All progress has stopped on the Morris. I purchased a 1997 Taurus SHO and have been parting it out. That's taken alot of my time. Other influences have taken alot of my time as well. My house is one. Anyway..... I could probably use a little time away from the project so I can build up steam and determination to jump back into it.

 

The Morris has returned home. After installing the engine it is just too heavy to move around Joaquin's place and there is no room to store it. Since I live about 60 miles away, I will have to load it on my trailer and transport it back and forth when I want to work on it at Joaquin's shop. However, since it is at home I will be able to get some work done that does not require additional help.

 

We worked on the placement of the engine. I also purchased some Heddman Headers for the LS-1. They are a block hugger design. I was rather disappointed with the design and quality of the headers. It was decided that they are not the best choice for my application. They cost about $250 from Jeg's and I returned them. The motor mounts still are not finalized but they are tack welded. I brought the fibreglass front end and test fit it. It will need significant work to fit properly, but overall it should be fine.

 

It's been nearly 3 months since I've done any real work on the Morris... just no time. But today we were able to test fit the engine, mock up some mounts and start a whole new set of questions. The engine sits in the vehicle very well. Leg room will be sparse. We could not determine the final placement for the engine without the front clip because we do not know the clearances for the radiator and fan. I'm tired and my back hurts....

 

 

 

Next time for the Morris is building engine mounts.

 

Here it is. "How to retro-fit a Gen 3 Chevy Small Block into and older vehicle with a carburetor" all in one box. Pretty sweet. The intake and ignition controller include mounts for throttle and transmission linkages. This intake is designed for a power range from 1500-6000rpm. The little 5.7L LS1 should run quite nicely. The Edelbrock carb is a Performer Series with electric choke. It's rated at 600cfm. I'm not looking to build a power monster, just a cruiser... and somewhat of a gas miser.

 

The LS1 engine and 4L60E trans arrived. I am not using the 4L60E because it requires computer control. The controller is $1000. Same goes for the LS1. I am going to use Edelbrock's LS1 Performer carburetor intake and ignition system. This costs about $700 without the carb. It includes linkage for a 700R4 trans which makes it great for retrofits.

 

Now to build some mounts!

 

I've purchased a Camaro SS drivetrain with 17,000 miles. I'm just waiting for it to arrive!!

 

We finished the wishbone locator. It required much trial and error. Many times we know exactly what needs to be done, but rarely know or have the correct tools to get the job done.... so trial and error. As was the case with this part. It's all welded together, but there are some finishing touches to be done, like added reinforcement. It does work, though.

 

So, instead of using a simple panhard bar, I decided I liked the "wishbone" locator much better. It does not have the assymetrical lateral movement of a panhard bar. The wishbone pivots the rear axle along the centerline of the chassis. Back to the Jeg's catalog. In the past I puchased Jeg's in house products as they tend to be less expensive and nearly identical to the name brands (Competition Engineering, etc.), but this time I wasn't going to "cheap out". The Jeg's product was partially constructed, but for my application I needed a complete "do it yourself" kit to custom fit into the Morris. Competition Eng. was the only make I found that offered one. $115 for the setup. It's well made, the mounting tabs are cut more precisely than the Jeg's stuff I purchased in the past.

 

The kit seemed rather simple, but lemme tell ya... it's was a f#$%ing b!tch to build. The tube notcher I purchased over a year ago is a piece of junk. 10 hours of labor and we are only half way done! Next weekend we should be able to complete it.

 

I'm looking for an engine!