Hackster's LSA / T56 2 door
 

Well,

Its been a few years since I have been on here, lots of life changes in the past few years.

After I sold my blue car I finished building my tan f100. It has a coyote swap in it with a 6 speed and took my fabrication in chassis and suspension to a new level. Not to mention I have built lots of cool cars in the past but its the first road going car that I have really used.

I finished the truck in February of 2016, started going to Optima events and kept upgrading the truck, bigger brakes, more suspension work, sway bars, bigger wheels and tires, more pads, seats, shifter, harnesses, the list goes on and on. The truck has gotten pretty fast.

As the pilot of this bitch, I started off with the optima events back in 2016, I quickly learned that I need a lot of work as a driver. So lots and lots of instructor training programs over the next few years, lots and lots of track days all over the west coast, a few hundred auto cross runs on the truck and I have come a long ways in my opinion.

I have managed to move this old girl around the track at over 160 MPH and have had a ton of fun screwing with porsches and BMW's, new z28's and other cars I shouldnt have any chance keeping up with.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6g65nuqq.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4cdz1okh.jpg

So why back here at TB? I sold my turbo truck a few weeks back and I am looking for something that is a little lower, a little lighter, a little more power, bigger brakes, bigger tires. I want to go faster.

A few weeks back, We had a van at work that we were going to let sail off into the sunset and I ended up picking it up. 2008 6.0, not a bad start, but I just bought it to have it kicking around.

Last week we made a trip to the Portland Swapmeet and I told my buddies to keep an eye out for a good LS T56, figuring that there was no chance that we are going to run across one. Not even 45 minutes in, my buddy Chris spotted a t56, tucked away on a nice guys car trailer. A little talking, its a low mile T56 from a 2000 camaro complete with short shifter, clutch flywheel and pressure plate, picked it up for a smoking deal.

Now what to put this junk in. I love fox body mustangs, but they have a few issues, they have gone through the roof in value and they are as common as a pair of socks.

I really liked the mid 70's mavericks, but they have hardly any support and will need everything fabricated from scratch.

Novas and camaros have been beat to death and they are everywhere.

E46's are super cool but again all over the place and almost too easy. E30 was the next closest thing but I really wanted something that would stand out in a crowd at a track day or at an OPTIMA event. I dont want a c5 corvette.

So a few days of thinking and I kept coming back to the 240. They have pretty poor support from the aftermarket to be honest, but they have a pretty solid platform strut front suspension, rack and pinion, multi liknk rear suspension and a pretty solid unibody. They are pretty light and can be made pretty damn fast and have a couple of people who support them parts wise.

So a few calls later, I visited the twins (STS Machine and rounded up a few parts from them and got some parts coming from the internet and we have a project rolling.

I hopped in the truck at about 5 am yesterday and made the 10 hour trek to visit my old buddy Pat to pickup a good start.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...pszm0bvwsb.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psgbb1uucs.jpg

It was a beautiful day for a drive but man was it a long one. Just about 600 miles one way.

But I got to see my good friend Pat (Tuff240) a legend in 240's in case you dont know and pick up this gem. Well, lets not go that far. Its pretty rough, but its got no rust and was mosty complete, dont mind the interior, its a wreck.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...sc9ozutgu.jpeg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...sjuzkldab.jpeg

So we loaded it up (it doesnt run) and I was off, for the 600 mile trip back home from East of Stockton back to Eugene.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...pscewfq9ma.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psrbpls7tu.jpg

Beautiful night for a drive, but 1240 miles and 19.5 hours was a little much.

YES!!!! congrats on the new car. Can't wait to watch the build unfold

So I got it home, got it unloaded this morning and got to work. First item was to clean it out.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psdyeu56vk.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...pscsjskh5a.jpg

So with that all cleaned up, I really needed to get some progress, so up on jackstands she went and away we go. this is the start.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8rhgkk26.jpg

And we are off...

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3vxboyrm.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psstkmaque.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psvlziumnh.jpg

So with this out, we gotta get to cleaning.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psdyvvfowd.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...pspmeds9dc.jpg

Hours of scrubbing and cleaning and its looking a little better. That was a lot of work for one guy for one weekend.

I am out of town most of the week as I am most weeks now but hope to make some more progress in the next month or so.

Hope you guys enjoy the build it should be fun.

Sean

nice dude, did your garage get bigger?

I'm 99.99999% sure this is a new house

Oh man this is great!

Nice to see a new build, Sean. Always a treat.

What track did you get the truck up to 160 on? Did it get weird or anything? Crap your pants lol?

Yeah, we relocated a couple hours south of Portland last year, I am down here a few days a week and up in Portland a few days a week, you will see both places in the build thread for sure.

Thanks man, kind of fun to be back in a Volvo.

