Slow build 1962

nana1962409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
I appreciate you sharing your results with the different shifter install kits Don. I will be ordering the 3738609 kit soon.
 

nana1962409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
More progress today and I am happy with how things are fitting so far. I got my motor mounts and shifter install kit got the shifter kit installed on the tranny. I had someone with the 4734 mounting bracket that they weren't using so I mounted it and used the rest of the 8609 kit and had to tweak the reverse rod a little to fit properly. I wanted to keep the shifter as close to the original location in case the super t10 doesn't hold up and I decide to try a muncie down the road then I shouldn't need to redo the shifter hole or recut the carpet and shift plate mounting.
I finished removing the tranny then installed the the 409 block, bell housing, transmission then jacked up the tranny and marked where the shifter will come up through the floor and placed the tunnel extension down and marked the floor then cut out the hole. I set the heads on the block and the aluminum valve covers and they clear my brake booster. I test fitted the headers and had to trim the a arm bolt and a little off the lower control arm bracket and the drivers side fit and had to trim a little off the block plate on my Lakewood bell housing to get the passenger side to fit. I need to cut the collectors off and reweld them to get more clearance to run the exhaust but that's easy to fix. So overall it was a productive weekend and here are some pictures of the work in progress!image.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpeg
 

Ronnie Russell

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
nana,,,,,,,,,, I've said it before and I'll probably say it again, but, man, that car is gonna be a blast to drive. Looking forward to hearing your posts after she is on the road.
 

nana1962409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
I'm sure it will be Ronnie. I have had this car for 13 years and have always had the vision in my head of it having a 409 and 4 speed so now I'm finally making it happen. I'm also fixing some of the other issues that I have on the car while it is apart this time.
 

nana1962409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Got more progress done this weekend. I put the 409 emblems on today. I made patches for the holes in my floor from the other console and got them welded in. I modified the headers so they fit a little better. Drivers side was simple just cut the collector and cut the primaries back and welded it back on. The passenger side the collector was hitting the body seam on the rocker panel so I cut the collector off and both primary pipes and cut some off both ends so the pipes would come back sooner and then I rewelded everything back together. I also cleaned up my center console and painted it to match my interior. IMG_1026.JPGIMG_1027.JPGIMG_1028.JPGIMG_1029.JPGIMG_1030.JPGIMG_1031.JPGIMG_1022.JPG
 

nana1962409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Didn't get as much done as weekends but I got my z bar bracket welded to the frame this weekend and finished removenig the cable x box and transmission computer from the car. I also removed the steering column and took it apart to make it look like a 4 speed column. I had already done the upper parts when the car was repainted so it is just a matter of painting the tube and removing the levers from the end then it should look close enough to fool most people when it done.
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nana1962409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Thanks phanel. It won't be a show car but it's going to be a lot of fun to drive and enjoy! And it's easy to make it come out good with the advise and help of the people on this site! I can't wait to see your z11 build come along it's going to be awesome!
 

nana1962409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
It's been a while since I updated my build thread haven't done much actual work to it being the motor is going to be a while before it's done and I kinda hibernate over the winter. I have been collecting parts still both for the car and engine.
Today I finished converting my steering column to a 4speed looking column. When the car was painted years ago we had taken the column apart and shaved the shifter handle off and removed the powerglide indicator and filled in the holes but never did anything with the shift lever on the bottom. I used a combination of parts from my original column and a 3 on the tree column to do this. I also took my turn signal switch apart and cleaned the contacts up and straightened it out being it was kinda bent up it moves a lot smoother now so hopefully it will function properly. Overall I think the column turned out decent for an amateur like myself!IMG_1324.JPGIMG_1325.JPG
 

nana1962409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Been a while since I updated this still not much progress but have been collecting parts still and Me and my assistant did do some work to it today. I have some different side trim that the anodizing is very nice on and some other nice chrome parts I got from Paul that I started to switch out on the car. Also got the engine block all stripped down and ready for the machine shop. I threaddd the oil galley ports that used pressed in plugs so I won’t have to worry about them popping out later. 2A51A440-93EB-43B8-A7CF-3B3A166E0E18.jpeg9F9FC1B5-2F22-48A6-BCE4-3A8CF19DF5E5.jpeg8DF2C085-ED75-44F9-97F9-3F8798D144BF.jpegCA0657AB-F6E5-4ED5-87E3-0D547E091DD5.jpeg
 
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