LQ4 into a 3rd Gen/1972 Nova
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,806
Likes: 46
From: Vancouver BC, Canada
So I've been juggling a handful of misc stuff to get the car closer, like steering column, seat rails, steering wheel adapter, instrument gauge, will update pics of the gauge panel when I get it 100% finished.
For now have just started the two big projects left: gas tank modding and rear end rebuild:
Just got a new gas tank because old one was rusty and gassy, and there was a HUGE dent up into the bottom of the tank right where I want to put a sump/baffle.
Cleaning this and pulling all the old stuff out sucked a lot:
Here are the spark plug wires I made. I reeeeally wanted 90's on the coil packs, but regardless of the company I could only find 45's or straight ends, so I mixed and matched.
Below are the (going counter-clockwise from very bottom) Taylor universal SBC plug wire with 90* (HEI i think) distributor end, Taylor 90* LT1 distributor end (because I read that they have the same terminal as a coilpack, but the rubber boot didn't end up fitting over the coilpack plastic), stock-replacement MSD plug wire for truck coil packs, and MSD 45* end (which I thought I'd have to settle for in order to get a boot to fit over the coil pack):
Turns out the extra MSD LSx ends I got were unnecessary, I jammed the HEI boot over the wire and crimped the LS terminal on:
Have to say they fit quite well:
Not fully organized/routed, but great clearance all round from the manifolds:
Glad I could get 90's to work like I had orginally envisioned, just looks so much tidier:
Again not fully organized but shows the nice clearance possible:
For now have just started the two big projects left: gas tank modding and rear end rebuild:
Just got a new gas tank because old one was rusty and gassy, and there was a HUGE dent up into the bottom of the tank right where I want to put a sump/baffle.
Cleaning this and pulling all the old stuff out sucked a lot:
Here are the spark plug wires I made. I reeeeally wanted 90's on the coil packs, but regardless of the company I could only find 45's or straight ends, so I mixed and matched.
Below are the (going counter-clockwise from very bottom) Taylor universal SBC plug wire with 90* (HEI i think) distributor end, Taylor 90* LT1 distributor end (because I read that they have the same terminal as a coilpack, but the rubber boot didn't end up fitting over the coilpack plastic), stock-replacement MSD plug wire for truck coil packs, and MSD 45* end (which I thought I'd have to settle for in order to get a boot to fit over the coil pack):
Turns out the extra MSD LSx ends I got were unnecessary, I jammed the HEI boot over the wire and crimped the LS terminal on:
Have to say they fit quite well:
Not fully organized/routed, but great clearance all round from the manifolds:
Glad I could get 90's to work like I had orginally envisioned, just looks so much tidier:
Again not fully organized but shows the nice clearance possible:
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,806
Likes: 46
From: Vancouver BC, Canada
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,806
Likes: 46
From: Vancouver BC, Canada
Disassembling this rear end has been nothing but a pain in the ***, but finally got all the old stuff out of it tonight.
The carrier cross-bolt retaining bolt/pin is notorious for breaking, and it was broken in mine too, and rusted/stuck in there, so since the open carrier is as good as dead to me, a cutoff wheel made short work of freeing the carrier cross pin:
On the weekend sweated a bunch in the sun wirewheeling the outside, then painted it with some Tremclad rust paint, then decided to weld the axle tubes on, so wirewheeled again... oy:
All the other bearings were decent to pull except for these axle bearings, the typical hammer-from-backside maneuver didn't work at all, so had to rig up a puller somehow, glad it worked. Center push pin presses against the steel plate but still has enough clearance to pull the bearing out flush with the axle tube end:
Closer shot, can kindof see a bit of 1/8"x1" flat stock that I wedged between the two puller jaws to prevent them from coming together and slipping off the bearing ID:
Just as the bearing came flush with the axle tube, the puller would lock itself out against the 1/4" plate I put in there for the center pin to push on. Since it locked out it gave good leverage to just wiggle the bearing out the rest of the way:
Next task is setting the pinion depth, had to destroy the previous bearing to get the pinion shim, so can't use that bearing for mockup... not looking forward to that part of the rear end build. After that it's backlash and just throwing it back together, with the Wilwoods... excited for it to get to that part.
The carrier cross-bolt retaining bolt/pin is notorious for breaking, and it was broken in mine too, and rusted/stuck in there, so since the open carrier is as good as dead to me, a cutoff wheel made short work of freeing the carrier cross pin:
On the weekend sweated a bunch in the sun wirewheeling the outside, then painted it with some Tremclad rust paint, then decided to weld the axle tubes on, so wirewheeled again... oy:
All the other bearings were decent to pull except for these axle bearings, the typical hammer-from-backside maneuver didn't work at all, so had to rig up a puller somehow, glad it worked. Center push pin presses against the steel plate but still has enough clearance to pull the bearing out flush with the axle tube end:
Closer shot, can kindof see a bit of 1/8"x1" flat stock that I wedged between the two puller jaws to prevent them from coming together and slipping off the bearing ID:
Just as the bearing came flush with the axle tube, the puller would lock itself out against the 1/4" plate I put in there for the center pin to push on. Since it locked out it gave good leverage to just wiggle the bearing out the rest of the way:
Next task is setting the pinion depth, had to destroy the previous bearing to get the pinion shim, so can't use that bearing for mockup... not looking forward to that part of the rear end build. After that it's backlash and just throwing it back together, with the Wilwoods... excited for it to get to that part.