Pacific Raceways and it was actually about 165 or so. That was in 5th not even close to the rev limiter and it was still pulling good. I have gotten faster since then and so has the truck I am curious if I could hit 170 there now. It was after that I did a bunch of aero work, I added a front underbelly and splitter and it helped a lot keeping the front end down. And its not scary at all, the truck is extremely well planted and doesnt do anything weird at all. I have continued to be impressed with just how fast it is for just a 5.0.


Debating on what to do with the engine bay on this one. I know I want clean and all, but not sure I want to tear it all the way down bodywork the inner fenders, weld up all the holes and paint it. I want the outside to be ****ty looking.

I ask 5 people and get 5 different answers =)

Sean

Any thoughts yet on changes to allow bigger rubber? I’d just scrub/rough the bay and go rattle can satin black, especially if this one is going to be primarily a track rat.

As far as bigger rubber, yes. I am either going to hand fabricate metal flares and weld on or buy some bolt on JDM style flares for the car. Being around more track cars I am becoming more ok with the bolt on flares. They are easy to replace and get you reasonable tire coverage for not much money.

The rattle can just doesnt work for me. A couple of reasons, OPTIMA has a Design and Engineering part of the competition so rattle canned anything kind of looks like poop after a few days, weeks or track days.

It will either stay stock or get cleaned up and shot satin body color or possible single stage gloss. It needs to be able to be cleaned up easy. I have been surprised how well the satin tan on the engine bay of the tan truck has cleaned up.

Sean

I'm excited to see you back in the game, just read through the blue cars thread the other day, got excited when I saw your name pop up again.

Plus, this means in a few years somebody is gonna get a sweet 242 when you move on to the next project lol

Not wishing to sound too much the vulture, but that had occurred to me, also.

No reason for it to sound like a bad thing so you won't hear me disagreeing. I love building stuff and hope each build gets a little better. Life is too short to have regrets.

Parts are showing up and I hope to get some time to work on it next week.

Sean

Cool project; looking forward to following along. How does a 6.0L truck/van engine become an LSA though?

Ls3 heads and a blower

Isn't the LSA 6.2L though?

....and alum block...

Definitely looking forward to seeing this one unfold! Your work is always top-notch. Welcome back dude!

Yea it is for sure but I'll give it the name the "poor man's" lsa. Haha

:drama: Getting in line. Looking forward to the rapid progress that is surely coming soon. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

I would go back and rename the thread but I cannot edit the title.

As a clarification, I will be running a 6.0 from a 2008 pickup, iron block aluminum heads. I am running a 2010 camaro water pump, ICT Billet power steering pump mount and alternator mount, Holley 302-1 oil pan, Hooker cast exhaust manifolds (ceramic coated) LSA supercharger with CTSV top for hood clearances and adapter plates to adapt the cathedral port heads to the square port supercharger. LSA factory fuel injectors and LS9 fuel rails, this will put the fuel connections near the brake booster.

No this is not the lightest setup, no its not a real LSA, yes its a less expensive way to get good power from the 6.0 and lot of people have figured this LSA supercharger on a 6.0 and 5.3 swap out. Power should be plenty north of 500 to the wheels with this setup and all GM reliability. Ill be running the factory ECU and a custom harness for this setup.


Thanks man, its fun to be back in a Volvo.


Thanks man, I have a lot more on my plate than I did a few years ago, plus I am a little slower now after my motorcycle accident last June so progress will likely be a little bit slower than my last build threads.

I might hit you up on a few things.......curious if you have any more photos of the rear fenders if you finished them up.

Not much time to work on the little car this weekend but got a few hours in this afternoon after a quick 250 mile trip to drop off a pickup for a car event a buddy puts on.

Got the steering shaft out, master cylinder, brake lines, booster, speedo cable, clutch cable and most of the other stuff in the way.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...pss9daaqb7.jpg

This was time for a decision to be made, OEM engine bay with a bad ass engine or go full retard and start welding.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psk5acxkpc.jpg

So clearly the path has been chosen.

I have been trying to work on my sheetmetal finishing recently and this was some good practice.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3flflfbb.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...pspt7tuv8w.jpg

This work was all accomplished with very simple tools, but learning to use them better is producing better results.

I pulled the rest of the AC lines out, pulled the harness back into the cabin and finished sanding the inner fenders, its pretty empty. I still have some work to do on the firewall and the upper cowl panel, my plan is the same treatment as the rest of the engine bay.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...pss6jsiq67.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...pseb9nkb4l.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psoarmajok.jpg

Lots more work still to do on the old turd, but a little progress is nice.

I am really struggling with whether to paint the engine bay glossy or satin. I love the satin paint on the bay of the F100 and I am leaning that direction.

Thanks for following along.

Sean

Thanks for listing the parts you’ll be using, it’ll help me down the road. I know you’ve had a custom harness made before, what’s a ballpark on the cost?

Engine bay is looking good. My vote is satin....but not body color.

Would love to see a pic of the f150 engine bay