[cdoggy81]

Nice!

[72projectbird]

I give this swap my 1000% approval! I love swapping Lsx based engines into anything they'll fit into. You did a hell of a job, very clean and ment to be worked hard.

Im currently collecting parts to do an LQ4 with a GT45 hanging on the side. That'll be taking place of a Pontiac 455, so Im sure I'll get an ear full also. But its all about what you want to do, not what others think!

[3 Chiefs]

Originally Posted by 72projectbird

I give this swap my 1000% approval! I love swapping Lsx based engines into anything they'll fit into. You did a hell of a job, very clean and ment to be worked hard.

Im currently collecting parts to do an LQ4 with a GT45 hanging on the side. That'll be taking place of a Pontiac 455, so Im sure I'll get an ear full also. But its all about what you want to do, not what others think!

I agree. It's your car so build it however you like. No one else is putting gas in it or buying parts for it. It's yours.

Paul

[andrewb70]

Thanks for the kind words of support guys! I really appreciate it and I will keep the uptakes coming as they occur. I've had this car for a long time, and I just don't give a darn what anyone says about what I do with my car. If, by sharing what I have done with other, I can help others do the same thing, then I am happy.

Merry Christmas to all!

Andrew

[andrewb70]

If I can't toot my own horn, who will?

Got a nice 4 page feature story in the current (February 2014) issue of GM High Performance and a action shot from LS Fest in the current (February 2014) issue of Popular Hotrodding. Woot!!!

Andrew

[Charlie Brengun]

I love your car, keep up the good work.. I'm taking notes..this is something I want to do as well (hopefully within the next few years)..

[jetallman]

Impressive, I'm considering a ls swap into my 69 bird after the body is finished and like to see these detailed threads like this. Keep up the good work

[andrewb70]

Thanks GM High-Tech Performance!!!

http://www.gmhightechperformance.com..._gto_ls3_swap/

Andrew

[HWYSTR455]

Originally Posted by andrewb70

Thanks GM High-Tech Performance!!!

http://www.gmhightechperformance.com..._gto_ls3_swap/

Andrew

Every wrencher's dream! Nice plug! Congrats!

.

[andrewb70]

There have been various discussion on several forums that I frequent regarding driveline vibrations, angles, etc...

In one of the posts, I made the comment that just about every modern, rear wheel drive, performance car uses CV joints for the driveshaft. We spent all kinds of stupid money to buy the latest engine, transmission, and suspension parts, but when it comes to our driveline components, we still use u-joints that date back to the 19th century. I have used a CV driveshaft with great success, but the optimal solution would be to use a driveshaft that uses a CV joint at both the transmission end and at the pinion. So I called Frank at The Driveshaft Shop to discuss this further and after telling him all this he starts to laugh. Then he proceeds to tell me how he just made a batch of pinion yokes for the Ford 9" and the Chevy 12 bolt rear ends that will accommodate a 108mm (Porsche 930 style) CV joint. He sent me the picture below:



That particular yoke is for the Ford 9" rear. What this means is that if someone wants the ultimate solution for a driveshaft, this is it. Using CVs at both ends of the driveshaft means that driveline angles become largely irrelevant. The CVs can accommodate up to 9 degrees of articulation and the front and rear angles operating don't have to match, be opposite, or be as small as possible.

Andrew

[GRIM64]

Excellent thread Andrew, I just stayed up most of the night reading the adventure you've gone through with your car. Thanks for posting such in detail pics and information.

I've been on the fence about doing an LS swap into my 69 GTO ..... You sure threw a hell of a lotta weight onto one end of the scale in the decision process.

Love the video of you racing the the BMW guys...

[andrewb70]

Originally Posted by GRIM64

Excellent thread Andrew, I just stayed up most of the night reading the adventure you've gone through with your car. Thanks for posting such in detail pics and information.

I've been on the fence about doing an LS swap into my 69 GTO ..... You sure threw a hell of a lotta weight onto one end of the scale in the decision process.

Love the video of you racing the the BMW guys...

Thank you! I am glad you found it entertaining and informative. What part of WI are you in? I am moving to Oshkosh in a few months.

Andrew

[GRIM64]

I'm right between Madison & Milwaukee on I94 at the Rt83 exit. Would love to see your car up close!

[andrewb70]

Originally Posted by GRIM64

I'm right between Madison & Milwaukee on I94 at the Rt83 exit. Would love to see your car up close!

Send me a PM. I have a buddy in Janesville. I am pretty excited about moving to WI.

Andrew

[andrewb70]

I scratched the fiberglass box idea. Instead, I decided that it would be simpler and easier to build a shelf behind the seat that would support the sub on the passenger side and allow for space for the amp on the driver's side.

Here is what I came up with. It isn't super pretty, but it will do the job. The trunk of my car was never meant to be a show piece, it is there to haul crap.



The shelf is 1/2" MDF and is supported by the hump in the middle and some trimmed down 2x4s on the edges. The 2x4s will be attached to the trunk divider and the sub will be anchored to the bottom of the package tray. Should be pretty solid.

Here you can see where the amp will go.



There will be ample space all around it for cooling and all the wires will come in from behind and underneath and should look pretty clean.

I even decided that I should make everything a little prettier and wrapped the sub in black felt and I will do the same for the shelf.



Stay tuned for more, as I just placed an order with Don at Sound Deadener Showdown

This is turning into sub/interior sound deadener redo...

Any comments and suggestions are welcome as always.

Andrew

[HWYSTR455]

I'm interested in the CVs and shaft solution. So you have to mount the pinion yoke before you can measure for the shaft?

