Bangshift Boxy

http://bangshift.com/blog/project-buford-t-justice-our-cop-car-cruises-home-and-then-we-beat-on-it.html

Does anyone follow this blog/magazine? I have read things here and there as I had the chance to of course like anyone else, but never realized the local connection. Now look what they're up to!

I love that! Just having fun with it looks awesome!

That looks familiar. Substitute a wagon and it could be scene out of mod day...

mp775 wrote:

That looks familiar. Substitute a wagon and it could be scene out of mod day...

lol Don't forget the expanding foam!

mp775 wrote:

That looks familiar. Substitute a wagon and it could be scene out of mod day...

Hey, I'm MUCH better looking than that guy!

Does anybody know any of these guys?

No, but I'm trying to figure out a way to email them...

Yeah, same here, I think it would be cool if they somehow came to a meet, or vice versa...

Matt Trakker wrote:

Yeah, same here, I think it would be cool if they somehow came to a meet, or vice versa...

MOAR BOXYS!

I will one day have them all!


...or just mine, that'd be cool too!

1984twodoor wrote:

Matt Trakker wrote:

Yeah, same here, I think it would be cool if they somehow came to a meet, or vice versa...

MOAR BOXYS!

I will one day have them all!


...or just mine, that'd be cool too!

Lately I think I need a boxy too. Older, aerocoupe rear window, euro-light front-end, LS powered.......hmmm

I've seen about a half dozen around my neighborhood in the past three days, from a beat up daily covered with bumper stickers to one with antique plates.

Leaflet campaign??

V8Killer wrote:

1984twodoor wrote:

Matt Trakker wrote:

Yeah, same here, I think it would be cool if they somehow came to a meet, or vice versa...

MOAR BOXYS!

I will one day have them all!


...or just mine, that'd be cool too!

Lately I think I need a boxy too. Older, aerocoupe rear window, euro-light front-end, LS powered.......hmmm

With 87-90 sport mirrors, G-body seats and floor shift console, 15" silver painted rallys.

IMPALADAKID wrote:

V8Killer wrote:

1984twodoor wrote:

Matt Trakker wrote:

Yeah, same here, I think it would be cool if they somehow came to a meet, or vice versa...

MOAR BOXYS!

I will one day have them all!


...or just mine, that'd be cool too!

Lately I think I need a boxy too. Older, aerocoupe rear window, euro-light front-end, LS powered.......hmmm

With 87-90 sport mirrors, G-body seats and floor shift console, 15" silver painted rallys.

Yup! Already have the wheels, 15x8's & 15x10's

Everyone i find is rusted to shit let alone lucky enough to find a 9c1. ONly one that i found that isn't rusty, or a 9c1 is an 82 2door with 28k original miles, see's the sunlight twice a year.

V8Killer wrote:

1984twodoor wrote:

Matt Trakker wrote:

Yeah, same here, I think it would be cool if they somehow came to a meet, or vice versa...

MOAR BOXYS!

I will one day have them all!


...or just mine, that'd be cool too!

Lately I think I need a boxy too. Older, aerocoupe rear window, euro-light front-end, LS powered.......hmmm

It would be great! The only snag would be grafting the euro nose on, theres a body line on the 77-79 cars that is MUCH more pronounced than the 80-90
<--A member car! 77-79 style

Please excuse the wheels, it shows the body line the best.


Luckily it looks do-able!

No Moa wrote:

Everyone i find is rusted to shit let alone lucky enough to find a 9c1. ONly one that i found that isn't rusty, or a 9c1 is an 82 2door with 28k original miles, see's the sunlight twice a year.

It's time to break out the FBI camera!

Well, if you really want a console, you could find a Bonneville Coupe or Holiday 88 2 door with the buckets and console option...lol

That 88 looks like its got a g body console

It may be the same part, but it's a factory console!

Some 71-76 B's (I don't know the exact years) were sold in Mexico with what I believe were F-body consoles and swivel buckets! I have a MX market '74 Impala brochure showing it, pretty crazy.

Been following Brian Lohnes blog over at BangShift.com for some time.
He is a south shore of Boston guy and does a fantastic job on his site.

Was way cool to see him start up a series and pick out a old BOX to work on and have fun with.

He lives over in Halifax as far as I recall. See his truck at the car show at Wal Mart some Fridays' durring the summer.

Brian should get back to Crovo if he emailed him. I see Brian loves old big rigs, and I got to send him one I have been seeing and meaning to take a snap of it.

