Nomad C4 chassis assembly

[chevynut]

My goal was to have the engine and tranny all put together and in the chassis by the end of January. I didn't quite make that goal due to all the issues I ran into but I'm close. To get the fork to work correctly I had to take a bunch of measurements and re-adjust the fork pivot which I hope I have correct now...it didn't work right at the "standard" height. Now I have at least 1 3/4" travel at the slave end and 7/8" at the TOB end and enough room for 1/2"+ of adjustment at the slave.

I have the tranny prepped and primed with DPLF and plan to shoot the paint tomorrow. I'm going to try to get the engine and tranny in, headers modified and coated, swaybar links and all brackets powder coated, and the entire chassis done by the end of February.

[asbicca]

The exact same thing happened to me with ARP's flexplate bolts, only I din't catch it until the car was running for a couple of weeks and all of a sudden there was this terrible rattle down low. We could not figure out what was causing the noise so I pulled the engine. Once it was out it was pretty obvious when the flexplate almost fell off. Went to ARP's website and saw the same instructions, blue loctite on the threads and their torque lube under the heads of the bolts. The blister pack that the bolts came in did not have instructions but there was a small packet of their torque lube, so I just assumed that it was to be used just like the head studs and lube the threads.

[chevynut]

Went to ARP's website and saw the same instructions, blue loctite on the threads and their torque lube under the heads of the bolts. The blister pack that the bolts came in did not have instructions but there was a small packet of their torque lube, so I just assumed that it was to be used just like the head studs and lube the threads.

They must have had a lot of problems with their bolts coming loose for some reason. My flywheel bolt kit DID have an instruction sheet as I mentioned, and it said to use ARP lube on the threads and under the head. I bought them over 10 years ago. Good thing I looked at the online instructions and saw the new instructions saying to use Loctite.....I'd hate to have the flywheel come loose!

[chevynut]

Today I got the transmission unmasked and all put back together. I installed the reverse lockout which I may use, the backup light switch, detent button, drain and fill plugs, skip shift eliminator plug, speedo sensor, and a new cover for the front opening that doesn't say "Keisler 5-Speed" on it. I also installed the Hurst Billet Plus shifter base temporarily and the Energy Suspensions urethane mount. I had to make a custom tool to install a new driveshaft seal in the tailshaft since I couldn't find anything in the shop that would work.

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After assembly, I put a little grease on the pilot and installed it onto the bellhousing. It went in pretty smoothly but the dowels took a little nudging to go in all the way with the weight of the transmission on them. It sure is one heavy beast.

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Then I finished installing the spring on the clutch slave assembly.

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So I think it's ready to install in the chassis. Then I can rework the headers and get them coated, and finish my tailpipes and tips.

[WagonWonder]

Cool stuff.

[WagonCrazy]

So clean you can eat off it!

You gonna paint the slave cyl bracket and the slave housing too?

[BamaNomad]

I agree! beautiful...

CN? What is the dark gray color/paint you used on your trans?? I like it... would be a good color for the spokes on some wheels I have...

[WagonWonder]

I agree! beautiful...

CN? What is the dark gray color/paint you used on your trans?? I like it... would be a good color for the spokes on some wheels I have...

#257 "It's a GM Color called "Evoke" that was used 1 or 2 years on Pontiacs"

[chevynut]

Thanks guys. I found the color when I was looking for a gray to match my charcoal interior leather. I really like it and I think it contrasts nicely with the orange.

You gonna paint the slave cyl bracket and the slave housing too?

The slave bracket is probably going to be powdercoated silver along with my rear lower shock mounts, strut rod brackets, and front and rear swaybar links. I'm taking them down next week to get that done. The slave I'll probably paint with the cast iron paint like the balljoints and rear yokes. It'll be covered with a stainless heat shield anyhow so you can't see it.

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[chevynut]

Major milestone met today.

I de-cluttered the shop yesterday and decided to take some good pics before I installed the engine and transmission. Some of the pieces aren't powdercoated yet, but I put them on anyhow so I could get pics of the finished chassis. I got the rear swaybar partially installed but I may have an issue with it that I need to address...not sure why I didn't see it during the build.

I installed the transmission crossmember which was kind of a pain because it didn't fit the same with paint on everything, but I got it in. I guess I shouldn't try to make everything fit so tight.

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Then I dropped the engine and transmission in for the first time since I tore the car down. It was a bit of a hassle getting the 1/2" ARP engine mount bolts in and I probably should have gone to 7/16" or 12mm, but they finally went in. Considering I was doing this by myself I think it went fairly well, at least I didn't cause any damage!


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The oilpan fits over the rack perfectly and the rack lines all clear easily...that's something I wasn't sure about since it wasn't done during the build. All that's left now on the chassis is to get the parts powdercoated and install them, tie up some loose ends, tighten all the remaining bolts, and finish the exhaust. I can now also start finishing up the engine assembly by permanently attaching the intake and the accessories. I guess I have to start looking for someone to re-chrome that S&P A/C bracket .