Hey everyone we are back on. Watch as we get the LS/350Z aligned and tuned. Follow us here: Batlground Live
LS6 350Z: Sleep is a luxury and highly overrated.
After an eventful Friday into Saturday work night, trying to get the LS/Z together and running, anyone who was watching via live broadcast is probably wondering what happened? Well I can tell you at about 4 a.m. saturday morning the car started and ran.
We spent about an hour longer on the car before the starter took a dump and we were dead in the water. We accomplished our goal of getting the car running but we fell short of our goal of getting the car to the event. Dan drove his 240 instead and tore it up just the same.
Yesterday saw us work on it a bit more and get a few of the bugs figured out. Today we are going to live broadcast again when we get the car on the dyno. We are aiming for a 4-5 p.m. broadcast time. Stay tuned this week as we continue to get the LS/Z together.
Batlground is live!
Ever wonder what it looks like when we are scrambling to get a car together? Even seen Brandon in action when he gets mad and throws a temper tantrum? Watch us work on the LS/Z right now! Follow the link here, or search Batltracy on justin.tv
LS6 350Z: Do or Die Time.
Please visit Batlground Motorsports gallery for more pictures of this build.
Day 5 is here and the only thing we have left is everything. Dan spent over 12 hours yesterday getting all the plumbing done. We had hoped for more like 4-5 hours. Considering what had to be done though maybe we were a little too optimistic. With the power steering, brake, fuel, and accusump lines all being made from scratch-its not hard to understand why it took a lot longer. With that being said todays list still includes the exhaust, mounting the seat/harness, installing the wiring harness, mounting the battery, getting the alignment done, mounting the Moton reservoirs, start it up, and tune it. There are plenty of other small things that will pop up too. Hopefully this evening will bring a positive update and a sweet sound bite or video.
Bullrun Episode 3 tonight!!! Let the games begin!
Let me first start by saying….HOLY CRAP! Last weeks night run was a doosie. Not only did we drive into the wee hours of the morning, but Team Wu was at it again with the sign stealing!!! Since it was like 4 am when we finally arrived at the final check point (don’t quote me on the time—it all kind of blends together at this point) there was no one in town to ask where the freaking place was. So the only thing we had to do was search for headlights in the distance. It only made sense that the only people awake in that town were the cast and crew of Bullrun. Anyhow, I thought it was a pretty run of the mill episode aside from the fantastic challenge. When we saw that in person, we were all very awe struck. All 3 teams did an amazing job, but I think Corvette gets the award for most interesting.
Here is a behind the scenes video of the challenge. I think they will be doing one of these videos each week, so keep an eye out if you enjoy them.
and that brings us to episode 3 where I can be quoted as saying, “You trying to call me a liar….trying to make me look dumb??!!!”
This is the time where, as they say on the Real World, people stop being polite and start getting real….real freaking ugly, real freaking fast. This is also the episode where everyone starts to really play the game. We are all starting to catch on to the fact that being sneaky might be the only way to win. Especially with the Wu’s in our presence.
First of all, the heat is insane! I have no idea why when I packed to go on the show I packed almost all winter clothes. Oh I remember why, they told us to pack winter clothes! They must have given us the paperwork from last seasons show. WTF do I know?? I have no idea what the weather is like where we were going and I hate more than anything to be cold. The thing I hate next most is being so hot that I could have sworn I was in hell. During filming at Mojave, I actually got so dehydrated that I passed out on the set. I have never felt like that before and was super embarrassed. The good thing was that as soon as it happened—it was over. Some wet towels and some Gatorade did the trick and I was back on the set in like 20 minutes. I need to give a big thanks to Bill Goldberg for being so concerned for me while it was all going on. He actually carried me off set. Everyone always asks me what I think of Bill in real life. I think he is awesome and very down to Earth. That’s real talk.
Secondly (yes there was a first of all), 2 girls in a car or extended amounts of time getting to be a little bit tough. Don’t get me wrong, Emilie is a super duper chick. It’s just that maybe I am getting a little home sick at this point. I was starting to feel all alone at this point and even kind of alienated. I am so used to having Dan by my side for everything and I didn’t really know Emilie all that well. People talk junk about me just about everywhere I go. I am very well aware of that and expect it at this point. It’s just that I usually have Dan there to tell me it’s ok and to forget about everyone because he knows what time it really is. My personality is wild and hard to deal with and I always bank on the fact that Dan knows where I am coming from at least. Out here being myself was probably a little much for the cast to deal with….especially Emilie! Oh well! At least it will make for good TV and gossip, right? LOL.
Anyways, tune in tonight! This might be the best episode yet. Remember I will be live broadcasting tonight and every Thursday at 10pm est as Bullrun airs at Justin.TV/Batltracy
Sneak Peek of tonights episode.
LS6 350Z: Run them H-O-S-E! Lay that (exhaust) pipe!
As always you can visit our gallery to check out more pictures of this build and all of our other projects.
