9/15/10
This is startling: I’m going to sell the car.
I HATE doing this. I still have the 348 engine up on the rack. I need flywheel bots and I’m ready to go. But I’m out of money, and I HAVE to sell SOMETHING or lose everything. The dually has not moved, nor the Buick. So I am out of vehicles to sell, save the Impala. I just so resent having to do this. It should be the easiest to sell and bring the most. I’m looking to start at $45K, but I have a feeling this is going to go at around $34-36K.

9/16/10
Randy and I got the flywheel on today after he picked up some ARP bolts at Hawaii Racing on his way in today. In my phone call to ARP to verify torque specs, it was noted that I should chamfer the bolt holes to remove any possibility of cutting the back of the bolt head and the consequent failure therefrom. I did so, cinched it up, and tried mounting my Hi-Torque starter. No go. The mounting plate doesn’t align. I’ll just buy an AutoZone replacement starter (guaranteed for life) and do that.
We found two sets of exhaust manifolds, and after messing with one set, decided to use the other. I need to get 6 studs to attach the exhaust donuts and piping, and buy a set of exhaust gaskets.
The engine needs a thermostat housing and stat, coil, plug wires, and the oil filler tube in front. I have a dual stage fuel pump, although the electric in the car should work fine.
I bought some time ago a draft tube adapter which directs the blow-by tube at the rear into the air cleaner. It’s a pretty stainless steel setup, cost about $75, and is at the moment hiding somewhere.
I’ll probably just rent a cherry picker as the rear lift is loaded.
But some progress has been made, and we’re close to getting it in. I’ll spray the manifolds with high temp gray, and mount them, along with the engine mounts.

10/21/10
Randy is coming tomorrow to help with the install. I haven’t touched the manifolds yet, but that should be a very short deal. I’ll need to find some exhaust gaskets somewhere. Perhaps this will require another trip out to Hawaii racing.
This is all putting lipstick on a corpse if you will. But I look at the Impala as a love child who will now go out in the world and help pay for my life and my effort.

10/23/10
It turns out NOT putting on the exhaust manifolds was a GOOD thing. It took us over half a day to get the motor in. It was a maddening fight of you can’t go here because this can’t move there, etc. I made a dress up plate to cover the wiring harness hole in the firewall (looks good), and I will address numerous other little holes by gluing shouldered screws into those holes for air and heat sealing.
Randy was massively helpful on the top side. I spent most of the day UNDER the car doing mount bolts, torque converter bolts, bellhousing bolts, jacks, etc. This is OF COURSE why I have TWO lifts, both of which couldn’t be used at this time for this task. Whatever, the motor is in, and now I can address the electrical, linkages, wiring, fuel lines, air cleaner element, etc. But a big HOORAY for getting it in, and getting ONE more thing off the garage floor. In the aftermath, I tightened up the caster mountings on the engine dollies. I don’t know if the LS-1 motors can use this side mount bolt on units. So I’ll probably sell this pair off for pennies.
I’ll get the AC completed once all else is done.

10/27/10
I will endeavor to commence some work on the Impala tomorrow. I can easily move the Buick out, and roll it back for some access. The garage is approaching having some aisle room, although not quite there yet. But it is clear enough to work on the car.
I need to first get a starter, decide on an alternator, get some bracketing for that alternator, get an AC pump from AirMec (and bracket), and start setting up the belt system.
The fuel pump can be handled with a regulator, and no manual pump.
I need to START on it. I will probably address the throttle linkage and trans kick-down first, as they are there.

11/2/10
I did not need to purchase the fan clutch, as I have one here.
The starter I purchased is WAY wrong.
The thermostat housing should be in tomorrow.
The exhaust gaskets are due then as well.
I need to get an oil fill tube and cap, draft tube, etc.
Kelly and I should start on it tomorrow.

12/1/10
The water pump pulley has become a major obstacle. maybe 3704172
Call 409 Bob and see what he knows.
Try Richard Mark (good luck there).
Jack just figured out:
There are two balancers are 6”, one with shoulder, one doesn’t. Passenger car normally has no shoulder (about 3/8”). He has these in his junk box.
Crank diameter = 1.24”. May have wrong balancer.
Jack says nearly NO water pump pulleys are available, save for some HUGELY expensive rarities.
Paragon corvette 800-882-4688 (Mary Beth looking, will call me back) sells top pulleys for water pump-maybe smaller diameter. The offset will be key, of course.
Impala Bob’s 866-572-4389 in Arizona for pulleys:
AutoCity 763-444-5880.
There is a serpentine system available-Summit.
Vintage Air 8008626658 has a front runner setup 174048 for $2100.
Vintage:
compressor bracket $91-15409VCB
Alternator 15812VCB-$91
Alan Grove Components 913-837-4368
Bruce @ Dr 409/ShowCars 507-233-1958 is being quite helpful. He has brackets for 348-409 power steering pump bracket will work with my power steering pump and alternator bracket. He has a deep grove lower pulley, and a third pulley to go in front of the crank pulley to runt he power steering on a third belt. He will call me back to discuss getting proper pulleys on the three accessories. Ask about dipstick, front oil filler tube and breather cap, draft tube
A mini-GM Type 2 (small with remote reservoir) pump can use Alan Grove bracket. Keith email: tech@alangrovecomponents.com
I will email pix in a moment and see what we can do. This is quite tight and complicated. This is feeling like my Tbird engine mounting!
No answer from Keith.
Waiting on Bruce at ShowCars.