On the sub. I've tried all kinds of boxes in the trunk, fired the subs into the backs of the seats, made side boxes, everything, and it never sounded as good as firing the sub(s) into the cabin. Subs firing into the trunk sounds muddy, muffled, whatever you want to call it, but in my opinion, is not a true solution.

When I bailed on the boxes, ran without subs for a while, missed having something, then mounted them in the deck, free-air. I did boxes around them once, is a little better than free-air, but not enough to go through the trouble. Once I reached the point they needed to be replaced, I pitched the boxes and went back to free-air.

Think I mentioned it before, but I use a piece of 1" thick hardwood, bolted to the rear deck, and then cut the speaker mounting holes into that. I struggled for a while butchering the sheet metal on the deck, but, I finally came to the realization, it's my car.

In that hardwood, you can cut any array of speakers you want that will physically fit, can fill the entire deck with drivers if you want, and the hardwood is not only stronger than the sheet metal ever was, but also helps resonate sound. Helps cut down on vibrations and noise too. ( I have a pair of 10s back there now, with a pair of 6x9s, a 12 fits but is a little tight )

It's not for everyone, but once you hear one done this way, you'll be convinced it's the best sounding way to do it. I'm getting ready to go through the driver, and am going to re-arrange the speakers in the back, will be a little while, but once I get there I'll make sure to post some good pics for all.

And nice work Andrew, as usual!

.

[andrewb70]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

I'm interested in the CVs and shaft solution. So you have to mount the pinion yoke before you can measure for the shaft?

On the sub. I've tried all kinds of boxes in the trunk, fired the subs into the backs of the seats, made side boxes, everything, and it never sounded as good as firing the sub(s) into the cabin. Subs firing into the trunk sounds muddy, muffled, whatever you want to call it, but in my opinion, is not a true solution.

When I bailed on the boxes, ran without subs for a while, missed having something, then mounted them in the deck, free-air. I did boxes around them once, is a little better than free-air, but not enough to go through the trouble. Once I reached the point they needed to be replaced, I pitched the boxes and went back to free-air.

Think I mentioned it before, but I use a piece of 1" thick hardwood, bolted to the rear deck, and then cut the speaker mounting holes into that. I struggled for a while butchering the sheet metal on the deck, but, I finally came to the realization, it's my car.

In that hardwood, you can cut any array of speakers you want that will physically fit, can fill the entire deck with drivers if you want, and the hardwood is not only stronger than the sheet metal ever was, but also helps resonate sound. Helps cut down on vibrations and noise too. ( I have a pair of 10s back there now, with a pair of 6x9s, a 12 fits but is a little tight )

It's not for everyone, but once you hear one done this way, you'll be convinced it's the best sounding way to do it. I'm getting ready to go through the driver, and am going to re-arrange the speakers in the back, will be a little while, but once I get there I'll make sure to post some good pics for all.

And nice work Andrew, as usual!

.

I personally feel more comfortable measuring with the yoke installed in the transmission and the car at ride height. Give Frank a call. He had billet slip yoke made for various popular transmission and he now has pinion yokes as well, so you can build a true dual CV shaft. He can also install non-plunging CVs, which is what I would do if I had to do it over again.

I wrapped up the sub project and it looks and sound better than it was before.



Andrew

[andrewb70]

Today I wrapped up the sub-woofer installation. It's really a pain to work so deep inside the trunk. Luckily I had the rear seat out and I could get at some of what I needed to do from inside the passenger compartment.

Here is a shot of the shelf after I wrapped it with some felt:



All of the wiring for the amp goes under the shell and is tucked towards the back.

Here is the final product.



I've also been playing around with making videos for those of you that prefer that sort of thing...

Sub-woofer install in 1970 Pontiac GTO - YouTube

All questions and comments are welcome as always.

Andrew

[andrewb70]

Yesterday I tackled another project. Since I removed the subwoofer from under the rear package tray, I was not faced with having a hole in the rear package tray trim piece. I had some nice vinyl that I had purchased a while back, so I decided to cover the package tray with it. The end result wasn't perfect, but I think it turned out pretty well..

Follow along:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqWAn1Bg2p4

Andrew

[andrewb70]

As always, little projects tend to take on a life of their own. What started out as a simple subwoofer reconfiguration turned into a rear seat sound deadener project as well.

As I said before, I used products from www.sounddeadenershowdown.com. The methodology that they describe involves a two step process.

First, the metal is prepared using CLD tiles to deaden the metallic ringing that is common when raw steel is tapped or banged. The CLD tiles have an aluminum top and the bottom is a very sticky butyl material. The goal is to apply it to about 25-30% of the panel around it's center mass.

Second, a layer of closed cell foam is applied over the whole area and on top of that mass loaded vinyl is laid to block any sound from penetrating into the passenger compartment.

I applied the CLD tiles all over my package tray, the rear seat/trunk separator panel, and the area under the rear seat. Then I started at the top of the package tray and went all the way to the front of the rear seats with the foam and the MLV. The MLV is hard to work with as it does not mold well and it only bends in one direction. On the other hand, MLV can be bonded (almost welded) to itself using special vinyl adhesive. Using the adhesive I was able to form a solid sheet all the way from the top of the package tray and bond it solidly to the vinyl that was already there which stopped at the rear seat area.

Here is the finished product:



Ideally, I would have also covered the side panels the same way, but I discovered that the foam and vinyl add thickness which creates fitment problems with all the trim panels. Ultimately I decided that this was as far as I was going to go for now.

First driving impression is that what I did definitely reduced the driveline noise that was penetrating the cabin. This made for much quieter driving experience when going down the highway.

Andrew