To see my history with this car, see this thread:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/conv...ying-88-a.html

I am taking the convertible off of the insurance and leaving her in the garage so I can start doing the mods that I want to do, without having to worry about driving her anywhere.

There are many things that I want to do, but this will probably be a slow build-up until I can get some cash-flow.

Picked up my 4th gen dashboard yesterday, and got it for only $100. Came with the Gauge cluster, glovebox, A-pillar trim panels, headlight switch, and the middle trim piece. All I need to find is the panel that runs right above the drivers feet, and a dashpad.



Then we start disassembly, which isnt all-together hard to do, just tedious, as the drivers side dash has many small 7mm bolts holding it on.

I have reached the point of no-return:



I am still looking for an armrest for the center console, and a factory cd player, doesnt have to be 3rd gen specific, just a GM model. (PM me )

I got accomplished what I wanted to do today, got my wiring schematic drawn up and went to work cutting, crimping, testing, and crimping some more. I got (hopefully) all 97 gauges working, and the 97 headlight/dimmer switch working great!

Here is it where I stopped tonight:



Not a very exciting picture but a huge step in the right direction.

Tomorrow's goals:

Cut passenger side dash brace
Bend both cut braces 90* into the car
Make 3 small metal brackets, one for the upper left dash mount, one for the lower left, and one for the lower right mount.

On a side note:
If anyone is interested in my wiring "diagram", just let me know and I will type it up. The ones in the couple 4th gen swap threads DID NOT work for me, one was WAY off and only worked for 93-96 dashes, and the other wasnt clearly layed out, and had 1 or 2 wires incorrectly labeled.

More to come!

 

Well of course everyones interested! But you might wanna try them out first to make sure everything works correctly. Looks good so far, though. Can't wait to see the final outcome of it

 

Well, the speedometer is not hooked up, I have a cable driven speedo, so that won't work. I dont have sensors on my motor for Oil pressure, or coolant temperature, so those won't work until I can get to the junkyard for some sensors and wiring pigtails. I have to start the engine to test the Tach, and with everything torn apart, the car is in no position to start, lol.

These for sure work:
LH Turn Signal
RH Turn Signal
Highbeam Indicator
Voltage gauge
Fuel level
Backlighting
Headlights
Dimmer

I have nothing but high hopes for the other functions.

Updates tomorrow!
(Well, later today, lol)

 

Good luck on the re-build. Im sure you will do fine. Looks like you have a view onto what you want in the end. Congrats for the future.

 

Thanks, man!

Well, today I woke up and went straight to home depot and spent a whopping $6 on a 3ft strip of aluminum and some washers to build my dash brackets, and went to work on the dash. Its a fairly straightforward install, "cut here, bend here, bolt down, etc.." There are moments where I was like "What have I gotten myself into?!", but I just kept going, and before I knew it, I accomplished more than I set out to do today!

Anyway, pics!





I am still looking for the following pieces to finish the dash:
Driverside under-dash panel
Fuse panel cover
Factory-ish CD player with EQ
Stock Steerig wheel
Top pad

 

looks like a good start. Should look sweet when its done

 

Oh man I cant wait to get a job, lol!! This will be the coolest camaro in florida, to me anyways. If I was good at photoshop I would try to show my paint scheme and wheels, but I can't use that program very well at all.

Tomorrows' goals:
Finish mounting the tons of 7mm bolts to hold the dash on
Finish tucking up wiring
Mount both fuse panels (I installed another one to run my aftermarket things)
Make the top drivers side mounting bracket for the dash (forgot to do that today)

Hopefully I can get to the junkyard soon and try to find my missing pieces.

 

No updates yet but I have a couple questions:

I need to get the oil pressure sensor, and the coolant temperature sensor and wiring that goes to them from the junkyard, and I need to know where on the engine they are found. I believe the oil pressure sensor is located right next to the distributor on the rear of the block, and the coolant temp. sensor is located on the drivers side head in-between #1, and #3 cylinders. Am I correct, if not where are they so I can get them asap.

Thanks!

 

Heres a basic rundown of what I eventually want to do, in order to make this car what I want it to be.

1. 4th Gen interior with Summit Sport seats.
a. Possibly installing 5pt. harnesses and a harness bar
b. 97 Camaro/93-02 Firebird Dashboard, and instrumentation (Mostly Done!)
c. 98 Firebird center console (4 Cupholders, Woohoo!!) (Mostly Done!)

