[b-man]

.....that will be fixed next weekend if all goes well. Today I scrubbed down the floorpans with some Simple Green followed up by some mineral spirits (paint thinner) in the areas where the old tar-based sound deadener left some black sticky residue.

The driver's side footwell has a few holes. The hole next to the where the accelerator pedal goes is the biggest one on the entire floorpan. I will use a couple of layers of fiberglass cloth along with the high-fill silver POR-15 to patch it.



Passenger footwell, numerous holes there to patch with small pieces of fiberglass cloth.



The front passenger floor has a lot of little holes, this side is in far worse shape than the driver's side.



Just behind the passenger seat above the body brace some more small patches are needed.



Overall it looks pretty good, actually in a lot better shape than I'd expected. There's no need to replace the floorpans on this little beauty.



The rear seat area is in primo shape, just a little cleaning was all it needed.



I tried to make the most of the Thanksgiving 4-day weekend. The weather has been absolutely stunning lately with temps in the mid to low 80s, so I needed to take full advantage of it for getting as many wet and dirty jobs taken care of as possible.

Next weekend I'll finish prepping the floors on Saturday using some Metal-Prep to etch the rusted areas, and get an early start on Sunday applying the POR-15 paint and fiberglass patches.

You really need to plan on having a full day to do the POR-15 application. The instructions point out that you must recoat after waiting 2 to 3 hours, otherwise you have to sand it all to make any more coats stick. The day gets eaten up pretty fast if you plan on doing 2 or 3 coats of the stuff.

Stayin' busy.

[ponjohn]

Bart-

Horsepower TV this weekend did a brake upgrade on a 69 gto. They used all Wilwood components. Looked real easy, I am certain it is not cheap.

Food for thought.

John

[b-man]

Originally Posted by ponjohn

Bart-

Horsepower TV this weekend did a brake upgrade on a 69 gto. They used all Wilwood components. Looked real easy, I am certain it is not cheap.

Food for thought.

John

I was looking into some Corvette brakes from KORE 3, I'd much rather use OEM stuff that's not only cheaper but much easier to find parts for.

I saw a 'hybrid' front brake kit for my tall B-body spindle for about $1100 that use a mix of C6 calipers and 14" (355 mm) C6 ZO6 rotors.

For the back I was considering a 13" (330 mm) Z51 brake package with the internal parking brake drum for $1200, but they only make the rear kits for C-clip rear ends.

I'll have to call one of their techs and find out exactly why they are not going to fit my bolt-in axle '71 -'72 Olds/Buick 8.5" rear.

The aftermarket brakes are great, but I'll never need any better braking power than the OEM Corvette parts will deliver.

[Stuart]

I have a couple old BMWs, so besides spending time on PY I hang out on some of the BMW boards as well. There have been a lot of discussions about using 5x4.75 wheels on BMWs that have 5x120mm bolt patterns, and the concensus is that even though they're close they're not close enough. I honestly don't know if that's just the opinion of a bunch of anal retentive BMW guys or if it's fact. Another thing is that BMW wheels are hubcentric rather than lugcentric (i.e. the hub hole must have a snug fit on the hub) so I don't know if going the other way will cause any problems.

Virtually all modern BMWs have a hub size of 72.5mm, except for the e39 5-series (1997-2003 models) which has a hub size of 74mm. You can buy spacer rings to make the e39 wheels fit on other BMWs, from Tire Rack and other sources.

[b-man]

.....I'd like to ask Andrew what spare wheel & tire he's using.

I knew there was reason I wanted all 4 tires to be the same, my posi rear won't appreciate my running a different tire height on one side if I get a flat. Oh well, big tires in back for now.

But a tall, wide spare just won't fly up front as I'll be filling the wheelwell up pretty much all the way with the 245/40-18 on a 9" rim. I need a somewhat narrow wheel with a 26.6" tall tire on it to keep the posi unit happy. One that will clear a big brake up front and in the rear too.

Late-model 18" steel spare wheel from an Astro Van or something?

Maybe I'll spend the money for another 18X9 wheel to match my other 4 and put a taller narrower tire on it that will still clear up front and be the right height for the rear.

A 245/45-18 looks as close as I'll be able to find, at 26.7" tall it's within a tenth of an inch of the 275-40-18 rear tire height. After I wear out the fronts maybe Ill replace them both with this size, however a tire that tall starts to interfere with the lower rear corner of the front wheelwell on tight turns. Used only as a spare it will be okay up front.

What to do.

Stuart,

I've read on some forums that guys are running the 120 mm wheels on the 120.65 hubs with no issues, but I'd rather not.

Up front I will have 1.06" thick adapters that will solve both the backspacing and bolt pattern issues. My new aftermarket wheels come with whatever centering ring I want at no charge, so I specified 70.7 mm ones that will fit the GM hubs.

