Wanted to post my LSx swap to hopefully help give back for all the info and advice I have gotten from different forums.

Just got home with a 2003 5.3L for my 64 chevelle. Will be replacing the 396/700R4. People call me crazy for this swap. I want coil on cylinder, roller cam, aluminum heads, and electronic fuel injection. This would be extremely expensive to put this technology into my 396. I will post cost as they come together but I expect I can get it done with some help from friends for less than $3000. Engine, wiring (in fairly bad shape, cut, missing plugs) computer, accessories, tranny, pedal, TAC module, MAF sensor all was $1200. Started a blog of the swap at http://neal64ss.blogspot.com/


Current engine:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q7eOa4gQYFY/S92XGit1-zI/AAAAAAAAAAk/gweh_EofuS0/s320/tn_IMG_2935.JPG

"New" engine:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q7eOa4gQYFY/S92XbYSfraI/AAAAAAAAAA8/PJtJaQdgBhc/s320/tn_IMG_2938.JPG

Currently finding everything was not as expected when I got parts home and started going thru them. Guy at salvage yard assures me he will help make everything right, so looks like another trip to salvage yard to get thing as they should be.

Can't wait to watch your progress on this.

Good luck. Lots of good info on ls1tech.com in the Conversions & Hybrids section.

You're far from crazy. LSx is the way of the future. Nothing like 400+ rwhp and 20+ mpg.

Good for you! Will be a fun car, and fun for a long time, when you get it done.

looking good.. id like to see what the price comes out to be when your done.. mine went way over for alot of custom things we built and i also went ls2, turbo, built 4l80e, speartech harness and almost everything custom built. turbo manifolds, a/c bracket, pulleys, etc and everything brand new except the ls2 had 19k miles

I have started a google doc to track expenses. Currently at $1522, still need fuel plumbing, intake plumbing, mechanical speedo converter, oil pan modification, and odds and ends that show up at installation.

Click link for spreadsheet
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Av2_VYcgmwMqdDBBaDAtTXhDZzZRR1dkaWhxN1AzS 2c&hl=en

Coming together faster than expected, still lots left to do.

First, a pic of the recipient of this documented struggle to convert from BBC to Gen III SBC.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1108/4602852375_c748951da3.jpg


The harness from the salvage yard was not from the same truck as the engine/tranny and was somewhat damaged. I traded this harness for programming on my PCM to make it ready for stand alone operation. Purchased a 2003 6.0L/4L80E harness off truck forum classifieds. Was advertised as in new condition and complete. It arrived in that condition, best $124 I have spent on this project.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1331/4603467164_9196df9418.jpg

Started by removing plastic split tubing and the back endcaps for the PCM connectors.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/4602852305_82d8151520.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3352/4603467210_2efd5b60be.jpg

Then I laid the harness on the engine/tranny. This helped me to figure out a few more plug ID's. Most of the info I have gotten from LT1swap.com. All the info necessary to convert a harness to standalone. I also looked at a 2004 GMC YUKON engine to figure out where some of the connectors went.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4603467250_b51f99dd21.jpg


As I determined what each plug was I labeled it accordingly. After determining purpose for all but about 5 plugs I started removing pins/wires from the PCM connectors. Just use the info from LT1swap.com and it is fairly easy to do. Here are some pics of the process. Wires balled up in chair are not needed.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3379/4602852451_73cbdea62c.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4602852423_5dd8520dec.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1287/4603467334_43f209007c.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1243/4602852519_ef5184bf34.jpg

After I removed wires from PCM I then removed the unneeded plugs such as oil level, EVAP, A/C, ect. Then I Labeled all the wires that did not go to a plug. I ended up with a harness that had only the wires I need for my 64 Chevelle, all plugs/loose ends labeled as to function. All thats left is converting the Tranny plug from 4L80E type to 4L60E type, but thats another post.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1301/4602852543_b0a9983951_o.jpg

WOW, nice work. You have the patience of a Saint!

Your organization now will help you in the long run. It's got to be nice to have a running example to look at when you get stuck too!

If you need any help doing this or making things work including identifying the ignition leads and bat leads at the power distribution connector lemme know I have a full binder of every truck and car harness along with connector id's to make it very very easy and fast to strip.

My way of doing it is actually identifying all connectors I dont want like the oil level sensor, oil pressure senor, ac sensors ect and put green tape on them. Green means go and thats what they do. Then is a simple task of cutting the power leads out of splices and or the power distribution connector and doing what you did at the PCM.

