Matt's 30th Anniversary Coupe Build

[Mattimous]

Starting my first factory five build after a few years of thinking about it. 30th Anniversary Coupe ordered May 2025, picked up June 2025.
Now with boating season and coaching season wrapped up I can work on the build a little more.
Build Specs:
Blueprint LS376 with T56 and IRS
Power Steering, A/C

Sold one of my dream cars this spring so the email for the 30th anniversary caught my attention and I had to pull the trigger.
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[burchfieldb]

Congrats! I noticed you said you sold one of your dream cars, what else do you have in the stable?

[ASL67]

Good luck, looking forward to following your build

[JimStone]

Congrats!

Good to see you start a build thread. Being a new builder as well, having others review my work has helped catch some things I missed or screwed up . Lots of knowledgeable people here.

Enjoy!

[Mattimous]

Thanks, only other cars in the stable are just my daily winter beater, and a Ram 3500. The barn space is shared with my boat though.

[Mattimous]

Some pictures from the build space
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Brought back some memories on safety wiring
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Front Brakes and Suspension were done in July/August, I did take advice from the forum and used Moog tie rod ends with Energy Suspension boots. Overall front suspension and brakes went together smooth with no issues. Only part that wasnt as easy as expected was getting the snap ring to seat on the hat for the shocks
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[Mattimous]

Rear suspension and diff went in fairly smooth, I didnt seem to have issues as others have had.
Fuel tank was pretty straightforward, I did mount the wrong sending unit at first since the EFI components were in a different box... whoops!
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Test fitting panels as all the black anodized panels do not ship installed on the frame
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Driver and passenger fooxbox were first perminant panels to install
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I added a peel and stick sound deadener/heatshield to the panels.
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I followed several recommendations from the forum on using the NRG hub and quick release. I did opt for a slightly smaller diameter steering wheel from NRG instead of using the leather one provided.
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[Mattimous]

Second weekend of November I had a couple people swing over and assisted with installing the Engine/trans and it seemed to go in pretty smooth with a 2 Ton engine hoist and leveler
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The transmission was a little tight near the shifter so like others with the T56 I had to modify and mount the crossmember under the frame mount instead of on top. I did catch another whoopsie as I initially had the mount upside down (I assumed it was symmetric, it is not) the driveshaft angles were off
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All fixed
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I also needed to grind some of the frame away as it was hitting on the transmission and I felt like any flex from the engine mounts and trans mounts would cause trouble here
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[460.465USMC]

Welcome aboard, sir! Very cool to see a 30th anniversary Coupe build thread. Also, fun to see a bowtie motor. You're moving right along.

[Lugnut Mark]

Can you provide the link to the NRG hub and steering wheel please … I don’t want to buy the wrong one …. Thanks

[Mattimous]

Hi Mark, apologies for the delayed response, was tied up over the past week.

Here is the hub adapter...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYTL28CH?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_4&th=1

Here is the quick release...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0027V2VJS?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_3&th=1

And here is the wheel I decided on...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GMACN2?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_2

[Mattimous]

I ended up having to change the driveshaft out for a shorter driveshaft as the one my kit came with was pushing too much on the rear seal...
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All fixed with new driveshaft...
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After engine installation I noticed the bellhousing was sitting well below the frame...
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I saw on various other builds people cut the section off so I did the same. It turned out better than I was expecting. I used a 4.5" cutoff wheel on my angle grinder and got as close as I felt comfortable to the pan.
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The bellhousing was still sitting a little low for my liking, so I ordered some 3/8" engine mount shims from summit. I needed to drill a hole in the shims for the alignment pin but they seemed to work as I wanted...
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It still does sit a little low, but think I will have to live with it... I may end up making some form of skid plates or sacrificial pieces to bolt to the frame.
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[Mattimous]

For the T56 shifter I sat in the car and closed my eyes and placed my right hand where I felt like the shifter should be. From there I measured the height and layback I wanted to have. I didnt find the exact dimensions I wanted but found a Hurst that was close. It sits about 2" taller than I wanted but the layback is spot on. After installing and trying it out I think I will like it. It doesnt seem to have long throws for as high up as it appears to sit.
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[Mattimous]

I began work on the wiring harness, removing all the conduit on the front, rear, and dash chassis harness. I wanted the harness to be tailored to the vehicle. I removed unnecessary sections of the harness and began laying it out. I ended up having to add/modify the front chassis harness as the drivers side was a little short for how I wanted it.
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I did mount my fuse block above the drivers left knee. I also made little brackets to help support the panel mount from flexing
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[Mattimous]

