please tell me what i need to fix this car (pics of a totaled trans am here..)
11-08-2006, 12:35 AM
#42
Originally Posted by HotRodKid
actualy, i have formal training in collision / refinishing, and ive done it professionaly for quite some time
repairing a car by slicing the middle of an a pillar is the WRONG way to repair the car
i have no problem with people clipping a car, but do it by replacing entire parts, not by cutting a panel (such as a windsheild post) down the middle and welding it back together. this can cause overly strong / overly weak sections to a panel which can have adverse effects on the cars impact protection, be it a side impact, or a roll over, or anything else
repairing a car by slicing the middle of an a pillar is the WRONG way to repair the car
i have no problem with people clipping a car, but do it by replacing entire parts, not by cutting a panel (such as a windsheild post) down the middle and welding it back together. this can cause overly strong / overly weak sections to a panel which can have adverse effects on the cars impact protection, be it a side impact, or a roll over, or anything else
11-09-2006, 03:57 PM
#43
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Just a heads up for you on a couple misc things about your V6 donor car.
Check the RPO on the v6. If it is a Y87 car, you have an LS1 rack, and a zexel in the rear. Otherwise, the V6 rack is an LT1 rack - you should pick up an LS1 rack and coupler (very important, that coupler) and swap it onto the 6. No big deal, 2 bolts in the K, two tie rod ends, the two pump lines and the coupler bolts. But you will not be pleased with the V6/LT1 rack. V6 people aren't.
You should pick up a 1LE front sway. V6 sways are puny, and just the 1LE makes a big difference. Probably fine on the rear sway unless you can find a 1LE rear as well. Which brings me to my next point, springs. You will need new ones, at least in the front. V6 springs aren't too keen on having Ellis on them, though it will work the extra weight will not make for a similar ride to an LS1 car. At any rate, the rates for v6 spings are different. You will probably want to go aftermarket anyhow but its something to think about.
Or you could just do all new suspension from whomever, but the point is v6 suspension is not really even great for v6 cars, so I would expect the car (once you get it together) to handle like complete *** until you do some serious upgrades.
Also, as I mentioned, unless the 6 is a y87, the rear end is probably a pretty low ratio (comparatively) and no posi. You'd need to check the RPOs to make sure. But it also looks like your old rear should be salvagable if the donor was not upgraded.
This stuff isnt probably on the top of your list but sometimes it helps to know in advance for overall planning of a new setup. I may have forgotten some things as well but that's the general idea.
Check the RPO on the v6. If it is a Y87 car, you have an LS1 rack, and a zexel in the rear. Otherwise, the V6 rack is an LT1 rack - you should pick up an LS1 rack and coupler (very important, that coupler) and swap it onto the 6. No big deal, 2 bolts in the K, two tie rod ends, the two pump lines and the coupler bolts. But you will not be pleased with the V6/LT1 rack. V6 people aren't.
You should pick up a 1LE front sway. V6 sways are puny, and just the 1LE makes a big difference. Probably fine on the rear sway unless you can find a 1LE rear as well. Which brings me to my next point, springs. You will need new ones, at least in the front. V6 springs aren't too keen on having Ellis on them, though it will work the extra weight will not make for a similar ride to an LS1 car. At any rate, the rates for v6 spings are different. You will probably want to go aftermarket anyhow but its something to think about.
Or you could just do all new suspension from whomever, but the point is v6 suspension is not really even great for v6 cars, so I would expect the car (once you get it together) to handle like complete *** until you do some serious upgrades.
Also, as I mentioned, unless the 6 is a y87, the rear end is probably a pretty low ratio (comparatively) and no posi. You'd need to check the RPOs to make sure. But it also looks like your old rear should be salvagable if the donor was not upgraded.
This stuff isnt probably on the top of your list but sometimes it helps to know in advance for overall planning of a new setup. I may have forgotten some things as well but that's the general idea.
11-11-2006, 05:12 PM
#44
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Thread Starter
lo_jack,
thanks for the info.
i can use the rear from the trans am,
but then i wont have the "ls1 rack".. ?
the ls1 rack is a steering system?
i can point out to the seller that if they dont have the Y87,
they can lower the price of the car to cover the cost of the steering upgrade
(what does it cost to make the lt1 rack an ls1 rack? roughly?)
and they can keep their crappy rear end, too
they wont, but it is another way to lower the price of the car.
as far as suspension goes,
im definately going to get aftermarket springs/shocks/bars
i told myself i would get that in the v6 before the ls1 goes in
but even i dont believe that
thanks for the info
ill be looking for that Y87
thanks for the info.
i can use the rear from the trans am,
but then i wont have the "ls1 rack".. ?
the ls1 rack is a steering system?
i can point out to the seller that if they dont have the Y87,
they can lower the price of the car to cover the cost of the steering upgrade
(what does it cost to make the lt1 rack an ls1 rack? roughly?)
and they can keep their crappy rear end, too
they wont, but it is another way to lower the price of the car.
as far as suspension goes,
im definately going to get aftermarket springs/shocks/bars
i told myself i would get that in the v6 before the ls1 goes in
but even i dont believe that
thanks for the info
ill be looking for that Y87
11-12-2006, 03:29 PM
#47
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Stone0fFire - The car is toast man... Ive done enough body work to know that even if you remotely get the frame straightened out
1) The body panels won't line up
2) Even with a good alignment the car will never drive straight
3) You'll get odd whistles, noises and rattles on the freeway
4) Resale value is obviously non-existant
You're better off parting out the car or removing the motor and dropping it in a donor V6 car and selling off the 3.8 V6 to make up for the difference.
