Aaron's 76 Type LT Project

11 minute(s) of a 383 minute read

I thought more about the route of the #10 AC hose and decided I am going to incorporate some 90* connections on the corners to clean up the appearance.

This is the general route the #10 AC hose will take. So I am going to turn those rounded corners into something sharper looking.



Here's the fitting I got (2 of them).

It's this one, the Mastercool 71550. I found it closer to $100, so for me it was worth the cost so I could have the flexibility of fitting my own lines exactly how I wanted.

I would be happy to rent it to anyone else who is doing the same thing after I am done, just pay a deposit and shipping  It can do #6, 8, 10 and 12 beadlock crimps.

Thanks, I thought so too. I would have gladly paid the normal price to have the flexibility, but I won't pass up a good deal. It was an "open box" type item, but everything is there and in good shape.

I thought the same thing about a loaner tool program, although most parts stores loan almost anything you could want. This crimper is an exception. Obviously AC shops will have hydraulic crimper units, but this one does the job fine if you are doing just one project.

2-24-2016

I got the 90* AC hose fittings in, which was just one day after ordering. That was ridiculously fast.

I got the hoses mocked up and now just need the adpaters and fitting for the compressor. I am glad I got the 90* fittings, it will be a much cleaner install. I might do the same with the heater hoses, but I can think about it more before deciding.

2-28-2016

thanks John, I got the 90* fittings crimped and am happy with how they turned out. When everything is put together the hoses should tuck away nicely and shouldn't be very visible. I will have to decided on some hose separators at some point to keep things organized.



I am waiting on a few small parts to wrap up the AC and heater hose routing, so in the meantime I decided to re-install the headers, install the brake MC, the hydraulic clutch MC and the brake/clutch pedal assembly.

I got the headers re-coated with a high performance ceramic coating by a local place called PolyDyn. The factory coating has a bad rep in terms of longevity (on most headers, not just Hooker), so I bit the bullet and got this done.

The brake MC is a manual MC by CNC, courtesy of Custom Works Performance. I know it's kind of weird to run manual brakes and a hydraulic clutch, but my first goal was to create a cleaner appearance under the hood and decided to give manual brakes a shot, particularly with the right MC. So we will see how it goes. If this was a DD, then I'd likely go with hydroboost or similar.

The hydraulic clutch MC is a Willwood unit. I was turned off by installing a mechanical clutch linkage so went hydraulic.

Rotors are C5 and calipers are US Brakes. I sourced the package through Custom Works (common theme for my car). Brakes will probably be the next big thing I tackle after getting the motor wiring installed.

3-2-2016

thanks Jason, I was happy to have the chance to get them done the way I wanted.

Separate topic - I saw a good price on the door clip set on ebay for anyone in the market. The shipping costs are what usually make these little parts cost more, so this looks like a good package. $8.99 shipped.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/130701734020?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I went ahead and notched out the wheel well where the AC compressor bracket needs some extra space. I taped and covered everything to protect from the sparks. I cut away most of the metal and then nibbled away to get it finished. I had a small chip on the edge but touched it up with some epoxy primer, along with the exposed metal.

thanks man, it's motivation for me to know I might be helping others with their projects. Your 70 looks like a really clean project.

So I got the water pump fittings in. I went with some Summit 90* swivel fittings due to the tight conditions. I thought 45* fittings would work but there isn't enough room to use them properly. I had to remove the hose nipples from the water pump and tap the two holes. I used a 1/2" NPT tap for the return line and a 3/8" NPT tap for the pressure line. Then I installed some NPT-to-AN fittings and finished them off with the 90* AN fittings with 5/8" hose barbs.



I mocked up the heater hoses with some 90* fittings like the AC lines, which I still need two more of. I also still need to get one last fitting to install the #8 AC line to the compressor. When the fender is installed and the hoses are properly secured to the core support it should look nice and clean.

3-12-2016

I got the DBW pedal assembly installed using a bracket I got from Scarebird. I decided to try this bracket since it allows me to install the DBW assembly using an OEM style gas pedal. The job was straightforward - I had to take the supplied arm that connects the pedal to the DBW arm and clamp it to the DBW arm until I was happy with the gas pedal placement. Then I welded the supplied arm to the DBW arm. The bracket installs to the firewall using the three factory holes.  

Link to bracket for anyone interested: https://scarebird.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=163

I also decided to install some of the door opening mechanisms to get a few parts off the shelf and onto the car. I replaced the white plastic clips that hold the door lock rod as well as the various connecting clips. I also got some new door pull rod silencer rubber pieces. The inner door pull is original GM that I picked up a loooong time ago. I used the original rods since those were still in good shape. I found some of the fabric tubing material that goes over the door pull rod since the original fabric was pretty sad. So these doors should be good for another few decades.

I need to decide if I am going to rivet the door pull to the shell or just use a bolt/nut.

yeah, I bet nut/bolt would be fine.  

BTW, I got some clips with the door clip set I bought and have no idea where these go or even if they need to get used. Here's the clips listed on CI's website.

Door latch rod retaining clips -- http://www.classicindustries.com/product/1976/camaro/parts/1253544.html

Door inside locking rod clip - http://www.classicindustries.com/product/1976/camaro/parts/g6881.html

3-15-2016

I was piddling around last night doing some smaller tasks and decided to cut the hole in the firewall for the Speartech grommet the motor wiring will pass through. I was able to locate the dimple in the firewall that Dennis alluded to. I didn't see the dimple from the motor side since my DSE firwall panel was covering it so I found it on the cabin side.  

I can begin running the motor wiring, which I think should be fairly straightforward.

Obligatory picture of a hole in my firewall.

Allow me to post-whore it up and share some remedial progress. I figured I'd get the firewall grommet fitted on the wiring harness and got stumped because I wasn't sure how the heck I was going to get the ECU plugs through the grommet (child birth comes to mind).

Dennis had the ingenious idea of simply modifying the grommet, so I cut the backside some and streeeeeeeetched the grommet over each plug, one at a time. Once the grommet is installed nobody (except us) will know the difference. Now I can start to get the harness installed and fitted. I will eventually install the fuse block on the wheel well when the body is assembled, but the rest I can get installed and looking pretty.

Once the harness is installed I will run some quality electrical tape around the grommet and loom to close it up some more.

The backside with some much needed relief cuts



The front side - looks good to me

3-18-2016

I got the engine wiring harness "roughed in". I had to take apart some of the loom and some of the electrical tape to move certain wiring around so it was better suited for my install. Since I shifted some wires around I had to buy a slightly larger wire loom where the harness goes through the firewall. It's only 12" of loom but I will have to wait until that arrives before I can get everything cleaned up. Ignore the zip ties, those are just holding things in place for now. I am not sure how I will secure the wiring, but should have a better idea once all the connections are installed.

I will have to re-tape the wire loom joints that I un-taped. I will use 3M Super 33+ electrical tape. It seems to be the same as what I removed from the loom.





The alternator connection is just a smidge too long, so I will have to shorten it. I am not even sure if I need this connection.



I went ahead and tossed the rear sway bar on to get more parts on the car. This is the PTFB adjustable sway bar.