Be cool to watch this 9c1 box project..!!

Hey everyone, this is Brian Lohnes from BangShift. A buddy of mine who lurks on the site told me you guys were talking about my new Caprice (Bufort T Justice). Thanks for checking out the site! I am excited to really get after wrenching on this car. Before I touch anything I am going to run it at the drag strip bone stock to get some baseline numbers and see just how slow this baby is.

The car is a pretty solid piece, with the only real rust being the wheel well you see in the photos above. I am going to weld a new one in. It is a blast to drive currently despite the lack of big power. Even with 185,000 miles on the bushings and suspension, it corners shockingly flat and should really be a riot once there is some real rubber under it and the suspension is upgraded. I am planning on putting a big block in it. With aluminum heads it won't be that much heavier than an iron headed small block, so it should still turn pretty well. It will be a pump gas motor, hopefully in the 500-550hp range. Once it is in there we'll take bets on the lifespan of the 8.5" 10 bolt. HA!

I live down in Abington on the good ol' South Shore. I have been freelancing for magazines and stuff for a few years and started BangShift a couple years ago with my business partner Chad who lives in LA. It is pretty much my full time gig now, although if you read Hot Rod you'll be seeing my byline in coming issues as I still freelance here and there.

Like Wraith said, I am kind of a big truck freak, too. I have a 1968 C50 wrecker than I cruise around in with my sons. I bought this thing sight unseen on ebay 600 miles away in NY and drove it home @ 6mpg last summer. Oh yeah, it is gear limited to about 58mph!

Here's the wrecker:



Previously I had a 1966 C50 that had a pickup bed mounted on it. This truck was cool and I hated to sell it but I wanted to save the wrecker from being crushed. I called this one Goliath and it came from Maine. I rebuilt the motor in my driveway with the block in the chassis because no one had an engine crane big enough to pull it out with. Driving this thing was a trip. It had a 7.20 gear in it with a 4-speed. It was about as fast on the top end as the wrecker. I sold it to my buddy Paul.




Sorry to ramble! -- This board looks way cool and I will probably annoy the hell out of you guys with questions about the car as I delve into it. Thanks for checking out the site and I promise not to spam you with links! Oh yeah. I was at the junkyard today in Brockton and there is a complete LT1 Caprice in there. The douche that runs the place wanted $1,000 for a stuck 454 so Lord knows what he wants for the LT1.

Hey Brian! Glad you found us! I was trying to figure out how get in touch with your through the site, but didn't have all that much luck.

Ask all the questions you like! I'm sure we'll bug the Hell out of you, too.

Those trucks are way cool. That's hysterical that you had to build the motor in the truck. lol

You're more than welcome to come to any of the club events we have. You just missed a mod day, but there will be plenty more this year. And we'll be putting a Drag Day together up at NED, so you can get your baseline times, too.

Anyways, welcome to the madness!

Welcome & thanks for driving our site value up lol we'll cut you in when the boss sells it.

bangshiftbrian wrote:

Anyway, I see your kinda short ^^ but dont worry, we'll introduce you to the VP...you'll see eye to eye.

Glad your friend sent you in....now tell him we have an intro section for the non-celebrities

Sorry for missing the intro deal and thanks for the kind welcome. That's my son Tom and he basically looks like me if I were to be hit by a shrink ray.

Here's my favorite sideways shot from the day we were out horsing around and screwing with the car...

Welcome to the forum Brian. Glad you made it. I'm diggin' your taste in transportation. You'll have no problem fitting right in here. I love the tow truck. We have another member here with an old school GM tow truck. Very nice. We definitely all look forward to the progress with your box 9C1.

Welcome Brian! I think this is going to be my new favorite thread for a while! Keep the project moving and the pics rolling in! I am already in love with your car

And those are some sweet trucks too! I think I do remember your name in magazines but I wasn't sure until you said it. I've been subbed to Hot Rod for years now.

Welcome again, and please keep us updated!

Matt - Fellow boxy lover!

Hey Brian, glad you found the forum and hope you'll show up with this car at some of the meets and events! Way cool project!
Love the trucks too, I KNOW I've seen that green one before, either in person or online, I can't remember.

I have to say it's shocking how well these cars handle with JUST different shocks. I drove my '74 yesterday and this morning which has Bilsteins in it and forgot how well it cornered, and went back to my '93 tonight, when I drove that car it felt like I was going to tip over going around corners...

Hey guys, confirmed for 100% that I will be putting a big block in the car.

