Looking great! For the dash mount, give some thought to fabbing a U-shaped sheetmetal bracket where one leg of the U slides under the leading edge of the dash pad and bolts to the metal structure under the pad. The other leg cantilevers over the top of the pad back toward the driver.

I'm curious what your plan is to route wiring from the engine compartment to the interior. I will have some wires that I need to get inside and I don't want a visible hole in the firewall.

I bought the terminals that are used in the bulkhead connections and ran extra wires along with the original wires right through the bulkhead. It looks like all of the wires are original to the car.

I mounted my tach in the same place that you are holding yours, but I used a reproduction Nova dash pad in my car, so I didn't mind putting holes in it. I would have a hard time putting holes in that dash pad that you have.

How about modifying the tach bracket so the bracket mounts to the top of the dash, under the dash pad? Nobody would see those holes if you decided to remove it....Joe

Thanks for the above suggestions folks. (appreciate all of the insight)

Rob, I have mounted MSD boxes in the glove box of a few cars now and will run a hidden MSD for this one as well. Last time I routed the wiring under the heater box on the far passenger side and through the firewall just to the right side of the inner box where it tucked straight into the glove box liner. I will likely do something similar to this car and it should be far easier with the fenders off. :smile:

This is by no means a purist type build so power will come from a remote F*rd solenoid that will mount in an obscure spot on the passenger side of the firewall. I like to run a high torque mini starter and the solenoid w/ relay provides clean power that's tucked away from any heat source. Tach will wire from within the car as the feed then comes off the MSD box. I do like the way Freddie ran wires in the harness but I need a thicker gauge power lead for the MSD and that must come hot from the battery. Using the late model ignition box, I then become very picky about making the whole thing hidden and discrete.

Yes, this is the wheel that Barry Allen sold to me. It had a couple of epoxy repaired cracks that he took care of many years ago, and it then sat unfinished for about 20 years with a few primer sections painted in after the repairs. I had it sanded & repainted by a local airbrush artist I know and then had my painter clear coat it with automotive paint. Quite happy with it and the whole thing was very affordable. :biggthumpup:

As for the tach...If I decide to mount it on top of the dash, I will be fabbing a bracket that mounts around and under the pad. I also looked at an under-dash mount just right of the heater controls (meh) and also held it up high on the pillar post to see if I'd like this one with a halo mount, but that isn't really the spot for this one either. I'll play around with it some more before deciding on its final position, but it will likely be the dash area.

As David Siltman suggested, I pulled the tilt lever and mounted the tach on the column. Tilt is adjusted to where I'd just end up leaving it positioned anyway. Can always thread it back in whenever needed so "mission accomplished".

https://i.ibb.co/yFLQ7JS/IMG-5160.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/1LxfDQ9/IMG-5157.jpg

Can't wait to hear that bitch zing!

Been busy dicking around with the front and rear suspension the last couple of days and making sure everything is totally square. Also aligned the front end and started prepping the rear Gabriels which are now being restored as Hurst SuperAirShocks. Today I got around to finishing the front brakes, loading up the calipers, and secured the hard lines so that they are ready to be bled. Next up I will adjust the booster, install the master cylinder, and plumbs the lines in including installation of a NOS vintage roll control kit from Hurst. It's coming along although the pace has now slowed down a bit.


https://i.ibb.co/cD77dWq/IMG-5200.jpg
Calipers rebuilt, painted, and loaded up with new hardware.

https://i.ibb.co/y489zrK/IMG-5202.jpg
Installed new rotors as the originals were turned to .960 and are stored away now.

https://i.ibb.co/kMw1bfY/IMG-5205.jpg
Everything's now good for a safety inspection once the car's complete.

https://i.ibb.co/TBwXWky/IMG-5204.jpg
This is as much detailing as the front suspension is going to see.

Never get tired of this art work!!:biggthumpup:

Looks awesome!!

Finished a little wiring around the engine bay, completed the booster installation, the master cylinder, and all of the restored valving. Also seen here is a Mr. Gasket throttle lever bracket that was sent up by Mr.4Speed and replaces the stock plastic version on the firewall. Next, I'll coil up a couple of lines to plumb the Hurst roll control to the inner fender area for mounting later on. Should have the motor ready to install in the next couple of days.

https://i.ibb.co/6H8Th69/IMG-5226.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Wz1SXZP/IMG-5227.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/kxjpVmt/IMG-5229.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/DksDvCM/IMG-5231.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Z1Nr6F0/IMG-5232.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/ykHBJT2/IMG-5235.jpg

I just love your projects Graeme!