In order to figure out routing things in the engine bay I placed the headers on the engine. Drivers side went in real smooth. Passenger side I found a mistake I made. The dipstick tube needed to be pulled out to put the header on. The problem was the dipstick tube was between the motor mount and the engine, so I had to lift the motor to remove the mount and the dipstick tube. I taped over the tube hole and reinstalled mounts and engine, I will either bend the dipstick tubing around the outside of engine mounts or look for an alternative tube.
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I was able to mock up the power steering lines. I played around with them quite a bit to find a path I liked...
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I planned out the radiator hose routing and cut the tubing to length. That lower radiator hose is quite a tight fit. I found using vaseline made the connections go smoother but the lower hose is still very tight at the radiator.
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I finished off the weekend by making the last section of hose I needed for my fuel system (from the regulator to the fuel rails).
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[edwardb]

Nice progress. Congrats on a 30th Anniversary Coupe. We love our Coupe, even though it's an old-timer on the road for five seasons now. :p I'm not familiar with that particular engine, but that's still a lot of pan hanging below the frame. The Coupe ends up with a pretty low ride height. Otherwise the gap at the top of the wheel openings can get a little large. Any chance for a lower profile pan? (Again, not being familiar with what you have.) Shimming the engine is an option. But not that much. The header/side pipe alignment will get messed up plus at some point you run out of height under the hood. One other observation from your pics. How close is the top of your transmission shifter to the underside of the tunnel frame? Looks really close.

[Lugnut Mark]

Thank you sir !

[Mattimous]

Hi Paul, thanks for the feedback and checking in. Looks like I have about 3/8" from top of the shifter bolts to the diagonal cross frame, I think this should be sufficient? As far as oil pan goes, I did get the low profile oil pan from blueprint engines. This oil pan looks to have same depth dimension as several low profile at 5.46", I will browse around summit and see if there is one that could get me any more clearance. I did go out to the car and realized the above picture was from before I installed the engine shims. Looks like I have about 1/4" to 3/8" below the frame at the lowest point as it sits now.

[Sharris2]

Congrats at moving along quickily; what's your 1 of 30 number? I've got #10 of 30 and picked up my kit middle of August. Not as far along as you as I'm missing some panels that are holding me up!
Scott

[Mattimous]

Hi Scott, I am #4

[Morrisett]

Moving right along! I am #11 on the coupes… also missing a few panel but other than that make slow but steady progress.

[edwardb]

Hi Paul, thanks for the feedback and checking in. Looks like I have about 3/8" from top of the shifter bolts to the diagonal cross frame, I think this should be sufficient? As far as oil pan goes, I did get the low profile oil pan from blueprint engines. This oil pan looks to have same depth dimension as several low profile at 5.46", I will browse around summit and see if there is one that could get me any more clearance. I did go out to the car and realized the above picture was from before I installed the engine shims. Looks like I have about 1/4" to 3/8" below the frame at the lowest point as it sits now.

3/8" of clearance from the cross frame is fine. It looked much closer in the pictures so said something. But pictures can be deceiving. 7.5 inches oil pan depth is kind of the rule of thumb for these builds. But that's for engines that I'm familiar with, e.g. SBF, Coyote, etc. That's what I have on mine (Coyote with a Moroso pan) and it's basically flush with the frame. But, not sure if that's the same for your engine. 5.46" is really low and maybe the measurement is from a different place. But if that's the low profile as Blueprint says, may not be much more you can do. 1/4" - 3/8" isn't the end of the world. Just have to be really careful. Speed bumps I've found are the biggest hazard.

[JimStone]

I couldn't really tell from the photos, but are you using the C6 Corvette oil pan? It has a depth of 4.85 inches:


https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222320&d=1764681081

Here's a link to the part numbers

https://www.improvedracing.com/c6-corvette-ls2-ls3-wet-sump-oil-pan-dimensions?srsltid=AfmBOorsj4eYPai9LG-CajGHj1hQ26aN2Gwf3V6AwIKMbQb18mjxHJRH

You need the pickup tube, but the windage tray you have works.


With the C6 pan, I am flush or slightly above the frame rail. And Im'm not using engine mount spacers

[Mattimous]

I appreciate you reviewing and the insight provided, always welcome!

[Mattimous]

Thanks for sharing this oil pan, I may have to look into changing this out if it saves me just over 1/2". This is the one I have...
https://blueprintengines.com/products/ls-oil-pan-swap-kit-low-profile-oil-pan-kit-for-hotrod-muscle-car-engine-swap?srsltid=AfmBOorPXfsCx8G2fPrDThuWdwK-TZLpEF0cKcH2PIDGSFeTMluzMw1_
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[JimStone]

Yeah, unfortunately that pan that Blueprint provides doesn't really work.


I knew about the C6 version thanks to Lewma / Mark.

