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I picked this car up last November. I've always wanted an A-body and before this car I had never seen an F85 around where I live. Its a mostly original except for a poorly done respray and it was switched to a 4 speed on the floor. 2 weeks after picking it up it went off to paint. The paint work was compensation for a LS swap wiring job and other work on a friends 69 chevelle. I've had the car back since April and have begun modifications and repairs. Here are the before pictures.
When it came back from paint I got started on the brakes/wheels/tires/interior. New C5 Brakes Front brakes before New C5 front brakes Rear seat before Rear seat after New lower door panel carpet Seats and carpet back in New molded carpet Test fitting wheels Test fitting front wheels
Wow! That’s gorgeous. Is it a f-85 deluxe? Base?
I’ve see door panels that have a top and bottom stripe...but not a top stripe and bottom carpet pad.
Is that the original upholstery?
Does the rear have the simple cross bars? I see it has the shorty hood spear.
Lookin great! Could be my sister car in Lucerne blue.
-peter
Wow! That’s gorgeous. Is it a f-85 deluxe? Base?
I’ve see door panels that have a top and bottom stripe...but not a top stripe and bottom carpet pad.
Is that the original upholstery?
Does the rear have the simple cross bars? I see it has the shorty hood spear.
Lookin great! Could be my sister car in Lucerne blue.
-peter
I think this was a base model car. 330 v8 2bbl with a 3 speed on the column. I added the door panel carpet to cover some deterioration on the bottoms. With that I was able to save the original door panels and keep more of the turquoise on the inside of the car. So you're correct these door panels did not come this way it was just the most cost effective way to save them.
I think you should run those aluminum slots. Those are a badass set you had on the car.
Those wheels may have looked good but the size and backspacing wasn't quite right. The rears were 14x9 with 4.5" backspacing or something like that and they rubbed the inner fenders. Also when switching to 13" brakes in the front those wheels wouldn't clear the brakes.
Here are some updates from last winter. crossover installed crossover pipe finished. when you have a band saw and mandrel bends are pricey turbo manifold progress....not pretty but functional drivers manifold beginning the turbo manifold pic of trans fitment underneath Shifter hole location with new AR5 transmission hydraulic clutch conversion for AR5 transmission first test fit Clearance issue for turbo drain in Holley oil pan Engine bay prepped and painted Home rebuilt 300k mile L33 with sloppy stage 3 cam
That's is REALLY nice fab work. If I ever would do it again I would buy another 64-65 F-85 "post car" and learn how to do an LS turbo conversion...Just not in my future forecast anymore. Great job.
Insane! Can’t wait to see the finished product and hear about the performance.
After some trial and error the car put down 575whp/600ftlbs at 13.5 psi on 93 octane. If switched to E85 it could make more but on the street it's not useable. At this point I've put on over 10k miles this year driving it all over the place including a 1k mile roundtrip to Detroit and back. It's been pretty damn reliable...after I broke the first transmission and replaced it with a lower mileage one.
What trans is that? I read through the thread but didnt see it listed.
It's an AR5 from a chevy colorado 4cyl pickup truck. It's basically a redesigned toyota R154. There is a guy that makes an adapter kit to use a 4l60 bellhousing. These transmissions have held to over 900whp.
Thats great to hear you've been up and running. The HP levels are insane.
Get it to the track!!! I want to see some real #'s!
-peter
I had it at the track once so far. It went 12.98 @ 108 launching at 2k-2.5k rpm (no launch control at that time). The car weighs 3850 with a full tank of gas and me in it.
It's an AR5 from a chevy colorado 4cyl pickup truck. It's basically a redesigned toyota R154. There is a guy that makes an adapter kit to use a 4l60 bellhousing. These transmissions have held to over 900whp.
Whats the hydraulic clutch setup? I am doing a 64 cutlass right now and am looking to convert it from a factory auto car to a hydraulic manual car.
I had it at the track once so far. It went 12.98 @ 108 launching at 2k-2.5k rpm (no launch control at that time). The car weighs 3850 with a full tank of gas and me in it.
Wow. I think there's a LOT left on the table. With that kinda power I would have suspected low/mid 11's.
And even high 10's are might be possible.
Do you have a pic of your ET slip?
I would expect that its a 2.2x 60ft thats destroying your overall ET.
Whats the hydraulic clutch setup? I am doing a 64 cutlass right now and am looking to convert it from a factory auto car to a hydraulic manual car.
I used a hydraulic conversion bracket for a 1st gen Camaro made by Detroit Speed and then a clutch master from a 4th gen camaro. I welded a tab on my existing clutch pedal. The clutch slave is from a Colorado. I had to swap fittings on the master and slave to use a -3an line.
Wow. I think there's a LOT left on the table. With that kinda power I would have suspected low/mid 11's.
And even high 10's are might be possible.
Do you have a pic of your ET slip?
I would expect that its a 2.2x 60ft thats destroying your overall ET.
-peter
Yes I agree! I was gun shy at the track because I broke third gear in the first trans I had in it this year so I wanted to be able to drive it home. 60ft times were like 2.3-2.5 or something terrible I know but there is only 11” wide street tires on the back. I was also having problems controlling boost. It kept spiking and hitting boost cut. Hopefully I’ll have it back next year with some drag radials and better suspension. I would also like to shed a few pounds off the chassis.
Yes I agree! I was gun shy at the track because I broke third gear in the first trans I had in it this year so I wanted to be able to drive it home. 60ft times were like 2.3-2.5 or something terrible I know but there is only 11” wide street tires on the back. I was also having problems controlling boost. It kept spiking and hitting boost cut. Hopefully I’ll have it back next year with some drag radials and better suspension. I would also like to shed a few pounds off the chassis.
Good luck! I think that thing will hustle, even at that weight. I'm at 3900.
Just watch out with the drag radials. They're a "dead hook" tire...meaning they don't spin into traction. They hook hard.
You can definitely start finding out the weakest point of your drivetrain with them.
-peter
May 12th, 2020, 06:54 AM