Can't wait to see the placement and installation of this. Cool NOS parts

looks fantastic!

Very well done! You saved this Camaro... new lease on life in less than a year. Wow.

Pulled the motor down after running it on the stand again today and thought I would then get it ready to install it later this week. At least that was the thought until I pulled the Victor Jr intake and realized the mismatch on the intake ports. Seems I forgot these heads have 200cc intake runners. I do have plans to build a stout DZ motor for this car sometime next summer so I will now search for some decent 186 heads to match up with the stock intake but might have to reinstall the Vic Jr intake until I get the new motor built.

https://i.ibb.co/GVRtZqv/IMG-5265.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Ss3hmsR/IMG-5269.jpg

DAMN! I hate it when that happens. I have a nice pair of bare 492 angle plug heads if you want to keep the day 2 thing happening.


Jason

That's it...I'm done with small blocks.:thumbsdown:

Gonna build a Pratt & Whitney R2800 for it. :headbang:

Trick Flow DHC heads you can paint them and they look like the originals.

Been there...done that. The problem with DHC heads is that they will not accommodate the large diameter 1.550 springs needed for this roller cam. The top guy at Trick Flow (forgot his name) warned me not to try and cut them. Max spring pocket on the Trick Flows is 1.470 and they are best suited to hydraulic roller cams or smaller solid lifter cams. That being said, I could dump my existing cam and change the heads but that's throwing good money right out the window and downgrading a lot of performance at the same time. I think I'll just mount the Victor Jr back up and call it a day until I finish the next DZ motor. Again, I can swap the engine out later.

https://i.ibb.co/DtTXzsH/IMG-7454.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/N9bHK7Z/IMG-2909.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/BNf3VhR/IMG-4852.jpg

[QUOTE=NorCam;1532725]Been there...done that. The problem with DHC heads is that they will not accommodate the large diameter 1.550 springs needed for this roller cam. The top guy at Trick Flow (forgot his name) warned me not to try and cut them. Max spring pocket on the Trick Flows is 1.470 and they are best suited to hydraulic roller cams or smaller solid lifter cams.


FWIW. - 186 heads can not be safely machined for 1.550 springs either, the end spring pockets are prone to hit water, you can step cut them with a .060 stock diameter shim in place and then use .100 long valves, but this may mess up the rocker geometry.

Plus you will probably lose 40+ HP.

Maybe you could find a Orphan Tarantula Intake manifold ( or period correct ) and have the tops of the intake runners Tig Welded up/ground down, to work with your current heads?.

Hi Mike,

I still recall what you taught me about the big cams vs. cutting springs into the stock castings and what the limitations were. If I find the right set of 186 heads I was planning to pull the solid roller and swap in a mechanical cam that's a little more forgiving on the valve train. :blush:

Have you got a set?

I'd really like to mount up the stock intake but need something a little more stock...ish.

Sorry, I Don't have any nice 186,s rite now. All the heads I have would require a lot of work, inserts/studs/ etc. just orphan heads that are hurt. I know you are going to "lean" on it so a nice set is in order.

Jason - SuperNovaSS said he has a nice set of bare "492" angle plug heads, those already have screw in studs & guide Plates. and those would be period correct for your day 2 look, and have the same end casting symbols as a "186".

I even had a set of those on my own Z about 1975, when you could buy them from GM for $80 a head bare. Then just buy valves/springs and assemble them. Great cylinder head BTW.

The only problem that I've run into with the angle plug heads is header clearance with the plug wires. Some headers work with them and others don't.

Yup.

And the m/t headers I had made for this motor were not setup for angle plug heads. Unless a set of dated 186 heads appear real soon, I'm going to bolt the Vic Jr intake back onto this engine and put it into the car for the upcoming season.

I have to wait until spring to finalize a deal on the DZ motor I have lined up and I'm pretty sure he said he has the matching heads for the block as well. That can sort itself out later and then I can build that one and take my time building it right.

Back on task here...

