See!  

Toronto is just full of Hot Rodders and Street races   

 

glad I live "out here" where its safe  

Wait til you get a posi-track  

I will be hard right   them hard left  then hard right again  then hard left   and so on 

Cool engine swap Ray.

No replacement for displacement......

Sure sounds like the the new found torque is lots of fun. Tire smoke on command.....gotta love it!

that is so cool...I also like the laugh at the end of the video...congratulations again Ray...a this rate you should ask Santa for new tires!!!!!!

I was just trying to merge into traffic safely, you can hear the engine was hardly revving.

-- Edited by 73SC on Friday 4th of November 2011 03:50:56 PM

Ray,

I enjoyed the video and your timeline photos of the swap. There's an advertiser in the Smoke Signals that has Pertronix kits (page 64 of the November issue). I know Summit and Jegs also carry them if you can't find them up north.

Once the car settles out, you'll know if you have front suspension issues if the control arms bottom out when hit bumps or dips in the road. I changed my LeMans and GTO springs after doing some research with a Moog spring chart to find the right height and spring rates. If you have the 1973 AMA Specifications Form for LeMans and Grand Am, they list the front and rear weights with different engines and accessories added. They also show correct ride heights. I did the calcs, even talked to a tech guy at Federal Mogul (who owns Moog) to help me select the spring combo. I can email you all the stuff if you want to get into the technical side of it.

My LeMans has the same 2.73 ratio open rearend as yours. With that big motor and all the torque, I would leave the 2.73 and add a limited slip unit or look for a posi 3.08 rear. If you plan to drive it, the low numerical gear ratio will be like having an overdrive with 3.42 gears. I have a 3.08 from a '73 GTO I stripped a long time ago that I may go thru for my LeMans when I do the 455 swap if I don't like the 2.73.

The only issue you have now is it's almost time to put it away for the winter.

It sits perfect Ray.

Look great    Sits nice     Love it     gasoline is the price of admission

Call me W.O.T boy.

One matter needing attention on my 454 swap was a new throttle cable. I sepent time over the winter off and on searching for one, figured a 1973-75 Chevelle 454 cable would do. Easier said than done, as we all know a 454 in a Chevelle in those years was one rare beast. Last week a parcel showed up at my door and of course inside was a 1974 Malibu 454 cable, go figure. I don't need to tell you who sent it

With the help of two nieghbours 65Camino and Captain Caravelle it got installed on the LeMans. Seems that the carb can now go to Wide Open Throttle and the kick down works good now too. I do have some minor concerns. It seems that when you are travelling along and floor it the kick down sort of snaps your neck back, then when the transmission shifts to second gear the rear tire starts spinning and burning rubber for a few seconds, not a chirp mind you real spinning and squealling. I quess I'll have to get used to that.

Carl Stevenson wrote:

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73SC wrote:

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Last week a parcel showed up at my door and of course inside was a 1974 Malibu 454 cable, go figure. I don't need to tell you who sent it

 

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 Wouldn't happen to me one of our more active members here would it?

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 Yes, I believe he is the most active judging by his post count and most beloved too I'd say.

No replacement for displacement....Love the car Ray.

Last week I was doing some spring upgrades on the old car to use up some of my TD drivers reward points.

New master cylinder,new flex lines in front and one new caliper. I saw that my left side spring has a coil cracked off and the right side has 1/2 a coil gone. I just ordered new 6450 moog springs and ball joints from HSA auto in Stratford.

What is the stock ride height for a 77? They seemed to change the springs and rates for 76-77.

Thanks for the Moog chart. I went with HD in the rear from napa 277-3195 that I gleened was the best from the comparison of parts stuff specs(no longer listed) and printouts from napa( I still have them for various spring rates)
They sent me the wrong springs first.....a la jacked up malibu......back they went!

What is the stock ride height front and back for 1977 SC?