The fun part and IMO the part that takes the most skill is reworking it to fit your car the way you want it to route. I have a few secrets of how to do it but I cant give away everything ;)

Looks good though youre on the right track

If you need any help doing this or making things work including identifying the ignition leads and bat leads at the power distribution connector lemme know I have a full binder of every truck and car harness along with connector id's to make it very very easy and fast to strip.

My way of doing it is actually identifying all connectors I dont want like t them. Green means gohe oil level sensor, oil pressure senor, ac sensors ect and put green tape on and thats what they do. Then is a simple task of cutting the power leads out of splices and or the power distribution connector and doing what you did at the PCM.

The fun part and IMO the part that takes the most skill is reworking it to fit your car the way you want it to route. I have a few secrets of how to do it but I cant give away everything ;)

Looks good though youre on the right track

I want your help Matty B. Where are you from? I want to identify the ignition leads of my car. There is a leak from it.

I want your help Matty B. Where are you from? I want to identify the ignition leads of my car. There is a leak from it.


A leak? I accidentally deleted a middle of my sentence but Im from Sacramento Ca.

The easy part of Identifying the power leads is if they are pink or orange. Harder part is which pink wire goes to which fuse as there are 8 main fuses for the motor which can be reduced to 6 if you really want to.

More or less of the top of my head is

PCM B which is the battery feed to the PCM as well as the OBD2 connector.

IGN 0 is power for sensors like the MAF that require ignition power not supplied by the PCM

IGN 1 and IGN 2 is for the driver and passenger side coil packs and injectors.

PCM 1 is ignition power to the PCM itself.

The 02s typically get their own fuse for heaters.

Then the TAC module gets an Ignition lead.

Most are 15 amp circuits. If you tie the IGN 1 and 2 together as well as the 02 1 and 2 onto a shared fuses you can reduce the amount of fuses needed to power the motor correctly. If the motor is not drive by wire you can reduce the needed fuses again by removing the TAC module fuse.

First I should note that this is applicable to PCM that uses blue/green connectors. I suspect it will be similar for blue/red PCM, but haven't verified yet. Here is a link to a google doc I made that shows how to convert from 4L80E wiring to 4L60E.

I know that most are going the other way, but I needed to do it so maybe someone else does also.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?...SOGozNlE&hl=en

Another pic of finishing up wiring. I sat down at the table and went one wire at a time to make sure I got it right. Be patient and double check at each step. It is easy to do if you get it right the first time. It is a severe headache if you make a mistake and have to track it down later.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3044/4614783853_aaff82e395.jpg

First I should note that this is applicable to PCM that uses blue/green connectors. I suspect it will be similar for blue/red PCM, but haven't verified yet. Here is a link to a google doc I made that shows how to convert from 4L80E wiring to 4L60E.

I know that most are going the other way, but I needed to do it so maybe someone else does also.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?...SOGozNlE&hl=en

Another pic of finishing up wiring. I sat down at the table and went one wire at a time to make sure I got it right. Be patient and double check at each step. It is easy to do if you get it right the first time. It is a severe headache if you make a mistake and have to track it down later.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3044/4614783853_aaff82e395.jpg

suprisingly other than the actual plastic terminal covers, the pinouts are identical between the DBW blue/red and blue/green for swap purposes. I have quadruple checked this and the computers are interchangable save for the red vs green blastic terminal cover.
I have a harness that was made for a Vette powered up by a truck pcm and works just fine. I like using truck PCMs cause HPtuners gives you unlimited credits for certain PCMs after youve bought a certain amount of credits.

WARNING!!! Dont read this and think that harnesses between engines are interchangable. Vette DBW TB's use different connectors, the injector connectors are different as well. The pinouts are the same AT THE PCM.

Hope that helps

I decided that the engine needed to be painted. I decided that I could not easily get all the surface rust off using wire brush or scraping or chemical cleaning. I got a portable sandblaster and a bag of "black diamond" blasting media from Tractor Supply. I taped off everything that I did not want to get blasting grit into. I then put on a clear faceshield and covered myself and the engine with an old bedsheet to contain the blasting spray. Holding a flourescent worklight in one hand and the blasting gun in the other, I blasted all the non-aluminum surfaces on the engine. These LSx iron block engines do not have much exposed iron. Front, rear, and valley covers are aluminum and the heads and oil pan are aluminum. Used about 60# of the 80# bag of "black diamond" and took about 1.5 hours to finish blasting. I will spend the next year cleaning black specs from stuff in my garage, even trying to contain it with the sheet. I then painted it with spray can self etching primer and then spray can krylon engine paint, cast iron grey color. It turned out exactly how I wanted it, a dark grey that has a bit of a gloss to it.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4654845292_7dd72dabba_b.jpg


:confused: What does everybody think about the color? :confused:


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4654845248_0aae6c384e_b.jpg

Hard work paid off... not to shabby.

