LS1 Conversion, A Retrospective Build Thread Options

[andys]

Here's the start of a retrospective build thread of my LS1 conversion. It took a few years to get it done mostly due to not wanting to be a slave to the project, and work on it for the enjoyment; and of course when family obligations allowed......teen daughter and high maintenance wife (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

What I started with was a local orignal owner '75 2.0 with 139K miles. The original owner "drove the heck out of it" until something died in the electrical system and he parked it in the garage for 14 years, as evidenced by the renewal tags. Only body damage was when he submarined the rear of a Mustang and creased the hood and flattened the left signal light pod. Otherwise, it was a good condition rust free (SoCal) car.

Brief specs are: '01 LS1 Z28 motor, Audi 01E 6 speed tranaxle, 911 front suspension, custom made rear trailing arms, Koni shocks, 993 wheels, and AC.

Below, are photos of what I started with, and what I ended-up with. I'll do my best to re-trace the build process, so if you have any questions along the way, please ask.

BTW, how does one place text between photos in the same post?

Andys

[DBCooper]

Looks excellent, and like a whole lot of fun. I personally would take off those Corvette plastic covers though. I like the way that engine looks without them and it provokes far more mystery and trepidation among people, even car guys, who peek in there. I LOVE it when car guys can't explain to their wives what they're looking at.

[andys]

Looks excellent, and like a whole lot of fun. I personally would take off those Corvette plastic covers though. I like the way that engine looks without them and it provokes far more mystery and trepidation among people, even car guys, who peek in there. I LOVE it when car guys can't explain to their wives what they're looking at.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the CORVETTE lettering; too streetrodish for me. I actually do like that they cover the mess of coils and wires, and cleans-up the engine a lot. My original plan was to sand/fill/prime/paint the Vette coil covers same color as the body. I've seen some done this way, and it looks really sharp....but it's a lot of work to do it right, so I just stuck them on as-is for the time being. I'm not worried about explaining anything to my wife, cause she doesn't care.

Andys

[DBCooper]

I'm not worried about explaining anything to my wife, cause she doesn't care.

Ha ha ha, yeah, I can understand that. But I didn't mean her as much as the crowd you always attract at gas stations and convenience stores. You know, the ones who start out by saying "I had one of those a long time..." then go quiet when they notice the engine compartment. It's evil, but it's fun to see them squirm in front of their wives.