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Some cool things are going to be happening in short order. To start with the front fenders and bumper are being reworked to match the 104.5" wheelbase that the car now has. The tires had to much gap at the back of the wheels and too little at the front of the wheels which hindered steering. The included pictures show the added pieces as we test fit them before the final welding. This was a time consuming process and a bit more $$ than expected but there was no way around this modification. The fenders are now back at the shop and the final welding will be done and the modification to the front bumper will be completed. I am hoping to get the car all primed before it goes to the fabricator, which is the next update part.
The car goes to the fabricator in 3 weeks from Monday. At that shop modifications will be done to the roll cage under the hood to allow the supercharger to fit in its position. The funny cage bars will be welded into place, the headers will be completed by the welding of all the tubes and adding the Vibrant collectors. An aluminum fuel cell will be built to fit the space I have as when the chassis was first built we weren't planning on wheelie bars (4 cylinder torque)and now that we need wheelie bars we don't have the space with the plastic RCI fuel cell and protective metal cover. We need a support built for the parachute and the wing added to the spare trunk lid so we are ready for racing. We are also going to have a custom driveshaft built and if that's not enough I am sure something else will pop up.
Next, Jim at Richmond Racing Engines has most of the parts needed and next week the block starts getting machined to accommodate the .5" head studs, the 4.125 pistons and everything else we are going to need. Jim is paying special attention to all areas regarding oiling. I have patiently waited for my LSX bowtie block to move form the waiting room into the surgery room and Jim says that happens this coming week. Jim also has some addition work that he needs me to do for him which works out for both of us.
The downside is that this is not going to be cheap but as happened last year at this time I have been offered a huge extra on a project I am working on. The good news I can work as many hours as I want and my weeks will be 80 hours a week. I am going to do all that I can so the $$$ is there when I need to pay the shops. My time to work on the car is going to be really limited while I work all of this overtime but I am focused on actually having this project finished. I'm glad my wife is letting me slide on working around the house so this nightmare can finally end and a smile can be had for us and everyone else who has followed this project for 13 years.
Awesome! Coming together quickly now. Sounds like it's going to be a top notch project when completed. Make sure you don't work yourself in the ground with all those hours, it's easy to do, and your health is most important. Congrats!
Awesome! Coming together quickly now. Sounds like it's going to be a top notch project when completed. Make sure you don't work yourself in the ground with all those hours, it's easy to do, and your health is most important. Congrats!
This part is getting exciting which keeps me doing the extra hours and yes I will take time for myself. Tonight is date night with my wife (once a week) and I'm either in the gym or running 5 days a week to work on the self health part.
Originally Posted by ECaulk
Lol I was meaning these last steps will seem to finish quickly compared to the prior 13 years, poor wording on my part.
I was only razzing you because if I didn't have a sense of humour over all that has happened then this would all be for nothing.
Hello everyone, I am getting ready to post an update this weekend but before I do please take the time to give me some feed back. While looking at a '65 Vette I started thinking and I am thinking about putting side pipes on my Cobalt. Never done before but I have always liked the sound and the look.
Side pipes on a vette look great, on a cobalt... to me it's a period thing and the cobalt is pretty new. That's not to say that you could have the exhaust come out just past the door on the side. To me that makes more sense.
Side pipes on a vette look great, on a cobalt... to me it's a period thing and the cobalt is pretty new. That's not to say that you could have the exhaust come out just past the door on the side. To me that makes more sense.
Using that placement my plan was to run a straight thru pipe at the track and a catted/muffled pipe on the street. I was also kicking around the idea of using a remote cutout so I don't need to bolt/un-bolt the pipes.
After too long I have a good news update.
Today started off bad as I wasn't feeling well so I lost a days wages. The day ended better as an event that I (we) have waited for finally arrived.
It's not victory red anymore! It has a parachute! It's being driven away from home!
While it's 2 months later than expected, the car is in primer and after a short haul the car is now at the shop of Kremyr racing .This shop is the real deal when it comes to building race cars. Check out their website and for the locals, if you want something done right, call Dwain Kremyr. I was recommended to use Kremyr Racing by Jim at Richmond Racing Engines. These two companies work together and have done so for over 3 decades.
When the car is finished at the fabricators everything short of the engine will be completed. The roll cage (including the funny car bars), the aluminum fuel cell, the steering issues with regards to the alternator in the way of the lower steering knuckle, all of the wiring, the placement of the drysump tank, finishing the headers off and reworking the engine motor mount.
There is still a little reworking to be done on the front fenders but that is a 15 minute fix accordingly to the body shop.
When the car comes home I will still need to put back in the complete interior or as much as goes into a tubbed/tube chassis car.
Today is a good day
The deposit as Kremyr's isn't cheap but I keep hearing that he's awesome at doing his job.
I also stopped in today at Richmond racing images to get him on the same page as the other shop so they both work on their part at the same time so the car is finished and the motor is ready to be dropped in at that time.
