[andrewb70]

Yesterday afternoon I got down to the task of of getting the car ready for the Holley LS Fest, which is only a couple of weeks away, and performing the few little upgrades that I had planned. First order of business was to take the front wheels off the car, break them down, install the wider inner hoop, reassemble, and reseal.

The wheels started life as being 8" wide. In case anyone was wondering, wheel width is measured at the area where the tire bead sits, not on the outside edges.



Here is the backside of the wheel. Notice the generous scalloping on the back side of the spokes and the hub area of the wheel. This is the reason why this particular wheel is only about 20 pounds. Also notice the generous amount of brake dust. I drive this car!



There are 40 fasteners that hold the wheel together. Once the nuts are removed, the wheel center comes out and the wheel halves can be separated. Notice the dead bugs on the inside of the wheels.



After disassembly, I cleaned the wheel centers with hot water and soap. This works very well to remove all the brake dust and general grime. The wider inner hoop was installed and the fasteners were torqued to 18 lb/ft, in two steps, and in a start pattern, much like when you torque lug nuts.



Here is the finished wheel, now 9.5" wide and ready for the new BFG Rival 275/35-18 front tires. Important safety tip: make sure you let the silicone dry before putting air in the tires. The pressure will penetrate the uncured seal and will leak, resulting in taking the tire off and doing the seal over again. Not fun!



Here is the rear Rival compared to the Falken 615...



Today I will be installing the Dodge 7/8" bore MC, so stay tuned for more updates.

Andrew

[andrewb70]

As promised, here are some details for the Dodge 7/8" bore MC. This is what you get for about $60 bucks at O'Reilly Auto Parts. It is a MC for a 1995 Dodge Spirit with manual brakes (14" wheels). This particular model is brand new, made out of aluminum and has a plastic reservoir. These are all features that I like. Wilwood makes a nice 7'8" bore, direct bolt-in MC, but it has a reservoir lid that can only be taken off with an allen wrench. While it looks nice, I want to be able to check the fluid level without getting my tool box out.



This MC has two ports that have rather small fittings. The catalog description lists the outlet ports as being 3/8" inverted flair, but they sure seemed smaller.

The rear port of the MC is plumbed to the front brakes and nothing was needed to attache the line. The front port of the MC is plumbed to the rear line and required an adapter fitting that you can see in the picture. However, this adapter was too small for the fitting that was on my rear brake line, so what we decided to do was bend another line for the rear brakes. That way if I ever wanted to swap back to the other MC, it would be very simple to swap lines. We bent up a 5/16" line, using the old line as a template. It was fairly straight forward and simple.

The other issue with using this MC is that the mounting holes don't quite match the GM pattern. As you can see, we elected to notch the holes to make it easier.









The other issue with using this MC is that the pushrod hole is not as deep as the GM MC I was using, so the rod had to be shortened. The tip of the rod also had to be ground down slightly because the Dodge MC has a smaller diameter hole.

The bottom line is that this MC is a fairly easy swap into GM vehicles and is a viable OEM alternative to some of the aftermarket offerings. With a little ingenuity it can be made to work in applications that require a 7/8" bore MC.

The brakes feel very different now. The pedal feel is softer but I haven't really noticed a big increase in pedal travel. I am now easily able to lock up the brakes, when before I couldn't. Clearly the MC is generating more force at the caliper, which is what Ron was attempting to show with his spreadsheet.

A huge thanks to Ron Sutton for giving me the last needed nudge to make the swap to the 7/8" MC.

To wrap it up, here is a picture of the 275/35-18 BFG Rivals on the front.



There is mild rubbing on the sway bar at the extremes, but I don't see this as a huge issue. I may run a small spacer in the front if it become annoying, but for now I am going to work on a few other minor issues before the Holley LS Fest.

Andrew

[HWYSTR455]

What master did you have on before? You weren't able to lock up the brakes?

I currently am running the 1 1/8 iron universal GM master, with a dual diaphram 9" booster, and with like 13 -15 inches, am able to lock up all 4. I think we're running the same brakes?
.

[andrewb70]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

What master did you have on before? You weren't able to lock up the brakes?

I currently am running the 1 1/8 iron universal GM master, with a dual diaphram 9" booster, and with like 13 -15 inches, am able to lock up all 4. I think we're running the same brakes?
.

I have manual brakes and I was using a GM 15/16" bore master from a 1977 Malibu. The extra pressure from the 7/8" master really made a huge difference. The brakes feel awesome now. Manual brakes just feel son precise and give so much feedback, and I didn't want to give that up. With this MC, I don't have to.

Andrew

[andrewb70]

After I had made my previous posts, I realized that I never posted a picture of the MC as it was finally installed. You can see the new 5/16" rear line along with the adapter that was needed. The rear port for the front brakes worked as is.



I also want to make some comments regarding my first impressions of the Rival tires. I haven't really had a chance to test out the handling, but I can say that the tires are very sticky. I was driving and happened to go over a spot that has some loose sand and I could hear the tires picking up every little pebble as I drove over them. Also, with the Falkens, even when they were new, I could be rolling slowly in 1st gear, punch the throttle, and the tires would spin until I let off or shifted. With the Rivals, doing exactly the same thing, the tires dead hook. I am really excited to get the car out on the autocross and on the drag strip.

Andrew

[pontiac1981]

If you want a Chevy why not just buy a Chevelle?

[andrewb70]

Originally Posted by pontiac1981

If you want a Chevy why not just buy a Chevelle?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH...

My goodness...that's just a knee slapper. Did it take you all day to come up with that bit of humor? It's so original!!! Cause you know, I haven't heard that one before...

I have an idea, why don't you buzz off and troll some other thread. As far as I can tell, I have contributed dozens of pages of solid tech, while all you have done is made a snarky comment.

Peace out...

Andrew

[Hurst65]

There's always at least one bonehead in every group.... [eyes rolling]

[3 Chiefs]

Yeah he needs to read this moderators post in the sticky.
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...46&postcount=4

Your car is awesome Andrew. Thanks for all your insight in this forum. I have seen your GTO in person and watched you on the autocross track at LS Fest. Its a great ride that I know you have fun with and its a dependable car too.

These LS transplants are not going away and there will only be more and more of them coming.


Paul

[andrewb70]

Originally Posted by 3 Chiefs

Yeah he needs to read this moderators post in the sticky.
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...46&postcount=4

Your car is awesome Andrew. Thanks for all your insight in this forum. I have seen your GTO in person and watched you on the autocross track at LS Fest. Its a great ride that I know you have fun with and its a dependable car too.

These LS transplants are not going away and there will only be more and more of them coming.


Paul

Paul,

Thank you for the kind words. The LS swap was the single most significant modification that I could have done to the car. For how I want to use the car, it provides a great balance of power, dependability, and fuel economy.

Speaking of LS Fest…The guys from GM High Tech Performance approached me at the show and we had a little photo shoot on Sunday morning. The current issue (Feb 2014) of GM High Tech has a feature on my car. :-)

Andrew

[3 Chiefs]

That's cool. I will look for it. My subscription has expired. I did see your car and you on V8TV a while back.

Paul

[cdoggy81]

Nice!

[Overkillphil]

Originally Posted by pontiac1981

If you want a Chevy why not just buy a Chevelle?

LS isn't a "Chevy". But if all of ones "knowledge" is gained from car rags/ads (for example), it could explain the lack of understanding.

[Sam Elm]

Andrew....keep the updates coming, I really appreciate them. You have a wealth experience and are more than willing to share, both here and on PT....

[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