Got some good news today as I get started with the 302 build for the Green Z. Trick Flow just told me today that they are finished testing the new Aluminum Head 186 Aluminum Head and should start shipping by end of October. These are still a 175 runner but with a completely new port design and flow very well up to 600" lift while keeping a stock appearance. Cut for 1.615 spring pockets they will allow me to add a healthy solid roller cam. I'll top the new heads with this classic Edelbrock TM1 Intake and will now have to find a a good carburetor for it. Looks like the plan is coming together now.

https://preview.ibb.co/mmLTDk/186_Drawing.jpg

https://preview.ibb.co/cJrDeQ/186_Head_Flow.jpg

https://preview.ibb.co/hnon65/TM1.jpg

Assuming that this will be used on the street, I hope you have better luck with solid rollers than I did. I got tired of replacing lifters and distributor gears and took it out.

I've heard this same issue before. So the question is, what brand lifters and distributor gears are bullet proof for street use? TAZ :dunno:

One can always run a billet cam with a cast iron distributor gear to match up to a standard distributor.

:naughty:

Any idea on the cost for a set of heads?

Not exactly sure yet. They've been testing billet cores throughout the past 10 months and I was told they just approved the most recent core samples a couple weeks ago. The cores are now in production and once fully machined & fit with valve train they should have final costs. I was told last year that the new heads would be in the $1300-$1400 range fully built, and that was about the same cost as rebuilding & porting an old set of iron cores...so I said I wanted on the list when they come available.

Maybe call Harold at Trick Flow to learn what the price will be? 1-888-841-6556

Starting on winter projects now and figured I better get the painting started before we run out of decent weather. The last 2 days were a wonderful 80 degrees here in Western Canada so yesterday I blasted the roll bar and the YH Rally's for the 69, and today I got them all sealed in Epoxy. Waiting on some Argent Silver for the rims and now I need to find a decent paint for the roll bar that matches up to the original Lakewood colors.

Anyone know of a paint code or brand for the Lakewood reddish orange?

https://preview.ibb.co/d0943w/IMG_7265.jpg

https://preview.ibb.co/naHwGG/IMG_7272.jpg

Thanks to a couple of members here on the site, I've recently managed to pick up an NOS Fly breather for the new motor, and a minty pair of Cragar SS 15"x 4" rims needed for the front of the car. Starting to get stoked now that the pieces are really coming together. :)

https://image.ibb.co/mUXVbG/15x4_SS_Pair.jpg

NorCam,

I have been watching from the side lines. I thought I should drop a note to let you know I love this thread and your build. Good work and thanks for taking the time to share.


Jason

I wish my Cragar SS 15X4s looked that good. I thought about having them re chromed, but I don't know how well that would turn out.

This is a fantastic thread- really fun to see this car come together!
The Day II plan is awesome-
Another thought on the heads:
https://www.castheads.com
Brzezinski Racing Products does some great work with the Dart Iron Eagle straight plug heads. They can mill them to look like the "double hump" factory head, plus porting to flow well with 200cc intake ports. check them out.
The bare castings are affordable and Randy's shop does great work- won't let you waste money on things you don't need and a true craftsman.
I had him do me a set of dart heads recently and also freshened up a set of used 077 BBC heads I bought from a member here. First class operation.
They can appreciate the old-school stuff, and got a kick out of an Edelbrock Smokey Ram manifold and late seventies Scorpion intake sent in to be test-fit.
I've been collecting parts to do a nasty small block build, not sure what stroke I want to go with yet- will be watching yours come together!
I'm sticking with solid lifter cam, bought an Isky 505T and Crane copy of #140 off-road design. still debating which to run-
Thanks for the entertainment and good luck with the build!
Jerry

Thanks for chiming in here Jerry

I did contact Brezinski a year ago and looked at having them disguise a set of heads with some undercover port work on a stock intake, but later decided to forego that. I actually sent the block out for machining last week and from what I learned Friday, it's already advanced through the machine shop and will start going together early this week. For this CE block, I decided to upgrade the rods and will be using a set of forged I beams with 7/16" ARP bolts rather than pinks. Also planning on running a Comp 12-673-4 Nostalgia Cam in this one and see how that is with a tighter lash and modern ramps.

