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  1. #1
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    Tom Glennon
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    Default My 87 IROC swapped LT1 project

    I was bored at work a few years ago and started looking for a V8 camaro manual with T-Tops, a project that was running/driving, something that might need a paint job and some new parts, maybe some TLC. Well what I fell for was my 87 IROC. It has the T-Tops, and the T5, but it had a '74 350 from truck and it wasnt running well so it was cheap. I picked her up in march of '13 in Milwaukee on a Sunday. The car was originally a loaded red IROC, 305 TPI, T5, power everything, but she needed a lot more than just TLC.

    A few pictures of the first day in the garage.






    Last edited by 87IROCLT1; 12-21-2016 at 10:17 AM.

  2. #2
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    Default

    After lots of deliberation i decided to return the car to fuel injection, and as its my first swap didnt want the added hassles of the LSx platform. A few short days later, I think about a week I found a guy selling a full LT1 pull out from a 94 caddy fleetwood. I picked up the engine, harness and PCM for a song, and then flipped the 350 that came with the car for almost what I had into the LT1. Not a bad deal in my eyes and I decided the car needed to be fuel injected. Over the next few weeks I tore into the LT1, it had good compression by hand cranking it when I picked it up, but I still wanted the peace of mind. So I started bagging and tagging everything, and the harness needed to get reworked so it all had to come off.

    After all the stuff was out of the way, I spent quite a bit of time with the wire wheel on a drill cleaning the block, knocking off the rust and grime. Then painted it chevy orange, Im a sucker for Chevy orange.




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  4. #3
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    Default

    Then came the real fun part, I pulled the old motor and decided it was time to clean out the engine bay, and of course that stretched to the underside, and the chassis and as usual everything else. We all fall into that problem, well im doing XYZ and its easier to ABC while Im in there.... The body was super clean, kinda, just a few spots of rust, but grimy, dirty, and needed a good cleaning. Nothing a pressure washer, a wire wheel and some elbow grease couldnt take care of-

    Once it was all clean it all got a few coats of rustoleum satin black, after all I wanted to learn how to paint a car with this project....






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  6. #4
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    Default

    then of course I had to see how the cleaned up LT1 looked in there


  7. #5
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    Default

    Once the harness was broken down enough to run, and wired to the dash to monitor everything it was time to try. She primed the fuel pump with the first click of the key, and fired on the second try, once I found the clutch switch and made sure it was depressed. Mine you, this was through open headers as I had yet to invest in the exhaust system, and I hadnt bled the coolant system yet. So it ran for about 5 minutes before I shut her down, but everything worked great. She ran, and ran great.

    This signaled the green light to tear into everything else. It was time to get the rest of the suspension tightened up and get her ready for paint. So out came the interior, off came the hatch, and the windshield, Ill admit i got a little carried away. Fall was closing in and I thought i might be able to get the first coat of primer on. I was sorely mistaken, but at least I was on my way for the next spring. In the mean time I got the interior pulled and found that nasty smell, and even first sanding done before the winter hit in Chicago. And if anyone remembers the winter of 2013/2014 around here it was nasty, so I didnt spend much time out in the garage.






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  9. #6
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    Default

    I also picked up a rear end from a 1998 SS. Had to upgrade the brakes and it needed a rebuild, so it gave me a chance to clean it up, POR15 it, and rebuild the calipers. Caliper rebuild kits are so cheap if you have time and know the cylinders are ok, its really easy.

    Also got the calipers for the front end swap as well.



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  11. #7
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    Default

    That fall I scored an LT1 style T56 from craigslist, and added it to the swap. Too much hemming and hawing about the T5 holding up, i figured let someone else decide if they wanted to risk it. I scoured the bay, the classifieds here, and craigs for the parts i needed to complete the swap. I had already bought a T5 Pro-5.0 shifter and the nice people let me trade it in for the T56 version. So I spent a few week nights getting everything cleaned up for the install. I sent the tailhousing out for the speedo cable mod to make sure everything worked right.

    I also spent too much time looking at Rockauto and amazon and found all new suspension and steering parts, moog tie-rod ends, center link, ball joints, bushings (all of them) end links, tokico illumina struts, and eibach pro-kit, Koni rears, and a spohn pan hard rod, all of these parts were just sitting waiting for the right day to install them all.

    Heres a few pictures of all the goodies.



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  13. #8
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    Default

    So the big install day finally came in late Feb, turned up the heater and called in some help, it was a long day, but my dad, brother, brother in law and I got the T56 in and mounted, the new rear end in place, and the whole front end in place. I still had some loose ends to tie up, but it was a long day.

    Heres a few pictures of the new stuff installed

    I also had picked up a set of very well work chrome ZR1's, but after looking for a good powdercoating place, I found that I should go another direction. I picked up a set of machined 17 C5 deep dish wheels and love them.




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  15. #9
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    Default

    Also over the winter, I recovered the seats with the help from a member on another forum. Man she does great work. The seat covers were of excellent quality and with her instruction they went right on.


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  17. #10
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    Default

    The first pictures of the car out in spring of 2014, you can see where some of the bondo work started. Now it was time to get this car painted. And yes, I know the drivers side is sitting way too high, the spring wasnt seated in the pocket correctly, that was fixed later.



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