BUILD THREAD OUSCI '84 Cutlass "Determination"

[BanditDave]

More and more parts!!!! :rock:

Fan shroud and dual Spals:


LS1 MLS gaskets...reasoning for these is because I currently have LS9s on it but I did not like the huge difference in bore sizes between the 5.3 and LS9 so this is a nice compromise!



Vacuum block off plugs for supercharger:



Aeromotive fuel filter:



Gaskets for between adapter plate and head...thought I got the blower gaskets but will be grabbing them tonight.



Should get some real work done this weekend...work sucked today and I have an exam in class Monday so taking the day off from work to do last minute studying. Just need a break this weekend if even for a little bit.

Lots more to come!!!

 

[drogg1]

Gotta love new parts! Looking forward to watching this build progress.

What field are you pursuing your PhD in? I'm currently working on my masters in electrical engineering and am considering staying on for my PhD.

 

[BanditDave]

Gotta love new parts! Looking forward to watching this build progress.

What field are you pursuing your PhD in? I'm currently working on my masters in electrical engineering and am considering staying on for my PhD.

Thanks! I have my BS in mechanical engineering and mechanics and am currently pursuing a doctorate in material science and engineering with a focus in nanotechnology/advanced materials...

 

[drogg1]

Thanks! I have my BS in mechanical engineering and mechanics and am currently pursuing a doctorate in material science and engineering with a focus in nanotechnology/advanced materials...

Cool! I always thought material science would have been a very interesting alternative path to take. I am a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and we have a thriving nanotechnology program; not only in the material science department but also in the physics and electrical engineering departments.

 

[BanditDave]

And yet another round of parts!!! I can't walk in my garage right now...these basically finish off the big and expensive parts so I should be able to get this pig running within the next few months provided that the timing works out well between work and the birth of baby 2!!!

So for the brakes I am going to stick with the stock ones for this season because I cannot afford the Baer's for a while. As for the suspension, I am just going with the UMI Stage 1 to clean up the suspension and stiffen a bit to make it drivable. It will be a show queen for this season...just don't have the funds to finish everything this go around but I WANT to drive this damn thing!!!



For the intercooler, I am going with an Afco ZL1 unit that is beefed up for performance duty. If I need to I will slap fans on it but I think this will be sufficient for now. I am recirculating water with a GT500 intercooler pump.





Have a Derale Trans cooler that I will be mounting under the trunk on an angle to get plenty of coolant to '80e:



Finally, the 3" Hooker xpipe G body exhaust...REALLY looking forward to hearing this. I hope it is not insanely loud. I will most likely get a pair of Borla mufflers if I do not like the sound, but from what I've heard I am pretty happy.



Most of this stuff should be showing up in the next week with the suspension in about 2-3 weeks. I will be pulling the motor to start converting over to the full Holley/Hooker mounts and change over to the 302-2 pain with road race baffle. I am also an idiot and realized that I put the heads on without one of the head dowels in place so I have a few extras as well as a new set of MLS LS1 gaskets. I know a TON of people use the LS9s and they are ridiculously expensive, but since I have to pull the heads and that will most likely screw up the head gaskets, the smaller, more appropriate bore, of the LS1 MLS gaskets gives me more piece of mind. I'll be taking a ton of pics of the process so stay tuned. Also, if anyone has a complete G body heater only set-up I would be interested in purchasing or trading for a very complete (minus compressor) AC system.

Thanks!
Dave

 

[BanditDave]

Still making progress...especially with the engine. As my last post pointed out I had a LOT of parts in stock...haha. Finally started installing them once I pulled the motor.

Before I get too far in I am proud to announce my second son was born on the 12th of May...great reason not to get work done!

So as I mentioned I had a lot in stock to get down to business.



All of that will make its way here:



I got started with a tear down if the front end and oil pan. I installed the trick flow chain dampener...very straightforward.





Spent a bit of time on the oil pan situation. I removed the. CTSV pan with the double turbo drain (will be for sale soon) and installed the 302-2 pan with the road race baffle. You need to get the proper windage tray per Holleys direction which is the standard 98-02 fbody shorter tray but I am pretty sure you could just trim any tray back one counter weight. See pics below - first few show too long windage tray...





Proper windage tray is this number:



Here's the road race baffle:



Finally I replaced the head gaskets with ls1 MLS gaskets and did a nice reprint to freshen things up.





Ready to reinstall the correct valve covers (wrinkle black) and work on the blower tonight (replace the isolator). More pics to come!!!

 

[BanditDave]

Ok, made more progress last night and tonight!

Tore the blower apart and replaced the isolator with a solid version from Speed Inc. once the damn snout came off (a ball joint tool works well for separating it) removing the old sealant with a razor blade, cleaning then reinstalling was pretty straightforward.





Old isolator



Assembled blower



Not sure I showed th ICT coil brackets but got these off the 'bay. Very happy with them. Last show is with truck heat sink coils.







Finally, last shots are of the blower being mounted and the Holley 95mm throttle body being installed with cable bracket. Lid is a ZL1 Camaro lid and a new gasket was installed.









Completed blower install with LS9 rails...I will hopefully be installing the Fuel Injector Clinic injectors tomorrow as well.



That's it for tonight...pretty happy with the progress I am making...I will be pulling the trains and having it freshened up...even tho it was supposed to be a low mileage rebuild, the color of the fluid and smell when I installed the HD2 shift kit has never left my mind...more to come!!!

 

[SoFloG]

Congrats on the kid ! Tuned in to the build

 

[BanditDave]

Congrats on the kid ! Tuned in to the build

Many thanks! Had to pick up some ID850 injectors for the LSA since my fuel injector clinic injectors are for the LS1 gen 3. Going to hold on them for when I do another build.

 

[BanditDave]

Been quite a while since my last update. I have a ton to go over, but have been a bit under the weather lately. Decided to update a video. Hopefully this will answer your questions:

Cutlass 5.3L LSA blown engine status - YouTube

Will be adding more info/still shots of all the great stuff that is on going into the car.