so for those who knew me,,i didn't have to good of luck with the lsj..
so I sold everything 4cyl related,,,and since the car was already gutted and a drag only car. I've decided a few months back to take on the daunting task of converting it to a ls swapped rwd!
been doing a lot of research,and a good buddy of mine who has a corvette performance shop has offered to help along the way..
I just had my son a week ago and I promised the family I wouldn't start the project till he was born...
this wont happen overnight,but IT WILL HAPPEN..
and I plan on starting pulling the rear end out this weekend..
I'm gonna start from the back and move forward,
first thing is I'm gonna put in a 10 point cage,to stiffen up what is already there,completley cut floor out from quad doors back, and start the back-half from there..and it will keep the car as a rolling chassis.
I think the engine and trans will be pretty easy compared to the back half..
since its a drag only car ill probably end up cutting the entire firewall out and push the motor back as far as possible,to help with weight transfer.
it looks like I can swap spindles from one side to the other up front and move the rack to in front of the engine..some of the hack jobs ive seen,put the motor way to high "in the hole"..because they try to clear the rack,,
or I will have a custom rack made..we will see when I get that far
plan is ls motor probably a truck 5.3 to start with,once its up and running/moving the possibilities are endless with the LS platform..
ill probably end up with a custom mosier rear end 9" they can custom build anything,my buddy just got a BULLET PROOF 12 bolt built custom to his specs for his monte carlo for a lil under 3k
goal is 10s...
I'm open to flames,critcisim ,and most importantly any advice..

 

Idk if youve seen the gobalt, but he has a whole website based around his ls swap.

 

yes,,i like it except the independent rear..but he did a awesome job!

 

 

Very cool. Anyone else done this to an ion yet?

 

Yeah ive seen a half mile ion with an LS that does 200mph.

 

click

 

What trans are you planning on running? T56?

 

Subbed

 

Very cool, can't wait to see this running

 

thinking of pulling the trigger and ordering this and cage..should keep me busy for a while
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ladder-Bar-Rear-Frame-Package-w-QA1-Proma-Star-Shocks-2-x-3-frame-/151227361731?roken=cUgayN

 

got my taxes in,and ordered cage and rear frame bars 2x3 for the backhalf,should have some progress pics up SOON

 

tonight I ordered front and midplate mounts,to aid in getting the clearance needed for headers and steering

 

obviously plate is trim to fit,but gives you the idea...
and finished removing anything LSJ...basically it would be just as hard to get it running as a lsj again as a LS-RWD setup,lol NO turning back now!
got to work on the cage,and getting the dummy block setup to get the motor plates in right position

 

Wont know exactly till dummy block gets here but it looks like the motor will be tight but should close with stock hood!
I will be ordering the camaro oilpan and ls2 intake manifold to gain lil more clearance,these will work on dummy block and will get swapped on 5.3 when the time comes,also will be ordering headers and a mild cam for the 5.3 so its not just a boring stock motor

 

Awesome. I'm sure you know about sloppy mechanics then. These motors have tons of cheap go fast parts right from the junkyard. Good luck!

 

very QUICK mockup

 

its like pure sex in that engine bay

 

Windshield is coming tomorrow to make cage install a lil easier,10 point plus cradle bars,gonna be busy!

 

cut out cowl panel to gain about 6 inches,where it drops down and connects to firewall,but left the top part intact so I can still bolt the factory plastic cowl/wiper cover back on.
And got the windshield out...it was only thing that was not lexan anyways.

 

practicing up on my skills,got my race seat in the mail the other day so can start tacking in the main hoop of the cage once I get my seat mounted in proper position, trying to make sure everything is per the NHRA rulebook

 

lol took me all day to fab up the seat brackets and get the main hoop and plates tacked in.
the seat bar is perfect for me cause the rulebook states it can be no higher then shoulder length, wich is fine for me but not anyone any shorter, its allowed to be 4" lower..
so I'm gonna drop it a few inches for my fiancé and daughter...that's why I'm just tacking everything for now

 

Seat belt bar height is VERY important to help prevent back injuries when you're thrown around in an accident, definitely get it right the first time.

 

seat bar dropped,lateral bars and plates in..side bars fit to main hoop,still need to do front plate side bars fit to that and windshield runner and then the hard part the roof halo...
ALOT of work,,haven't had asked for any help yet other then suggestions!

 

looking good man!