12/3/10
Bruce 507-233-1967 (direct line) sent pix and solutions to the belts. I LM for him to call regarding ordering those items and some other missing things.
Bruce called and has most of the stuff.
Short mount AC bracket-must move battery
Sanden pulley
Power steering bracket
Alternator bracket
Double lower pulley
3rd row pulley
oil filler tube and breather
draft tube assembly
plug wires
fuel pump block off plate
temp sensor
oil pressure sensor
2 radiator hose
throttle linkage rod to firewall
4259072000615459

12/18/10
The total was $809, for a single medium box of brackets, pulleys per the list above.
The power steering pump bracket kit does not quite fit, and I’ve sent Bruce pix of how it sits on my engine.
The alternator mounting looks good, and JJ and I have not yet tried the AC bracketing.
We did get the draft tube in place, and we need to use a short section of half-inch hose to make that complete.
I got another throttle rod from Carlos at BFIC, and for $40 I got the little $2 part I needed. The linkage on the center carb is binding on the spacer spring which sets the timing for the end carbs. Apparently, the front edge of this spacer spring is digging into the rod and causing it to bind. Some research on this, perhaps eliminating the spring and using something else, will be required.
I cut off the extension on the accelerator crank on the engine side (done for the previous motor), opened up the hole near the top, and we seem to have proper geometry there.
The air cleaner dilemma is apparently solved: I turned it around 180 degrees and it clears everything.
The left rear tire was getting low, so I aired up both rears. Today, one day later, the right rear was dead flat. I am hoping it was the valve extension, so I loosened it and will await the results.
JJ has been gracious and donated three days so far on the Impala. We are working well together.

12/22/10
JJ and I got the AC bracket in place. It was quite the figuring-out thing. I had to enlarge one hole (not drilled large enough for the dedicated 7/16” bolt.

But it is in, and looks good. I still cannot reach Bruce at ShowCars by phone.
I drilled and tapped the lower new hole (one of two) for the intermediate power steering pump bracket. This is a difficult and VERY slow process having to use a small wrench and extension bar to tap the hole about an 1/8th turn at a time. We’ll go at the new upper hole in the morning.
We reinstalled the alternator bracket system, and it looks fine.

The outer power steering pump bracket needed shimming in two directions. We did so, but I don’t know how this will play out. The pump we have seems not to be correct for this bracket system.

12/23/10
We need to remove the bracket on our pump to use THIS system. I found a spare pump, no bracket and no pulley, but the return hose location on the bottom is on the wrong side, so no go there. We are unable to find anyone so far to remove the pulley to allow us to remove the old bracket.
Also the #1 pump does not have a second set of mounting holes in the back, so this may be a problem as well.

As we are coming up on Christmas, this is looking difficult at best. I am still unable to get phone communication to ShowCars, and no response to my emails.
 
12/24/10
I solved the mystery of the can’t-get-through phones at ShowCars. I was dialing the wrong first three numbers, notwithstanding these were on the home page. Two messages to Bruce have gone unreturned.
Randy dropped by today, and he and John and I spent the day mousing with the power steering and alternator mountings.
on the power steering, we cannot get the pump to wrk with the bracketry. I do need to talk to Bruce before fabbing up stuff.
The alternator was mystifying. We chased around to a couple of parts stores and got a later GM 3-wire unit at Pep Boys. We first set  it on the mounts and it appeared at least ¾” back from correct. We took the thing off, put it back on, straight-edged it several more times, took it apart, measured how much a shift would entail, and just for nuts put it back on. PERFECT.
I have NO idea how this occurred. But GREAT.
I also FOUND a Sanden AC pump bracket kit in the trunk, So perhaps I can return that to ShowCars.
I do not have the pump, notwithstanding my firm belief I did indeed pay for it at AirMec. No matter, I have to buy one from Summit.

So several items appear solved, or nearly so. The power steering pump is not one of them.

12/27/10

Here is the answer to that problem. Bruce uses THIS pump, NOT the one I have, notwithstanding I sent him pictures of it in advance.
So I will send ShowCars back my extra set of AC brackets in exchange for a $150 pump. He is out of stock at the moment.
He apologized for the bracket bad fit, noting it is a GM part and they are notorious for needing shims, etc.
So JJ and I will pack up the AC bracket, work on the plug wires, change the spare tire back to the original rim (the hubcap just did not want to go on the spare rim), and do what we can for the moment.

12/29/10
We got the AC pump in about 30 HOURS from the time of order. JJ and I and Kelly set it in, and it fits fine:

This picture is the catalog shot. Ours looks the same. So now it is about getting the proper power steering pump (backordered), and getting the front end of the motor done. Once accomplished, then the clutch fan and radiator go back in. The battery gets relocated to the trunk.
There will be the repositioning of wiring to the other side for the alternator, getting the fuel pump, and ultimately the exhaust.
The air cleaner appears to fit if turned backwards to normal.