A History of the Blue Demon (Page 12/17) Fierochic88 AUG 10, 09:02 AM quote Originally posted by GPickardt: Wish I would have gotten the chance to meet your dad, it would have been great to talk "shop" with him. Good thing we have Matt to keep us up to geek speed though! Not every car is as nice as yours, but this is a great example of how it brings people together to share their passion in building these cars together. I look forward to many more opportunities to share your dads memories with the community. That's what it is really about - the community! Project Blue Demon wouldn't be special if it didn't include how it all came together, that is what really matters. We can certainly take pride in the work we have done but even more important, we are doing it together and having fun along the way. We are definitely excited for the next Jim Gilbert Memorial Build ;-) and everything else to come! Fierochic88 AUG 10, 09:04 AM quote Originally posted by Trinten: Really awesome to see you documenting the history of your car and family adventures this way. Also pretty awesome how much all of you managed to get done yourself - and done so well! Thanks for taking the time to type all this up and dig up accompanying pictures, spanning decades!! Not many people could do that. I was lucky that I wrote down a lot at the time - and now, it's a little easier since we are working in fairly present day! Thanks for the compliments Vince, it means a lot! fierojunky AUG 10, 03:52 PM Really enjoyed reading through this. Will continue to follow along. The Blue Demon was always one of favorite notchbacks. I missed its Carlisle dedut in 2002 because of my wedding preparations. I believe I was at the show in 2001 fieroless and in 2003 with my white 87 coupe. I received third place for high mileage stock notchback in 2003. I thought I remembered seeing the Blue Demon in person then, and if my memory is correct, the weather that year was so miserable alot of time was spent in the car and not socializing. Fierochic88 AUG 10, 09:12 PM quote Originally posted by fierojunky: Really enjoyed reading through this. Will continue to follow along. The Blue Demon was always one of favorite notchbacks. I missed its Carlisle dedut in 2002 because of my wedding preparations. I believe I was at the show in 2001 fieroless and in 2003 with my white 87 coupe. I received third place for high mileage stock notchback in 2003. I thought I remembered seeing the Blue Demon in person then, and if my memory is correct, the weather that year was so miserable alot of time was spent in the car and not socializing. Yes, I do believe 2003 was crappy weather. It seems like every other year back then it rained! Fortunately, we are at GM Nationals now and the weather is usually a little better although it is hot. I hope you are able to keep up momentum on your project and join us next year! I'm cheering you on! Fierochic88 AUG 11, 07:04 PM By early January, the initial engine build was coming together. There were 2 false starts on which engine we had planned to use. The castaways weren’t bad engines, but ultimately a better option for the project came along. The engine would ultimately come from a 2006 Impala whose short lifetime led to a low-mileage engine for this swap. One of the first major decisions I had to make was what type of intake would go on this build. The initial inspiration, aka Gary’s car, had an LS2 intake with a GTO engine cover. This didn’t look bad to me; however, it didn’t quite fit the vision I had for the car. I spent quite a bit of time looking at engine covers and toyed with one that might fit the Pontiac Racing theme but still couldn’t settle on something I loved. I also had hoped we could relocate the coil packs and get blanked valve covers so covering them up did not seem necessary. Another thought was the TSP Velocity intake but aesthetically (yes, yes, I know) this also did not really hold my attention. While most of the world was glued to the television on January 6, I was on the phone with Gary making an important decision. He had recently come across Brian Tooley Racing’s mid-range Equalizer intake. This was an option that he had not previously paired with an LS4 and it had several appealing features including a cathedral-port style mid-rise intake for better airflow which translated to increased mid-range horsepower. While horsepower wasn’t the driving force of this build, who doesn’t like a little more umph? The intake also had some options for MAP placement that worked well for the build and aesthetically fit my vision more than the other options. Matt and Gary kept me in the loop on other decisions, including the choice of the LSXceleration Stage 2.1 NSR Cam (218/227 .523/.523 HR112+3) which allowed for the use of the full 58x conversion paired with the E38 computer out of a 2008 Corvette. This setup is coupled with an LS2 timing chain cover. The LS2 Throttle Body was also brought in as part of the build. The galley was upgraded to include GM Performance LS7 Lifters and lifter trays with full DOD delete. As winter moved along, I knew I was in good hands but I was beginning to get anxious. Our initial plan was to get the old engine out by February so we could begin the necessary engine bay modifications; however, a cold winter coupled with a slow-moving garage insulation project kept pushing the window back. Fierochic88 AUG 12, 10:31 PM Finally, by the end of March, the insulation was in and it was time to get rolling. Matt was simultaneously doing a rebuild on his SD4 (because two engines at once is always better right?) so that was pulled first and then it was transitioned onto a roller cradle to be moved into the Blue Demon's parking spot while the Demon occupied the main work bay. As the time to pull the engine approached, I was dealing with some conflicting emotions. By now if you'd read this whole thread, you know that this began as a father-daughter project. I was excited about the LS4 and it now being a husband-wife-friends project but I was sad about pulling the 3.4L that I did with my dad. Since he passed away last July, he would not directly be a part of this build but he was on my mind each and every day that we worked on the car. I made a series of videos if anyone wants to see them documenting some thoughts on this phase of the process: Before the "Last" 3.4L Start Thoughts Before the Key Turn Getting It Rolling After taking the car outside and getting the Indy moved over, Matt ended up pulling the Demon in. While I know he will say he won't miss the 3.4L at all, I'm sure it was bittersweet for him too. The Final Drive Fierochic88 AUG 15, 10:15 PM Engine removal here has become a pretty quick task...although the Gilbert-Goss record with 3 people is right around 30 minutes, we weren't in a rush to complete this task. Despite the car's reputation, it went pretty smoothly: The next step would be to remove the decklid to begin work on prepping the compartment and hinges. Thankfully, one of Matt's friends stopped by just in time as the decklid with the whaletail was a little heavy. fiero go fast AUG 19, 12:59 PM Great write up so far Jen! I look forward to reading the rest. This actually caused me to sign onto the forum, which I probably haven't been on for 10 years. I'll need to start perusing again. Fierochic88 AUG 19, 09:30 PM quote Originally posted by fiero go fast: Great write up so far Jen! I look forward to reading the rest. This actually caused me to sign onto the forum, which I probably haven't been on for 10 years. I'll need to start perusing again. I love that ;-) We would love to have you more regularly!! Fierochic88 AUG 19, 09:36 PM With the car draped, removal of the engine compartment's "pieces parts" began. This was mainly my task as Matt was meanwhile engineering other things...