The color looks great.

It looks like battleship grey to me. Then again...that could just be my background influencing my opinion. LOL. :thumbsup:It's not bad. I would save final judgement until all the engine surfaces were complete, IF you intend to paint any more of it. It's not exciting but I'd rather see that than Chevy orange to tell you the truth.

Sure, I will clean up the aluminum surfaces eventually.

I agree about the chevy orange, its been done to death. Nothing wrong with tradition, I just wanted to be more original than either chevy orange or black.

It's cool. It's close to what I want to do eventually, which is a metallic grey.

I use a similar color on the blocks myself so I have a big thumbs up for you. IMO the color looks best with either some orange or red to set it off such as MSD plug wires, not alot of color just a bit to make it pop.

Another thing I do is to yank the valve covers, cut the coil mounting bosses off and polish the valve covers. Then after its all nice and smooth, glass bead them for an ultra smooth matte finish. Then grap a pin striping brush and paint the little grooves with black or red One shot.

This requires relocating the coil packs but its no big deal in your case since youre reqorking the harness. All in all youre looking good.

Do you have a pic example of the smooth valve covers? It sounds good.

Ill have to get a hold of an old customer to take some pics but I do the same thing on most swaps.

Its real easy to do. Grab a cut off wheel or dremel and lop off the bosses. From there smooth the aluminum out so there arent any grinding marks. Hit any rough spots with a file and then go over the valve cover with a 220 flapper wheel to smooth everything out. From there if you have a buffing wheel or a polishing kit from Depot on a die grinder, polish the cover to a shine (not chrome shine just reflective). After that go to a blaster or get a blaster with glass bead and bead blast the cover.

At this point youll have an ultra smooth valve cover that has a matte finish.

From there its a matter of pin striping the valve covers.

Im gonna be doing it for a customer pretty soon but it will be polished with a prowler purple pin stripe on it. Regardless itll give you an idea of what I do. If I dont get a pic from an older customer give me a week or two and Ill show you what I do with this customers valve covers.

Sounds good. I'll be watching for the "how to".

So, how did this turn out? there hasn't been a post in over a year. maybe update your blog?:hurray:

I have a 65 SS and was originally gonna do the 350/le460 route but think I've decided to do the 5.3l/le460 route now. lots of power, efficient, and a little different.:thumbsup:

PS - MattB => I'm outside roseville and think I will probably need to get with you on this.:confused:

So, how did this turn out? there hasn't been a post in over a year. maybe update your blog?:hurray:

I have a 65 SS and was originally gonna do the 350/le460 route but think I've decided to do the 5.3l/le460 route now. lots of power, efficient, and a little different.:thumbsup:

PS - MattB => I'm outside roseville and think I will probably need to get with you on this.:confused:



I'm in Loomis, just north of you on Auburn/Folsom... also have a '65 SS I recently picked up, if you're planning on doing this swap I'd be happy to help out as I plan to do one myself in the next year or two and could use some hands on learning about the process and costs involved.

I'm no tech genius but I can turn a wrench and pinch a wire.

Curious on updates aswell:D!

UPDATE:

About a year ago my wife started new business as a court reporter and needed a legal office at home to work out of. I started refurbishing old laptops and selling on eBay to support my car habit and that business has been growing faster than I expected, so I needed a computer lab at home to work in.

I took half of my 2 car garage (where the chevelle used to be) and built the above mentioned working spaces for my wife and I. Then I had to build a 30 x 30 shop to have somewhere for the chevelle to stay out of the weather. All that has kept me from doing much on the chevelle until recently.

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/2751/20110622164740525.jpghttp://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8207/20110625174636114.jpg

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/201/20110711202808487.jpghttp://img20.imageshack.us/img20/1613/20111225232205155.jpg

I also got on the waiting list for a Mast motorsports pan and it arrived in February of last year. This has solved most of my problems. It allows me to get the engine low which gets rid of driveline angle issues, tranny tunnel interference issues, the truck intake clears the hood, no tie rod problems, 98-02 camaro exhaust fits good also.

