Thread: 53 Is back from the Body Shop

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Originally Posted by 53 Chevy5

I took some pics tonight, It's a true R/S but does not have the original motor so I think I'm going to put an LS1 in it. It's from the high desert in Arizona so it's a pretty solid car, just melted by the sun.

This will be a sweet ride! Why stop at LS1? How about LS3 or LS6?? It's only money, right?...and HP! Love the split bumper. These were such a big change from the '67-'69 but can really look cool!

Lol, yea the ls1 is already is stretch with bumping up to 400 horsepower then having to get a 4 L 80 transmission and a Ford 9-inch rear end so I don't twist my Chevy 10 bolt axles off. On other days I might just stick with the 5.3 and tone it down to about 350 and spend a lot less money. The good news is I have a bit of time to figure out what I'm going to do.

We'll the 53 just clicked over to 2000 miles since we got it "finished". It's been pretty reliable for the most part. I've been fighting what seems to be a vacuum leak on the motor since the beginning and I'm pretty sure I finally found the problem. I think I have a warped intake manifold. I spare you of all the details of the events unless your really curious but I'm going to swap that out on Sat. If you remember my A/C episode from about a month or so ago with my patch job just to have A/C for a weekend, that ended tonight. I was going to give it a small shot of freon cause it wasn't cooling very well. I drove it in the shop and thought what in the world is leaking under the pickup now, it looks like 80-90. My pos vintage air condenser line decided to crack and it was leaking the nastiest A/C oil I've ever seen with a system still working. So now I'm going to fix it right. Going to a cruise night friday so that should be a good time

Sorry to hear about the condenser. What do you plan to replace ti with? A VA kit is one of the next things to get for my 40. I may have to piece things together if this is a common problem?

I think I'll be able to fix the condenser. To be fair, when I flushed the system the last time I had a terrible time getting the dryer bracket loose and I didn't put it back on. I was tired cranky sick of it and in a rush so I thought it would be fine, which it would have been if they didn't make things so darn thin these days. I'm sure they're all the same quality from the same plant. It's going to get a hose from the dryer to the condenser now. Other than that and not having a separate A/C switch for when you have no need for the compressor, like floor heat, it seems like its a good setup. I put in my own A/C switch hooked to the relay. I took off work a bit early today and switched the intake manifold. We put on 50 miles tonight, about thirty in town,and it ran perfect the whole time. Apparently the intake manifold was leaking somewhere that I couldn't find. I guess just because it's fuel injected and run by a computer doesn't mean you'll never be chasing a problem.

Getting the A/C back in shape. I flushed the evap tonight and replaced the compressor with a used one that looks like it just came out of the box. The one pale on the ground is the first flush and the other is the last flush. I wish I did more research on compressors before I committed myself to a pancake compressor. Didn't know they were a POS. If this happens again, a sanden will be pumping the freon.

I'll never forget how many of those my Dad replaced when I was a kid. My mom and grandfather loved the 80's Caddys. They had that same compressor and I bet Dad put 5-10 on the 2 Fleetwoods of Mpm's and her Dad's. Good luck with it. Hopefully that new one will live. I've heard they've upgraded everything in them lately and they are a lot better.

Yeah, I've had a few of those self destruct, too. They always seem to fill the system up with crap. Like 40, I hope the new ones are better.

The Camaro needs a turbo or turbos.........................................................................


Just sayin, that way you don't get beat by a 289..................................................................

I think I'm on the 3rd or 4th R4 compressor on the wife's 84 El Camino. n they work they work good........and then they don't .


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Well the crappy compressor may turned out to be a good thing. As I mentioned before, my condenser line cracked and I was going to try to fix it but after all the garbage in it and it also being cracked, I went to our local radiator guy and auto repair shop to get a new one. I went there to pick it up today and when I was leaving I seen an aluminum 5.3 Ls motor laying outside. Stop reverse and ask him about it. Turns out it's got a knock in it , probably spun rod and I may have to give $50 bucks for it but worst case scenario I take the good heads off of it and put them on cast truck block. My first plan with it is to rebuild it though, It will be a good start to the Camaro. For now can take it home and use it to mock up the drive line.

Originally Posted by 40FordDeluxe

The Camaro needs a turbo or turbos.........................................................................


Just sayin, that way you don't get beat by a 289..................................................................

Or a bad 305 HO...............................

Originally Posted by NTFDAY

Or a bad 305 HO...............................

Ya, I'm trying to let that whole thing go but wow, that whole thing just got worse and worse. If I get that 82 Camaro I think I'm going to yank the 305 out just so I won't be reminded of that thread every time I pop the hood

Rear sway bar question. I took the sway bar off a gen 3 trans am and It looks like it will work good if I make some mounting brackets that extend in front of the rear axle. With all the arm brackets and coil over brackets on this thing, moving the sway bar forward a bit looks like my only option. Is that an ok thing to do?

kinda like this- ish only with the eye bolt more straight than it is in the pic.