2. More engine upgrades
a. 750cfm Holley/Summit Carburetor (Mech. Secondaries)
b. Edelbrock RPM Airgap Vortec intake
c. Howard Valve springs
d. Full aluminum bodied Roller Rockers
e. COMP 08-000-8, 3052/3053-110 Camshaft
f. Gear drive to replace timing chain
g. Bronze Distributor gear

3. New Transmission
a. 93-97 LT1 Camaro/Firebird T56

4. Paint and Body
a. Replacing both doors, and window internals
b. Replacing side GFX pieces
c. Dent removal, filler, etc..
d. Mazda "Black cherry Mica" main body color
e. Silver painted Ground effecs, and Factory IROC-Z vinyl emblems
f. Topsonline Stayfast top with plasic window
g. Re-installing Factory spoiler

5. Wheels
a. RPM R-505's (Not definitive yet, but I DO like these wheels ALOT)
(http://www.wheelstudio.com/view-whee...ll/vehicle-all)

6. Fuel delivery
a. Modify pickup to remove in-tank pump
b. Install External electric fuel pump
c. Run all new braided fuel lines under car
d. Run my own fuel tank "vent"

 

Glad to hear ur keeping her...I thought the car was fine the way it was ..just need some paint...but i see u have bigger plans ...ill keep posted on this thread and give me a heads up if you need an extra hand...have a s10 pickup which may be handy for junkyard stops...good luck

 

Yeah, I love the car, than I hate it, than I love it lol. The car is FAR from fine, in my eyes. I do plan on pulling the motor for the cam/transmission swap when the time comes. I'll keep you in mind for junkyard visits, haha. I always like meeting new 3rd gen enthusiasts. I am (hopefully) going to be getting my own truck so I have something to drive while the IROC gets its makeover, but we'll see.

Hopefully when I replace half the motor it will finally stop acting up, I am so fed up.

 

Looks good man! Tackling a wiring job takes guts.

You are correct on the sensor locations. I think the factory puts the oil pressure sensor above the oil filter, but on top of the block is a better spot. It measures the oil pressure at the motor. Above the filter measures it before the filter which can change from what the motor actually see's.

Oh and by the way, there is no such thing as done You will always find something you want to change.

 

Hey man, thanks.

Were both correct on the stock oil pressure sensor locations, as they varied by year. It just makes it more confusing for people like me lol. It was quite a big wiring job, but it actually wasnt as bad as most people would think.

And I definitely agree with you there, the car will NEVER be done.

 

Well, I have been thinking about more mods to do, and of course my "To-do" list has grown. I want to:

-Shave the door handles/locks
-Shave antenna, and mount a "hidden" antenna under the header panel
-Get aftermarket overflow jug and hide it behind radiator
-Remove electric fuel pump and go with a mechanical pump

On the "Update" side of things, I found a radio, I went to the U-pull it and found a Delco CD player rather quickly, but it had no buttons or ***** at all. I went through all the other cars and found 2 Delco Tape players, one had the big volume and tuning *****, the other had the 4 small *****, so alltogether I got a complete radio, and the CD player even works! Unfortunately there were only 2 third gens there, and both were pretty stripped, so I didnt get anything else.

 

Nice work, so far - keep plugging away at it, its good when you can make steady progress like that . . .

 

I wish it were a little more steady, but if all goes according to plan, there will be PLENTY of updates flooding my thread

Update:

I have decided to go in a TOTAL different direction with my drivetrain ideas. I pulled my motor and tranny yesterday, and have someone buying the trans tomorrow, and should have someone buying the motor on Saturday. When this happens, I will be heading out sunday to check out a 94 Z28 with an LT1, and T56, that I will swap into my vert.

Yeah, I'm excited to get started.

 

this thing is gonna turn out sweet!

 

You know it.

I sold the motor, and put a "down payment" on an LT1/T56 swap today. I will be picking them up next sunday. I can't wait to get started, I will post some updates and pics this week, been lazy lately. lol

 

Well, heres a pic of the motor that I stole off of the ad, just because:

 

And here is the future home of that LT1:

 

Subscribed. My dad and I are most likely going to do the same engine/trans swap in our 88 Iroc Convertible. I am looking forward to this thread. Thanks for all the updates so far!

 

No problem, I just like documenting what I do to my car, its cool to look back at what the car used to be.

Hoping to remove the wiring harness tomorrow, and may start cleaning/sanding the bay to get ready for a little paint.

 

Heres what it looks like now. I brushed on some Rustoleum Semi-gloss black, just to see what it would look like, and it isnt bad on the k-member, and radiator support and such. I dont really like the way it looks on the wheel wells and such. Overall its much better than it was, this engine bay was covered in surface rust, grease and general road grime.

 

Congrats on the work you have accomplished so far, you should have a plenty powerful and fun drivetrain when your done. I am just wondering though why didn't you just buy a 4th gen and save time? I'm not trying to be a smart !@# but the convertible, five speed, 3rd gen will be, and already is a hard to find combo, and personally I don't see the reasoning behind it!

 

Its weird that I am adding so many 4th gen parts to my IROC, and in a way I see your point. The fact is, I hate fourth gen camaros, they're ugly. Yes this car had somewhat of a rare combination of options, but in the end, it needed sooooo much work, I didnt see a reason in NOT modding it. I enjoyed this car even when it had the 305TBI, and T5, got alot of looks and fun to drive, but that engine needed alot to be considered "reliable". I already had my 357 built for my old T/A that ended up having frame damage, so I put that motor in here, than I got the idea of running FI in her, and that snowballed into an LT1 swap.

If this car was even in CLOSE to good condition when I first bought it, I would have been more inclined to keep her that way. I will post some pics of when I first bought her, to show you what I mean.

 

Here are a few pics of when I first bought her:









It's come a long way, and theres still alot more to be done, but I've been enjoying this car quite a bit.