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/8544/20111225231735522.jpghttp://img811.imageshack.us/img811/6379/20111225231955852.jpg

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/3940/2011122523193193.jpghttp://img716.imageshack.us/img716/6319/20111225231846948.jpg

I had some interference between the truck acessory PS pulley and the Jeep GC steering box, so I ordered a dorman 300-020 pulley from Rockauto ($22 shipped) and now it fits with good clearance. I had to push it on the PS pump shaft more than normal, but I can still get a puller on it if I need to remove the pulley.

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1141/20111222150414269.jpghttp://img221.imageshack.us/img221/1020/20111222150146245zv.jpg

Fuel system is completed at the tank, needs to be finished in the engine bay. Using an external pump with corvette FPR and ran a return line back to the filler neck on the factory tank. Using a returnless fuel rail on the truck intake.

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/1972/1272660.jpghttp://img256.imageshack.us/img256/1964/1272648.jpghttp://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1102/1272655.jpg

Did the steam vent to the water pump, it turned out good.

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/2849/1272593.jpghttp://img405.imageshack.us/img405/3005/1272596.jpg

Wiring is about 95% complete. Most of what is left is stuff like cruise control, nothing major. The PCM is mounted behind the relays and fuses behind the drivers headlight.

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/5105/20111225232035532.jpg

Santa brought me a set of speedhut gauges, but I still havent modified the dash so the will fit. I think it will look much like stock when I get done.

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/5538/2011122523172315.jpg

Very cool. Are you saying that you didn't have to modify the crossmember or trans tunnel? That's the main thing holding be back from an ls.

Damn those are some nice gauges!

Very cool. Are you saying that you didn't have to modify the crossmember or trans tunnel? That's the main thing holding be back from an ls.

I beat the hell out of the tranny tunnel with a small sledge, it seems to have helped some. The mast pan got me the rest of the way to fitment.

Damn those are some nice gauges!

I really like them. Not cheap, but they are exactly what I wanted.

Can't wait to see them in there!

Good info! I'm ramping up to swap in an LS1 into my 65 Chevelle. Good to hear that the Mast pan fit without tie rod issues. My car is lowered quite a bit, so I may still have some clearance issues, but we'll see. I won't be using AC or power steering, so less interferences there.

So, are you going with the Camaro exhaust manifolds or headers?

I'm assuming you picked up your hot lead from your stock harness/ignition?

Good info! I'm ramping up to swap in an LS1 into my 65 Chevelle. Good to hear that the Mast pan fit without tie rod issues. My car is lowered quite a bit, so I may still have some clearance issues, but we'll see. I won't be using AC or power steering, so less interferences there.

So, are you going with the Camaro exhaust manifolds or headers?

I'm assuming you picked up your hot lead from your stock harness/ignition?

Using the 98-02 camaro manifolds. They fit really good once you move the drivers side O2 sensor to the exhaust pipe. For the wiring you will need both constant power and ign power.

Good luck with the install. I hope yours doesn't take as long as mine has.

Neal

I'm hoping to research enough on the front end to make the install a simple drop in. I'm not running any accessories with the exception of an alternator, so I'm hoping to have fewer issues than others have had. I think I'm going with Doug's headers. I'll be using a custom harness, Rick's gas tank, Mast pan, and tried and true motor mounts once I figure out who offers the best with respect to fitment and placement of the engine. I'll post in my build thread about how things turn out. The more we do these installs into 64/65 Chevelles and find things that work and those that don't, the easier it becomes for the next guy.

On mine I am using BBC frame stands (no spacers), short/wide motor mounts, mast pan, and 1" setback plates. I have a very close fit to the tranny tunnel. I will try and move the frame stands forward about 1/4" before I put the engine back in, should be the last time. The 98-02 manifolds are about 1/4" clearance at closest point and the power steering pulley is also about 1/4" clearance. Tie rod clearance is very close on the passenger side.

The more we do these installs into 64/65 Chevelles and find things that work and those that don't, the easier it becomes for the next guy.

And that would be me. :p

And that would be me. :p

And me! ;)

Thanks for the research, hope to be doing the same after all the rust is gone:thumbsup:

I got some time tonight to work on the chevelle a bit.

