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LS2 swap under way

74K views 376 replies 31 participants last post by  7TRoadster 
#1 ·
Well I pushed back some of the things I should be doing in order to make some progress on the LS swap. I pulled the old motor out about two weeks ago and for the past week in my spare time I cleaned up the engine bay and sprayed in some lizard skin on the fire wall, trans tunnel, and floor boards to give everything a fresh look and to knock down the last of the cabin heat issues.

Well tonight I installed a new battery cable and a section of reflective insulation in the trans tunnel as one last item to guard against heat.

I decided that tonight I was going to drop in the motor and trans, and while it was tight fitting it in on an angle to clear the rack and pinion system and to get the motor mounts set it when in with out any problems. The truck balancer clears the front cross member by more than a inch and I still have plenty of room in between the motor and fire wall. The motor fell into place and the motor mounts bolts slipped right into place.

Here are some photo's to get this thread started.


Early stages of the LS setup,






motor ready to drop in,




ready for the motor to be dropped in,



Clearances looking a little tight all the way around,



but with a little time and Patience,







The balancer looks close, but really there is more than an inch in front of and under it as well.





I'll keep the post up dated as I move forward with the install.

Riggs.
 
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#2 ·
Effin' right! :partyon::partyon::partyon: haha

Looks awesome so far Riggs, nice job!

Just motor looked gorgeous just sitting there waiting to be dropped in... but now it looks even better sitting in the car :thumbsup:


Oh, and keep the pics (and videos once running) coming!!!
 
#3 ·
Went a little further tonight with the project. I installed the accessory bracket to see how well it fit into the car with the accessories, Well the power steering fit greet, but I had to modify the spreader bar mount in order to still use the spreader bar.
here are some photo's of my progress.

Here is what the bracket looked like before I modified it, the photo is from when I built the brackets originally.



The cuts made,



back on the car to check the clearances,





And a shot of how the accessories look.



Riggs
 
#5 ·
Thanks Brent, I am forcing myself to make time right now while I'm getting backed up on the responsibilities. I will be working on it to day for most of the day, but after today, I will have to return it as my side project and work on it as I have time.
 
#6 ·
Riggs I love that engine. If I had not built the 405 for my '77 my other plan was a 6.2L LS engine as well. I really appreciate how you retro-built it with the orange paint. You really dressed it up nice.

:thumbsup:
 
#9 ·
Well I made more progress tonight. I modified the cross member, droped the fuel tank, ripped out the old fuel lines and believe it or not ran a new line in the same location as the old with most if not all the same bends as the original.

Here are some shots from today,

Modifying the cross member,







The new mount location is 1.5 inches lower than the stock location














Here are some shots of the new fuel line, in another post it was said that you couldn't run a new solid fuel line with out moving the body off the frame. I love a good challenge. I need to replace the old straps with new one's, the old are only temporary







And just a shot of the under side, still lots of work ahead of me.



Riggs
 
#10 ·
Lookin' Good, real good.

Looks like you adjusted some priorities! :D Last I heard you were strapped for time to work on this bad boy. Glad to see you are going for it, this will make the '74 light 'em up.

I like the photos of the power plant, are those the 1-3/4" Melrose headers? I am working on adapting the smaller Envoy PS pulley to the Corvette pump, if you have a need let me know. The big Corvette pulley may have some clearance concerns.

Looking good.........keep up posted.
 
#13 ·
Nice Job Riggs:thumbsup:

I wish I could have moded my cross member that way. My transmission pan hit the cross member so I ended up having to relocate the center section. If the trans hits the tunnel I'll have some more work to do.:nuts:

Keep up the good work :cheers: Mark
 
#15 ·
Thanks tektrans, I had a good three days to work on it last week and got quite a bit done, how ever it's back to my priorities and work on the car will be slow at this point. the LS swap is now a distraction, I would much rather work on it instead of everything else that seems to keep me busy. I still hope to work on it a little at a time when I can.

Riggs
 
#16 ·
Vette Work

I try to do something every day, even if it is just test fitting a part or checking a dimension. Some days I really don't feel like doing much, but that one simple thing often leads to another and another. Some days my one thing is ordering a part or even locating one.

It takes my mind off the grind even if just for a few minutes. Most the time that is enough to break the spell of stress and worries of the day. Lightens my mood and allows me to refocus my thoughts.

