Sometimes you get lucky

Blaze

Blaze

The Jeeper Reaper
Joined
Aug 9, 2005
Location
Wake Forest, NC
Yesterday morning I was debating buying a 61 Pontiac Tempest wagon. My buddy tells me I need to go ahead and build my Blazer first so it isn't sitting under the storage area forever. We start bench building and are talking about a 500hp 6.2L and all this good stuff.

Then I'm watching the insurance auction and a wrecked 6-spd 2001 Camaro comes across. I think what the hell, I can make some good money on an LS1 and T56 so I buy it for $1900 out the door.

Then I look at all the pictures and notice the engine doesn't look like an LS1. I zoom in closer and realize that the car has an LS3 in it. So yeah, that's fate right there.

Gotta finish the Burb and the Chieftain gasser first, but that LS3 is going to sit on a stand waiting for the Blazer!
 
So got it in yesterday.

Has an aftermarket Ford 9", full tubular rear suspension, QA1 coilovers on all 4 corners, probably a built T56 based on all the other upgrades on the car.

I won the damn lottery, my TA is getting some upgrades!
 
only ones I have right now
 

Attachments

  • 20180718_064604.jpg
    20180718_064604.jpg
    222.6 KB · Views: 209
  • 20180717_172136.jpg
    20180717_172136.jpg
    210.5 KB · Views: 222
Do you know the extent it was flooded? Wet the floorboards flooded or over the roof?
 
Wow! With that much money and time into the car, I wonder why the owner didn't try to buy it back from the insurance company??
 
BigClay said:
Wow! With that much money and time into the car, I wonder why the owner didn't try to buy it back from the insurance company??
Click to expand...
Maybe he drowned
 
awheelterd said:
Do you know the extent it was flooded? Wet the floorboards flooded or over the roof?
Click to expand...

Floorboards from what it looks like. The seats and dash and all look clean, and the engine only has a little water in it. It looks like it probably seeped in through the rear main maybe or something like that. I'd expect it to be full of water if it flooded into it.
 
I managed to find a video of the car from 2015. 481rwhp.


I figure there is no way there is another 01 Camaro with an LS3 swap, Moser 9", coilovers, Edelbrock 90mm tb, SLP lid, and the same stereo and shift knob. :lol:
 
Blaze said:
I managed to find a video of the car from 2015. 481rwhp.


I figure there is no way there is another 01 Camaro with an LS3 swap, Moser 9", coilovers, Edelbrock 90mm tb, SLP lid, and the same stereo and shift knob. :lol:
Click to expand...

That is completely awesome, both the motor and the fact that you found it! (and I'm pretty sure that guy went to the same school of shifting that I did)
 
He was definitely rowing some gears!
 
Well, got it started last night. It is definitely a beast. It has a stuck/collapsed lifter that is making a complete racket and the clutch is almost completely fried.

I felt kind of bad about tearing the car apart, even with it being a flood title, but now it needs to come apart anyway so I don't feel bad at all. I may even clean up the LS3, throw a bigger cam in it, and stick it in my TA. I have a built 6.0L in it now, but this motor would make more power.
 
Blaze said:
Well, got it started last night. It is definitely a beast. It has a stuck/collapsed lifter that is making a complete racket and the clutch is almost completely fried.

I felt kind of bad about tearing the car apart, even with it being a flood title, but now it needs to come apart anyway so I don't feel bad at all. I may even clean up the LS3, throw a bigger cam in it, and stick it in my TA. I have a built 6.0L in it now, but this motor would make more power.
Click to expand...

MOAR POWAR! Looking forward to see where this build goes!
 
tlucier said:
MOAR POWAR! Looking forward to see where this build goes!
Click to expand...

Well, it'll be a winter project anyway. I've only had my TA back on the road for a little under a year after taking many years to build it, so want to enjoy the nice weather for a bit!
 
That’s a nice score for sure!! Mine was nowhere near as good as yours but I picked up a 1982 yota p/u last week for a spare set of axles and it had high steer on it already. It’s a rust bucket but the interior was all in good shape too. I started tearing the axles apart to rebuild them and boom, 5.29’s and aussies F&R. Not bad for a $400 parts truck lol. That video you posted tho was pretty nice find to give you an idea that it was a runnin machine in a previous life. Probably adds a bit of smile to your face knowing that.
 
Back
Top