Loosened the frame stands and moved them down and forward as much as possible. I think I got close to the 1/4" extra space I was needing just doing this so I tightened them back up and done with that. The black line is where they were before I started. Its funny how many things like this have "slop" in them that can hurt or help you in an engine conversion.

http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/3470/20120121221908118.jpg

I then cut the original fuel line right before it goes back in to the frame at the front and went up the firewall with fuel line since the fuel rail inlet is at the back of the engine. This completes the fuel system, all that's left is to check for leaks. My car is an original SS 327 4 speed car so the original fuel line was 3/8 inch to begin with.
http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/4275/20120121233750470.jpghttp://img834.imageshack.us/img834/3922/20120121234921282.jpg

Also bent some tranny lines using 90 degree fittings in the 4L60E case. I do not think I could get up to tighten the fittings after the tranny is in place and
got this idea from someone on the LS1tech forum. I hate bending lines but it came out OK.

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/9079/20120121221930216.jpghttp://img404.imageshack.us/img404/3231/20120121221937247.jpg

Next up is to repaint all the under-hood areas I have scuffed up putting engine and tranny in and out of car. Then I will finish the last 8 or 10 wires that need terminating, and put the engine and tranny back in for hopefully the last time. I guess I should probably go ahead and put gas in the tank and test the fuel system also before putting the engine in. Then I think exhaust, radiator install, and gauge install in dash is last thing to do.

I go on a 7 day break (I work 12 hr rotating shifts) this Thursday and would sure like to finish before the break is over.

On mine I am using BBC frame stands (no spacers), short/wide motor mounts, mast pan, and 1" setback plates. I have a very close fit to the tranny tunnel. I will try and move the frame stands forward about 1/4" before I put the engine back in, should be the last time. The 98-02 manifolds are about 1/4" clearance at closest point and the power steering pulley is also about 1/4" clearance. Tie rod clearance is very close on the passenger side.

Where did u get the 1" set back plates. I'm also gonna do a ls in my 65 and I was thinking about using BRP kit with there headers. If anyone has used this kit how do you like it and how does it fit

Where did u get the 1" set back plates. I'm also gonna do a ls in my 65 and I was thinking about using BRP kit with there headers. If anyone has used this kit how do you like it and how does it fit

I bought the 1" set back plates off eBay for about $35. Came with hardware also.

Do you know if your original fuel line is rated for the pressures you'll be running for fuel injection? Definitely don't want that 45 year old line to burst on ya.

Do you know if your original fuel line is rated for the pressures you'll be running for fuel injection? Definitely don't want that 45 year old line to burst on ya.

I would hope that a steel line was rated for at least 55 PSI.

I would hope that a steel line was rated for at least 55 PSI.

I think he meant the flexible line that runs up your firewall to the fuel rail.

I think he meant the flexible line that runs up your firewall to the fuel rail.

The flex line is for fuel injection application.

Well, I actually meant two separate things and should have been more clear. It was late.

I was asking about the fuel line in general (rubber and the steel). A: Is the rubber line rated for FI pressures (50 to 60 psi)? Yes it is you answered. B: I've seen old steel fuel lines (cars, boats, ships. I'm a naval engineer by trade) rupture because over time, they can corrode and the walls can thin out (even stainless steel). Or, they can be damaged (hit by a rock, chaffing, etc.). I'm sure you checked everything out and was just throwin' it out there. Lookin' out...

Dan

Well, I actually meant two separate things and should have been more clear. It was late.

I was asking about the fuel line in general (rubber and the steel). A: Is the rubber line rated for FI pressures (50 to 60 psi)? Yes it is you answered. B: I've seen old steel fuel lines (cars, boats, ships. I'm a naval engineer by trade) rupture because over time, they can corrode and the walls can thin out (even stainless steel). Or, they can be damaged (hit by a rock, chaffing, etc.). I'm sure you checked everything out and was just throwin' it out there. Lookin' out...

Dan

Actually its on my list to check out the fuel system integrity. I will pressurize the system and verify no leaks in the next few days.

Tested fuel system today by hooking battery straight to the pump and letting it pump from the tank to a gas can. That worked great so I plugged the line to check for leaks under pressure. One leak between the corvette FPR and the engine bay. Will fix that and check again tomorrow.

One thing I also checked is how well the gas comes through the return line. I have the return line in the filler neck and watching fuel return while the system was under pressure did not seem to be what I expected. It looked like it was surging and not near as much flow as what I had out of fuel line when not under pressure. I thought when I plugged the end of the fuel line I would have the same amount of flow back to the tank in the return line.

