Loosecannon's 1967 Camaro RS build

I know calm down, but the real motor mount  is a mere formality.......be patient y'all

Is this still a little tight for spacing? No other way to run the steering bar without the angle?

In reply to MyMiatas :

It's not as close as the picture indicates. The only way to run less angle would be to offset the column in the car or run a much shorter column and have the U-joint right at the firewall. 

I had driveshaft clearance problems so I cut out the offending piece of tunnel and made a new piece out of carbon fibre and Kevlar. I tried vacuum bagging and discovered how much force a vacuum can create when the metal mold partially collapsed. DIY carbon kevlar tunnel

Quick update. I had no parts to work on it the last few weeks but the motor finally arrived. It was a nightmare getting across the border but it's safely home now. I pulled the factory wiring harness because I have a standalone harness coming and I bolted on the McLeod twin disc clutch. This is where the fun stopped. No amount of shoving and cursing would get the transmission onto the engine. The clutch was pulled off and put on multiple times and the discs  and pilot bearing were confirmed to slide onto the trans input shaft but somehow the trans would not slide on all the way. Turns out there are two pilot bearing/bushing locations on these LS motors and the one to use depends on the transmission. So, now I wait for the other bearing to arrive. Here's an article explaining the differences GM LS Pilot bearing Tech Info

Thanks for the info on pilot bearings. Besides the three sizes,the most relevant to me would be the bit where it warns to NEVER use a hydraulic method to remove the pilot bearing. That has always been my go-to method and one I would have used without a thought. I bet I could get away with it 9/10 times, but the 10th time would be spectacular when the engine was started.

As a fellow Canadian resident, curious what issues the border posed to getting the engine into the country?

NOHOME said:

As a fellow Canadian resident, curious what issues the border posed to getting the engine into the country?

OMG-I cross the border dozens of times every year and always am completely honest with the border guards about what I'm importing and I have no issues paying the duties and taxes. On this visit, things were a little out of ordinary. I sold my classic Beetle to a friend in the USA and we were trying to figure out the best method of payment that would minimize bank fees. I was selling the car to buy an engine for the Camaro so I asked him if he would just buy an engine I picked and have it shipped to my parcel service at the border, he said "No problem". This motor came up on EBay and it was $4000 more than what we were asking for the VW. He bid on the motor, won the auction and had it sent to us. Silly me, we hadn't actually paid my friend the extra $4000 yet when the motor arrived but we did have a receipt for the $4000 we intended to pay for the engine. Border security didn't see it that way. They were: a)upset that we couldn't produce proof of the $4000 payment b)upset that a quick search revealed that LS7's sell for double or triple the value we declared. Now, I've never run into this before because I have always just bought stuff from retailers in the US. If I got got some super deal on something on EBay, should I pay taxes on the VALUE or what I paid? Border Security says I have to pay on the value. So, I had to pay a $4500 fine for undervaluing the motor and for the next 7 years, I can expect to get a secondary inspection every time I return to Canada-lovely. The $4500 is a huge hit, that's my entire wheel budget and I'm still not over it. But, it was my mistake, I really did not know

Holy balls, that is a non-trivial fine! Is there an appeal process?

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

Holy balls, that is a non-trivial fine! Is there an appeal process?

There is but they pulled me into an interrogation room, recorded everything and have what they need to make sure my appeal would be fruitless. All they needed was my receipt for $4000 and the link to the auction for the engine showing it to be more than $4000. We did our research and we haven't got a leg to stand on. Honestly, this is going to set back the finishing of this build to 2025 

In reply to loosecannon :

I had a friend who had the same problem. Was sponsored a set of alloy heads and even though they were free, he declared a vlaue ( they were like procomps or some such) Border gard looked up top of the line CNC ported AFR heads and called that the value. Big fine and same cross border BS for any subsequent trips. Actually threatened to confiscate the rental car. Pretty sure that was the last time I used my maildrop after that story.

As you can see, it's a tight fit. The alternator and ac compressor do not fit in the stock location. It can't move back, up, down or forward even an 1/8".

The video is live on YouTube HERE

I thought I would be releasing a whole video today on the new mid mount serpentine system today but they sent a wrong pulley. In the meantime, enjoy this picture of the carbon fibre firewall cover and red valve covers 

Ugh sorry about your customs woes.  I have heard a lot of tough stories like that which have prevented some of my more creative ideas off Kijiji.

84FSP said:

Ugh sorry about your customs woes.  I have heard a lot of tough stories like that which have prevented some of my more creative ideas off Kijiji.

Today was my first time across the border since the "troubles" and it did not go well, I've been red flagged. Details are in my next video

I moved my motor forward to clear oil pan. That was a long dark rabbit hole that is still hurting my build to this day

Bummer about the customs issues. 

Going back to the steering joints, what's the angle on that joint? Max most places want to see is like 30, sometimes 35 degrees. That looks like it's right at the limit, if not over. 

Being said, there are some high angle joints on the market, if you shoot me a PM I can send you the contact info for one of the guys I know that deals in such. Think of it more like a CV joint than a typical steering joint. They're pretty slick. 

In reply to GaryC83 :

I checked the joints and one is 20 degrees and one is at 40 degrees. I can easily solve the 40 degree one with a double U-joint so I'm going to look into that. I finally fixed my serpentine drive problem with a mid-mount system from a place in Minnesota called CVF. It was $1000 less than the similar system from Holley. I had to make a couple of mods because of the LS7 with giant throttle body but it works and I'm thrilled. Serpentine Drive Install video

Glad the mid mount drive setup worked out for you, and glad you caught the steering angle issue and have a solution in mind. 

The angle just looked too great to my eyes based on that picture. I've seen countless issues develop when they're pushed past their intended angles.  So, I'm glad to see you're getting it sorted.  It's a bitchin project and I'd hate to hear of something bad happening due to something like that. 

Ultimately, we will need one set of wheels and tires for street and one set for track. Today I got a set of four 18x11 wheels for a our street set up. They were on a blow out sale at Summit Racing for only $312 each! Here's a picture 

Got wiring harness and steering finished, plus a few other bits in the engine compartment. Wiring was pretty straightforward but steering was a pain in the ass 

As promised, here is the video of the wiring install and steering fix Click for Video

$500 worth of fittings and hoses will get attached to the motor today, hope it all goes smoothly

Oooh shiny AN goodness.

In reply to loosecannon :

You doing ptfe hoses?