[Greg Reid]

That is a really nice car. Good quality photos too.
That shot of the power steering pump/alternator bracket area is real handy for me too. I took mine apart so long ago, I couldn't remember exactly how it was fitted together until I saw this thread. Nobody ever seemed to post a pic of that until now.

[David Jones]

Great thread. Are those Nitto rear tires? What did your car 60ft at with those tires? What cam did your car have and what are you putting back in it?
Verdoro Green rocks...... I think if I has some traction, my car would be a 12:90 something car. Best so far is a 13:20 @ 105.5 with a 2:12 60ft.

[1978 T/A]

Thanks for the compliments! I took pictures so that way I would be able to remember too LOL..

And yes the tire I am currently running is the NT555R. I was able to a cut a 2.08 60ft. There was no spinning or wheel hop, I think my stock stall was preventing me from cutting a lower 60ft. To be honest I am probably going to switch over to ET Streets when the car is done. But I am still on the wall just simply because the Nittos will net me close to 15k.

The cam that I took out was a flat tappet 214/224, and I'm now going with the SD Performace 230/236 hydro roller.

[robz]

Great photos and resto so far..Looking great!

[1978 T/A]

Updates: Only part of the front suspension that remains on is the upper control arms. Tie rods, lower control arms, springs, shocks, and spindals are all out. When I took everything apart I realized just how bad the suspension was..

Once everthing is out it will be off to be powdercoater along with other parts.











When I removed the driver side spring it had a green tag still on it. Is this original?

[1978 T/A]

Updates: The rest of the front suspension is town down and I have the parts off to the powder coater. My goal next week is to have the front suspension assembled. I have also removed the old blower motor and am waiting on the hamster wheel to reinstall.

None of my friends believe me when I say the car should break 11's LOL? Are my goals off 11's unresonable? Dave at SD says this car will make an easy 500hp, and when I talked to Cliff in building my stall he seemed confident it would be a mid 11 sec combo.

[Greg Reid]

If it does run into the 11s, be prepared for comments like "must be runnin' a Big Block Chevy huh?"

[1978 T/A]

LOL I guess all my buddys are in for a suprise then. One told me he would buy me lunch if it broke 11's.

[Sidponcho]

Originally Posted by 1978 T/A

LOL I guess all my buddys are in for a suprise then. One told me he would buy me lunch if it broke 11's.

Is there a Morton's Steak House near you?

[1978 T/A]

Originally Posted by Sidponcho

Is there a Morton's Steak House near you?

There actually is. I think he had a different idea when he was speaking lunch though LOL. Probably something along the lines of Burger King.

[1978 T/A]

Updates: Blower motor is back in the car along with the inner fender. I started painting the engine bay and will post pictures when it is done.

I am still waiting on a few parts from the powder coater, which I will hopefully get this week.

Motor has been honed and this Tuesday I will head to the machine shop to try and assemble short block.

I took these pictures of the removal of the blower motor. I was able to remove it by moving the inner fender enough to slide my hand through. Once I unbolted it I slid the motor over the inner fender and removed it from the front by the radiator support. I hope this helps anyone trying to attack this project.




Some parts from the powder coater.




These are pictures from the machine shop. I actually got to use the hone which was really neat!

[1978 T/A]

Got all the parts from the powder coater, and do they look awesome! Almost makes me sad this stuff is going underneath the car...

Will start assembly on the front end soon.

[1978 T/A]

Some more progress

Before

After


Before

After


Before

After


Before

After


Balancing the rotating assembly

Another shot of the engine bay

[Greg Reid]

Looking really good!

[1978 T/A]

I got the front end together on Tuesday, but I have been having computer woes and never got a chance to upload them. Enjoy guys

[n20ta2]

looks good,might want to do a satin black on the firewall and inner fender wells though,much easier to keep clean.

[1978 T/A]

I've heard that flatter colors can be difficult to keep clean. I really like the look of a low sheen engine bay though and see how it works out.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by 1978 T/A

I've heard that flatter colors can be difficult to keep clean. I really like the look of a low sheen engine bay though and see how it works out.

It definitely does hold dust, grease and grime better because it's more porous. Also makes it nearly impossible to clean.

[MattB78]

Looks like a nice car for a 19 year old!! Is that Cutlass ('77?) your daily driver? It looks super clean!

[1978 T/A]

Thanks Matt! I am trying my hardest to get this car performing like a monster, but not ruin the originality.

And Yes the Cutlass (76) is my DD for now. It actually is a fairly clean car given it's age. My great grandmother bought it new off the lot in 76 and has been in our family ever since. The car still wears its original paint and has never had any work done to it other than normal maintnence.


After the GTO is done I plan to purchase a 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 which will become my new DD. The Olds might go up for sale, but it's still up in the air for now.

Updates: Got the motor mocked up last week and the block zero decked. So tomorrow I will be heading to the machine shop to start putting the motor together.