Header question. Does anyone made a big block swap header or will a GM fullsize or FBody BBC header fit this thing?

bangshiftbrian wrote:

Hey guys, confirmed for 100% that I will be putting a big block in the car.

Header question. Does anyone made a big block swap header or will a GM fullsize or FBody BBC header fit this thing?

GM full size is the way to go, but f-bodys may work as well

bangshiftbrian wrote:

Hey guys, confirmed for 100% that I will be putting a big block in the car.

Oh Hellz yeah! Nice. There better be a big stupid cam in there that barely idles, too!

I'm with Billy. I'd say a GM Full size header should fit just fine.

bangshiftbrian wrote:

Hey guys, confirmed for 100% that I will be putting a big block in the car.

Header question. Does anyone made a big block swap header or will a GM fullsize or FBody BBC header fit this thing?

I need to start making more money to copy this guy

Hey fellas,

Are the oil cooler line (the soft lines not the hard ones) available or do I need to have them made up? I have one line that has rubbed on the center link and now leaks. This motor is coming out in the short term but I don't want it to puke oil all over the place and explode before I run it at the drag strip, etc.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Brian

Some guys remove the adapter to eliminate the run thru the radiator (cooler?)
You need to change that adapter to one that eliminates those lines.
Thats for the guys that are sick of those lines ALWAYS leaking.
Others replace the factory hose (with metal crimp fittings) with no-leaky modern parts.
Look thru my posts here to see what I did (with P/N's)
https://badass-of-ne.forumotion.com/t2817-transmission-lines?highlight=lines
I replaced tranny lines & oil lines but only from the hard lines from the front of the block to the radiator & / or cooler.
If you use advanced search & keyword "lines" you get a 1/2 dozen discussions that may make your decision easier.
Ask if you need more

Also look here if you just want to buy (this may be for my car but you can navigate to yours)
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php?carcode=1049699&parttype=5516&partkey=971522&a=FRc1049699k971522-2382902

Thanks SD! -- Funny, but I got your message when just beginning to swap the oil filter adapter on the car. I accumulate engines like old ladies accumulate cats, so I just stole a regular adapter off an old small block and yanked off the cooler adapter and lines.

If anyone on the forum wants the adapter and lines, you can have them free. The rubber ends need to be replaced, but the adapter and hard lines are in fine shape. With the big block heading into the car in the coming months, I am not going to need this.

Oh, and this car has a stand alone cooler so these lines ran to a cooler that sat out in front of the radiator.

Brian

Where you located Brian?
I may be able to use those lines for my radiator bypass/ oil cooler addition.

That road looks familiar...

sdstick wrote:

Where you located Brian?
I may be able to use those lines for my radiator bypass/ oil cooler addition.

Steve, your on your way to becoming a parts hoarder

How many tons of parts do you need to qualify....?

Cuz....you'd know...

sdstick wrote:

How many tons of parts do you need to qualify....?

Cuz....you'd know...

I'd appoint you to junior member status

bangshiftbrian wrote:

Hey guys, confirmed for 100% that I will be putting a big block in the car.

Header question. Does anyone made a big block swap header or will a GM fullsize or FBody BBC header fit this thing?

Very glad to see you've joined up over here, and to the extent to which I may be authorized to do so, I hereby extend to you a welcome.
Your white box looks a lot like my 88 LS Brougham, particularly the sideways-ness!

Can you elaborate on your rationale for going over to a BBC?
If its going to be a track only drag car with slicks, then I'd say absolutely go for it!

We did one for a customer back in 91, a virtually brand new dark brown box 9C1, we converted a Mercury-Marine max-HP crate 502 with a built Turbo 400.
The owner had us build the car during his last days of incarceration so that he could hit the streets and have "under the radar" street dominance,
I guess he wanted to easily out run the law.
I had several occasions to test-drive it, mind you, we were never able to adequately quiet the deep thunderous exhaust note.
We tried many of the best DOT tires at the time, but none of them had a prayer.
The customer picked up the car the day of his release, and the car came back on the hook the next day with a blown 8.5".
We made him a stout 9" Ford, re-installing the big 9C1 drums, and then later with Willwood Dynalite ll disc brakes.

In my boxy I just used off-the-shelf BBC headers that were made to fit the GM colonnade A bodies. There should still be manufacturers making those applications.
If you put a 73-77 Chevelle (A-body) and a 77-96 Caprice (B-body) up, side by side on two lifts, you would have a very hard time figuring out which car was which!
I found out that MANY other headers fit just as well from other apps, we have a room FULL of headers next to the engine dyno at work.
If you can find nothing, post here (or PM me) and I will get you part numbers, but MANY examples are an easy fit, this car has the most space for BBC headers.