The stock 186 heads are freshly done and assembled with new valves, springs, screw in studs/guides, and also had a little port clean up while they were being freshened. I may just run the 186 heads for now and try and keep this thing under 7200 rpm between shifts. It's hard not to hotrod the crap out of everything as I really like horsepower and long duration solid cams, but at some point I have to reason with valve spring limitations, power brakes and keeping this car acting like the Z that it is. As plans firm up next week, I'll decide how I'm going to dress out the top end (Day II) but it now looks like the 302 will follow close to it's original HP rating with a few tweaks to wake it up a little & have it stay together with better internals. I may even run the stock intake since it's sitting here restored with its 4053 carb (undecided on this yet).

Another idea I am toying with is having my painter prep and paint a flat GM hood for the car and put it back to the way it was delivered when Kym first got it back in 69. Pop that flat hood with the fly breather, the Rev Pol ignition and vintage headers installed and this may be just the right look under that hood. That will also allow me to fit the Sun gauges on the cowl since I cannot fit (3) of them up there with the cowl hood on the car. I still like the look of hood mounted gauges and those combined with vintage Cragars & Lakewood bars will have the Green Z looking sweet' :naughty:

https://preview.ibb.co/fYRHqb/IMG_4097.jpg

https://preview.ibb.co/fj3K3w/IMG_4059.jpg

https://preview.ibb.co/hicCOw/IMG_7235.jpg

https://preview.ibb.co/c6pywG/IMG_4105.jpg

Below are the internals that will go into the 302 this week. And here's another set of Lakewood bars that will be going onto the car. A long set that David shared with me and were shipped with restored original hardware. I have some new Traction Action decals here and will soon install these along with the Hurst Air Shocks and the vintage Cragars that are on the way. Getting excited now as it starts going together.

https://preview.ibb.co/nC5Sqb/IMG_7227.jpg

https://preview.ibb.co/iEiabG/IMG_7102.jpg

Awesome stuff Graeme! Nice job my friend!

'

Lovin' this Day-2 build from the fences too, you're really hitting it so right on all counts!
Really looking forward to the final result of your hard work also can't stop picturing it w/ the yellow Lakewoods and Rally Green!
Great to see you're going w/ two sets of rims too, what tires are planned for the RG Steelies?
:beers:
~ Pete
:3gears:

.

For now Pete, I ordered a set of Wide Oval F70's. I should probably have gone for the Wide Treads but for them to sit in the corner I went for the Firestone's. Maybe I'll use them on a 70 Camaro somewhere down the road and add some Goodyear's when I find a better price on them.

I'm OK with the Firestone's on the Steelies for now. :)

'

Thanks for the update and sorry I hadn't seen your other thread on the tires.
I like Firestones too, they'll look awesome w/ the RG Steelies!
:beers:
~ Pete

.

If you would like photos of rechromed Cragar wheels let me know and I would be happy to post them

That would be great info to post Bill. I've been trying to BGH a contact in the US where they re-chrome Cragar's but stalled on finding the one that I had heard of. I was told there was a wheel restorer who separates the core, re-chromes both pieces and welds the centers back in but could not come up with the contact info?

Bitchin Camaro, Graeme!:worship:

Thanks Bruce

I'm really excited to finally be working on this car again. It should keep me out of trouble during the winter months. Speaking of which...we're supposed to get a healthy dump of snow here tonight as a storm comes down from the north tonight.

And then there's all of you guys in the land of the blazing sun. :BruceRocks:

I was in SoCal this weekend...where it was as hot as it was in AZ...at least until Sunday! Glad it's starting to cool down here.

Looking forward to your updates:headbang:

These were done at least 5 years ago, probably longer. The centers were separated from the wheel rechromed and then reassembled.

They can actually take the centers out and rechrome the wheels? I wouldn't have thought that this could be done. I figured that they would have to be chromed as one piece. You guys continue to amaze me. What would something like that cost?

I'm not sure that I'm going to need the wheels chromed now. I went into my storage building a few days ago and noticed that one of my 15X4s was missing. Seems that my dad met a guy and loaned it to him to see how it looked on his car. I don't know if I'll be getting that wheel back. Dad had never met this guy before and I don't know anything about him. Maybe I'll get it back and maybe I won't.