Day 4 is under way and the LS/Z just left the shop. Dan is bringing the car to Andy at Performance Hose Distributing to get all of the power steering lines and fittings installed. Since this is a completely custom job-a custom kit must be made. Yesterday saw some tasks take a little longer than expected, so a little extra time was spent last night to try and catch up. Dan modified the fuel cell for the return and breather hoses, he also got the headers installed so we can get the flex sections and “X” pipe installed. Once those are installed we can make the turn downs and the exhaust will be complete. Justin finished the harness and it looks great. Its really amazing how few wires there are once you cut out all the non-essentials. The accusump is going to be a little more of a pain in the rear than we hoped. According to most amateur organization rules and all professional rules-the accusump and all of the hoses associated with it, that are exposed inside the cockpit of the vehicle, must be contained in a secondary firewall. It makes sense because you are going to have hot oil running inside of the car. If you were to hit a wall, another car, or even flip upside down you could possibly have a nice bath in 200 degree oil. Anyone up for some deep fried Dan? So we are going to move it into the engine compartment for an easier installation.
Once Dan gets back with the car, we can get it on the lift and make some significant progress. We will bust out the alignment machine and get it real close to perfect. Later we will take it to Gran Turismo East to have Kieran and the guys there make sure it is perfect. The major goal for tonight is to get the car started. Once it is cranked we can check for any leaks in all of the plumbing, and hear how she sounds for the first time. Maybe I can even get a sound bite or video! At any rate, time is getting short and we have to buckle down to finish the job.
LS6 350Z: Its the detail work that makes the difference. That or it will kill you.
Visit Our Gallery for All the Build Pictures here: Batlground 350z Gallery
Yesterday saw some crucial work get completed. Justin is working feverishly to complete the wiring harness and is but a mere half dozen wires away from wrapping it up. Dan completed the custom tension rods for the front suspension, got the radiator mounted, installed the throttle cable, and buttoned up a lot of small things. The exhaust parts showed up as well, we had ordered a couple flex sections and an “X” pipe. Todays list of tasks includes: Modify the thermostat housing, mounting the Moton reservoirs, mount the fuel filter, modify the fuel cell for return line and breather, mount accusump, install Earls firewall fittings.
LS6 350Z: A month of work in a weeks time.
Full gallery of the progress here: Batlground LSZ Gallery
We are but 4 days away from a local drift event and the LS/Z looks far from ready. Dan has been frantically working to get the car ready enough to get some shake down runs in. The main goals for this week are to have all of the suspension components installed and aligned, power steering plumbed, exhaust fabricated, wiring harness, fuel system, and tuning.
Not only is there an event this weekend that Dan must be at, but there is another just a week away. That event presents us with a completely different set of obstacles-the car does not have any glass installed, including the windshield, as well as the doors have not been hung. We will have another article on those processes later. Stay tuned this week as I will be posting everyday on the progress, set-backs, and plain ‘ol weird stuff that happens when you have a month worth of work to finish in 1 weeks time.
EL Camino: From Fungi to BYE BYE!
Since Batlground started working on our LS 6 350 Z we have seen a steady increase in domestic car inquiries. Not just the LS power plants either, we have seen a few GM 350’s. For instance we worked on an ‘85 Chevy Monte Carlo in Dec. and we currently have a ‘78 El Camino in the shop. I don’t mind telling you this El Camino is a bit rough a first glance. It has been sitting somewhere for a long time and has an impressive science project growing on its skin. Our customer has had this car in his possession, waiting for the time and opportunity to bring it back to life. Apparently he has broken out the defibrillators and is warming them up now. When the car was dropped off the entire bed was chocked full of goodies from Summit Racing. It looked like he was a contestant on that old game show where the kids get 2 minutes to run through Toys-R-Us and grab whatever toys they can!
What We Are Going To Do
The motor had already been stripped down to the long block and only needed to be removed from the engine bay. Once we removed it you could really see the poor condition of this tired old hunk of iron. No worries! This motor is getting a complete overhaul. We are vatting (cleaning) both the block and heads, once its clean you can see the extent of the work that needs to be performed. The Block, crank and rods are getting magnifluxed-this is a procedure where you magnetize the part you are inspecting and spray on a solution that has black light reactive micronic bits of metal. Once you hit the part with the black light you will see a concentration of those bits of metal in any cracks that may be invisible to the naked eye. Once those parts pass inspection we have new pistons, valves, valve springs, and high lift cam. A new aluminum intake manifold will be installed along with a new 4 barrel carburetor. We will be re-using the shorty headers that came on the old motor as well as the Mallory high output ignition system.
Once we get the motor back from Ball Engine Service, the block and heads will be going next door to the body shop. Jeff’s Auto Restoration is going to be painting the parts before we assemble and install them. After we get done with the mechanical work, the car will be going back to Jeff’s for the paint and body work. This is a really fun project for us because it isn’t anything like we are used to. Sure we have worked on the chevy 350 before, but mostly for general maintenance services. The fact that this is a full restoration makes it unique too. Updates will follow as we transform this pack mule into another thoroughbred in the Batlground stable.
Despite set backs progress is made on the Prelude project.
After quite a few set backs in the assembly process of the Prelude project, I have made significant progress. I finally received my piston rings and all of the remaining parts from Honda. Time to get crackin’!
I was able to install all the main and rod bearings, crank, oil pump, rear main seal, file fit all the piston rings, piston and rod assembly, oil pan and baffles. Basically the entire short block is complete and ready for the head to be installed. Hopefully by the end of the day I can have the engine/tranny installed into the car.
