Custom fabricated head plate for Delteq & LTCC users
01-16-2007, 10:10 AM
#1
Custom fabricated head plate for Delteq & LTCC users The Delteq & LTCC ignition setups both eliminate the stock coil and ICM module that're bolted to the front of the driver's side head. I'm not 100% sure about the LTCC system, but I know that the directions that come with the Delteq suggest mounting the "brain box" in the same location that the coil and ICM were, the front of the head. Seeing as how the LT1 engine bay is already pretty cluttered up with crap as it is, I decided to relocate my brain box down to the passenger's side framerail and out of sight.
I've always admired the MBA cylinder head plates available for LS1's:
...and I figured, "Since I've got a perfectly vacant spot on the front of this head now, why not take advantage of the situation and make my own head plate?"
So I went to Lowe's and picked up an 8"X18" sheet of T-304 stainless steel and ended up with this:
Cleans up the front of the head pretty nice compared to stock don'tcha think?
Basically all I did was put several pieces of looped tape on the front of the head and then stuck a piece of paper to it. Then I used an X-acto knife to trace the edge of the machined surface until the paper was cut out to the same shape. I then transferred the paper template onto the sheet of 0.025" thick stainless and used a 3M 36 grit roloc disc in a drill mounted in a bench vise to carve it out. I originally tried it on a bench grinder but the stone wheel was way too aggressive and wouldn't allow the steel to be held steady against it. But with the drill and roloc disc I had the shape finished in under an hour.
An area of concern that came up during the fabrication process is that the LT1 heads aren't machined perfectly flat all the way across the front. There's the weird shaped section towards the exhaust side of the head that's still rough cast. When I placed the plate flush up against the head, there were gaps around the outside edge where the low unmachined spots were. So I took a belt sander to the front of the head:
That's how I got the nice clean, radiused edge all the way around. This of course isn't absolutely necessary in order to use the head plate, but something to consider if you're a perfectionist and the gaps are gonna bother you. The least you will need to do is grind the square-holed steam pipe plug down so that it's not an interference with the plate seating flush.
The sky's pretty much the limit as far as customability is concerned. I chose to polish mine but it could just as easily be painted, have decals put on it, emblems mounted on it, engraved, etc. Just an idea I thought I'd pass along to the Delteq/LTCC guys.
I've always admired the MBA cylinder head plates available for LS1's:
...and I figured, "Since I've got a perfectly vacant spot on the front of this head now, why not take advantage of the situation and make my own head plate?"
So I went to Lowe's and picked up an 8"X18" sheet of T-304 stainless steel and ended up with this:
Cleans up the front of the head pretty nice compared to stock don'tcha think?
Basically all I did was put several pieces of looped tape on the front of the head and then stuck a piece of paper to it. Then I used an X-acto knife to trace the edge of the machined surface until the paper was cut out to the same shape. I then transferred the paper template onto the sheet of 0.025" thick stainless and used a 3M 36 grit roloc disc in a drill mounted in a bench vise to carve it out. I originally tried it on a bench grinder but the stone wheel was way too aggressive and wouldn't allow the steel to be held steady against it. But with the drill and roloc disc I had the shape finished in under an hour.
An area of concern that came up during the fabrication process is that the LT1 heads aren't machined perfectly flat all the way across the front. There's the weird shaped section towards the exhaust side of the head that's still rough cast. When I placed the plate flush up against the head, there were gaps around the outside edge where the low unmachined spots were. So I took a belt sander to the front of the head:
That's how I got the nice clean, radiused edge all the way around. This of course isn't absolutely necessary in order to use the head plate, but something to consider if you're a perfectionist and the gaps are gonna bother you. The least you will need to do is grind the square-holed steam pipe plug down so that it's not an interference with the plate seating flush.
The sky's pretty much the limit as far as customability is concerned. I chose to polish mine but it could just as easily be painted, have decals put on it, emblems mounted on it, engraved, etc. Just an idea I thought I'd pass along to the Delteq/LTCC guys.
01-16-2007, 10:19 AM
#3
Originally Posted by thesoundandthefury
The sky's pretty much the limit as far as customability is concerned. I chose to polish mine but it could just as easily be painted, have decals put on it, emblems mounted on it, engraved, etc. Just an idea I thought I'd pass along to the Delteq/LTCC guys.
I had the LTCC, took it off, still have it but while I used it for a whopping 1 week I located the brain 4"x4"x2" box where the clutch reservoir went. The bracket for the clutch res perfectly holds the LTCC box and since I machined out a hole in the cover with a clear lens I could see the system status LEDs perfectly. I simply moved the slave beside the brake master cyl and zip tied it, looked great.
