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So heads back together, had to make my own double valve spring compressor 😁😁.

Note the valve spring retainer wedge into the underside of the head.

I spent 1.5 hours looking for that mother $*#@…..heads go on to the assembled bottom end soon. Engine builder reckons it should be good for about 330 ...

So, been a bit busy and despite best plans nothing is painted. Anyway bottom end of the engine is together and I finished lapping in the valves tonight.

Some progress at least.

LM7 5.3 L LS (cast iron block) fits within the allowable CC range but you quite often see people putting 5.7L and 6.0 L LS engines. I used the weights from the sedan with the hydromatic.

Apparently some people have been known to bore the 5.3L out to 5.7L as it is the same block. I would never do ...

This afternoons job, sand back all remaining parts of the chassis and then spray some epoxy on.

Also have the block, pistons and conrods back from the machine shop.

Finally got some epoxy on some metal. I am using the resto finish product and you can use it as a high build product. I have actual rolled it on as it will be rubbed back anyway before I apply the final sealer to it. Rolling it means no need to mask anything up and stops paint going everywhere in ...

Another milestone achieved yesterday, floor pan treated for rust and ready for epoxy.

Blacky wrote: Thu Jul 31, 2025 9:28 am Dang, did you keep a track of how many hours there are in building that ?? I am guessing LOTS ......

Well if I paid myself then I would be a rich man

Exhaust finally ready for ceramic coating.

Started the port work of the heads, can’t beat YouTube tutorials.

Block and rods going to the engine shop tomorrow.

Blacky wrote: Thu Jul 17, 2025 9:53 pm they what you are going to leave on there or are these rego rims ?

For rego mate and then look for something else.

To get through engineering I need to get the correct wheel track. Easiest solution are some steel rims, 17” required for the front to clear the brakes.

Cut the centres out, repositioned for the right BS and dialled in with a dial indicator.

Happy days.

Yeah, they flow quite well as stock but a few hours with a die grinder will remove known lumps and bumps etc. Pulled the rods of the junk yard LS and the crank surface and bearings are like new, so will send the block for a bore and hone for the new bigger pistons and have some new cam bearing ...

Finished the brake lines on the diff and sourced some LS1 pistons for the LM7 327 C.I.

So, yes it will become a LS1 but for all intense purposes the block says 5.3 L. Don’t tell the engineer.

Also picked up a nice lumpy cam, double valve springs, rocker upgrade kit which should work well once I ...

Well today was a case of going backwards to go forwards. I have been stuffing around with a section of the floor which had oil canning in it for ages. It was giving me the shits, I shrunk it and then it had highs and lows. Hammer and dollied it then it oil canned again.I was going around in circles ...

So I have a sway bar sitting in the shed for the front suspension. Thanks for the input gents. I just need to fabricate some mounts to set it up.

Engine almost ready to head to the machine shop. Will be looking to increase the engine from 5.3 to 5.7, just do not tell the engineer.

Underside more ...