In the rear I'll pop the old GM 7/16-20 studs (Dorman 610-186, 12mm/.472" knurl diameter) out of the axles and drill or ream the holes to fit some M12 X 1.5 studs (Dorman 610-245, 14.15 mm/.557" knurl diameter).

I can move the studs inward on the bolt circle by .0128" easily. The .085" bigger hole needed for the new stud will facilitate the slight bolt pattern adjustment and still maintain full press-in contact around the knurl.

4.750" (120.65 mm) bolt circle vs 4.724" (120 mm), not big difference.

I'll see if my rear end builder can do this for me, otherwise I'll do it at work (we have a huge machine shop).

Bart

[Stuart]

I'm personally not a big fan of wheels with high offset (the spokes are nearly flush with the outer edge of the wheel, and I think a deeper lip looks better.) Wheels to fit a Z3/Z4, or a 3 series BMW, typically are in that 40mm range. Wheels for the bigger BMWs have offsets typically in the 15 to 20mm range, which would probably fit on the front of your car without spacers. On the other hand, you'd have to narrow the rear end to get them to fit on the rear, but hey it's only money.

[andrewb70]

Originally Posted by b-man

.....I'd like to ask Andrew what spare wheel & tire he's using.

......

Bart

Wing and a prayer my friend. Wing and a prayer.

If you get a reasonably sized brake package you can use the readily available late model GTO spare.

Andrew

[ponjohn]

Spare tire = fix a flat and 12 volt compressor.

[b-man]

Originally Posted by Stuart

I'm personally not a big fan of wheels with high offset (the spokes are nearly flush with the outer edge of the wheel, and I think a deeper lip looks better.) Wheels to fit a Z3/Z4, or a 3 series BMW, typically are in that 40mm range. Wheels for the bigger BMWs have offsets typically in the 15 to 20mm range, which would probably fit on the front of your car without spacers. On the other hand, you'd have to narrow the rear end to get them to fit on the rear, but hey it's only money.

My alloy wheel tastes are the opposite of yours Stuart. My wheels have a 40mm offset. The wheel style I bought isn't offered for the big BMWs, most of the aftermarket rims that fit them are very pricey 3-piece 19 and 20-inch sizes.

I prefer a nicely-sculptured set of spokes displayed at the outer edge of the wheel on a road car. The wheels I bought are designed and made in Italy, those guys know style. The casting work on these are truly a work of art.

I just don't get it when guys brag about having a rim with a '4-inch lip', a deep-dish wheel belongs on the rear of a drag car in my opinion.

Originally Posted by ponjohn

Spare tire = fix a flat and 12 volt compressor.

Nothing ruins a tire better than a can of fix-a-flat unfortunately, that stuff eats away at your tire and it's not good to use afterward.

Screw it, I'm buying a fifth matching alloy wheel and a 245/45-18 tire that will work as a spare on both ends of the car.

Never hurts to have an extra wheel ready if they someday discontinue my particular wheel, just in case I damage or curb one

It's always nice knowing you have correct-fitting full-size spare in the trunk if you're far away from civization, the towing bill could easily equal or surpass the cost of another wheel & tire.

[71firebird400]

Very interesting thread, Bart. I'm following it closely (even though I don't have the budget to do anything similar), it's a lot of fun to see how you're doing things.

[fbrown]

Changing the Subject, have you figured how to connect a temperature sensor to the LS3? The one that is installed will be needed for the ECM. Although there is a plug in the back passenger side head, the opening is too small for the typical a-body temp sensor.

[b-man]

Originally Posted by fbrown

Changing the Subject, have you figured how to connect a temperature sensor to the LS3? The one that is installed will be needed for the ECM. Although there is a plug in the back passenger side head, the opening is too small for the typical a-body temp sensor.

With all of the non-swap related stuff going on I haven't had time to even consider any of the details such as this.

I suppose one could install a water temp sender in the 'hot side' upper radiator hose as close to the engine as possible. This would involve cutting out a couple inches of hose in an appropriate place and using a piece of tubing with a 1/2 NPT half coupling welded to it clamped in the line. Myself I'd use a mechanical temp gauge so grounding isn't an issue.

It might even be possible to tap the water pump for some kind of sensor, to be honest I haven't even looked over the new LS3 that closely.

Does anyone have any input on this?

[andrewb70]

For a clean install I would try to get a sensor into the radiator. I am assuming that this is for a sending unit that is for the stock idiot light? If you are using an aftermarket gauge the sender will fit into the passenger head with an adapter.

Andrew

[455HOGT37]

Originally Posted by ponjohn

Spare tire = fix a flat and 12 volt compressor.

That's what Porsche uses...

My Corvette has the run flats, but I will be switching to the "Porsche Plan" when they wear out. The runflat tires are not only gawd-awful expensive to buy and service, they weigh a ton.