I would also make you a deal on these:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/353358285652

https://www.ebay.com/itm/353358294755

The both came off the same good running engine.


Jason

What about running the trick flow double hump heads? I saw you did this on a previous build. Were you happy with those heads? I was thinking of using those heads on a block I have to build a look a like 302 for my Z. I don’t see too many people using them. Your build looks amazing. Look forward to the daily progress.

Scott

Hello Scott,

I really liked the Trick Flow heads on the 383 I built for the Nova but as mentioned above they are limited on spring pocket size. That rules out using those with this cam. If I were to pull this motor down and swap the cam out they would make a viable option but considering all the work done to this motor that would be an unwise decision today. I do have some 1206 intake gaskets here so tonight I will set the intake back in place and move along using this engine for the time being. I really need to get my hands on the DZ block I want and build something a little more period correct for this car. That being said I need to be patient. It will happen soon enough...

Thanks for chiming in and thank you for the kind words.:beers:

i say use the stock rpm tach. classic. doing a great job on your z.

Scored a good set of February dated 186 heads this afternoon through this great forum. Once they arrive I'll go through the heads and will prep them for a modified DZ engine build.

:cool2::cool2::cool2:

duh. I just realized you are daytwotripper on fb :)

Not quite...he's the "legendary daytwotripper" on FB:biggthumpup:

Had an awesome day today. Found a nice set of heads, finished rebranding the Gabriel Hi-Jackers to resemble the old Hurst SuperAirShocks and took delivery of some cool Day 2 parts that came up from California. After that, I was test fitting these vintage Cragar SS wheels that were mounted up with a cool old pair of M&H Racemaster L60's. They definitely change the look of the car and will likely be used for some static car shows. The glass hood will be prepped and painted later this summer and will then make its way onto the car after it's all finished up. Very cool. :cool2:

https://i.ibb.co/z7VZbmZ/IMG-5302.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Tm58MVG/IMG-5308.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/VxxN1MR/IMG-5310.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/hg04VPr/IMG-5312.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/QQ7N1h4/IMG-5315.jpg

Hell Yeah!!! I'm excited the hood made it in one piece. That was quite a trip.


Jason

Nice! what’s the width and backspacing on those rear Cragars?

Interesting, I had not seen those husrt stickers, before. They look good.

the hood.. now that is epic...

There's one set of Hurst shock decals being sold through eBay but they are not correct as per the way the old shocks were labeled up through Gabriel in the late 60s to early seventies. I had a NOS set of them but had foolishly sold them. My son has become very talented with digital art so he spun up the graphics to recreate the decals and I had my friend run off 20 sets for me. My son will now put the other sets up for sale so others can duplicate the shocks if desired. Here's an original set in a Hurst box (Circa 1970).

https://i.ibb.co/H2X3zky/super.jpg

Jason...it was a long way (round trip) but I was glad the hood showed up yesterday. It was in good company as the trailer it arrived in was loaded with new Ferrarri's.

Tim, I believe the Cragar's are 8" with what looks to be 3.75" +/- on the backspace. Not exactly sure so I will check on that for you later in the day. I need to find a nice set of 15" Cragar fronts for the car now. Anything in the 4" to 5" range would be awesome to connect the dots.

Just so you know Graeme, your nos shocks are living on in Day-2 glory on my Z/28 with my L60 Mickeys!

Absolutely loving that John. The car looks righteous with the wheel, tire & shock choice being flat out perfect on it. I still have a NOS set of H/50 Mickeys in mint condition, but they are just a bit too short for this car. I should sell them to someone with a 70 Camaro as they look right at home on a 2nd gen car.

Thanks for sharing the pictures. :Can-I-Have-It:

John,

Is that by chance the same H/O car I saw a few years ago on youtube that some kid and his dad dragged out of storage after it was sitting for many years and got it running with open headers on it and had a couple nice carb fires trying to get an old race car running? I saw an old youtube video years ago where this father & son team fired it up after a long time sitting and were then planning to make it more streetable? As I recall it was orange and had decals sparsely located across the sides, much like yours...and seeing how you're in the same state????

I remember the car was driven up and down the 2 lane blacktop just near their farm the week after they got it running decent. It was smack in the middle of corn fields. (lol)

What sayeth? :worship: