SLOWLS1's 2010 2SS Build Journal

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by SlowLS1

Yeah, it was coiled. I am happy with the end result. I did scrap a non disclosed amount of copper to get to this point.

Thanks,
John

Also,
You have a build thread on your Camaro, old or present? I'd like to see it.

OMG, this reminds me of an occurrence in a shipyard in South Texas. It wasn't my rig, but I was working over helping out, re-tubing a wellhead connector, and replacing every hose on a full BOP stack, which was about 200 hoses from 1/4 inch to 1 inch, up to 45 or so feet long... I spent days crimping connectors.... Ok, Squirrel...

So, I'm on deck in the damned hot Texas sun, running 1/4 inch stainless tubing on the connector, which is a 45,000 to 55,000 lb piece of equipment, depending on the model....
This dude walks up...
Dude: "Can you run tubing"
Me: "Uhmmm....." as I stand over a pile of new tubing, cut piece in hand, and a Swagelok bender in my other hand...
Dude: "Can you come up to the drill floor and look at a piece we need to run."
Me: "I guess, now or after break"
Dude: Can you come look at it and tell me if you can do it, and then go on break, or I gotta call someone out from Houston." (A five or so hour drive)
Me: "Ok, lets go..."
So, I walk onto the drill floor after ascending about 30 stairs, and immediately start giggling. There is a pile of cut-offs that had to be four or five 20 foot long sticks of tubing cut up and laying in a pile under the top drive. The driller looked out the window and he started laughing when he saw me, as I think he felt sorry for the guys, and he knew 1, I would get it done, and 2, these ****ers were in for a rough ride...

So, when I finally stopped giggling, he pulls out this engineering drawing, and proceeds to show me, "it originates here and...."
Me: Get them damned plans away from me, and show me on the top drive where the run originates and where it terminates.

So he points at the origination, and after I climb up on an 8 foot ladder, he tells me to "look inside the spreader plate," and I would see where it terminates.
I peek inside, and looked at him, a supervisor of a 6 man crew, and just shake my head.
Me: Seriously, that's it, and you've wasted at least a grand worth of tubing, you ought to be ashamed."
He shrugged his shoulders and said he has never had to run tubing before, but some of his crew had.
Me: "fire them assholes... If they cant do this run... Geeeeze...."

I grab my tape, determine the routing, and measure the total distance. I then ask for a piece of tubing about so many inches long, and a Swagelok bender, not one of those chicken shit Rigid benders.
"Dude: "we don't have a Swagelok bender"
Me: "go back where you found me and get mine, and don't drop it."
Dude: "You assholes get over here and learn something.
Me: Don't watch, I'm self taught and can't really explain my methods... It just works for me..."

90 Degree fitting into the external plate, run up, 90 over, 90 into the gap, 90 to the inner wall of the spreader plate, and two bends to get into the termination fitting. Total time, ten minutes.

Two days later, I'm leaving the rig, and my rig manager wont ever give me a ride to the airport in Brownsville... I'm pissed, and pacing the helideck, wondering how I'll get to the airport.

Cranelevator comes up and some guys climb off the basket, including "dude."
Me: Hey, I need a ride, you gotta car?
Dude: yup, where you want to go, Houston....

LMAO, "Yes, but I'm flying, the airport here is fine..."
So he takes me to the airport and we sit and have a couple beers... He really was appreciative he didn't have to call someone out of Houston for a six or seven foot long piece of tubing with six or eight bends... I ran into him years later on another rig... Good dude, and he had learned how to run tubing...

Sorry for the novel, but it makes me smile to think back on things, since the arseholes wont let me work anymore.

[Mr Twisty]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

.....

Sorry for the novel, but it makes me smile to think back on things, since the arseholes wont let me work anymore.

My blood pressure went up just reading it. You might think you want to go back, but the stupid would finish the job it started. My blood pressure has dropped since retirement, now I get to drive for my own pleasure.

I, for one, am glad you ain't dead yet.

[SlowLS1]

Not for the feint of heart!

Update :

Wiring and brakes are completed.
All wiring will pretty much dissappear when put back together.
Time to pull the block out and finish up the bodywork.

Thanks!
Brian

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by SlowLS1

Not for the feint of heart!

Update :

Wiring and brakes are completed.
All wiring will pretty much dissappear when put back together.
Time to pull the block out and finish up the bodywork.

Thanks!
Brian

That's awesome.... Well done....

[SlowLS1]

Motor is out. Time to finish out the firewall and finalize the bodywork work before paint.

Also means it's time to get serious about looking for a new short block.

[Ashen 6.2]

Originally Posted by SlowLS1

Motor is out. Time to finish out the firewall and finalize the bodywork work before paint.

Also means it's time to get serious about looking for a new short block.

Nice work! Looks like you have the fenders off as well? What are you thinking of doing for the short block?

[SlowLS1]

Yes, whole front end is disassembled minus the subframe.

Short block, I've been eyeballing the Dart 427 from Thompson. I should had pulled the trigger on it a while back when it was the motor of the month.

Not exactly sold on it yet and keeping my options open. I have also considered doing a stroked LS3 also.

[Ashen 6.2]

Originally Posted by SlowLS1

Yes, whole front end is disassembled minus the subframe.

Short block, I've been eyeballing the Dart 427 from Thompson. I should had pulled the trigger on it a while back when it was the motor of the month.

Not exactly sold on it yet and keeping my options open. I have also considered doing a stroked LS3 also.

Ahh nice. They build some very nice engines there.

[X-max-X]

I regret catching up in here and seeing how damn nice your brake lines are in the wiper cowl, temping to redo mine
Engine bays coming along beautifully!

[SlowLS1]

Originally Posted by X-max-X

I regret catching up in here and seeing how damn nice your brake lines are in the wiper cowl, temping to redo mine
Engine bays coming along beautifully!

That drove my OCD crazy, I scraped a moderate amount of copper till I got it the way I wanted.

BTW,

I removed the hood strut mount today. If you got any part numbers for the struts you went with, be much appreciated.

[SlowLS1]

Minor update,

Got the removable crossmember welded up and done.

Started back on finishing the bodywork, letting the dust fly!

[X-max-X]

Originally Posted by SlowLS1

That drove my OCD crazy, I scraped a moderate amount of copper till I got it the way I wanted.

BTW,

I removed the hood strut mount today. If you got any part numbers for the struts you went with, be much appreciated.

The struts I have are 15 inches and I believe 30 pound pressures (my hood is carbon fiber)
I think if I redo them, going to look into maybe 13 inch struts so I can shorten my brackets, or even just replace that one fender bolt with a strut stud. The ebay seller is called "strut-your-stuff-here"

[SlowLS1]

Thanks for the info sir!

[Mr Twisty]

I don't envy the body work under gloss black, but the end result should really pop!