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,806
Likes: 46
From: Vancouver BC, Canada
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Verdad Gallardo k well hurry up, i'm gonna need something to do after installing my VA kit. and be sure to send me the drawings so i can copy it and get rid of the fuel cell to regain some lost trunk space!
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,806
Likes: 46
From: Vancouver BC, Canada
FINALLY wrapped up the gauge cluster... took long enough haha:
Just spraybombed it semi-gloss black, turned out ok:
...hole in the panel just below the boost gauge is for this, my secret customized OEM weapon, the stealth turn signals maneuver...
...for which I needed some ghetto lighting situation (getting to the point in the build where stuff is "good enough")...
Light bulb "shroud"...
Stepping it up a notch, have some vids of the gauges....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5R5pk34EKM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD96WfgOniM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZr2NkfcoD8
Just spraybombed it semi-gloss black, turned out ok:
...hole in the panel just below the boost gauge is for this, my secret customized OEM weapon, the stealth turn signals maneuver...
...for which I needed some ghetto lighting situation (getting to the point in the build where stuff is "good enough")...
Light bulb "shroud"...
Stepping it up a notch, have some vids of the gauges....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5R5pk34EKM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD96WfgOniM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZr2NkfcoD8
Dash insert is just awesome!!! You could not buy that kind of quality from anywhere. Cant wait to hear this car run! Mark better be ready comes here comes the Nova!!!
Last edited by tsnow678; Aug 20, 2011 at 05:54 PM.
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,806
Likes: 46
From: Vancouver BC, Canada
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,806
Likes: 46
From: Vancouver BC, Canada
Here's the first part of the gas tank mod, didn't get as much done as I wanted today.
General concept is something that the OEM's have been doing for a long while in the single-tanked sports cars, and it involves a bit of a labyrinth, to try and trap gas during accelereation and left/right turning. In my research a while ago I found it's been in use on a handful of OEM cars for decades, but the two that I remember off the top of my head are the S2000...
And the last couple generations of M3, like this E36 one...
So had a crack at it...
Fuel pump holding bracket to be welded to underside of bolt-on access cover...
Hmm room for two, room to grow? Might as well think ahead while I'm starting from scratch...
Reusing fuel level sender, easiest since my fuel gauge is programmable and the sender is already set for proper high/low height for the tank...
Tacked bottom to the walls, and going to run small beads or just tacks on the baffle bottom's perimeter to bottom of gas tank, don't want to put too much heat into the tank's thin walls. Once all welding is done in the tank, going to use gas-friendly sealer adhesive on all external welds on tank as well as the tacked joints on the walls of the baffle...
Had to trim very end of fuel filler tube to get the baffle centered. That's all the cutting and grinding I could get away with today...
General concept is something that the OEM's have been doing for a long while in the single-tanked sports cars, and it involves a bit of a labyrinth, to try and trap gas during accelereation and left/right turning. In my research a while ago I found it's been in use on a handful of OEM cars for decades, but the two that I remember off the top of my head are the S2000...
And the last couple generations of M3, like this E36 one...
So had a crack at it...
Fuel pump holding bracket to be welded to underside of bolt-on access cover...
Hmm room for two, room to grow? Might as well think ahead while I'm starting from scratch...
Reusing fuel level sender, easiest since my fuel gauge is programmable and the sender is already set for proper high/low height for the tank...
Tacked bottom to the walls, and going to run small beads or just tacks on the baffle bottom's perimeter to bottom of gas tank, don't want to put too much heat into the tank's thin walls. Once all welding is done in the tank, going to use gas-friendly sealer adhesive on all external welds on tank as well as the tacked joints on the walls of the baffle...
Had to trim very end of fuel filler tube to get the baffle centered. That's all the cutting and grinding I could get away with today...
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 8,034
Likes: 663
Looks good. This is the same basic concept that has been discussed in other tank design threads. Do you have any concerns on your maze being so tall? What didcha use to cut open the tank? Nice striaght cuts? Plasma or cut off wheel.?
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,806
Likes: 46
From: Vancouver BC, Canada
that beats the hell outta the gauge bezel i designed for the GTO (pic1 pic2). very nice.
and interesting concept w/ the fuel tank. i'd forego the adhesive for the baffle. even if it is gas-friendly, i don't like having sealants submerged - i've seen too many gas tank sealers flake off and clog filters/carbs/injectors. besides, the leakdown should be minimal as it sits. what pump are you rocking?
and interesting concept w/ the fuel tank. i'd forego the adhesive for the baffle. even if it is gas-friendly, i don't like having sealants submerged - i've seen too many gas tank sealers flake off and clog filters/carbs/injectors. besides, the leakdown should be minimal as it sits. what pump are you rocking?