And the Fun Begins
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 301
Likes: 0
Tinbender-Lloyd is awesome to work with. Went well above the call of customer service with my 5 gazillion questions before I bought anything. I would drop the engine but like previously stated I really don't want to break the seal on my A/C as it was also recently repaired. I thought about getting rid of it but quickly decided against it. If it wasn't my DD then I could probably live without it but man summer gets warm lol.
I just finished my first heads/cam and did it with the engine and the lt's still in the car. I did have to remove the condenser to have room to get the cam out/in though. Heads are old CNC Cylinder Heads 200cc (measured 197) with 52cc chambers, Impala hd gaskets should be about 11.5:1 (assuming my stock pistons are about .020" in the hole...know I shoulda checked), Crane double springs, Comp CC503, 1.7:1 rockers, ported intake, 58mm TB. I have nothing against LE or AI....just got a good deal on these heads. I have about $1200 in all the parts I mentioned above.
Let me know how those 1.7s work for ya. I got a screaming deal on mine and that's why I went with them. Not a lot of guys do though so I feel like I kinda gambled.
I actually have not installed them yet. I went with an old set of 3/8" studs and Summit NSA 1.5's I had laying around just until I have some miles and tuning on the combination. It seems to be running fine. Hopefully I can get the rearend in it soon, get some track numbers as is, and then swap to my 7/16" studs and 1.7's. I know that I need to step up to a better pushrod already is another big reason I waited. I currently have some $30 Lunati Bracket Master hardened stock replacements, but it needs a good .080" wall pushrod and the length checker shows about .050" shorter than stock to get the geometry dead on. (We were guessing it would need .100" longer ones.)
It took me really getting into this job to realize that I'm in over my head. Progress is slow but steadily moving forward. Frequent breaks to rest the old back and calm my temper from the parts that are a pain. I'm pretty confident I can figure this out. Gregrob here in Cheyenne is a godsend. I kinda feel bad, I'm blowing his phone to pieces with all the questions I have. LOL.
I always have back trouble (6 bulging discs and my spinal chord is compressed slightly) so I have learned to block that out, but it's the muscles and tendons behind my knees that kill me after leaning over the front end awhile. The other day I stood up straight and went to walk a few feet for a tool and something pinched in my hip area. I almost went to the ground. It scared me, but it cleared up after a few minutes. I always worry that I am going to do something to end up paralyzed....but then I don't worry enough to let it stop me from doing stuff. We moved a piano today. 
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Verdad Gallardo I have a 69 Impala 12 bolt built with eaton posi, 4.10's, and the original 30 spline axles. It's the right width for 93-02's so we just cut the brackets off an old 3rd gen rearend and welded them on. I've still gotta figure out how I'm going to keep my 3 channel abs. Either mounting the sensor in the housing or running it off the transmission yoke. I'm getting caliper brackets from Captain Fab to mount up my original calipers. $120 shipped. He builds them for old Chevy truck 12 bolts to use 94-96 Impala SS rotors and 93-97 F-body calipers for a bolt on swap. The old Impala 12 Bolts have the same backing plate bolt pattern as the trucks. Instead of a TQ arm, I'm going with mini-ladder bars.
I'd rather have a bolt-in Strange and keep my TQ arm, but this way I will have less than a grand in the whole thing. Plus I already had most of the parts so only about $300 out of pocket.
I'd rather have a bolt-in Strange and keep my TQ arm, but this way I will have less than a grand in the whole thing. Plus I already had most of the parts so only about $300 out of pocket.
Got everything off but the heads today before it started snowing. Headers are proving to be more difficult to take back out than they were to install. Slow and steady she's getting along. Probably a good thing I did this though. Coolant was pretty milky when I drained it. Looks kinda like I might have had a bad head gasket anyway.
Got everything off but the heads today before it started snowing. Headers are proving to be more difficult to take back out than they were to install. Slow and steady she's getting along. Probably a good thing I did this though. Coolant was pretty milky when I drained it. Looks kinda like I might have had a bad head gasket anyway.
I may be to late telling you, but I didn't have to remove my headers. We just undid the Y pipe, the steering shaft, and unbolted the headers. They just layed over to the side out of the way. I have TPIS longtubes, but my friend did the same when he did his heads/cam with Pacesetters.
I wish I hd that luck. The headers unbolted easily enogh but they have a span of metal in between the flanges that is getting in the way of the bottom head bolts. It sucks.
Did you take the Y-pipe off? That might let you tilt them around so the flange is out of the way.
Working on it. They're 3/4 AS&Ms so getting to the flanges to take the y out should produce enough room. The driver side was no problem. The passenger.... Well let's just say I spent a while laying in the from yard to keep from beating the car with a ratchet. Kinda makes me wish I did all this at once instead of phases. Lol
Gregrob you ask a good question. My only answer is that in hindsight I'm an idiot. I really should have taken it to the hobby shop. Then weather wouldn't be an issue. Oh well guess I'll just wait for a day when the winds not blowing 60 mph. Hopefully this weekends nice.
