Did I miss you saying which oil pan you were using? I have heard several options, some of which are very pricey. Also, are you going with DBW or cable for the throttle?
I'm running a stock 5.3l truck oil pan. I wanted to use the camaro pan, but they're a little pricey. I'm using a throttle cable. Dbw was used in 2005/2006, i believe. I'm using a 1999 Silverado setup. -Josh
I got the wagon running today. Number 1 & 8 cylinders are dead. I swapped coils, but nothing changed. I suspect i got dirt in the fuel rail and the injectors are probably clogged. Also, I replaced the transmission filter and gasket. Trans still isn't working. Sounds like the pump is dead, so I'll have to have it rebuilt. I put the hood back on and there's clearance for it to close without any issues. -Josh
I pulled the transmission today and removed the torque converter. Sure enough, i sheared the ears off the front pump. A guy at work says he can replace the pump for me, so I'm bringing it to work for him to fix it. -Josh
Since i can't make any progress on the drivetrain until my transmission parts arrive, i started tackling the interior. I cut out the bezel around the dash to fit the cluster out of the Silverado into the wagon. I also mounted the power outlets between the ashtray and the glove box. I installed the reverse lights that function as turn and reverse lights and wired them up. No pictures yet, as I'm waiting for my tail lights to come back from led conversion via Lambert enterprises. -Josh
Well, we took the front pump off the transmission today to inspect the damage. I can only conclude that the first time I installed the transmission, the torque converter wasn't clocked properly and destroyed the main pump vane. While I was trying to test drive the car, the debris mangled the interior section of the pump. I have a 700R4 trans that I think I can rob the front pump section out of. I'll have to check part numbers for compatibility, but I hope it'll work. -Josh
Oh, happy day!!! My friend at work repaired my transmission. I installed it today, filled it up, and EVERYTHING works!!!! I was dreading having to pull it out again. I took it off the jack stands and topped off the fluid level. It's still missing #1 and #8 cylinders, but the test drive was awesome regardless. Now, with the trans hooked up, here's some pics of how I transformed the revers lights into turn signals using the switch back lights. -Josh
Today, I put the exhaust on the wagon. It's the exhaust that was on it wen I bought it. I bought some adapters to match the pipes up to the new headers, and I put some turn downs on the ends of the mufflers. They're FLowmasters, I'm guessing 50 series by how quiet they are. Then, I was running the car, listening to the exhaust, checking for other issues. I noticed the fuel injectors were leaking at the fuel rail. So, I replaced all the fuel rail o-rings. I'm still waiting on my Tail light LED boards, so I put the older tail lights on. Now I have running lights, but I don't have brake lights yet. Still trying to figure out the wiring for that. -Josh
The wheels are 17x7 and 17x8 eagle alloys (they were $80 cheaper than torque thrusts per wheel) with 205/50r17's up front and 235/60r17's in the back. -Josh
I finally finished wiring up the tail and brake lights. Took her for a short ride to the gas station, then back home. She's still missing on the #8 cylinder. The coil pack zapped me pretty good, so i know there's power there. It's either a spark plug or the injector. Regardless, i took her for a longer run on the back roads, and she pulls strong through the whole rpm range and through all 4 gears. The fuel pump whines through the floor pretty loud the whole time, so I'll try to figure out how to muffle that without overheating it by wrapping it. All in all, I'm very pleased with my progress and the results thus far. I posted a pic of how low the oil pan hangs below the cross member, in case anyone was curious about how low the stock pan really is. -Josh
Well, I swapped out the faulty injector and took her for a test drive. Holt $#!T, she pulls like a freight train. Not BBB drag strip freight train, but she has no trouble getting up to speed in a hurry. And smooooooth, like new car smooth wrapped in old sheet metal. I"m getting a new windshield installed tomorrow and hopefully having the ECM reprogrammed to remove the EGR valve, Evap controls and secondary O2 sensors. Hopefully that'll turn the "service engine soon light" off. -Josh
Got the windshield replaced this morning. Had a few rust holes under the glass in the channel. We wire brushed everything, primed the surface, back-taped everything and filled the holes with urethane. Then he primed the edges of the windshield and installed it with urethane as well. -Josh