While I have primes/sanded the car I will add a couple of extra coats of the 2000K primer. I will then finish any body work and spray on the single stage top coat
This next stage is going to cost $$$ but it needs to be done and my pain needs to finally be finished so the smile can be realized when I do my first smoke show in front of my house.
Last edited by victory_red_SS; 09-08-2019 at 12:44 AM.
This is close to the last big push to finally hearing the V8 sounds as I roast off a set of tires.
In fact if you look at the back tires they are not big enough to fill the space so those tires are going to be shredded and I will have taller tires to take their place.
I really hope you have a cheap set of tires to trash in a big burnout once it's all together
The ones on the car now will be trashed and the epic burnout will video taped. I'm going to guess my neighbors might not be thrilled because that epic burnout will done with open headers.
Thanks Paul and yes it does and when it comes home again it will bring a huge smile to my face. Well, except for the $$$$$ it will cost to finish but it's only money right.
Originally Posted by Slowbalt2000
Cant wait for the burnout. Good progress!
Thanks. I might have to get help filming the burnout so we can get a video of my upset neighbors because of the noise and the smoke. It will be epic.
So awesome. Its awesome to see you've been on this for years and never gave up.
Thanks, While I am still working on the car there were times I thought I was ready to give up but I just couldn't do it.
Quitting would have made disappointment the wrong story and I want to make finishing the car the right story.
Too much money, so much disappointment, far to many lies, missed deadlines, crooked shops, poor workmanship can't be the defining moments of this project.
This project needs to be described by successfully completing this project which gives me a cool car but there is way more than that.
So many people followed this project and some, like people here, still follow this project.
Many people look forward to the videos of the engine first starting up, the first dyno (engine dyno/NA) the second dyno (engine dyno/SC) the third dyno (chassis dyno fully tuned and pulleyed down for max HP), the first smoke show where one set of tires are trashed.
Then the videos of the car at the drag strip. The first test pass which will be short (200ft) the next pass (600ft) and if everything is right (or when it is right) the next pass (1,000ft) and if that is correct then I go for gold an take victory_red_SS for a full 1320ft pass. Those runs are going to be sweet to drive and just as sweet to share with Cobalt/car enthusiasts.
While the tow truck driver was putting the car onto his flat deck he asked if I minded if he took some pictures. He said that he has never seen a Cobalt like this before and he thought it was cool.
When the car was being hauled to Kremyr Racing, plenty of people did a second look when they saw a Cobalt with a parachute and big fat tires on the back.
I have been through a lot of pain with this project and I have a lot of overtime to put in to pay for the fabricator's work but slowly the smile is coming back to my face.
That smile is brightened knowing that people care enough about this car/project by keeping it alive when they click on this thread and posting enthusiastic messages.
I really look forward to posting those videos so we can enjoy this completed project together.
For anyone who is in my area on street legal nights I am more than happy to give you a ride in the car on the track (partial pull as per NHRA rules) so you know how hard it pulls.
We are almost there and again, as I type this post , I find myself smiling. We are almost there.
I was at the fabricators shop today dropping off some cash and parts. While we were talking about the project the subject of the dash came up.
Because the firewall was pushed back a good 6" the dash was never going to fit right again. It was too short at the windshield and the sides that were moulded to line up with the door panels were never going line up again.
Dwain thinks it's best to just start from scratch and build a sheet metal replacement. In doing that he will work in all of the gauges as well as all of the rocker switches needed so there is no longer an overhead/on roll cage box.
Looking at the V8 Gremlin they are just wrapping up and how clean it looks with all of the wiring is definitely something I want them to do with my car.
While I was there I also talked to the wiring guy and we discussed the wiring, the Holley ecu and the fuel system. Of course there are things he would do differently some of which are a no brainer and others need some research.
Sadly the wiring that a friend of mine had done is not acceptable so out it goes. As well, he doesn't prefer my fuel pump and he is suggesting something different because of the noise created by my MagnaFuel 750 EFI pump. I will investigate is fuel pump choice which is an in tank pump scalable depending on demand.
The painless harness remains and all things needed to pass govt inspection will be wired in. For the front windshield defogger we will simply have a fan on the dash, removable of course.
I was talking to Jim Richmond yesterday and we are leaning towards using a Wiseco BoostLine I-Beam connecting rod which is rated to 2,000HP. We are also looking at 9:1 compression ratio and the turning up the boost because Jim wants to run E85.
The local co-op by his place is putting in E85 tanks which means for a reliable source which up here in BC, Canada has not been the case to date. Next week is supposed to when they start drilling my LSX block to accommodate the 1/2" ARP head studs.
I was also talking to a race transmission expert and while my 2 speed Powerglide has after market components it is the stock housings. His concern is the stock housing holding the type of pressure that my project needs for the HP level.
His suggestion is to sell my current Powerglide to a bracket racer and then buy myself a new Powerglide with a SFI after market case. I am looking at ATI, FTI, Coan Racing and JW Performance. All input about these companies is greatly appreciated.