Does this seem normal to anyone who knows more about FI than me?

Hmmm. I think it may depend on how that pump operates. I'm not familiar with that pump, but that pump could back off if it detects a restricted flow. It may not pump at a constant rate. If fuel has somewhere to go, it pumps at full capacity; if fuel has no where to go and pressure increases, it could reduce to a bare minimum as a safety precaution.

Just speculating.

Been working off and on on the chevelle the last few days. Fixed the leak on the fuel system and verified it works properly.

Pulled the dash and installed the gauges. Here is a before and after.

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/1632/20120201172028533.jpghttp://img252.imageshack.us/img252/7793/20120201193223806.jpg



Also figured out which belt fits the truck accessory drive with the smaller ford pulley on the power steering pump. It is 91.9 inches in length, but a 91.5 would probably be a better fit. Keep in mind that I am using an alternator that was never intended for this bracket. That might make a difference.

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8527/20120201171712617.jpg

So much for the update. I am at the point that it seems like everything is small stuff now. Figuring out adapters for sensors, mounting the idiot light for check engine, mounting/wiring the data connector terminal, ect.

Nice! those gauges look amazing. I just had my dash redone and it now looks like your "before" image :-)

Care to share a photo of the back side of your gauge cluster? I'd like to see how you attached the gauges. Thx.

Mike

Care to share a photo of the back side of your gauge cluster? I'd like to see how you attached the gauges. Thx.

Mike

Dont have a picture. I took the original cluster assembly, removed the original gauges, removed the clear plastic lens from the top, took the thin metal piece that was immediately below it, cut holes where I wanted the gauges to reside, installed the new gauges and put it all back together. The clear plastic from the original cluster was not needed after installing the new gauges.

The speedhut gauges actually stick out into the bezel somewhat, but since they have chrome trim rings it look like it is supposed to be that way. To be honest I was afraid installing the gauges would be a PITA, but it only took me about 90 minutes after I had the dash out of the car.

Care to share a photo of the back side of your gauge cluster? I'd like to see how you attached the gauges. Thx.

Mike

I found the metal parts I cut from the old cluster and took a picture of that. Hope this helps. I completely removed the clear plastic piece that has the lettering on it.

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/492/20120206234311891.jpg

Thanks. That gives me an idea of what you did.

Well, just when I thought I had it figured out I changed my mind. I realized that I could move the motor forward if I would grind off the triangle shaped tab on the drivers side 98-02 camaro exhaust manifold. This should help with drive-line angle so out came the motor last night.

In the past I had modified the 1" setback plates to be installed with or without setback so I put the motor mounts on with no setback, adjusted the frame stands as far back as possible instead of as far forward as possible, and ground off the tab on the exhaust manifold. Going to install tonight and hope that everything still fits this way.

Hmmm, what was going on with the drive-line angle? Also, why did you go with BBC frame stands? Just curious. I have SBC frame stands that are welded in place. I plan to grind them off, but I'm curious about the SBC vs BBC stands.

I'm planning on using Doug's headers and Doug's engine mount adapters.

Hmmm, what was going on with the drive-line angle? Also, why did you go with BBC frame stands? Just curious. I have SBC frame stands that are welded in place. I plan to grind them off, but I'm curious about the SBC vs BBC stands.

I'm planning on using Doug's headers and Doug's engine mount adapters.

SBC and BBC frame stands both put the motor in the same place on the early chevelles, they just have a slight difference, see post 6 in following.

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=333260

I Decided that I needed to get to 3 degrees down angle to ensure no driveline vibration.

Thanks! Ok, so do you recommend not using SB frame stands for any reason? Should I use solid mounts, rubberized, or...?

I should be ok with the driveline angle because I'm using a Moser 9" which has a lower pinion. Thoughts? Nice, informative thread by the way.

Thanks! Ok, so do you recommend not using SB frame stands for any reason? Should I use solid mounts, rubberized, or...?

I should be ok with the driveline angle because I'm using a Moser 9" which has a lower pinion. Thoughts? Nice, informative thread by the way.

The small and big block frame stands are basically the same at all mounting points, but I ended up using bbc ones because my hooker motor mount adapters flip the motor mounts upsided down and they needed the step down of the bbc ones to work. Just something to think about...
Tom

Thanks for the tips!

