Starting a thread where I can put in progress notes on the Nascar Truck Project. I picked
up the rolling chassis through Craigslist, locally.
My goal is to run this truck 200+ mph, at Texas Mile, Bonneville, or any place similar.
First thing I did was to prep a motor to use. I had a 98 LS1 in storage, so I pulled the
heads, found a crusty cam and cleaned it up, then I found some home ported heads(no
valves/springs). I had to replace the valves and seals, so lapped in the valves and put
on some LS6 springs. I replaced the oil pump, and installed the cam, then the heads.
230/232/.560/.560 115LS camshaft.
I found some NASCAR SBC motor mounts and some LS1 relocation plates on Ebay, then I
used a Plastic LS1 long block to mock up the location and put together the motor mount.
I got it into a reasonable position, then I bolted the T-56 and found that tranny was not
in position for the tabs on the truck. The motor needed to be moved a little to use the
tabs for the tranny mount, and even then I could see that the shifter would have to be
relocated also. I wanted the motor and the tranny to use the mounting tabs that were
already in the chassis. I went to the other side of the tranny tabs but I think it will
hold well. Then I made a relocation plate for the shifter stick, and got the stick moved
to the driver side 2 inches and forward 1 inch. It puts the stick in the center of the
hole. I made a shifter boot bracket, and found an SFI boot on Ebay.
All of this was well and good, but I could see that the tranny was too low and I would
have to raise it up at some point when I needed to drop the truck down to the ground.
The header install showed this even more.
Fab'd the motor mounts by stacking NASCAR SBC mounts to an relocation plate for LS1,
then stacked some shimming plate under the mounts to rais the motor a little bit.
The next time I lift the motor, I'll re-make the motor mounts and raise it up another
1/2 inch.
The transmission is too low. It's about 3 inches under the bottom of the body plane.
I can raise it up, but the floor pan needs to be cut open. I wanted to avoid doing this,
but the body waas not made for a T-56.
Right now I have the body up at max by the jack bolts, but when the truck is ready,
it can be dropped to the ground, so the tranny needs to be raised up.
I had some Kooks LS1 f-body headers from a previous build, I put those on.
The headers are about 4 inches under the body. When I move the tranny up about
3 inches the headers will move up also, but still too low. I'm looking to pick up a set of
headers that are less-tall. Like the Nascar headers. Kooks makes a set for the K&N truck
series, but it would be expensive. I see some used Yates D3 NASCAR headers on ebay.
I have been trying to get the center-to-center measurments for the exhaust ports. If it
works out, I could get a set of the Yates headers and but off hte mounting flange, and
put on an LS1 header flange.
* Anyone know the center-to-center measurment for the Yates D3 heads?
I have a painless wiring harness and pcm, I don't think I need much more than some
basic changes to the tune. Unlock the PCM, raise the rev limiter, turn off speed limiter,
28 tall tires, 35lb injectors.
I found an aluminum seat in my parts storage and I started to fab the seat brackets.
up the rolling chassis through Craigslist, locally.
My goal is to run this truck 200+ mph, at Texas Mile, Bonneville, or any place similar.
First thing I did was to prep a motor to use. I had a 98 LS1 in storage, so I pulled the
heads, found a crusty cam and cleaned it up, then I found some home ported heads(no
valves/springs). I had to replace the valves and seals, so lapped in the valves and put
on some LS6 springs. I replaced the oil pump, and installed the cam, then the heads.
230/232/.560/.560 115LS camshaft.
I found some NASCAR SBC motor mounts and some LS1 relocation plates on Ebay, then I
used a Plastic LS1 long block to mock up the location and put together the motor mount.
I got it into a reasonable position, then I bolted the T-56 and found that tranny was not
in position for the tabs on the truck. The motor needed to be moved a little to use the
tabs for the tranny mount, and even then I could see that the shifter would have to be
relocated also. I wanted the motor and the tranny to use the mounting tabs that were
already in the chassis. I went to the other side of the tranny tabs but I think it will
hold well. Then I made a relocation plate for the shifter stick, and got the stick moved
to the driver side 2 inches and forward 1 inch. It puts the stick in the center of the
hole. I made a shifter boot bracket, and found an SFI boot on Ebay.
All of this was well and good, but I could see that the tranny was too low and I would
have to raise it up at some point when I needed to drop the truck down to the ground.
The header install showed this even more.
Fab'd the motor mounts by stacking NASCAR SBC mounts to an relocation plate for LS1,
then stacked some shimming plate under the mounts to rais the motor a little bit.
The next time I lift the motor, I'll re-make the motor mounts and raise it up another
1/2 inch.
The transmission is too low. It's about 3 inches under the bottom of the body plane.
I can raise it up, but the floor pan needs to be cut open. I wanted to avoid doing this,
but the body waas not made for a T-56.
Right now I have the body up at max by the jack bolts, but when the truck is ready,
it can be dropped to the ground, so the tranny needs to be raised up.
I had some Kooks LS1 f-body headers from a previous build, I put those on.
The headers are about 4 inches under the body. When I move the tranny up about
3 inches the headers will move up also, but still too low. I'm looking to pick up a set of
headers that are less-tall. Like the Nascar headers. Kooks makes a set for the K&N truck
series, but it would be expensive. I see some used Yates D3 NASCAR headers on ebay.
I have been trying to get the center-to-center measurments for the exhaust ports. If it
works out, I could get a set of the Yates headers and but off hte mounting flange, and
put on an LS1 header flange.
* Anyone know the center-to-center measurment for the Yates D3 heads?
I have a painless wiring harness and pcm, I don't think I need much more than some
basic changes to the tune. Unlock the PCM, raise the rev limiter, turn off speed limiter,
28 tall tires, 35lb injectors.
I found an aluminum seat in my parts storage and I started to fab the seat brackets.
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