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55 Convertible LS2 by HotRod Dynamics

225K views 274 replies 95 participants last post by  angs1957 
#1 ·
We just finished the first ground up car of the year. The Titanium 57 hardtop seen in this thread is now at the ulphostery shop getting the final stitching. http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47589

The second ground up restoration of the year is well underway, so I thought it would be a good time to share some pics.

This car is a factory Turquoise/Indian Ivory convertible that will be anything but factory when we get done with it. When we got the car it had already had most of the sheet metal repair work completed by a very talented local body man. I would say 80 percent of the body is new metal. here is how the car looked when it arrived at the shop.



We knew the car was going custom and the drivetrain would be updated to LS power so we started with installing one of our 4" recessed firewalls.




I decided cut down and box in the factory firewall supports for a smoother look.

 
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#62 ·
Thanks for the compliments and words of encouragement. I'm getting excited about finishing this car up.



Rear tires are 295 and I have 2.875" from sidewall to frame rail at the closest point. It's much closer to the inside inner fender at just over a half inch.
 
#63 ·
Like the work you've done.. again,not everything is the way I'd want it, but you're right.. no one likes cookie cutters, and that's what makes modified cars so much fun.. different tastes and styles.

I have a similar rear end set up, minus the sway bar. Do you feel it's necessary with a 4-link? Can you show me a closer pic of the sway bar?
 
#64 ·
I'm sure the sway bar is not really necessary as I have built cars in the past with 4 link and no rear sway bar. Not sure how much it contributes though. Besides how much stuff on these cars is really "necessary"? It's more of a want than a need.
 
#66 ·
I designed the side pieces to be bolt on in place of the stock side panels, but in this application, we welded them in place and made it one piece. I also boxed in the U channel part of the radiator support just for looks.

Here is a screen shot of the CAD models of the airbox and panel assembly.
Also a picture of the panel before it was welded in.



 
#72 ·
Joe

I am really interested in doing something similiar to my core support that you did to yours, box it in and weld in the filler panels and smooth. If you don't mine, where did you get your radiator? and did you weld in custom tabs in order to mount it to the core support like you did? Also i would like the same type of fuel tank as i am installing an LS1 in my 55, where could i purchase one?

Thanks
 
#75 ·
Well we hung a door today.


Door gaps are looking pretty good. The stainless trim is not fastened down in this pic.


Bolted on one of the new EMS hood hinges. Boy these things are nice! If anybody wants a set of these hinges, I'm a dealer for Eddie Motor Sports.



 
#78 ·
Using the billet coil mounting brackets we made (see page 2 of this thread) we made some mounting plates to locate the coils on the lower front sides of the block. The plan is to build some custom plug wires that run behind the headers. This should keep things nice and tidy under the hood.


Closeup


 
#87 ·
Joe, I absolutely love everything you've done. I agree with the white speaker grill. You said you used stainless brake lines. Did you use a double flare? I read an article that said you only have to use a single flare with stainless. I didn't have much luck with doubles. Most concerned with safety.
 
#90 ·
Well I finished up the brake line plumbing to the master cyl today and ran the heater hoses, so I thought it would be a good time to post some more pics. The stainless transmission lines from S&P worked out great! We're also about done with the power windows and the stainless trim work. The AC lines are going to be a bit tricky to keep hidden. I ordered some Aeroquip braided AC hoses for the part that you see going to the compressor. The hardlines on the AC condensor worked out nice.












 
#91 · (Edited)
What do you guys think of the throttle body? We were going to polish the whole thing, but it was too difficult to get down in all the crevices, so we painted the main part of it to match and polished the drive by wire part. The bolts are chrome SHCS.

Oh and just FYI if anyone is installing an LS engine with a radiator made for LS engines with both inlet and outlets on the passenger side, I've found these hoses can usually be trimmed to fit just right.
NAPA part #'s
Upper hose 7558
Lower hose 777
Steam tube 90 deg hose if you are tapping into the waterpump 10020

 
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