You would think the cost of Corvette Therapy should be tax deductible as a medical expense? :D
 
#19 ·
Well I made some more progress, the fuel system is ready to go into the car now. Gordonm helped me out with giving me a heads up on a great set up for running an electric fuel pump set from a company called http://tanksinc.com/ Thanks Gordonm.

I bought a new tank, sending unit, and Walbro 250 fuel pump thru them. I also bought a ton of fittings from Summit, Jegs, and Napa for the LS swap.

Here's some photo's of my progress,







setting up the fuel pump bracket and tack welded the tray in place



Fuel pump Assembly assembled,


Hole cut into the tank with the inner ring tack welded into place


New sending unit installed with a 3/8 compression to 1/4 npt female brass fitting and a 1/4'' plug installed to seal off the unused fuel line


Fuel pump installed with the AN6 X 4' hoses installed along with the C5 fuel filter witch will be installed onto the passenger side frame rail


When I get time in the next couple of days I should get installed into the car.

Riggs
 
#21 ·
Just a FYI be careful with those Jeg fittings. I recently made some oil cooler lines for my blazer and used their stuff. I ended up tossing two of the fittings because they failed when I tightened them. The showed no signs of getting tight and the aluminum in them just warped and deformed.

Oh and if you want to shorten your hoses a cable cutter works pretty good to slice through the lines.
 
#22 ·
Riggs I am so happy for you. This thread is definitely my inspiration. An LS swap is my goal also. Alot of my time has been caught up with my wife and kids, and don't get me wrong I love them very much, but my wife can see the frustration on my face looking at my car on jackstands. Lately I've been so down about it I considered selling the whole damn thing, but I will MAKE time. I've been reading alot on how to do the fuel system and how to pull an engine out of a car. Once again thanks for this thread. I am sure it will be a wealth of info for me. And thanks to all of you who answer my sometimes silly questions. I have learned so much from all of you. :partyon::thumbsup:
 
#23 ·
For future reference, if I score a deal on an engine and transmission, how should I store it until I am ready. For instance I have enough room in my garage so should I break it apart with the engine on a stand and the tranny on something else?, or keep them together on a dolly or cart or something? Just trying to get some ideas on what works well. I'm figuring it just can't sit on the ground on it's oil pan:crazy: It's tough being a novice. Thanks again. :thumbsup:
 
#24 ·
How should I store it until I am ready. For instance I have enough room in my garage so should I break it apart with the engine on a stand and the tranny on something else?


Here's how I store engines and transmissions. I use typical 1,000 lb stands for both, though a light duty stand would work fine for a transmission as they don't tend to weight much. Separating them makes working on the much easier.

 
#25 ·
speeddaddy, I know just what your saying about time, I have been so consumed by everything that begs for my attention except the LS swap for about a year or more. I droped everything last week and just focused on the car, it was so relaxing to do something that I really wanted to do. I really enjoy working on my car, doing things to it to make it better, the cars nick name is Stress Reliever. I hope the crap that been consuming my time ends soon, then I can really focus on the build.

As far as storing a motor, I would store it on a four wheel dolly, you can pick up a inexpensive one from harbor freight for about $20. this allows you to be able to move it around when its in the way.

Riggs.
 
#27 ·
The set up I bought is a LS2 with a 4L70E out of a 2008 SS Trail Blazer. After buying it and deciding to add a little extra HP, I found out that the trans will not hold up to the extra HP and most SS Trail Blazers are also having problems with the 4L70E failing. So I contacted Finish line transmissions in Chicago and they built me an new 4L70E with Billet shafts and a few other upgrades. I stayed with the 4L70E because my wiring harness and computer were already purchased and Andy at Finishline is giving me a life time warranty on parts and a 2yr on labor, between the warranty and Andy telling me I won't have any problems with his upgraded 4L70E because he uses all billet shafts, the input and out put shafts on these are what normally fail.
Now having said all that, stay away from a stock 4L70E, others LS swappers are having better luck with the 4L60E transmission. If you are using a manual trans there are several to choose from.


Here is the link to my LS upgrades, http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151427

Riggs.
 
#28 ·
Good info! Thanks so much. My 92 GT was a standard, so I kind of miss that since the Vette is an automatic. I'm open to the possibilities of a well built automatic. I owned a VW GTI for a little while that had a DSG transmission and paddle shifters. The shifts were quick and tight. Wondering If I can get a 4L60 to shift like that with one of the aftermarket controllers. Just some ideas I've been tossing around. One thing is for sure. I can not deal with my TH350 3 speed. Thanks again. Shannon
 
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