Hey all,

My GTA project has been on hold since the end of February due to time constraints and other issues. I got finished up with finals and projects last week and finally had a chance to get some work done and good pictures taken. Figured y'all might like to see how she's come along over the past seven months. Here's whats been done so far:

-Hotchkis Lowering Springs
-Koni Yellow Shocks and Struts
-C5 HD Vette Brakes up front
-PBR discs rear
-18" BMW Rims w/ hubcentric rings and 40 series tires
-J&M Caster/Camber Plates
-Full Moog Front Suspension Rebuild
-Earl's Stainless Steel Brake Lines
-T/A Performance Rear Diff Girdle
-UMI Performance SFCs, LCAs, Panhard, and Wonder Bar
-Edelbrock Hi-Flow Aluminum Water Pump
-Milodon Hi-Flow 180 degree Thermostat
-All new belts, hoses, u-joints, etc, full synthetic fluid change
-A.I.R. delete pulley
-Cold Air Intake w/ K&N Filter
-93 Octane Tune w/ emissions delete
-Pioneer Speakers all around
-4th Gen CD Player w/ iPod jack
-'87 GTA steering wheel
-Window tint, 5% rear, 25% sides
-other stuff I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention.

Here's some pictures I snapped of it the other morning after I got it all cleaned up. Interior and Engine bay shots to follow...





Next on the list is Hooker shorty headers w/ a custom y-pipe and Magnaflow catback. Got 'em all sitting there just waiting to get them in. I'm also going to do a full ignition system refresh/upgrade while i'm in there.

Interested to see what y'all think. I really like the stance with the Hotchkis springs.

-cal30sniper

 

Car looks really sweet dont know why u switch out the gta rims i in my own opinion is what brongs these cars out

 

that car is gonna be bad ***! haha
are you going to head to houston for the third gen meet?

 

Ever tried to fit 13" brake rotors inside 16" rims? Doesn't work so well, haha. That's the main reason I switched. That, and I never have been the biggest fan of the 3rd Gen crosslace rims. To me, the 2nd Gen snowflakes were always a much better fit on the 2nd gens than the 3rd gen crosslaces were on the 3rd gens. Not saying they're a bad looking rim, but there are certainly better looking designs out there in my opinion.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to make the meet Sunday. I'm going to be out in West Texas through the weekend. I'll keep an eye on it and try to make some of the other stuff down here though!

-cal30sniper

 

Interior Shots as promised. I'll get some under the hood later, I've gotten sidetracked on doing the Serpentine Belt Conversion and a cooling system overhaul on my 454 Suburban. Trying to catch up on all the automotive stuff that's been backing up all semester...





Hope y'all enjoy.

-cal30sniper

 

Absolutely beautiful! Congratulations!

 

Levi, what size tires are you running & what type of adapters also? I found a set of similar rims, i wanna use them on my Z28. Thanks bro

 

Nice job as always. Makes me wish my GTA looked that good...

 

245/40/18 front and 275/40/18 rear. I'm running a 10mm spacer in the rear. These are the 740 series rims, with a 13mm ET front and 25mm ET rear. A 275/35/18 gives the same tire height as stock in the back, but I really don't like the way 35 series rubber looks on these cars. Like rubber bands in my opinion. I know the 40 series ride pretty good with a little extra sidewall height too.

 

All I can say is it's an absolutely beautiful car!

 

No front spacers? Are the same as adapters, or are they different?

 

Adapters are for adapting one bolt pattern wheel to another bolt pattern, not necessary in this case. There's no need for a spacer on the front, because I'm running 1LE hubs with the C5 brake conversion. They are 3/8" wider than the regular hub on each side, having the same effect as a 10mm spacer would have on a non-1LE hub. That puts the front wheels at virtually zero offset (+3mm to be exact). Factory offset is zero, so I'll count that as close enough.

 

I am running aluminum hubcentric rings though. IIRC, the 3rd Gen Hub size is 70.3mm, and the M-Pars are 72.6mm. There's an aluminum ring that slides into each wheel and has an OD of 72.6, and an ID of 70.3. This insures that the BMW bolt pattern of 120mm centers up perfectly on the 3rd Gen bolt pattern of 120.65mm when I tighten it down. I've had it well into the triple digits with this setup, and it's smooth as glass. If you don't have the hubcentric rings, you run the risk of getting offcenter when you tighten it up and then you get a vibration. The wheel will pull to whichever side you tighten down first due to the slight difference in bolt patterns. They're only like $20, and I highly recommend them.

 

Where from & what size would I need for the fronts? I have stock brakes for now, until I do my LS conversion.

 

Reminds me of my 79 build. Very well done! I hope someday my 85 will look that nice!

 

Spent the weekend on a roadtrip down to the South Texas coast. I got some good shots of the car down at Padre Island. Thought y'all might like to see.










-cal30sniper

 

nice pictures man. how was the drive?

