[BobKovacs]

I'm looking for a full interior with power leather seats- either black or grey. I found a few cars recently for around $4500-5,000 with the engine and trans, which is the big part I'm looking for. Guys are asking $3,500-$3,750 for just the engine and trans, and then its questionable about what you're getting, since most of them have already been pulled and you can't hear them run. You've also then got to be careful that you're getting all the parts you need- harnesses, ECM, sensors, etc.

By buying a full car, I can get all the bits and pieces, including things like the shifter, gas pedal, seat belts, etc., so I can make sure I get everything I need. If I can then flip the rims/tires for anywhere from $300-1,000 (depending on what's on it), and part out the body, I'll end up being in the whole thing for maybe $2-3k. I may even whack out the center trans tunnel to get the console and shifter to mount cleanly, and possibly even parts of the dash support structure. I'm probably not ready to pull the trigger until around March (waiting for a bonus check), but I'll keep you posted as I get closer so you can keep your eyes out for one.

[6781camaro]

There's something about the look of a freshly-restored first-gen roller with rally wheels on it that just makes me smile! (especially without the center caps and rings installed). Looks beefy!

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by 6781camaro

There's something about the look of a freshly-restored first-gen roller with rally wheels on it that just makes me smile! (especially without the center caps and rings installed). Looks beefy!

Don't think I haven't considered leaving them and just wrapping some new rubber and trim around them....lol. I picked up that set of rallys and tires from a friend for $100, figuring I'd just use them to roll around on while I'm finishing the build. I like the look, but I think I'm going to want the 17" rims with low-profile tires so I can get the most out of the suspension investment.

[6781camaro]

I figured with all the money you've invested in the suspension and brakes that the rallies were going to be ditched before the end... lol. Well--- when you decide to dump the roller rally wheels, I could definitely use them for my '68 asap. I will be putting rallies on it for sure. Keep me in mind please...

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by 6781camaro

Well--- when you decide to dump the roller rally wheels, I could definitely use them for my '68 asap. I will be putting rallies on it for sure. Keep me in mind please...

Will do- though the shipping to FL may cost you more than the wheels do...

[6781camaro]

possibly... I'll PM you...

[BobKovacs]

Alright, so I wasn't planning to buy my engine/trans until March, but I found a great deal and couldn't let it slip by.

It's a 6.0liter LS with a 4L80E trans out of a 2002 2500HD. Here it is coming out of the bed of my truck.



Here's the pile of spaghetti that controls it, which will be sent out to be reworked to accommodate the LS1 intake (different injectors), and to tie into the rest of my wiring.



I popped the trans off and got it on the engine stand, and gave it a quick cleaning to see what we have. Doesn't look too bad for a 10-year old engine, but it's what's inside that counts.



And under the valve covers, it looks incredible. You'd never see an old-school small block this clean with 130k on it....



The bottom end looks just as good. No metal in the oilpan or anything else to indicate any issues.



I've got three broken exhaust manifold bolts to deal with, which in speaking to a friend who's a GM tech, is a pretty common problem on these engines. Time to get out the drill and the Easy-outs. Worse come to worse, if I can't get them out easily, I've got an excuse to buy upgraded heads. Gotta look at the bright side, right???

[BobKovacs]

It's been a while since I poste to this thread, since I've been focused on the engine swap, which I've been covering in a separate thread. Since I'm waiting for $$ for the rest of that project, I decided to get back on some of the bodywork.

The quarter was misaligned to the deck filler by about 1/4", so I had to slice a section out and slide it forward. Oddly enough, the rear edge of the quarter lined up fine with the trunk lid, so I don't know if it was a stamping issue or what. First I laid out the cut lines with some tape. You can see the mis-aligned panel in this shot.



Then I cut the piece out, cut the front edge to allow it to slide forward, and repositioned it.



The patch was then tacked in place.



A thin strip of metal was then inserted in the gap and welded in, folding it to follow the contours inside the trunk.



A little grinding on the welds, and it fit nicely.



The rear window opening was a little wide on the inside. The overall dimension was fine, but there wasn't a whole lot of bearing for the window to sit on. I had to add about 1/4" to each side, which was accomplished by welding about a 1/2" wide piece of metal to the edges, and then trimming to fit. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics during that work, but I did get a pic of the window set in place with the trim around it, and it fits nicely now.



The trunk edges need some work, as the gap is wider than I'd like. I picked up some 1/8" rod, which I'll tack to the sides of the trunk lid to narrow the gap. Not the perfect solution, but the end result will look fine. The arc of the lid will need some reqorking too, to get it to align right with the quarters. That'll have to wait until next weekend.

[6781camaro]

How wide are your trunk gaps? Why not slice the quarter right parallel to the edge (not the corner though) of the trunk opening instead? --and then re-weld it closed. That will disappear after some blending, while the 1/8" rod will be evident on the hem flange every time you pop the trunk open. It looks like you can handle the butt welding pretty well... just my $.02 on it... The repair you made looks great.

[6781camaro]

Post #51 of Scott's thread... check it out:



AMD LH quarter had a bow in it, so have others I've done. Slicing and welding in a tapered piece also enabled the drop into the channel to be made more vertical like GM panels are. This is area 2 mentioned in post #29. It also tightened the gap because repro decklids run narrow. This is not an AMD decklid, have to double check on brand. I don't add to decklid widths because I don't like wide hems. Simple modification.

[BobKovacs]

I considered that. I'll have to look at the vertical edge of the opening to see if it leans out like Scott's did. If it's already vertical, I'd be pushing it past vertical, which wouldn't be good. The added material on the trunk edge wouldn't be noticable on the inside if it was welded and ground from the bottom as well as the top

[allanjs]

Bob, You will find it much easier to weld, and have a better weld, if you sand
the area to bare metal prior to welding. Don't forget to install the quarter
support under that area.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by allanjs

Bob, You will find it much easier to weld, and have a better weld, if you sand
the area to bare metal prior to welding. Don't forget to install the quarter
support under that area.

It was sanded to bare metal, and then sprayed with weld-thru primer, which is about the same color as the grey epoxy.

[allanjs]

It does look like the epoxy. Hard to distinguish in the pic. I don't see any
purpose in using the weld-thru on an exposed butt weld however. Personal
choice and philosophy I suppose.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by allanjs

It does look like the epoxy. Hard to distinguish in the pic. I don't see any
purpose in using the weld-thru on an exposed butt weld however. Personal
choice and philosophy I suppose.

Just habit- I tend to spray it on everything, even though it gets ground off on the topside.