[I apologize that I had a failure in links to my pictures that caused all my pics to disappear in all my posts across the land (here, CF, everywhere).
I will start a new conversation when I get the car back from having roll cage installed. Will be painted by Christmas.]
Hello all!
I've sent a few notes about my project car on different forums but I think it is far enough along to start a formal thread as things really start to get interesting. I will build this a bit at a time. Please be patient as I get the pics installed and bring you up to speed.
To begin:
I bought a very clean-looking 71 BB convertible early last year. It was represented as numbers matching, restored car, Keisler 5 speed, everything in the car redone pretty much stem to stern. The car was in such good shape (I thought) that I recommended that Andy Bolig do an article on the car which he did in Corvette Enthusiast October 2008 Issue entitled Blue Monsoon.
I did a lot of work to make the car right. Got all the vacuum stuff to work, horn, replaced side windows, complete new key set, some minor paint stuff, mostly little stuff to bring the car up to snuff.
On the way to BG (10 miles from my house) the shifter pin sheared off, leaving us only with 4th gear so back to the house it went. The Keisler had to come out. They repaired it for my shipping costs only but said besides a Tremec design fault, the tranny hadn't been installed properly.
While waiting for that to be done, I noticed an oil leak at the back of the motor. Off came the oil pan, rear main, and I discovered that the rear bearing was scored right down to the copper. Ditto the main.
So out of the car the motor came.
When disassembled, we discovered that many of the name brand parts claimed to be in the motor weren't there and what was there instead were no-name Chinese parts. The cam gear had been improperly installed and had machined its way into the front of the block, sending metal shavings throughout the motor, so much that the oil filter bypass was stuck open and other parts were starting to go.
While block was repairable, I didn't want to take that project on so began to conspire to build an entirely new car with a lot of support from my friends.
I'm member of an awesome non-car-club group of guys and ladies who make the trek every year from Houston to BG for the Cruise-in. The NW Houston Vette-Rods Group. Many great folks. A number of really good mechanics and many with ideas about how others should spend their money.
I planned to get a new 454 block, bore it out to a 496 like the motor I'd taken out but ended up with encouragement building a 555 cu inch motor. Dart block, Dart heads, Callies cam, SRP pistons, etc etc. Will print up a parts list at some point.
Great mechanics at G&G Performance here in Texas did the work on the block and heads.
>> Picture of Joe and his guys
The motor has been spec'd and built by non other than The Great Temptor Jim Moore. What a labor of love. He has been the point man for working with manufacturers to get the parts we need; from time to time he sends me a shopping list and I go to work on Summit Racing to pull them all together.
First purchase was 555 insignia for the hood...then I was committed!
Some pictures of the Great Temptor himself, Mr Jim Moore in his secret laboratory (his car in the background)
These are all rough, don't have final valve covers, carburetor and is setup for dyno testing of several different cam combinations, carb and intake combinations which we intend will be a magazine article.
I asked the great Temptor if the Keisler would hold up with 700+hp at the crank and he laughed and said "yes for a while." So now a Son of Tranzilla 6 speed sits in a crate in my garage waiting to be installed.
I then asked the Temptor if the stock rear end would hold up and once again he said with a smile "yes for a while." So through Chad at FL Speed Unlimited I arranged to buy a Tom's rear end, offset trailing arms, upgraded 4180 half shafts, new springs, a whole lot of stout stuff. We are in the middle of installing the rear now and should be finished within the next week or so.
In the meantime, I have added Hydroboost power brakes, installed new proportioning valve and Hurst roll control.
I stripped out the entire vacuum system and replace headlight controls with electric actuators (Thanks to Chris McDonald).
Okay that's it for now. Will get pics installed in the next night or so then continue on.
Back to you soon.
Doug
I will start a new conversation when I get the car back from having roll cage installed. Will be painted by Christmas.]
Hello all!
I've sent a few notes about my project car on different forums but I think it is far enough along to start a formal thread as things really start to get interesting. I will build this a bit at a time. Please be patient as I get the pics installed and bring you up to speed.
To begin:
I bought a very clean-looking 71 BB convertible early last year. It was represented as numbers matching, restored car, Keisler 5 speed, everything in the car redone pretty much stem to stern. The car was in such good shape (I thought) that I recommended that Andy Bolig do an article on the car which he did in Corvette Enthusiast October 2008 Issue entitled Blue Monsoon.
I did a lot of work to make the car right. Got all the vacuum stuff to work, horn, replaced side windows, complete new key set, some minor paint stuff, mostly little stuff to bring the car up to snuff.
On the way to BG (10 miles from my house) the shifter pin sheared off, leaving us only with 4th gear so back to the house it went. The Keisler had to come out. They repaired it for my shipping costs only but said besides a Tremec design fault, the tranny hadn't been installed properly.
While waiting for that to be done, I noticed an oil leak at the back of the motor. Off came the oil pan, rear main, and I discovered that the rear bearing was scored right down to the copper. Ditto the main.
So out of the car the motor came.
When disassembled, we discovered that many of the name brand parts claimed to be in the motor weren't there and what was there instead were no-name Chinese parts. The cam gear had been improperly installed and had machined its way into the front of the block, sending metal shavings throughout the motor, so much that the oil filter bypass was stuck open and other parts were starting to go.
While block was repairable, I didn't want to take that project on so began to conspire to build an entirely new car with a lot of support from my friends.
I'm member of an awesome non-car-club group of guys and ladies who make the trek every year from Houston to BG for the Cruise-in. The NW Houston Vette-Rods Group. Many great folks. A number of really good mechanics and many with ideas about how others should spend their money.
I planned to get a new 454 block, bore it out to a 496 like the motor I'd taken out but ended up with encouragement building a 555 cu inch motor. Dart block, Dart heads, Callies cam, SRP pistons, etc etc. Will print up a parts list at some point.
Great mechanics at G&G Performance here in Texas did the work on the block and heads.
>> Picture of Joe and his guys
The motor has been spec'd and built by non other than The Great Temptor Jim Moore. What a labor of love. He has been the point man for working with manufacturers to get the parts we need; from time to time he sends me a shopping list and I go to work on Summit Racing to pull them all together.
First purchase was 555 insignia for the hood...then I was committed!
Some pictures of the Great Temptor himself, Mr Jim Moore in his secret laboratory (his car in the background)
These are all rough, don't have final valve covers, carburetor and is setup for dyno testing of several different cam combinations, carb and intake combinations which we intend will be a magazine article.
I asked the great Temptor if the Keisler would hold up with 700+hp at the crank and he laughed and said "yes for a while." So now a Son of Tranzilla 6 speed sits in a crate in my garage waiting to be installed.
I then asked the Temptor if the stock rear end would hold up and once again he said with a smile "yes for a while." So through Chad at FL Speed Unlimited I arranged to buy a Tom's rear end, offset trailing arms, upgraded 4180 half shafts, new springs, a whole lot of stout stuff. We are in the middle of installing the rear now and should be finished within the next week or so.
In the meantime, I have added Hydroboost power brakes, installed new proportioning valve and Hurst roll control.
I stripped out the entire vacuum system and replace headlight controls with electric actuators (Thanks to Chris McDonald).
Okay that's it for now. Will get pics installed in the next night or so then continue on.
Back to you soon.
Doug
Last edited:
arty: 