[FLYNLOW]

Originally Posted by 455HOGT37

That's what Porsche uses...

My Corvette has the run flats, but I will be switching to the "Porsche Plan" when they wear out. The runflat tires are not only gawd-awful expensive to buy and service, they weigh a ton.

Standard on the Z06, too. I have no spare for the Firebird or the Barracuda. Never had a flat. If I do, I suppose thats what towing is for. I would be screwed however in some of the areas I regularly travel where you might not see another car for hours and theres no phones or cell service... lol.

::shrug::

[455HOGT37]

Originally Posted by FLYNLOW

Standard on the Z06, too. I have no spare for the Firebird or the Barracuda. Never had a flat...

::shrug::

Lots of new cars simply don't have room for a spare tire (like the C6 Corvette). Flats are indeed pretty rare these days. Like you, I rarely (like once in 25 years of driving) have had to change to a spare tire on the side of the road... Until the 'Vette. I have punctured the right rear TWICE in less than 10,000 miles. WTF

As an aside, if I was ever to do a "ground up" LSx swap, I would like to do a clone of my old 70 Formula 400. That one was a "numbers" 4 speed car, so I couldn't cut it up, but I'd sure like to find a clean flat window 'Bird and start gathering parts. The Formula hood is the coolest ever made, IMHO.

[6 Grrrs]

Originally Posted by andrewb70

For a clean install I would try to get a sensor into the radiator. I am assuming that this is for a sending unit that is for the stock idiot light? If you are using an aftermarket gauge the sender will fit into the passenger head with an adapter.

Andrew

x2. I believe the LSx has metric threads vs std pipe threads on classic motors. I know when I did an LS1 into a 1990 Chevy truck, we used an adapter, and used the stock guages/sending unit. I don't remember where the Truck owner found the adapter. I will look into it.

[b-man]

Thanks for the input guys, any help finding a source for the temp fitting adapter would be much appreciated.

Today I ordered up a set of Corvette C6 Z51 330 mm (13") rear brakes with the internal drum parking brake, along with a set of Lokar E-brake cables and all of the FlexKORE™ braided stainless brake lines I need. The salesman I spoke to (Tobin) at KORE3 was super-helpful and knew every single little detail about what he was selling.

I bought all OEM stuff, the only small upgrade was a set of ceramic brake pads. I figured that the stock Corvette brakes will be more than enough for my needs. The KORE3 website doesn't currently list the availability of a rear brake kit for a 10-bolt rear end with bolt-in axles, but I called them and found out they do have a kit for my '71 -'72 Olds/Buick 10-bolt rear. While I was on the phone I figured I'd order up my kit.

Haven't yet decided what to do up front yet for brakes, I'm still throwing around the idea of a set of ATS spindles and adjustable upper control arms.

Question for Andrew: Do your upper control arms have the high-durometer rubber bushings or the racing bushings?

Thanks, Bart

[Karch]

Originally Posted by b-man

Thanks for the input guys, any help finding a source for the temp fitting adapter would be much appreciated.

Today I ordered up a set of Corvette C6 Z51 330 mm (13") rear brakes with the internal drum parking brake, along with a set of Lokar E-brake cables and all of the FlexKORE™ braided stainless brake lines I need. The salesman I spoke to (Tobin) at KORE3 was super-helpful and knew every single little detail about what he was selling.

I bought all OEM stuff, the only small upgrade was a set of ceramic brake pads. I figured that the stock Corvette brakes will be more than enough for my needs. The KORE3 website doesn't currently list the availability of a rear brake kit for a 10-bolt rear end with bolt-in axles, but I called them and found out they do have a kit for my '71 -'72 Olds/Buick 10-bolt rear. While I was on the phone I figured I'd order up my kit.

Haven't yet decided what to do up front yet for brakes, I'm still throwing around the idea of a set of ATS spindles and adjustable upper control arms.

Question for Andrew: Do your upper control arms have the high-durometer rubber bushings or the racing bushings?

Thanks, Bart

Bart, I have only heard great things about Tobin and the Kore3 setups.

Best of luck with it. I wish I had gone that route. In fact, I had tossed my spindles and hubs 20 years ago, and about 2 years ago I got another set in case I decide to go this same route.

I went with the LS1 rear setup, which is 12", fyi.

[andrewb70]

Originally Posted by b-man

....

Haven't yet decided what to do up front yet for brakes, I'm still throwing around the idea of a set of ATS spindles and adjustable upper control arms.

Question for Andrew: Do your upper control arms have the high-durometer rubber bushings or the racing bushings?

Thanks, Bart

I am using the "race" bushings. They have grease fittings and very smooth action.

If you are doing the front brakes, now is the time to get the ATS spindles. Why spend money on brakes now if you know that you will be changing spindles at some future time?

Andrew