Introducing the ZR1 Pantera, featuring the GM LS9 Crate Motor from the 2013 ZR1 Corvette.

Parts featured in the video:
- CNC Performance Parts Pantera Cable Shifter (http://cncperformanceparts.com/products/pantera-shifter/)
- SACC Restorations CV Joint Kit (http://www.saccrestorations.net/cv-half-shafts-1/)

So after a few weeks of troubleshooting, with tons of measuring and CAD drawings, we figured out what the issue was with the clutch.

We were completely off with the thought that the throw of the bearing was the issue. Our clutch only requires .375 in of throw to disengage, and we had well over .700 in of throw. After we figured that out, it was back to the drawing board to find the issue. We spent lots of time measuring the clutch and the transmission and drew both in CAD to see if we could diagnose the issue on the computer. Sure enough, after enough analysis, we figured out that the stack height within the clutch was too tall, and was arranged in a way that the second clutch disk was too thick to be completely engaged on the spline, and was rubbing on the stepped edge of the spline causing the disk to be engaged even when the clutch was depressed all the way.

The solution: we called up SPEC and discussed with their tech support and they decided that they would build us a new set of clutch disks based on our CAD drawings that would engage the splines correctly. In about 5 days, we had a new set of clutch disks sitting on our front porch, and sure enough, once we got those re-installed in the transmission, they worked like a charm!

The reason we had this issue is because of the design of the dual-disk clutch for the LS9. It was designed for the ZR1 Corvette, obviously, and the Corvette is designed with the transmission in the rear of the car with a torque tube that spans the distance between the engine and the transaxle. Because of this, they do not have to deal with the clearance issues that come with a transaxle being bolted directly to the engine.

After we got that issue fixed, we decided to go for a drive in the car before finishing up the rest of the systems.

The car drove GREAT and wow does it have a lot of power. Unfortunately, the car started to feel a little bit less powerful after driving for about 20 minutes and then we got a check engine light. We figured that it probably had something to do with the intake air temperature since the intercooler is not yet functional. After we came back to the shop we plugged in our laptop and sure enough, we had two trouble codes, Intake Air Temperature Warning Level 1 and Intake Air Temperature Warning Level 2. As expected, the intake air was getting a bit too hot for comfort so the engine started to pull timing to protect itself and threw a check engine light and trouble code. Even with that little issue, boy was it nice to drive the car after over a year of hiatus.

When we got back it was time to get some of the other items on our to-do list finished. The first thing on that list was obviously the intercooler.

Our previous design for the intercooler connections was a bit convoluted due to the space constraints between the firewall and the engine. We came up with a great new design that looks WAY better.

We also got the intercooler lines from the back of the car to the front of the car. (Also, check out all of the lines that span the length of the car! We will be constructing some nice stainless steel splash shields to protect all of our lines.

Our last tasks include finishing the connections for the intercooler to the intercooler radiator at the front of the car, constructing a new exhaust system using the LS9 exhaust manifolds (temporary until we decide to go with 180 headers), finishing the air intake system, finish the roll bar installation, upholster various interior pieces including the engine hatch cover, etc.

We are so close to having a completely functional car. With the exception of some other miscellaneous tasks that we have after our last big tasks, the car is almost done! We are aiming to have all of our tasks completed over the next 30 days to give us ample time between then and our next track event to break-in the engine and work out any bugs. We will be out at Willow Springs this March so we can track test our new beast!

Check out some additional pics below of some other things we got completed over the past two months including the installation of our new seats and roll bar.

The last two weeks have been jam packed with finishing systems. Our car is getting very close to being able to be driven. We are probably about three weeks out from having a drivable car.

Front Drive:

For the Front Drive system, we ended up having to find two custom belts due to the placement of the pulleys. For the supercharger serpentine belt, we actually had to buy a 12 rib belt, and cut it down to an 11 rib as they didn’t make the correct size that we needed in the 11 ribs. As far as we have found, the only 11 rib serpentine belt readily available, is the stock belt that is used on the LS9, which was too long for the amount of pulleys that we are using. We decided to forgo the power steering pulley and pump for easier fitment in the car. Plus, who needs power steering? Also, check out the little block that is in the pics below. While it seems little, that block is very vital for the engine to run right in our application. It is used to plug the hole where one of the emission sensors goes.

Cooling System:

For the LS9, we decided to go with all molded water tubes. You wouldn’t believe the amount of time we spent searching for different shapes, sizes, and lengths for these water tubes. We ended up ordering 6 or 7 water tubes, and 5 of them fit absolutely perfectly in the car and look like they were made for our installation. We couldn’t be any happier with the cooling system.

Here is an overview of how the flow in the cooling system goes: Radiator > Electric Water Pump > LS9 > Oil Cooler > Radiator.

For the LS9, we decided to go with a water-to-oil cooler instead of the air-to-oil cooler that we used with the LS3. (Actually, one of the only Ford parts in our engine system LOL). It should be interesting to see what the water and oil temps look like with the use of the cooler.

