1968 Chevy Camaro - Country Honk Revival, Part 7 - Installing Fluid Lines

These images should bring back fond memories of the monsoons that inundated 2005 Power Tour participants. While this amount of rain may be beneficial to crops, it sure can make driving our favorite cars a challenge. Although these pictures may seem irrelevant at first, think about it--all the precious fluids in your vehicle must be quietly doing their job, since the car is still moving and is taking you safely and worry-free to your destination!

We rarely give the fluids a second thought, but coolant, brake fluid, oil, transmission fluid, power-steering fluid, and gas must be contained and properly directed to do their job. Follow along as we take a quick look at the fluids and their containers--and learn a few tricks along the way.

When the O-rings don't seat,...        read full caption When the O-rings don't seat, there is a very quick release of power-steering fluid at high pressure. We replaced the O-rings on the fittings into the steering box and the fluid remained confined to the lines, pump, and reservoir; unfortunately, we never determined if it was a faulty O-ring or installer error. (We prefer to think it was the former.) What we do know is that the fluid went everywhere and it was pure bliss to clean the engine compartment. This was especially disheartening at the time, since we were supposed to start the 2005 Power Tour in less than six hours.

Here's Street & Performance's...        read full caption Here's Street & Performance's LS2 power-steering pump. Like most power-steering pumps, it's small but powerful and provides plenty of pressure to smoothly turn the wheels at rest, even when trying to fit in a tight spot.

The pump nestles snugly against...        read full caption The pump nestles snugly against the block, and the Street & Performance pulleys and belt drive are well designed for fit and finish. The pump feeds the Detroit Speed quick-ratio 600-series steering box, which is set up with a 12.7:1 ratio. This provides great road feedback and feel, and the steering gives quick response on the road. The AN fitting uses O-rings for a perfect seal and is tough enough to tighten without a good set of stubby wrenches. (Remember, there is no job that doesn't warrant a new tool.)

This is the remote reservoir...        read full caption This is the remote reservoir Street & Performance provides with the power-steering pump. Our particular location needed longer braided lines, requiring Kyle Tucker from Detroit Speed to order the proper length. He then showed me how to properly cut and install fittings without requiring stitches from the sharp stainless wire.

We're sure you can all relate--isn't...        read full caption We're sure you can all relate--isn't this a charming mess? Well, never fear, sometimes-NASCAR mechanic Kurt Binkley is on the job. Harsh or not, Kurt wouldn't stop making snide remarks regarding the ugly green master cylinder and the way we routed the brake lines.

Since Kurt wasn't about to...        read full caption Since Kurt wasn't about to let us slide, he dove right in and removed the green master cylinder and brass proportioning valve. He began by disassembling the master cylinder and taking it down to Robbie Morrow to powdercoat it gloss-black. (Robbie was careful to plug the proper holes and tape off the reservoirs before applying the powdercoat.) Kurt then reassembled the master cylinder and rerouted and re-bent the stainless Classic Tube brake lines to fit better. Next he fabricated a plate to mount the variable Baer proportioning valve neatly underneath the master cylinder. Nice job, Kurt!

As soon as Kurt finished with...        read full caption As soon as Kurt finished with the master cylinder, James Little bled the brakes and cleaned up any trace of brake fluid that happened to drip onto the axle during bleeding.

The fitted stainless brake...        read full caption The fitted stainless brake lines from Classic Tube were made to fit the new four-wheel disc-brake setup from Baer. While not completely obvious to the eye, the routing is different from the stock drum brake cylinders.

Check out the hunk of polished...        read full caption Check out the hunk of polished aluminum up front. The Be Cool radiator is a must to keep the engine cool in all climates. We had Be Cool add an additional bung below the water neck for the LS2.

Be Cool developed a specialty...        read full caption Be Cool developed a specialty radiator, available through Detroit Speed, since the only place to install a temperature sensor for the electric fans was in the drain plug.

The mass of the A/C condenser...        read full caption The mass of the A/C condenser makes it fairly obvious the electric fans really need to work at proper water temps in order to prevent overheating damage. We wired in a manual override switch under the dash and used it during the Power Tour prior to making the radiator modifications.

Before and after the radiator...        read full caption Before and after the radiator modifications...

...including the twin fan...        read full caption ...including the twin fan unit, as well as the new K&N air-filter setup.

While we'll divulge on the...        read full caption While we'll divulge on the steam line routing in the future, here's a quick pre-modification shot.

As many of you have witnessed...        read full caption As many of you have witnessed with your own projects, the tank can hide abundant rust and gunk. Installing the Hotchkis rear springs requires removing the stock tank for better access, and since we were replacing the stock unit with a stainless tank with an internal electric fuel pump (available exclusively from Detroit Speed), we made sure to clean up this mess before installing the new tank.