-B
1) The body panels won't line up
2) Even with a good alignment the car will never drive straight
3) You'll get odd whistles, noises and rattles on the freeway
4) Resale value is obviously non-existant
You're better off parting out the car or removing the motor and dropping it in a donor V6 car and selling off the 3.8 V6 to make up for the difference.
-B
11-12-2006, 07:14 PM
#48
I would mostly argee with you on that one Blown383! Usually, you can get it pretty much squared on the alignment as the factory its self wasn't that precise; tolerance was factored in accordingly. But, there will always be small details which can be caught by the trained eye.
You are correct on the retail value. However, you would be suprised how many people will buy a half assed repaired sports car compared to a genious getting it perfect on an econobox.
The donor car would be a cheap way
you already got most of the stuff anyways.
You are correct on the retail value. However, you would be suprised how many people will buy a half assed repaired sports car compared to a genious getting it perfect on an econobox.
The donor car would be a cheap way
you already got most of the stuff anyways.
11-13-2006, 12:02 PM
#49
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Originally Posted by Stone0fFire
lo_jack,
thanks for the info.
i can use the rear from the trans am,
but then i wont have the "ls1 rack".. ?
the ls1 rack is a steering system?
i can point out to the seller that if they dont have the Y87,
they can lower the price of the car to cover the cost of the steering upgrade
(what does it cost to make the lt1 rack an ls1 rack? roughly?)
and they can keep their crappy rear end, too
they wont, but it is another way to lower the price of the car.
as far as suspension goes,
im definately going to get aftermarket springs/shocks/bars
i told myself i would get that in the v6 before the ls1 goes in
but even i dont believe that
thanks for the info
ill be looking for that Y87
thanks for the info.
i can use the rear from the trans am,
but then i wont have the "ls1 rack".. ?
the ls1 rack is a steering system?
i can point out to the seller that if they dont have the Y87,
they can lower the price of the car to cover the cost of the steering upgrade
(what does it cost to make the lt1 rack an ls1 rack? roughly?)
and they can keep their crappy rear end, too
they wont, but it is another way to lower the price of the car.
as far as suspension goes,
im definately going to get aftermarket springs/shocks/bars
i told myself i would get that in the v6 before the ls1 goes in
but even i dont believe that
thanks for the info
ill be looking for that Y87
Just get an LS1 rack and put it on the V6, if it is not a Y87. It really is an easy swap.
Yes if their car is not Y87, see if you can get them to go cheaper. I ended up getting a Y87 v6 car from a lady that did not know what Y87 was or the options it included. I recommend checking the RPO code from the car first to see if it is Y87.
I made her take pics of the door codes and email them to me. Check this out for reference on the RPOs (might find a few other things of interest while you are there), if you haven't found them already:
http://www.fullthrottlev6.com/forums...fbody_specific
If it isn't Y87, it's no big deal really since you already have a T/A rear end and you will be doing aftermarket suspension. You just need to get that steering situation under control one way or another.
One other thing - you will want to snag your driveshaft too, and scrap the 2 piece that is in the V6 car. You probably knew that, but it's worth a reminder. The stocker v6 is a pile of steaming poo, and also kind of a pain to get out. I assume though you would be pulling your tranny ds and rear essentially as a unit and reinstalling the whole thing in the roller.
11-15-2006, 11:18 AM
#52
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I was assuming the rack on the wreck was probably not the best to use given the condition of the front end. If the tie rods are tweaked at all it will never align right.
I would at least replace the tie rods on that one, but those are probably more expensive than just getting a used LS1 rack. I gave less than a hundred coupler included (don't forget that coupler..it's worth me repeating).
Yeah that 2 piece DS is a failure prone heffer. That center bearing fails and slings goo everywhere, and then makes horrifying noises. Tons of fun.
TA creations has LS1 racks pretty reasonably, or just search here on the for sale list; a serious racer is converting to manual rack pretty much weekly around here it seems.
Keep us updated on your progress.
I would at least replace the tie rods on that one, but those are probably more expensive than just getting a used LS1 rack. I gave less than a hundred coupler included (don't forget that coupler..it's worth me repeating).
Yeah that 2 piece DS is a failure prone heffer. That center bearing fails and slings goo everywhere, and then makes horrifying noises. Tons of fun.
TA creations has LS1 racks pretty reasonably, or just search here on the for sale list; a serious racer is converting to manual rack pretty much weekly around here it seems.
Keep us updated on your progress.
11-18-2006, 10:39 AM
#53
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It matters how bad you want it, get a front clip or just parts as you go. i had one w 70 miles on it that was a yr old, now has 210,000 miles on it. it just matters how had you want it; you will certanily learn a lot about it. b.t.w. mine was hit the exact same way yours is, biggset thing it make sure the wiring is done correctly, b/c if not you never will find that king of problem. all in all i had one wire that was not making a good connection other than that about 2k set me right. oh the wiring was done by a family member so got a break on that!
