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So I’ve lurked on here for years and I finally have something to post about. I just bought this 01 SS with a stock bottom 4.8 and on3 76mm with a t56. I’ve got a couple screenshots I’ll post with all the details.
I actually looked at this car 2 years ago when the guy who built it was selling it, but it just didn’t work out at the time. The guy I bought it from has been daily driving it all this time and it’s taken its toll on it.
My wife and I just had our first baby 3mo ago and I promised her I wouldn’t put a bunch of money into the car right away. So my plan through the summer is just work on cleaning things up. Fixing what’s been neglected and just enjoy driving it. Then next winter I may start making some changes.
The original owner did all the work and it’s got some nice parts on it it just needs some tlc. Originally it had a turbonetics ball bearing TC76 but something failed while the 2nd owner had it and he replaced it with the on3, and added a scavenger pump. He also had the trans rebuilt and put a Spec 3+ clutch in.
Biggest issues Ive found that I’ll address first are that the scavenger pump is mounted to the bottom of the core support and looks like it could easily catch something and get ripped off. Also the wiring is a birds nest with some of the connections just electrical taped together.
Something in the suspension is getting in a bind and popping. I’m pretty sure it’s the torque arm because sometimes you can feel it between the front seats and sometimes it feels like it’s on the Rearend.
The other thing I want to get to pretty quickly is getting rid of the center mount exhaust. Everything I’ve ever owned I dumped the exhaust under the car. I just don’t like the look of exhaust tips. Plus it has a really raspy poppy sound at certain rpms. Sounds like every truck in the high school parking lot with glass packs. I’ll probably cut it off just past the firewall and put on a turndown angled out to the side for now. I guess I’ll just leave the rear valence on and if it looks goofy without the exhaust I’ll take it off later.
There’s plenty of other things I could list but those are my top priority right now. The wideband o2 sensor was out so I replaced that today.
Took my brother in law for a ride. This car is a lot of fun but it just spins and spins. I’ll definitely be putting 15s and 17” skinnies on it. But for now I’m on the fence on if I should put a bigger tire on these 17s or just deal with it till I get different wheels. M&H has a 275/50/17. Any other recommendations?
Took my brother in law for a ride. This car is a lot of fun but it just spins and spins. I’ll definitely be putting 15s and 17” skinnies on it. But for now I’m on the fence on if I should put a bigger tire on these 17s or just deal with it till I get different wheels. M&H has a 275/50/17. Any other recommendations?
somebody made an offer on my wheels and tires I couldn’t refuse so I sold those and got a set of the cheap jegs/vision wheels. 17x4.5 with 26” MT sportsmans up front and 15x8 with MT 275/60 pro radials out back.
Then not long after that I came across a post on Facebook of someone looking for a t56. I was planning on pulling mine out over winter to sell and replace with a th400, so I messaged the guy and told him I had one still in the car. We struck a deal pretty quick and once I got some free time I got the t56 out and shipped off to Minnesota. The same day I saw the ad searching for a t56 I found a good deal on a new TCI th400. So me and a buddy made a quick trip to Bowling Green the next weekend to pick it up.
So the car has been sitting for a month or two now while I collect parts for the trans swap. I just ordered the rest of what I needed last week. Only thing I’m still waiting on is a new throttle cable to replace the old cruise control one in the car, the trans mount, and the shifter which is a 3-4 week wait. While it’s down for the trans swap I’m also doing a stand up radiator in the core support so that I can move the turbo up higher, Which will allow me to ditch the scavenge pump. Oh and I also have to change the rear main seal and an axle seal.
Got some time to work on the car last night. Took the downpipe off, drained the coolant and got the radiator out, drained the oil and cut out a birds nest of wiring for the scavenge pump that I’ll be removing.
Hit a bit of a roadblock this weekend. Pulled the drivers side axle to replace the bearing and I find this.
So I’ll be ordering a new axle I guess which sucks because I’ve already spent more on the trans swap than I needed to right now. What really pisses me off is having to replace it because of someone’s stupidity. It would be one thing to replace it because it was broke, but having to replace what would otherwise be a perfectly fine axle, sucks.
at least youre not replacing the whole car coz that kludge **** let go on a 80mph rolling burnout
I have seen (and participate) in some sketchy **** but that is next level
oh yeah you’re right. Unexpected cost always sucks though. But I told my wife, Better this than it breaking and the wheel coming off and getting into the body the first time I launch it off the brake.
Pulled the other axle this week. It was welded also. (Insert facepalm gif) Ordered two new axles they will be here next week and my Precision shifter ships Monday which is the last thing I was waiting on. So plan for this weekend is to change oil pan gasket, rear main seal, and rear cover gasket, test fit the trans with the scattershields and dipstick installed, mount transcooler and run lines, and hopefully get the radiator installed.
Can you take them to a shop and have the weld turned off? I’d do it for you if you were closer
my dad is a machinist. Thought about doing that but the heat from welding ruins the heat treat on the axle and I can just see them snapping the first time I let go of the transbrake. So I decided the price of new axles was cheap insurance.
Haven’t had a lot of time to work on it but last weekend I changed the rear main seal, rear cover gasket and oil pan gasket. Then I started working on fitting the new radiator. I was going to try to leave some of the top part of the core support but it looked like crap so I decided to cut the whole top middle section out and I’ll put in a piece of 1” square tubing to replace it. Last night I got the open ends of the core support capped, still have a little grinding to do. I’ll finish that tonight then put the piece of tubing in and make some brackets to hold the radiator. So hopefully all the fab work for the radiator will be done tonight.
Got a piece of tubing tacked in and made brackets for the hood latch seal and for the pusher fan. It already had two of these pushers, well it never crossed my mind to see if they both fit on this radiator till I went to mock them up for the brackets. I’ll just run the one for now (only one of them was wired up to begin with) and then if I have cooling issues I’ll switch to pullers with a shroud.
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2001 SS SBE 4.8 76mm 