But, I did not prefer the 454 in my box, , , an iron 4 bolt main, iron 990 rect port, strip dominator, hyd rlr cam, pump gas premium 10.5:1CR @ ~ 575 Lbs/Ft torque.
Turns out I had gotten so used to the way the car drove with several GOOD SBCs that I never could enjoy the vehicle dynamics with all that extra nose-weight.

The thing is, there are no sane street tires that can actually hook all the additional torque anyway, plus the weight is in the worst possible place.
The only time I REALLY enjoyed the torque difference was when straight-line accelerating from speeds starting at over 100 MPH & up.
But then at those speeds, I would always wish that the car handled more like an aluminum headed SBC was bolted in up front.

Sorry I haven't been around too much lately guys. Been busying saving the world, one blog story at a time. HA!

SDstick, the oil cooler adapter and lines are all yours. I live in Abington, but spend a bunch of time at New England Dragway, so we could meet up at the track or when I am hauling ass up there some day, I could hook up with you in or around Revere (I hear it is lovely this time of the year! ) - I will be in TN this weekend at the ADRL race helping to work on a Pro Mod car but the next weekend I think I am heading up to NED. Lemme know!

Why a big block? I am a neanderthal man dummy, so I like the idea of carrying a big club. I had initially intended to build a small block for the car but one thing lead to another and it will now be a 'luminum headed big block. The car will see more drag strip time than autocross time in the grand scheme of things, so the BBC makes a little more sense in that respect (in my eyes anyway). The car will have some pretty decent rubber and suspension under it, so even with the added weight, it should still be pretty respectable in the cornering sense. I certainly respect your opinion and experience, though!

Sorry for my ignorance, but what shop are you at? If you guys are doing cool stuff it would be neat to come down, shoot some photos, and get you guys some love on the site!

The latest thing I did with the car was to repair the hole in the roof where (I think) the wiring for the light bar last ran through it. A little down and dirty driveway tech! - Love your welder, don't fear it!

http://bangshift.com/blog/driveway-tech-bodywork-on-buford-t-justice-we-close-our-roof-hole-for-fun-and-no-profit.html

it's the old adage... I can kill you just as good with a .223, but I like punching .308 holes.

Hey guys, I am headed to the digs on Saturday to run my white barge to get some stock baseline numbers. If you will be at NED stop by and say hello (after you get done mocking me and my heap!)

Brian

bangshiftbrian wrote:

Hey guys, I am headed to the digs on Saturday to run my white barge to get some stock baseline numbers. If you will be at NED stop by and say hello (after you get done mocking me and my heap!)

Brian

I wouldn't mock that beauty! Be sure to report back with #'s!

New England Dragway or New England Dyno in Douglas MA?

chapel wrote:

New England Dragway or New England Dyno in Douglas MA?

Both would apply to what he said, but I have a feeling he means the drag strip as he refers to it as the "digs" meaning drag strip.


NOTE: A digger

Though for a great comparison a stop to both of them would be good.

Yeah, I was at the strip on Saturday running the car (and then announcing on Sunday, anyone know the guy with the brown Caprice that had cop wheels on it and DOT slicks? Cool car!).

100% shocker here. The thing ran 15.86!

This is a stock 185,000 mile car. I have no clue how old the spark plugs are even. I am working on the story and photos for BangShift now, but it was wayyyy quicker than I thought it would be.

Now I am thinking that I need to find someone who has a set of DOTs or real slicks mounted to a 5 on 5 wheel so I can really get after it to see what it will run with this motor in it before it 'splodes!

Oh, one last thing and I'll put the details in the story, but if you race one of these things and do not disconnect the front sway bar, you are leaving a LOT on the table.

Oh yeah, I had a question for you guys too.

Is anyone running an 18x9 wheel? Just wondering about fitment and stuff. The ones I am eyeballing have a 4.75" backspacing. I have not done the measurements yet, so I guess I am wondering if anyone has.

Thanks!

Brian

That is pretty quick for a tired TBI car! Nice.

I have 18x9.5's all around with 5.5" BS.

No TBI on that car, it is quadrabog equipped!

Good to know on the wheels, thanks!

Here's the run down from Saturday at the drags...

http://bangshift.com/blog/project-buford-t-justice-hits-the-strip-with-some-pretty-shocking-results.html