Oil System:

The oil system is now complete as well. As you saw in our previous post, we got the dry sump system all connected to the engine, but to finish the system, we needed to get the oil filter and oil cooler connected. In order to get the lines connected, we needed to make custom hose adapters to connect the AN style lines with the design on the oil cooler. (As a side note; it’s insane how many special adapters we have had to make to get the engine running. Thank goodness we have a machine to get all these parts pumped out quickly). We got all the braided steel lines put in and connected, and the engine is one step closer to being started.

We have three systems left, the fuel, intercooler, and air intake systems. For the fuel system, we are getting a custom tank made that will fit in the front trunk. We are hoping to get about 10-12 gallons out of the front trunk, with a 3-5 gallon sump tank near the engine. This will help balance the weight in the car and should hopefully help handling. For the intercooler, we are going to mount the radiator in the front of the car right in front of the large radiator. It’s funny; when we were looking for a place to mount it, as soon as we looked under the hood, it was like the intercooler radiator was made for the Pantera. It fits perfectly (pictures coming soon). For the air intake system, we will be building side intake gills that will direct cool, fresh air right into the engine. We still need to construct the gills and mount the air filter so that will be about two weeks out.

Of course after we finish those systems, we need to run all of the electrical to run this beast. We are utilizing the MAST Motorsports ECU and Control System. This should deliver around 700HP at the crank.

It’s getting really exciting over here. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s approaching fast.

It has been a crazy couple months. We built our display and held the tech session at the Pantera Owners Club of America Annual Fun Rally, and continued development on our new cable short shifter, and finally finished the dry sump oil system for the Pantera.

To figure out the dry sump system, we had to first find a tank. We ended up going with the OEM tank out of the ZR1 Corvette. While it is a very nice tank, it was hard to find a location and a way to mount it because it is a very awkward shape with very few mounting locations.

We fabricated a mount for the dry sump tank that mounts it upright on the passenger side of the engine. This allows us to use very short oil lines into the engine.

Here are some pictures of the block that we fabricated for the oil input and output:

Now we are finishing up the Oil Cooling/Filtering system that will be located on the driver’s side of the engine.

Lot’s of fabrication work going on in the SACC shop. More updates to come shortly!

Sorry for the lack of updates. We’ve been really busy tackling a bunch of things with the engine swap, including a couple of issues we’ve had to fix.

Over the past few weeks we’ve been working hard in getting the engine mated with the transmission which turned into a much bigger project than we had originally anticipated. We began by installing the flywheel on the engine and it fit great! Then, we decided to attempt to polish our aluminum bellhousing and boy did that turn into a long process. We spent almost an entire day polishing that sucker and it came out pretty awesome. It could use a bit more work and elbow grease but it’s good as a start. We also fabricated a brand new clutch mount that bolts directly to the bellhousing.

The next weekend we installed the discs and pressure plate onto the engine and that went very well. It fit perfect and looked bitchin’! But when we tried mounting the bellhousing onto the engine, we ran into an issue. Due to the new dual-disc and pressure plate design, the depth was increased from what we ran with the LS3. It was incredibly close to fitting, but it was off enough to cause us an issue. So to combat this issue, we ended up countersinking all the bolts on the clutch and the bellhousing so we didn’t have any issues with it hitting the bellhousing.

After doing that, we still had a few areas where the clearance was too close for comfort. So what were we to do? Well of course; we had to figure out a way to mount the bellhousing on our machine to machine the edge down where it was hitting. After spending a couple hours machining, we finally got the bellhousing to fit. Once we got it to fit, it was time to mate the engine and the transmission.

It’s been a super busy past couple of weeks but we are finally going to get the engine and transmission into the car for the final time.

Oh and I also forgot to mention that we got the fuel tank out of the car as well. We are going with a new fuel system design (very similar to what the ZR1 Corvette uses). Basically we will have a 12-15 gallon tank in the trunk area with a smaller (2-5 gallon) tank near the engine that we use as the feed for the engine. This works very similar to a dry sump oil system that makes sure the engine gets a constant flow of fuel. (It also betters the cars weight distribution and makes the engine compartment a little bit prettier and more symmetrical, because hey, everyone loves symmetry). And we figured, it’s a purpose built sports car; we don’t need trunk space!

Over the past two weeks we were able to make a lot of progress. We fabricated brand new billet ZF mounts that moves it back an inch and we got the engine and ZF installed in their final position.

The blower and front drive now fit perfectly in the engine bay.

Our next step will be taking the motor back out, prepping the oil, fuel, and water systems, and mate the engine and transmission with the clutch and flywheel installed.

After a long few months and a track event, we are finally beginning the LS9 engine swap.

The LS3 is all ready to be pulled out!

We will be pulling the LS3 out this weekend and then prep work for the LS9 begins!

We are proud to announce that SPEC has made their sponsorship of our project official. SPEC built us a special flywheel and twin disc clutch combination that will connect the LS9 motor to the ZF transmission in the Pantera.

In the LS3 project we used a Ford clutch disc and a Chevy flywheel to connect the engine and transmission together.

We are proud that SPEC is sponsoring our project.

Follow our blog for more updates on the ZR1 Pantera!