In limbo. Sorting out intermediary tasks and waiting for ordered parts to arrive.

Although the car is taking longer than initially expected to finish, the passing time has given me a new perspective. I can’t hide the fact that I’m anxious to have the swap completed, but at the same time I’m comforted by having the luxury of busying myself with other aspects of life while the work […]

As the weeks slide by, I can feel my anticipations and anxieties starting to swell. I am having to consciously suppress images of myself terrorizing the streets of the Bay Area with tire smoking abandon, for that time is not yet ready. Nonetheless, progress can’t be rushed and the waiting should hopefully help make the […]

Both the front subframe/engine and rear subframe/differential are installed. Work is now focusing on the smaller items on the to-do list. This portion is all detail-oriented and deservedly requires the most time due to its inherent tediousness. Here is a snippet of some of the progress that has been recently made, as this swap creeps […]

Getting close! All the major parts are in, like this custom length aluminum 3.5″ driveshaft from none other than The Driveshaft Shop. We had to place priority on getting the front and rear subframes prepared and ready for mock up in order to take the measurement for the driveshaft. I then placed the order immediately […]

While work is continued on the car, here is a mid-week update to tide things over. When ordering the MGW Short Shifter, I opted for a threaded lever in a M12x1.75 rather than the regular slotted style lever for Camaros. The stock Mazda threading is a finer M10x1.25. The different lever threading meant I had […]

The hectic pacing of the project has slowed down going into the third and fourth weeks. Much of the heavy lifting has been accomplished and the focus has turned to the intermediary steps and other details. The engine and rear end were mocked up onto the car so measurements for the new driveshaft could be […]

With the rear subframe dismounted from the car to fit the new 8.8 components, Marcus took the time to weld on reinforcement plates. These were included with the Samberg kit but required additional refinement for a more perfect install. The original plan was to use rubber/polyethylene differential mount bushings, but in the end they were […]

I had the mounting components from Samberg powdercoated in Red, taking inspiration from Ducati trellis frames. If I’m going to have the entire front subframe changed out, I want it to be recognizable with a bit of flash appeal. Marcus also redid and straightened the Wilwood clutch master cylinder pushrod, which Hinson modified to be […]

The swap is steaming along and Marcus has made a lot of headway within the first week. I asked him to take pictures for me as he went, so I could update about the project here. So here’s a rundown of the work completed thus far… Pulling off the powerplant frame (PPF) and rear differential. I’m […]

Due to the magnitude of the swap, I decided I would leave the car to a shop. I take pride in doing most of my own work. I have a far greater degree of control and attention to detail when I’m doing everything myself. However, I simply do not have the bandwidth right now in […]

To prioritize making sure the wiring for the swap is done cleanly, I purchased a standalone LS3 harness from PSIConversion. This should help consolidate the fuse boxes and allow for a simpler install. The plan is to obviate redundant fuses and relays from the chassis harness and tuck the rest. The provided convoluted tubing was too […]