 

Beautiful weather, and nice roads for 99% of it. Traffic was exceptionally light considering it was a holiday weekend. If you go that way, I'd steer clear of 183 between Goliad and Weser though. They had done some really poor road construction through there and it was rougher than I like to drive in a third gen.

 

ill have to check that out! considering im long over due for new struts up front.

 

Christmas came a little early this year. I scored this on eBay just a little while back for a song, and it came in today.









It's got a few bumps and bruises, and needs a good cleaning, but it's all there. Plenum, Fuel Rails, Throttle Body, Injectors, TPS, IAC, MAP, and Regulator.

I've been looking for an intake for my Vortec long block, and this is what I settled on. I originally looked at the FIRST, but they're next to impossible to find used. I then looked into the SuperRam, but they're hard to find, and I've heard they can be a real pain to get working right, especially with Vortec heads. That left the HSR, but I really didn't want to have to cut up my hood bracing, and I didn't feel like I would really be happy with a ported TPI setup.

Then I found this deal, and it looks like a perfect fit. I just got done with some preliminary beer can crushing tests to determine whether this will fit under hood, and it looks like an affirmative, with about 1/4" of space between the top of this manifold and the underhood padding.

I won't be able to get it done until sometime late next year, but at least for now I've got something to plot about and salivate over.

-cal30sniper

 

Levi, thats a sick setup right their!!!!!! I got a polished Super Ram coming & MSD ignition & dizzy shaft coming in. Then gotta save for some heads & headers. Oncr everything is in ill put in that cam i bought from you.

 

Have you seen that guy that's been advertising the 60cc AFR 1040s in the classifieds? That would make an awesome combo with the SuperRam and that cam. Mid-Range Monster.

 

On here?

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...eads-60cc.html

Solid price. If I didn't already have like-new Vortec heads and this intake, I'd probably be talking to the guy.

 

What size tires are you running? Any rubbing issues with turns or speed bumps? Any engine bay shots? Car looks awesome and stance is perfect!

 

Thanks man, I appreciate that! I have absolutely no issues with rubbing or ground clearance whatsoever. I drive this thing several times a week, and speed bumps/steep inclines/rough roads are a regular occurrence. I have never had a wheel rub, it goes to full lock no problem even with the factory plastic fender liners.

I don't have any current engine bay shots, just a few from right after I started on it last October:




Since then, I've put a K&N filter and cold air kit, an A.I.R. delete pulley, an Edelbrock aluminum high-volume water pump, 180 degree thermostat, and replaced all the belts and hoses.

Next weekend, I'm installing the shorty headers, Magnaflow catback, new plugs/wires/distributor cap/module, a CS130D alternator conversion, and removing the rest of the A.I.R. lines from under the hood. I'll get some new underhood shots of it after that.

-cal30sniper

 

I just bought those exact heads. They should compliment my Super Ram nicely

I'm really curious to see how your Ram Jet performs. How much did you pick it up for?

 

$400+shipping

It's a NOS unit from GM performance, never installed or run. Somewhere along its life it got dropped, and it broke off the back corner behind the #7 cylinder port. It was bolted onto Vortec heads and Tig welded back together. It's extremely close to flat now, but the broken piece has about a 1 degree angle (down towards the head). Shouldn't take anything more than a cleanup pass on a mill to get it back to perfect. The welding job looks great, and there's no water crossover or anything back there, so I'm not too worried about it. I'll get it taken care of when I get ready to put it all together.

Those 1040 heads are going to go awesome with a SuperRam. I did a lot of reading, and the SuperRam is probably the best all around TPI setup if you're staying on the mild side of wild. Unfortunately, they're expensive and a pain to set up with Vortec heads (not to mention the extra cost of the Vortec TPI base). I would have gone AFRs, but I already have the Vortec laying around. With the parts I've got, I should be able to bust 400hp for less than $1000. Might as well give it a try, haha.

 

What size adapters are you using for the rims?

 

Can't beat $400, much cheaper than my Super Ram lol. I don't recall seeing anyone use a Ram Jet on here either. I'll be keeping an eye on your build. When do you plan on tearing into it?

 

SMH... SMGOTDAMNH.

Nice car though, doood.

 

There was some action on the forums with Ramjets back in '01 right after people started getting ahold of them. It was determined that they would most likely clear a firebird hood, at least one guy got a Ramjet crate motor running on the factory Speed Density ECM, and then all information kind of stops. I have no idea if anyone actually runs one, but I haven't seen it, and I looked long and hard.

I'm hoping to get kicking on the build around December of '13. I've got six more months here for my Masters, and then I go to The Basic School in Quantico for six months. After that, I'll be headed to Flight School in Pensacola, where I'll finally have space to work and a base hobby shop to get it done in. I'll be saving most of my pay at TBS to fund the build.

