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Well great news this week....I finally was able to get a driveshaft locally. It appears there are still limited parts for the 1350 U Joints transmission slip yokes. I had to upgrade to the Mark Williams yoke but glad I did.
Took my first drive after setting all four coilovers, ride height and a quick alignment in the shop. Car ran great and everything performed well. Next off to the exhaust shop although the open header sound is kinda cool.
Will do. I know some are tracking several things on the build. I love the TKX Tremec transmission so far too. I didn't have to modify the tunnel and it fits nicely. Tremec did a great job with the design. I haven't pounded on it yet but will once the clutch, trans, and rear end are broke in a bit.
After further driving, I noticed that my stock throttle cable did not have enough travel to open the primaries and secondaries on the SNIPER Quadra-Jet so I had ordered a Lokar custom throttle cable and replaced the stock. I also noticed that the Holley SNIPER unit at full throttle did not fully open the secondaries vertical with the linkage that was provided. I replaced the Holley OEM linkage between the primary and secondary throttle linkages to a progressive linkage style and then adjusted it so that primary and secondary throttle plates are open vertical at full throttle cable pull. Much better!
This past Thursday I was able to trailer the car to the exhaust shop 40 mins away and get the exhaust work done. The shop was top notch and did great work. I went with 3" pipes from the 3 1/2" header collector back to Pypes Race Pro mufflers and then 2 1/2" tail pipes back to chrome Pypes trumpet tips. All in all, the system turned out great and seems to perform well. It has quite the bark at idle and then turns heads when you get on it motoring down the road.
I put the hood back on which is nice to see after waiting 2 1/2 years to get to this point and began driving the car more this weekend. I have about 35 miles on it so far and everything is working great. Had to calibrate the Dakota Digital speedometer but that was simple. Now I'm just finishing up a few small items and enjoying the car. I will post another video of the car all put together and running so people can hear the exhaust and engine sounds now.
442 on it's way to the exhaust shop..... Exhaust complete with Pypes 2 1/2" trumpet exhaust tips.... Exhaust fitment..... Exhaust fitment.....great welds and bends..... Exhaust fitment.....great welds and bends..... They did a great job on the welds and even painted everything prior to tucking everything back up into the car. Exhaust tips fitment is also very straight and level.... The car is finally back together and ready to run..... Had to re-dye the drivers side headrest. I didn't like how the dye took before. Pre-coating with the right primer is key to good paint adhesion.
The rear wheels and tires are pretty wide but fit nicely with the 5/5" backspace. Proper backspace is key on the front and rear to get everything tucked in. There aren't any clearance issues either with the rear tail pipes. The exhaust shop tightly fit them around the contours of the fuel tank and rear coilovers.
Let me know if you want more pics or have more questions. Thanks!
Thanks buddy! I was anxious to check the fit of the new cover. Just came back from another 35 mile test drive. Wiped it down and then covered it. Everything is running good and working well. Everywhere I stop...people come up to the car for a look and offer some kind comments. One guy just last week offered to fill up my fuel tank if I would just give him one ride.....Lol.
Well the air cleaner assembly was bugging me and I can't leave well-enough alone on anything.....so removed the stock single snorkel and went to a dual. Cut the snorkels down, welded on a nice leading edge, then formed and smoothed it with filler. Much better.....more symmetrical AND more intake air possibilities. Happy Friday.
Dual snorkel setup.... Used a paint pen to highlight the Oldsmobile letters. I will replace the factory breathers with two silver, high-flow breathers.
Ok....well here is the final video I promised to my watchers. This was taken this morning before I went to breakfast with some friends. This will prob be my last post since the car is done and ready for fun.
I wish everyone fun on their projects and builds. I know I have sure enjoyed this journey on my 442 build.
Thanks. I appreciate it. I have to snap one or two more pics of the air cleaner assembly and the breathers that I swapped out. I have 300 miles on it now and it's running strong. The 455 engine is strong and in charge.
Yes sir....they are Edlebrock. I have been around engine experts since I was early into my GM dealership and GM engineering days. I have worked with some of the top combustion engineers in the Country and learned from the best. My engine builder now is the best I have seen ---hands down. We took these brand new heads and worked them over to correct the deficiencies and performance gaps. At the end...these individual performance and optimization gains aggregate to a much larger number on the dyno.
July 17th, 2021, 03:27 PM