Thanks! Ok, so do you recommend not using SB frame stands for any reason? Should I use solid mounts, rubberized, or...?

I should be ok with the driveline angle because I'm using a Moser 9" which has a lower pinion. Thoughts? Nice, informative thread by the way.

I think that the SBC stands have clearance issues with some mounts but the BBC stands do not. I used the BBC stands because thats what I had in the car. I guess I put them in years ago when I put the 396 in the car.

After moving the engine forward 1" I have the engine at the down angle I wanted but the power steering pump hits the steering gear before I can bolt the accessory drive to the engine. Tried to clearance the pump and the bolt on the steering gear but ended up ruining the reservoir on the pump.

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/4647/20120219153229632.jpg

So I thought "How hard could it be to make a custom bracket". So I bought a 98 S10 PS pump (Type II with attached reservoir) off eBay, went to lowes and got some tubing and a 1/4 inch sheet of wood to make templates from, and went to work.

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2644/20120219153134621.jpghttp://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6937/20120219153237532.jpg

Somewhere around revision 4 it became clear why KWIK performance can ask such a high price for their brackets. It also became clear to me that I was taking somthing difficult and making it harder than necessary. So I take the truck accessory bracket and cut a chunk off of it. Then I drilled some holes for the type II PS pump, and now I am back in business. I did have to use some washers to shim the pump back on the backside but it is perfectly square to the other pulleys. Only small issue is the pulley is about 1/8 inch from being fully pressed on, but I do not think this will be a problem.

http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/2494/20120219191159537.jpghttp://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2431/20120219193708412.jpghttp://img407.imageshack.us/img407/3821/20120219200006720.jpghttp://img52.imageshack.us/img52/5752/20120219200031451.jpg

I even have an idea for mounting the external reservoir on the side of the bracket but haven't got that finished yet.

That's a really good idea. I never thought about moving the PS pump up on the original truck bracket

Been a long time since an update.

Started the engine today. Sounded like all hell was breaking loose at first, like the alternator was trying to lock up or something. To make a long story short I think the accessory belt idler pulley was loose and that was resonating through the PS pump/alt bracket I fabricated. I cranked it with the coil and injector fuses pulled till I got oil pressure and then had to crank it for about 2 minutes, with it gradually getting closer and closer to running before it started. After a few minutes it ran and idles smooth. The thing that impressed me the most it that the drive by wire has the same feel as the old throttle linkage did.

Found a couple of leaks in the tranny lines and tightened them, topped off PS fluid after turning lock to lock several times. All the gauges work but my tach is not working and my check engine light doesn't work. Hooked up the laptop and see codes stored P0650 MIL light malfunction, and codes pending P0053/P0059 which are both O2 sensor heater resistance codes.

Anyone know what type of bulb is necessary for the check engine light. I am going to double check my wiring tomorrow.

Also, does anyone know why I would be getting the O2 heater codes. I only ran the engine about 15 minutes and it never got warmer than about 140 F, if that could be a factor.

congrats on the startup!! Can't wait for the day when I get to that point. Long way from now though.

Sure enough, it was the bulb that was the problem. I tried 3 different types of dorman bulbs before I found one that would illuminate and stay illuminated when required. I had the same issue with the indicator I was trying to use for high beams "on". The wrong type of indicator light will flash and then go out when it is supposed to light and stay lit.

Dorman 85939 is what I found that works for the MIL light. I use this same style bulb for my alt light also, and will be getting one in either green or blue to do the high beam indicator.

So I try trending a few things and notice that the malfunction codes for the O2 sensors has cleared, without me having to clear them.

I guess that's a good thing, one less thing to worry about.

So I trend several different parameters and the one that looks weird to me is MAF. Shows .8 to 28.7 on the scale (or something close to that) but has alot of sharp spikes. I expected to see more of a rather smooth curve than such sharp peaks.

I tried unplugging the MAF sensor. It purred like a kitten until it warmed up and then the same rough issues. Not showing any codes either. I am not sure what to do. I had the PCM programed by the guy from LT1swap.com, he removed the VATS, rear O2's ect. and basically left it as a stock tune for stand alone operation.

Another odd thing is that the tach and speedo do not work, both new gauges. I haven't had time to double check my wiring, I hope that is all it is. The dashboard on the laptop software shows a tach and speedo and they both work fine, so I know the PCM has the signal it just isn't getting to the gauges in the dash.