Your plans actually inspired me a bit. I was looking at the amount of effort that would need to be put into the Vortec heads to run the 268 XFI cam, and I decided I might as well plan on ponying up for the AFR 912 Vortec heads and enjoy the benefit of having a lot less weight on the front end. I'll already lose a good bit swapping from TPI to Ramjet, and the aluminum heads ought to really lighten the load. I still plan on using the spare GM Goodwrench 350 I have to help lighten the budget of the entire swap. Plus the AFR 912s are supposed to breath like crazy, and should really do well with the higher lift of the 268 cam. I checked the Ramjet intake, it's got plenty of meat in it to port out to the larger 912/Fastburn style ports.

I'll be getting my T56 rebuilt at the same time, and possibly trying to trade it for the later .5 overdrive T56 (I have a '93 model with a .63 overdrive now). If I'm lucky and can track one down, I'll be rounding it out with a Dana 44 out back. I did have a question for you on the T56 though. What clutch are you planning on using behind that 383? I just went with a NAPA LT4 clutch when I had the T56 behind my 305, and I wasn't very impressed with it. Any recommendations?

Sorry man, I cut my teeth on second gens. I love the way the 15x8" WS6 snowflakes look on them. IMO, GM kind of dropped the ball when they went to the crosslace design though. Too much gold and too much lace, and it really didn't look the same once they got rid of the machined pattern with painted recesses. The only wheels I would ever consider swapping to are Ronals, or maybe a pair of the 17" snowflakes. That being said, I really like the look of what I've got on there right now. I've got a ton of compliments from the locals. It keeps it classy, while still looking like it means business. I'm slowly getting the powertrain together to back that look up, haha.

 

Right now, I'm using a RAM Powergrip HD, but only because it came with my T56 setup, and it was still brand new in the box. There's a guy over on LS1tech making 10.60 passes with 1.45 60 foots with it, so it should hold the power no problem. But, the short time I had it in my car I wasn't overly impressed with it. I didn't really like the way it engaged. It was very on/off with no in between. But, I only put maybe 250 miles on it, so it wasn't even broken in yet. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt until it's broken in.

I had a McLeod clutch with my old T5 setup and I really really liked it. If I still don't like the RAM after it's broken in, I'm going to really consider buying another McLeod.

 

I will definitely be following your results with the finished build then. The clutch setup is one thing I have been continually disappointed with on the LT1-style T56.

 

I finally got the exhaust finished up on the GTA. I'm running shorty headers with percy's dead soft aluminum header and collector gaskets, a custom 3" y-pipe, into Edelbrock cat-back exhaust piping with a Magnaflow #12267 muffler welded in.

I'm very pleased with the exhaust note and volume level. I'd say it's about 60-70% as loud as the Flowmaster, but without all the rasp. Also, unlike the Flowmaster, there is absolutely no highway drone, even cruising at 80 on a smooth road. I can actually hear the radio without having to crank it all the way up now. It is MUCH quieter than the crappy Edelbrock muffler that used to be in this setup. Here's a little youtube clip that I shot of it this morning:


-cal30sniper

 

Finally got a few pictures snapped of the engine bay after I finished up the headers, ignition, and cold air intake. I also got the CS-130D swap finished and working like a charm.





I caught this angle walking up to the car and really liked it too. Don't know why, it just looked right.

 

Damn that looks nice! I wish my car was that clean!

I must ask about the alt swap. I will be swapping in a serp setup and still need to buy an alt. I like the idea of the newer higher output alt. I figure the wires are slightly different but does anything else have to change?

 

Thanks!

The wires use a different connector, but they are in the same order. You can either buy a $5 connector from a local auto parts store and solder it into your current plug, or you can buy the plug and play adapter, part #W3030D, from these guys: http://www.qualitypowerauto.com/catalog.php?item=81

You'll also have to enlarge the connector for the large cable on the back of the alt. The CS-130D uses a larger diameter stud/nut assembly to attach the cable vs the small bolt arrangement of the CS-130.

I had to try several different alternators before I found one that worked as is. You want the alt from a '94-95 Chevy Astro Van. It is clocked so you can still get to the big stud on the back for the cable, has the proper 1 bolt through and 1 bolt threaded in mounting, and uses the correct voltage regulator. The CS-130D came with two types of regulators, a "PLIS" and a later "PLFS". The "PLIS" works exactly the same as the CS-130 already in our cars. The "PLFS" is a newer design that uses ECM control to regulate output. It will not work. The '94-95 Astro Van alternator already has the proper "PLIS" regulator in it.

I personally went with the plug and play adapter, because the '94-95 astro alternators are not a common application, and parts houses don't stock them. If I ever lose the alternator on a trip or something, I wanted the option of being able to throw a stock over-the-counter alternator back in to get me home.

Hope that helps!

-cal30sniper

 

what's the offset on those rear rims ?

 

I believe they are a -25mm offset. Whatever was the standard offset for M-Parallel rims on a BMW 760 series. I've got 10mm spacers underneath the to help bring them out a bit as well.