They all have strong points and some downsides too. The cost varies a bit but any choice requires more $$$ for something I was supposed to have already bought and paid for.
The list of parts that I have bought but can't use grows and someone saying "sell it" sounds good but it is a lot easier said than done and then there is the hit in price I take to sell those parts.
The upside at the moment is I have a lot of overtime and the car is in great hands this time and all of the future work will be top quality. I just hope I can afford it as I truly believe that a person is worth their wages, paid promptly.
This time is exciting and concerning all at the same time.
for fuel pumps id look at the holley brushless stuff. they have both in tank and on frame styles, and with the brushless controller it allows to to run less pump output at lower throttle to reduce fuel heating.
as far as the transmission thing, any of them are going to build a good solid transmission. id add rossler to that list, and move it way up near the top. im sure a lot of people would disagree with me, but my choice would be a 400 instead of a glide. a glide is a great consistent transmission for a bracket car, but ive seen what going from a glide to a 3 speed (was actually a torqueflite, not a 400) can do for a car. that being said, if the car is already built around the powerglide, dont change it. the glide is going to work just fine.
the other option, if you know whats in the powerglide you have, is to just get an sfi case and put your guts into it. you might be able to come out ahead in the end compared to selling this one and buying new. id be willing to help out here if its something you want to explore.
for fuel pumps id look at the holley brushless stuff. they have both in tank and on frame styles, and with the brushless controller it allows to to run less pump output at lower throttle to reduce fuel heating.
as far as the transmission thing, any of them are going to build a good solid transmission. id add rossler to that list, and move it way up near the top. im sure a lot of people would disagree with me, but my choice would be a 400 instead of a glide. a glide is a great consistent transmission for a bracket car, but ive seen what going from a glide to a 3 speed (was actually a torqueflite, not a 400) can do for a car. that being said, if the car is already built around the powerglide, dont change it. the glide is going to work just fine.
the other option, if you know whats in the powerglide you have, is to just get an sfi case and put your guts into it. you might be able to come out ahead in the end compared to selling this one and buying new. id be willing to help out here if its something you want to explore.
Sharkey,
I'm looking at the Holley fuel pumps and they definitely support the HP I want and I'll explore that some more and get a better idea whether to use an in tank or frame mounted pump. Seeing as how the fuel cell isn't made yet I am not sure of the dimensions.
The transmission mount and the transmission/driveshaft tunnel are built around the Powerglide so yes it's too late to switch it. I did check out Rossler online and while comparing different companies they are competitively priced.
Talking to Bruce Flodin (being that you are a transmission specialist you likely know of him) he asked me to look for several things once I pulled the pan off. I couldn't see anything he was asking me to look for. I then realized that he was asking to look for stock parts. I can tell the case was taken apart as the red sealant used on the bolts at the front of the case looks fresh and there is no sign that this PG has ever been run since it's last build. The shafts are pristine both front and back and when Bruce heard all of this he said there are after market parts in a stock case.
I do like your offer to help swap out the internals into a SFI approved case. I looked at both Reid and ATI cases with the ATI Supercase being available while there is a 2 month wait to get the Reid case shipped. I will checkout all the related seals/gaskets/other components because this way frees up the money saved so it can go into other parts still needed. I am not sure how long it would take you to swap the internals once I have the case but there is some time between now and the car and motor are done.
Again, thank you for your offer to swap the guts into the new case.
After checking in to the various transmission I had another talk with an expert. The higher the gear ratio the weaker the transmission. The 180 gear ratio is rated to somewhere between 600-800 HP. That's not enough for me. I did find a Rossler Terminator 6 for $4667. US plus PayPal fees. This transmission exceeds what my upper limits are and is a top notch product. Thanks Sharkey for brining Rossler to my attention.
I have paid for the majority of the transmission and once my final payment (early next week) is made it will be on it's way. I will also order the Mark Williams coated billet yoke for this transmission. After the transmission gets to me off it goes to the fabricators. The transmission details are what follows:
ROSSLER Terminator 6 - Powerglide:
- ROSS-LOCK Pro Tree transbrake - Oversized billet steel clutch hub - 10 clutch Promod drum - Max surface HD band - Front pump low friction bearing kit - Sonnax Super Hold Servo - Billet aluminum dual ring servo - Modified front pump converter charge system - Pump gear lube system - 1.69 Promod straight cut gears - cryo treated option - Vasco billet output shaft - REID RACING 2-piece SFI case - REID RACING SFI GM/Chevy bellhousing - REID RACING XHD tail housing with roller output bearing - Rollerized entire case - Deep finned cast aluminum pan, +2 quarts - TH400 style oversized bolt-on stator tube - "NASA" A
BONUSES and upgrades that come with the transmission:
- 1.69 Promod straight cut gears
- Cryogenic gear treatment option
- LOKAR locking dipstick - fluid level set by Rossler
- Temperature sensor bung welded to the oil pan
- Energy Suspension polyurethane transmission mount
- 6AN in/out trans cooler fittings
06-28-2019, 11:06 PM
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