modify the tunnel, build a trans mount only to have to modify it if/when the NV3500 breaks/gets old and needs to be swapped out. Another thing you could look for is a TR6060, rather than the T56. It might work better for your swap with the remote shifter. And I recently swapped from a T56 to a TR6060(with Magnum tailshaft) and it is night and day different. TR6060 shifts way smoother and it just a better overall design.

 

I think, being a Beretta is FWD, he will be building a whole new tunnel anyway. So he better build it big enough to begin with...

 

I'm certainly interested. I sorta knew a guy in Owego with a sweet 78-81 Camaro on nitrous that ran Skyview. Thompson was the name.

I put a T56 in my 80z and it's pretty sweet. And I half thought of converting that stock LT1 style trans to LS and buying a tr6060 or built t56 for the Camaro, but it gets cost prohibitive. At least for this project.

My Camaro needed extensive tunnel mods for the t56 and the Beretta one will be scratch-built. Already thinking about interchangability with the tunnel and trans mount. Probably removable hump and sliding crossmember. The main inconvenience changing out transmissions would be driveshaft length.

 

(I hope this doesn't seem spammy) but I've got a few more related videos out now. Got it off the trailer and running! Have the Fbody pan on and some trap doors build for it. Free tune is all done. Ready to fire it up on the engine stand soon.

 

Made my own DIY trap doors for the Fbody oil pan baffle.

And fired that baby up! Now I just gotta delete all the FWD stuff in the Beretta and get it in there.

 

I guess all my updates come in the form of videos now...haha

I've been impressed by some of the cheap China stuff, but some of it is definitely junk. You're taking a risk, but I'm still under $1000 for a running LS that will fit under a car hood. I think that's pretty good.

 

Lol just stumbled across this! I didn't know you had a thread here. Im slacking on watching those videos still..

 

Not like you're working 60hrs a week or anything. 🤣

 

But im still slacking lol

 

Cleanup the Z26 and it's...ok. I expected it to me more minty! You know, being a junkyard jewel and all. haha

 

Always loved these cars! Hope to see it finished.

 

This is my fourth one now...so I kinda have a thing for them. Haha

 

So it's gotten to be "same ol', same ol'" huh?
YAWN... another day, another LS-powered reframed Beretta.... Wake me when it's over... LOL

 

Haha fourth Beretta...first LS swap. My first one was a high 15sec quad 4/5spd, second was a 3.1 auto that I swapped in a stock 3.4 that ran 14.9. Third I modded that 3.4 and stuck it in with a LSD 5spd to run 13.2. I'm thinking even a stock 4.8 to start with will get me in the 12s...

 

Nice build!

I had a black 1990 Beretta GTZ back in the day and beat the hell out of it. Went through 3 clutches lol