He had the same pan as you from Blueprint initially. Here are his before/after shots with the Blueprint pan and then the C6 pan

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222324&d=1764685213


https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222323&d=1764685213




Unfortunately, the OEM pan is quite expensive for a cast aluminum unit (~$500).

I took a chance and bought this aftermarket version when it was on sale for $160. https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Compatible-Chevrolet-Corvette-2005-2013/dp/B09KNF6R18?pd_rd_w=xox3C&content-id=amzn1.sym.d835d594-8c58-45a9-b057-50d11603f9e9&pf_rd_p=d835d594-8c58-45a9-b057-50d11603f9e9&pf_rd_r=E9D79K9AVT75Y019PX8D&pd_rd_wg=9Lnq3&pd_rd_r=43f83bdb-978e-4f74-97f4-a370e7ab5dad&pd_rd_i=B09KNF6R18&psc=1&ref_=pd_basp_m_rpt_ba_s_2_sc

I was very pleased with the quality. The casting looked flawless. I did get a Fel-Pro gasket and ARP oil pan bolts to replace the ones that came with that kit

[Jeff Kleiner]

For those of you playing at home make note that the " 7.5 inches oil pan depth is kind of the rule of thumb for these builds" comment only applies to small block Fords. LS engines, Coyotes and Godzillas have a deep skirt block which extends past the crankshaft centerline so a 7.5" deep pan on any of those will be too low and extend beyond the frame rails.

Jeff

[Mattimous]

Thanks for passing along, I will have a look. I am usually skeptical of parts where I dont recognize the brand name (especially going on an engine this pricey) but doesnt look like there is much in stock or available from a brand name.

[edwardb]

For those of you playing at home make note that the " 7.5 inches oil pan depth is kind of the rule of thumb for these builds" comment only applies to small block Fords. LS engines, Coyotes and Godzillas have a deep skirt block which extends past the crankshaft centerline so a 7.5" deep pan on any of those will be too low and extend beyond the frame rails.

Jeff

Correct. The low profile pans I've used for SBF (Milidon and Moroso) in fact were 7.5". The Moroso 20570 I've used on several Coyote builds is listed by Moroso as 4-3/8". https://www.moroso.com/ford-5-0-modular-cobra-replica20570/. I should not have included the Coyote in my 7.5" mention or made it sound like a general recommendation. As I said, I have no personal experience with anything else. I put an aftermarket pan in my LS3 Truck build. But that was for clearance to the PS pump. Not specifically low profile because it had lots of ground clearance. More and more I'm backing off posting on anything but my own build threads. No guarantee I'll get everything right there either. But will be the best I can based on my direct experience with my build. I'll leave it at that.

[Mattimous]

Paul, your wisdom and experience are always welcome and greatly appreciated on my build!

[Mattimous]

Working on the cooling system mounting options. For minimal hose used and routing I would like to mount the coolant pressure tank here and overflow tank here...
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It might be a concern if motor mounts wear and engine flexes quite a bit on the mounts, Is there much rotation caused by the motor mounts flexing?
Another option would be to move the overflow tank to a different position...
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Does any of these location stand out to be an issue from anyone that is further along in the build process?
Another mounting option is shown below but requires the most hose and routing...
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Not sure if the pressure tank sits too high in this position either. In the previous position It would sit about here height...
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Thanks in advance...

[JimStone]

Before you finalize your coolant tank positions, also mock up where the AC drier will mount. It usually is also put over there on the passenger's side.

And remember the wheel well aluminum panel. I'd mock that up too so nothing hits.

Another thing, think about how your air intake tube will run. That may eliminate one of those front angles mounting spots. I don't see a battery in your pics, so take that into consideration because intake/air filter will need to clear that.



Here's how mine ended up (I don't have AC hoses yet in this pic). I took a lot of cues for tank placement from Mark/Lewma.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=221842&d=1763674031

[PNWTim]

This is good stuff, thanks for sharing.

[Mattimous]

Thanks for the suggestion and sharing your install Jim. I am not in a rush to mount them so I think I will take your suggestion and mock up the A/C temporarily as well as battery and Air cleaner. What air cleaner did you use? I bought the blueprint engines one but I think I will have to modify it or use something different.

[JimStone]

Thanks for the suggestion and sharing your install Jim. I am not in a rush to mount them so I think I will take your suggestion and mock up the A/C temporarily as well as battery and Air cleaner. What air cleaner did you use? I bought the blueprint engines one but I think I will have to modify it or use something different.


I'm using a "custom made" air intake. Only after trying a few off Summit Racing that didn't fit right.