I got the ecm calibrated to delete the egr, secondary o2 sensors and the evap emissions crap. The "service" light is out and she runs strong. I filled her up with gas, and the fuel gauge reads backwards!! The "low fuel" light is on and the gauge is on "e" and travels towards "full". I'll contact egauges.com to see if i can reverse the wires or if i need a different sender. I used 360 customs in Brandon to recalibrate my ecm. They're good people there. This is the second time I've used them and I'd recommend them to anyone. -Josh
Hi Josh, I'm a new member from the UK and I just discovered your thread - fantastic! What a great car and some of there stuff you have done (like the lights at the back) is really brilliant, congratulations on a great job which has given me some ideas. I love the side lights too, and will definitely look at the rear light option. I have a 1964 Special Wagon, which has a Chevy 350/350 combination. I'm driving the car and love it but want to make some changes. I'm starting with disc brakes and 17" wheels. I was interested to see the tire sizes you've gone for - do you know the backspace on the Eagle alloys? The ones I'm looking at have 4" and the tire size I was quoted was smaller than yours. Also, did you buy a kit for the brakes? I'm looking at front only for now due to budget and trying to find the right supplier - Summit? I've had some problems with vibration and we think it may be the propshaft so I've had that adjusted and balanced and I'm picking it up tomorrow, so hope it will cure it. I saw you got an engine mount kit - my engine mounts look home made and don't seem to have too much rubber and the guys at the workshop thought they may be affecting the vibration. Can you remember where you bought the kit? Last question, I get some ground clearance issues from the header collectors - mainly when I leave my driveway, which has a steep ridge. Have yours been OK? Sorry to fire so many questions at you but your build is just what I need to help me along! Look forward to hearing from you when you get a minute. Thanks, Ashley
Ash, it's looking like the front back spacing is 4 inches and the rear is 4 1/2 inches. My front brakes are stock 72 skylark spindles, rotors and calipers. Rears are ScareBird brackets (www.scarebird.com). I have a 1981 Cutlass rearend in my wagon, so the brackets will be different for your wagon. Scarebird only sells the brackets, but they tell you what rotors, calipers and hoses to use with the brackets. MY motor mount setup I bought from Ebay. My headers are for an LS swap, and they don't hang as low as other long-tube headers. If you want to start your own thread about your car, you can post pictures of what you're dealing with so we can get a better idea of what you're dealing with. -Josh
Hi Josh, Thanks for that info - much appreciated. I got the car back from the workshop yesterday with the newly balanced propshaft and it now drives really nicely, so that's good news. Your wagon looks great and the whole thread gave me a lot of inspiration. Maybe I'll start my own thread but my progress is pretty slow!! Thanks again, Ash
I rewired the power window in the tailgate and put in a simple momentary toggle switch. The factory knob was old and i could never remember which way to twist the knob for up and down. Also, i filled the old ignition switch hole with a mometary push button switch for the tow/haul button for the transmission. All the wiring from the Silverado kind of pools up by the driver's side kick panel. I mounted the Body Control Module on the kick panel under the parking brake release knob, and wrapped and Zip-tied the remaining wiring behind the dash above the BCM. It's a lot neater and the interior fuse panel doesn't rub on my shin while I'm driving. -Josh
I ordered LED head light bulbs for the low beams. Much better than the stock bulbs. Also, I ran into a guy at the store the other day who was going on and on about the wagon. He said he had some glass from a 64 Malibu wagon that I could probably use for mine. I went over today and he had the tail gate glass and both rear sides. I got all 3 for $75.00!! My friend does custom window tinting and he wanted to do something with the wagon. Now with the spare glass he can take his time with his design and we can swap the glass when he's finished. -Josh
I had to replace the alternator (bad bearing). Dad and I went to dinner. There was supposed to be a car show, but the parking lot was empty. Dad drove his 59 Chevy pick-up and I brought the wagon. The whole time, dad was egging me on to race, just to see how the new build runs. Dad's truck boasts a mild 327 sbc with 305 HO heads and a comp cam 262 cam, 700R4 and a 3.27 posi. The wagon is a 5.3l (325 ci) all stock, 4L60e with 3.42 posi. We lined up at the bottom of the entrance ramp to the interstate ( no traffic). It was about even at the launch, but as we rolled through the gears, I pulled farther ahead. By the time the painted "merge" signs rolled by on the pavement, I saw headlights in the rear view. Dad's a great sport, and had a huge smile on his face when he rolled up next to me on the interstate. -Josh
