’73 Camaro

[Hemi Killer]

Originally Posted by Scale-Master

Yeah, I've broken the 700R4 a few times too. Now it has extra clutches, the shifter has a 4th gear lockout for the track and I set the TV cable to shift at a lower RPM on the street. Been working fine for at least 18 years.

Mine is in my 06 GMC 1500. I got tired of it and built my own. Transgo HD2 shift kit, billet output shaft, Sonnax accumulators and Beast sun shell, Delco 5 pinion planets, new pump and a bunch of other stuff. 3000 rpm converter.

Have a 1 year old, so no more mods yet, but the plan is to keep in N/A 5.3 with cam, heads, etc.


I like how you made the block and pan completely different textures, looks really good.

[Scale-Master]

Despite warnings of fit issues especially since I attached the rear panel to the body, it seems to fit quite well with all the interior parts and glass temporarily installed. The firewall is a little tight to install, but once I modify the kit part to match my car it should provide a bit more wiggle room.

[Scale-Master]

The trans has been painted…

[Scale-Master]

I started making a GM HEI distributor for it and when I mocked it up on the engine block I realized I’d better check for clearance under the hood before getting too far along.

That meant I needed to first address the transmission cross member since on my car the factory one is modified and installed 180 degrees to accommodate the 700R4.
I sawed the cross member out of the subframe and filled the two holes. I drilled and pinned it for a positive fit. I also began filling in the top of the subframe with filler. (The orange one is the way the kit comes.)


After test fitting this subassembly into the body/chassis I can see it does have enough clearance and is similarly tight like the real counterpart.

[Scale-Master]

I decided to work on the front suspension since I was tinkering with the sub-frame. I installed a C4 Corvette fiberglass monoleaf set up on the real car. So to add it to the model I made a brass insert for the cross-member where the spring will be mounted.

The upper control arms and spindles are the factory GM units, but the lower control arms are special made items. I made this pair from sheet styrene.

[mrceej]

Wow lots of detailed progress since I last checked in!

[Scale-Master]

These will become the front (Koni) shocks.

Before assembling the main suspension parts to the sub-frame I figured I should make the sub-frame connectors. They are built up out of sheet styrene and brass. I also had to open the rear of the front sub-frame rails to accept them, like the real car.

[tonioseven]

Beautiful work as always!!!

[Scale-Master]

Thanks Tonio!

Might as well make the traction bars while I’m in the area… I milled the U channel stock from a stick of .125 X .25 inch styrene stock, the bars are sheet styrene. I’ll make and add the hardware later.

[Scale-Master]

I started painting some of the base colors of the chassis. The red oxide is partly visible on the real car where I stripped away the undercoating before installing the engine and trans.


The cross member on my car is bright red; ironically the instructions call out for a non-prototypical yellow for the rear sway bar, and I painted mine yellow back in the 90’s.
The engine was test fitted once more…

The rear suspension ride height is set up.

And the track is set.

[Scale-Master]

I cut the front sway bar off the lower control arm/tie rod/cross-member assembly and reshaped it to fit the new lower A-arms. I started with brass rod for the stabilizer links and will flesh them out with hardware later. I figure the yellow paint fattened up the thickness enough to approximate the 1-1/4 Suspension Techniques bar I put on the real car…

[Scale-Master]

I cleaned up the tie rod assembly that was cut off earlier and added it back to the front sub-frame and installed the steering box.

[Scale-Master]

I installed the fiberglass mono leaf front spring.

[hirg]

10 to 10!

[sbvwfanatic]

Wow. Great job on the chassis.