I bought this 4 inch aluminum tube and cut the ends to fit how I wanted . https://www.amazon.com/ETL-INDUSTRIES-Aluminum-Universal-Intercooler/dp/B0BPHHM1TC?pd_rd_w=X0u0j&content-id=amzn1.sym.d835d594-8c58-45a9-b057-50d11603f9e9&pf_rd_p=d835d594-8c58-45a9-b057-50d11603f9e9&pf_rd_r=09ED8TZ9JN1HQGPXSW8N&pd_rd_wg=iroh8&pd_rd_r=b8ec1df0-1c94-4d96-bd6f-cbc01c0d7a8d&pd_rd_i=B0BPHHM1TC&psc=1&ref_=pd_basp_m_rpt_ba_s_6_sc

Used this K&N filter. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/KNN-RU-5296

This coupler. https://www.amazon.com/Spectre-Performance-Black-Intake-Coupler/dp/B001OMK53K?pd_rd_w=AziQ8&content-id=amzn1.sym.d835d594-8c58-45a9-b057-50d11603f9e9&pf_rd_p=d835d594-8c58-45a9-b057-50d11603f9e9&pf_rd_r=KME0CPCHJ0DDC3MBB91Z&pd_rd_wg=lXWL2&pd_rd_r=58fc7b8a-50fa-45a2-9bf0-de1800f3b3bd&pd_rd_i=B001OMK53K&psc=1&ref_=pd_basp_m_rpt_ba_s_4_sc

These T-bolt clamps ( not necessary , but I prefer them to worm clamps) https://www.amazon.com/gp/your-account/order-details/ref=basp_order_details?orderID=114-1713702-3846647




However, I'm not using the Blueprint ECM that requires a MAF sensor a certain distance down the air intake tube before the throttle body. So I didn't have to worry about how to incorporate that sensor. I'm using a Holley Terminator X that uses a MAP sensor that I tapped into the intake manifold. No MAF

[Mattimous]

Hi Jim, thanks for sharing how you did it. My blueprint LS376 came with the Holley terminator X, I would have to double check but I dont recall seeing that I had a MAF sensor. I know I have a MAT sensor I will have to add to intake somehow but dont recall seeing the MAP sensor. My instructions also have a statement that the terminator X is already tuned for the engine and not to following the tuning procedures for the Holley. Maybe I will have to do some analysis this weekend if weather cooperates (suppose to be quite cold this weekend).

[JimStone]

Hi Jim, thanks for sharing how you did it. My blueprint LS376 came with the Holley terminator X, I would have to double check but I dont recall seeing that I had a MAF sensor. I know I have a MAT sensor I will have to add to intake somehow but dont recall seeing the MAP sensor. My instructions also have a statement that the terminator X is already tuned for the engine and not to following the tuning procedures for the Holley. Maybe I will have to do some analysis this weekend if weather cooperates (suppose to be quite cold this weekend).


You're right. I misspoke earlier, it is the MAT sensor that has to be tapped into the intake. The MAP sensor should already be there in the intake, on the passenger side right after the throttle body. It came with my Blueprint LS. I can't remember if I had to buy the MAT sensor




Here is a picture of the two sensors (and the PCV return). It was the lower sensor, MAT, that I tapped

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222807&d=1765602598

[Mattimous]

I put working on the cooling system aside for the time being and worked on more panels at the rear of the car. A little cold over the weekend so I only ran heater briefly one of the days.
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Question I have... can I drill all aluminum panels without the body? or on the panels specified should I wait to drill them until the body is attached?
I came across this thread but I am unsure if the intent is to not permanent mount the panels, or to not even drill them yet...
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?41910-Aluminium-Panels-needed-prior-to-Body-Fit

[cravej]

I assumed that I needed to drill all of the aluminum, but wait to install some of the side pieces until after the body is on.

I ended up with the same formula of putting an LS376 into an anniversary coupe.

-Jeff

[Mattimous]

Jeff, Nice looking setup

[Mattimous]

Not much work going on the car with the holidays taking up my time. I worked on the rear wire harness a little bit and added in the two wires for the reverse lockout solenoid. Also worked on the under dash wiring a little bit by drilling some of the holes for pass through wiring.
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I mounted the battery in position along with the air cleaner. I ended up modifying the blueprint universal air intake kit to get it to fit like this. I may still add a support bracket onto the filter.
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On another note, FedEx dropped off this package from FFR...
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Of course this sidetracked my work on the HVAC system as I had to give them a test fit...
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Working on the HVAC system and decided to order some different and additional ends to make the system easier to install and work on. I ordered a new A/C condenser from Vintage Air that others have ordered as my supplied condenser was too tight in the front end. I also ordered some various 45 and inline ports for the hi and lo A/C line connections.