project 88 gxl

iTrader: (19)

this is a post to document the build of my early 78 build 79. i had a j-bridge that i got on a trade that me and my buddy dropped in, but then it turned out to have lower compression than i needed, so i decided to do a streetport on it. this project has been going on ever since i went to college in september of last year, but now that i'm taking a semester off from school, i am finishing it up. i bought it last july for 1200 as a fully stock, running car in decent shape, and shortly after, i realized that it was time for a rebuild because it had very very very low power and it was burning off way too much oil, due to the bad oil seals. here are some pics of it next to my SE. they're the only pics i have from before the project started. updates will come soon of some of the work i have done on it. enjoy.

project 88 gxl

iTrader: (19)

my buddy pulled the engine for me when i first went down to florida for college, so here's the pic of it with the engine out, and then the SE Suspension swap.







then we pulled the j bridge from the other 79 and broke it apart for a rebuild, but decided to just go streetport. here are some pics of the j bridge before being pulled and then after it was unstacked.

NCross

iTrader: (18)

How did that port not leak coolant? Rubbing compound and a few coats of wax will make that paint really shine.

project 88 gxl

iTrader: (19)

it has the j cutout on the rotor housings. yeah that is my intention for the car, as soon as i get it up and running again, i'll be waxing it til it's a nice bright red again.

project 88 gxl

iTrader: (19)

so we took an 85 block -well, plates, rotor, and housings, and we streetported them with the RB templates, and stacked it with RB carbon one piece seals. it's got really good compression considering the low compression that the carbon seals are supposed to have. i was planning on putting in the 5 letter trans with this s/p but i don't know. we have already cut out a small spot behind the shifter to make it work with the non SA trans and shifter and also make different pins for mounting the 85 trans.

project 88 gxl

iTrader: (19)

so i am waiting on my racing beat 4 puck clutch and my holley 465 to come in the mail so i decided to get some parts cleaned up and redone to try and make the engine bay a little nicer. i started with the radiatior and that metal piece that goes in front of it that covers the a/c condenser. then i worked on the crossmember for a while. i spent a TON of time trying to get the firewall and sides of engine bay clean with a toothbrush and some engine bay cleaner. it looks a little better for sure. now i'm trying to strip and sand the battery tray so i can paint it and put it all back in. here are a few pics of the "cleaning"





















there was a lot of cleaning involved. haha. but i think it paid off.

project 88 gxl

iTrader: (19)

here are some of the crossmember and engine bay

project 88 gxl

iTrader: (19)

i still haven't gotten my clutch or carb yet, so i will be doing some new interior stuff next while i keep waiting on my parts. i really only need the clutch to drop the motor in, plus i don't have the holley fuel pump installed yet, so the carb can wait... kinda. haha

djessence

oooh very nice.