Work was measurably amped up during the past couple of weeks to push this swap through the finish line. Once the engine was started and running, attention was turned to ironing out all the minor bugs and any drivability issues. Marcus spent a good deal of time locating and silencing noises and making sure the […]

With the exhaust fabricated, attention has turned to finishing up the wiring and mounting the battery box. Marcus also redid the intake piping that came with the Samberg radiator kit and its LS7/LS3 MAF adapter. The fitment of this pipe puts it close to the hood with the LS3’s drive-by-wire throttle body, so the goal […]

FINALLY, progress. The car has admittedly been sitting mostly idle inside the shop while other matters came up. Marcus is in the process of opening another, larger shop and has likely been spending most of his time there setting it up. I know extended wait times come with the territory with these large scale projects, […]

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 […]