 

AGREED!!! Cant wait to see the engine in

 

Me neither man!

Pics this weekend for sure!

 

I see what you were talking about, I'll watch this one to see how it turns out.

 

Man I can't believe how BEAT she was! Good job saving her.

 

Havent updated because I still dont have my new engine yet...

Ill update when I get it.

 

Todays update:

I hate 4th gens that much more now.

Almost 8 straight hours and the damn Lt1/T56 would not come out!

So who knows when I will ever be able to go back up there and try again.....

Ugh.

 

What was hanging you up from getting the LT1 out of the donor car? Also, where is the donor car (what city)?

 

I really do not know, unbolted both motor mounts, took trans crossmember out, driveshaft, torque arm, radiator, etc... It kept getting hung up on SOMETHING that I could not find.

New port Richey.

 

When I took the motor out of my old 96 firebird, I found it easiest to drop the motor out the bottom. I hooked my engine hoist up to the frame of the car and used it to lift the car high enough to drag the motor/trans/front subframe everything out. I even left thr front wheels on to make moving it easier.

 

Yeah, if I can't get it to come from the top, I will have to do that. I was just trying to get it done the way I always do, but the 4th gens have so much less room than 3rd gens.

Thanks.

 

lookin good

 

wow bro,keep up the great job.you really took on a big job.i hope it works out good fast and correctly the first time you try it.keep the pics comming

 

Well, unfortunately I cannot keep this car. Hard times force me to sell my baby.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/cama...ml#post4659842

If I install the engine, I will update anyway.

 

Dude that sucks. There is no way without selling it? Even if you have to sell it though, there are a million of these things so you should have no problem getting back into one down the road.

 

Truthfully, I have no other car, and no job at the moment, therefore no source of income. I would love to have this to fix up and have another car to drive, but I cant exactly afford another car and keep this one at the same time. I will continue to work on it and update until it sells, but I cant afford to get it running without selling some extra parts first, kinda hoping I get some stuff sold, as I would love to get that LT1 running first..

 

sorry to hear about that,but u gotta do what u gotta do...it just sucks to see how started to bring the life back to this car and it will have to come to an end...i really wish i had the extra cash or had my s10 extreme to trade so u have a dd(dad needed it) ... anyways this car has loads of potential so hope to hear u end up keepin it along w/ a dd...good luck

 

Thanks man, but your right. Gotta do what ya gotta do. Anyway, I picked up the LT1 Stuff today. I am not home right now but I snapped 2 pics of them as I walked out the door. Gotta get some degreaser and go to town, its all loose dirt and road grime that wipes off easy. I started to remove the wiring but I couldnt figure out how to take the fuel injector plugs off of the injectors without breaking them. If anyone can let me in on the secret, I would be grateful, lol.

Does that look like a factor shifter?? I am not sure, I know it was short when I drove the car, but its the first t56 I ever drove..





I am also needing these LT1 parts, if anyone has them cheap:
Oil pressure sender
Coolant temp sender
Fuel pressure regulator
Power steering line to box

Engine will be going in sunday.

 

I havent messed with an LT1 but a lot of injectors have a metal ring around the plug. You just pull the ring out and the plug will pull of the injector.

 

I think the shifter is this one:
http://www.streetbeatcustoms.com/Fid...898930/737822/
Sure looks the same, and has the same mounting hardware.

I thought that was how the injector plugs came off, I just didnt want to break them....

 

Figured out the injector plugs, gotta push the metal clip towards the intake and pull up.

Anyway, got the motor in today, I have a jack holding up the trans because I dont have the crossmember.

Also-
I thought that the T56 shifter hole would line up with the T5 hole that GM cut in the body, but the T56 shifter hole is farther back than the T5 was, and I have to cut the rear of the hole to accomodate it. Is this normal??

 

I'm pretty sure that most of the T5 guys had to enlarge the shifter hole to fit the T56. I could swear that I remember this from the trans forum.

 

Thanks

Started on the wiring today, and bent some aluminum to make a bracket to mount the ECM. I am confused on what to do with the fuel pump wiring, what all does the relay wire to? Can I use an aftermarket fan controller like I had with my old motor? This would save me some headache.

Pics:




I was originally going to just supply power to the relay center that the 4th gens had underhood, but when I unhooked the thick power wire from the distribution block, the two halves of the under-hood harness seperated, and now I am left with a huge bundle of wires (Larger than the LT1 harness itself) including the fuse/relay center, that I dont know what to do with? I plan on working with it more tomorrow, as all I really hooked up was all the engine sensors/plugs and ran the starter wires.

 

Been working on getting everything all wired up, if anyone can help me with my questions in the bottom of this thread: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/ltx-...ness-help.html , I would be grateful.

 

Worked on more wiring today. Decided not to use the 4th gen Fuseblock, and instead used an aftermarket fuse block to run all of the IGN fuses. Hooked up the battery, and nothing fried or caught on fire, so thats a good sign lol! The headlights and all lights still work, and when I turned the key on the fuel pump turned on, but I don't have the lines hooked up so it just shot fuel on the floor, haha.