TWS

iTrader: (63)

Just started today on my quest to get "really stoopid" with my 1994 Z28. I have owned "The Blue Beast" since August of 1995 and she is quite the bracket racing and "other racing" veteran. :wink:

She was bone stock before I got my speed crazed hands on her and has steadily become more and more modified as the years have gone on. Just over a year and a half ago I completed a project that I thought would keep me satisfied for a while: the build up, installation, and tuning of a stout 355 Corvette block motor with a nice Comp cam and some seriously worked heads.

Boy was I wrong. As we all know, our cars are never "fast enough" and when I recently got the chance to locally purchase a 385 LT4 stroker with AFR heads, I jumped on it.

Well, follow along with me...

Here are some pics from today, kick off day of this project. I began by just draining the tranny, motor oil and coolant. Then I pulled off the hood and pushed her back into my shop with the help of friends. We pulled the radiator and related components and then called it a day. SublimeZ had to run honey-do errands, Gregbrickyard400 had to take his sons to the circus, and I had a date with my wife to catch The Dukes of Hazzard... yee-haw! So, we didn't strain ourselves this first day.

TWS

iTrader: (63)

A little anticipation shot: The 385 LT4 that has lurked in my shop on the engine stand for the last couple months.

METALBEAST

iTrader: (1)

That's what I like to see. Someone taking their time to do a project right. Can't wait to get started on my own soon!

Tony Shepherd

iTrader: (4)

Todd...I will be over shortly to begin the swap!

TWS

iTrader: (63)

Sunday Scott (Solid95Z) and Tony (Fast93Z) came over and we pulled the motor. It may be a while before the 385 LT4 goes in as we try to juggle our schedules. That's fine as I will pick up a couple parts I didn't get yet and do some serious cleaning in the engine bay, as well as install sensors, underdrive pulley, etc. on the LT4 while it sits on the stand.

Look below as we get the car ready to pull the motor.

TWS

iTrader: (63)

And here are the shots as the motor actually comes out. I really want to thank Scott and Tony for helping me out and tolerating it when I set down the tools and picked up the camera, leaving them to do all the work. Hell, they probably liked having me out of the way.

Anyway, as you will see, the Blue Beast is now a gutted "roller" waiting for her heart transplant and then getting back the drivetrain, exhaust and cooling systems that were all pulled out.

Stay tuned.

TWS

iTrader: (63)

and here is how she currently sits as of last night.

METALBEAST

iTrader: (1)

I see you pulled it out of the top. That is the route I plan on going. How long did it take?

TWS

iTrader: (63)

6 hours and that included a break for pizza. We would have been done sooner but had to get cutting wheels and cut the welds on the brackets behind my exhaust dumps. The shop welded them to my floorpan instead of using an intermediate bracket that could bolt to the hangers, the single bracket that my hangers were on was welded. Pain in the sphincter.

METALBEAST

iTrader: (1)

Not bad at all! It took us probably 16 to take it out of my Vette over a period of a couple of weekends. Hopefully with the lessons learned from that job, and following your work, it should be alot less with the Camaro. Nice Job

Tony Shepherd

iTrader: (4)

It would have only taken about 4 hrs if it wasnt for those darn exhaust brackets we had to cut off. Otherwise....it went really smooth. Your car is gonna be a beast Todd!! I cant wait to see it run with that 385 LT4!

Tony (fast93z)

Termin8r27

Awesome Todd, that's gonna be sweet!

slowmofo

iTrader: (6)

damn that car looks like mine! lol Is that the factory blue or did you change it??

TWS

iTrader: (63)

It's different from yours. It's not covered in tire smoke.

That's the factory original Medium Quasar Blue Metallic.

TWS

iTrader: (63)

Did a bit more last night, prepping the motor before the install scheduled for Sunday. Ouija stopped by and assisted. That's his camera work BTW.

Pulled the balancer, cleaned the crank snout and installed the underdrive pulley and reinstalled the balancer.

Installed my new TCI SFI approved flexplate. With this new powerplant, confidence in the stock flexplate could prove foolish. Loctite is also your friend.

Check out the AFR rev kit. It gives me wood just looking at it. Now I can spin my LT4 to "LS1 revs".

METALBEAST

iTrader: (1)

Great progress on the build! Once everything is put back together, who is going to do the tuning?

Jditlfm

iTrader: (26)

that engine is soo sexy.

Ouija

iTrader: (3)

Sure, totally forget that I helped you yesterday, see if I help you again

Give me a holler if you need/want more assistance wrenching.

TWS

iTrader: (63)

Tony Shepard and I are going to tune it. More like Tony will tune it and I will nod and say "uh-huh" at appropriate intervals as I look over his shoulder.

We are both getting started on PCM tuning, but Tony has access to a few tunes that were done professionally for very similar set ups (i.e stroker LT1's and LT4's) and we will look at those and tweak from there. In fact, we have one that is so similar, we should be able to load it and then fire up the car and drive it. It will take some refinement, of course, but should be pretty close right from the start.

We'll "street tune" it initially, then throw it on the dyno and tweak, then street tune again for driveability and tranny shiftpoints.

TWS

iTrader: (63)

I modified my post to give you credit. You can un-bunch your panties.

Lemme know if you need help stabbing your tranny.