Don't give me any credit for this. My contribution was putting the wheels in a box and providing my credit card number. Stockton wheel in CA did the work. I just looked it up. To cut the wheels apart, rechrome and then weld back together was $145.00 each. But that was 8 years ago. Also, I remember that there was not a guarantee that the wheels could be successfully separated, meaning that the center section could be cracked and the wheel ruined.

Finally found a great set of headers for the car thanks to Sam Scardino. They don't have any flange markings that can be seen but appear to be Cragar's from the looks of the collectors and flanges. Sam painted them white but I think I'll repaint them back to the Cragar blue using high temp paint. They'll look great on the Camaro for sure.

https://preview.ibb.co/jPDBmG/IMG_4599.jpg
https://preview.ibb.co/hsoGLb/IMG_4600.jpg
https://preview.ibb.co/nqG8Yw/IMG_4602.jpg
https://preview.ibb.co/kuzHRG/IMG_4605.jpg

Glad to hear that worked out for you. Sammy has some cool stuff. I like the Cragar blue look. Keep us posted!

I used the VHT blue paint on my Ford tractor exhaust manifold.

At first it looked purplish but when it got hot and hence cured it turned into the correct color blue.

I'll have to look at that VHT paint to see how the blue compares to the original Cragar color. I saw another one from KBS Coatings called flame blue but the cured finish is pretty bright by the looks of it?

Also need to find the correct reddish/orange to paint the Lakewood roll bar and this NMW drive shaft loop that's coming from another member. Looks like I have some painting to get done before winter sets in here.

https://preview.ibb.co/naHwGG/IMG_7272.jpg

https://image.ibb.co/kYgHTw/full_346...9_cimg1636.jpg

Graeme...get 'er done! :)

Graeme is planning his work and working his plan! Well done with some great Day-2 parts.

I had a set of NOS Cragar Hot Pipes headers for a Mustang and the color while not exact was very close. I threw the tractor exhaust manifold into a oven at 450 degrees the 3 time intervals VHT recommended and a year later the manifold still look like new on the tractor.

When I first painted them it appeared bright blue-purpelish but after curing the color toned down and went more Cragar HP blue.

Found a local guy who'll Ceramic Coat the Cragar headers using Cerakote in a color called Blue Titanium. Isn't an exact match to the Cragar blue but is very close and will withstand 1800 degree temps. I'll post some pics of the headers once they are tuned up, have a couple dimples removed and are coated in ceramic. Here's the color on some gun stock for comparison with the old Cragar headers ad.

https://madcustomcoating.com/wp-cont...R-set-copy.jpg

https://image.ibb.co/gagtiw/oldheade...ps574ea8db.jpg

Color in the Cragar ad is not even close to original Cragar blue nor is the heat proof coating.

Here is the actual NOS pipes.
As I said the VHT is the very closest match to the blue once it is cured.

Dave,is there a white primer undercoat on those?

I'm glad you posted that picture Dave as I never knew the originals were that shade of blue. Cerakote does have other blue coatings so I will look to see if they have one closer to that one. I would paint them using high heat paint but even with good prep work, it doesn't usually last and doesn't protect like ceramic does with its insulating values. If I can match the color in ceramic I'll do that. If not then I'll spray them using VHT.

I do want to match the right color. Thanks again for that picture. :)

No, just blue paint.

Give me a day or two and I will post pics of my tractor manifold I painted with VHT

This Z is really turning out super nice. I can't wait to see it completed. It really gets me in the mood to start on our 69 Black Z. But it will have to wait. We are booked for next year.

Thanks Ken. I think I know the black car you have there? :Can-I-Have-It:

I'm having a lot of fun with this Green car and trust it'll be a fine 69 when it's all done. I did hit the local fall swap meet on the weekend and found a nice set of old Competition 692 Turbo Mufflers to go with the headers I got from Sam. Motor is being finished up next week and I should have it on the run stand very soon. I think I am done amassing all of the Day II parts now and should start to update some pics of the cars assembly soon.

https://preview.ibb.co/fb7UwG/IMG_7298.jpg