Team Chevelle banner

LS1 Conversion

12K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  stealth71 
#1 ·
I'm getting ready to spend some money and I wanted to run this list past you guys who have done this swap already. I'm trying to do this in my garage so it needs to go as smooth as possible without any need of fabrication.

First of all, it's going into a 71 convertible chevelle.

LQ9 or L92 pullout motor w/ all accessories including the wiring harness
GM LH8 Oil pan and pickup
4L60E transmission
BRP mounts and trans K-member
grinded jeep steering box (for a/c compressor to fit)
Impala/Caprice gas tank - modded trunk area for pump access
Custom pre-bent 1/2" fuel line
Custom pre-bent 3/8" return line

I'm going to do alter the wiring harness myself.
The computer will be programmed on a dyno once it's running.

A couple questions.
Will I have to lift the body to install the fuel lines?? They are bent to go in the stock location.

Has anyone used shorty headers with the BRP mounts?? What will I gain by buying the edelbrock long tubes??

Am I missing any key info??
 
See less See more
#3 ·
With respect to the body lift... it *is* possible to only lift the right side and R&R the fuel lines. You will want to loosen the left side mounts and remove the bolts from ALL right side mounts. Then you can jack up just the right side and get to the lines and that last mount on the rear frame kick up.

You may also want to check out the EFI conversion I did to a stock tank:
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192262&highlight=mu-2021

From the pictures I have seen the Impala tank fits but it's certainly not pretty.
 
#5 ·
Shorty headers are worthless for anything but looking pretty. Long tubes will give you a power boost and for the price there's no reason not to go with those.

I'm in the middle of this swap. I'm not sure why you say you need to lift the body for fuel lines? I'm just going to use summit steel line and bend it myself to run along the frame where the stock line went, no return line.

You might also need:

TCC switch for torque converter
electric fans
throttle cable
transmission dipstick from lokar (theres virtually no room between the firewall and engine once its in, at least in my application
air cleaner with bends and MAF
shorten driveshaft

this is a pretty involved swap, lots of small stuff you don't think of
 
#8 ·
I'm in the middle of this swap. I'm not sure why you say you need to lift the body for fuel lines? I'm just going to use summit steel line and bend it myself to run along the frame where the stock line went, no return line.
Near the rear of the car, on the passenger side, the fuel line goes in between the body and the frame. I've tried even which way and had to lift the body to get it through.

BTW, you said you aren't running a return, how are you planning to restrict pressure, are you going to run a dead-head regulator?
 
#7 ·
thanks everyone for your input
1/2" fuel line may be overkill but for 15 extra bucks I think it's worth it. I plan on doing some performance upgrades in the future so the extra fuel will come in handy

On the impala tanks .... I thought that if you cut the hole in your trunk it raised the tank underneath
 
#9 ·
corvette fuel filter with built in pressure regulator for $40 from Oreilley's that will be mounted right after my fuel pump, that way I don't have to run a return all the way to the engine, on the LS1 intake there isn't a return out like on trucks so it would need to go to a regulator somewhere down the line anyway

also don't forget:

power steering hoses, mine are differnt type than the power steering pump on the ls1

are you using a truck engine or corvette engine or fbody engine? fbody have the a/c on the pass side and alternator on the driver side, so I'm curious what you meant by trimming the steering box for clearance on that
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top