As you all know, I have been trying to get my head wrapped around the wiring issues of converting bastet44's 87 to a 1996 LT1.

Well... yesterday, whilst taking parts off her engine to fix mine, made me realize that this might be a better idea:

** Remove the LT1 in her 87, add some go fast bits (roller rockers, mild cam, headers) and install in my 92.

** Get her car an LSx with harness.

Since I started this, LSx conversions have been so well documented. And with this being the future engine, might as well go that route.

I have the insane desire to use the 5.3l, LM7, version... heh heh heh 327 is back!

Thoughts?

Anything that runs sounds like a good plan to me.

Sounds like the new garage is going to be real handy.

Quote:

If that's the same one that's in my Silverado, it's a bitchin' motor.

I think it's a good idea. I never understood the LT1 swap for an L98. A lot of work for very little benefit. The LS has so much more potential. And having the spare LT1 to build for yours is a great idea.

Matthew

Quote:

Agreed. Also I'm starting to learn the folly of trying to save money. Lots of effort wasted if you can't see the project through, and lots of time passed not driving it. Hell, some of my projects I practically have to start over because I forgot what the plan was to begin with and misplaced half the parts.

Can you say...

PLUG AND PLAY

Sounds like fun Andy.....go for it! You can get 5.3's very reasonable since they have been around for awhile.

I am going to hit up the u-pick-it lots over the next 2 or 3 weeks.

I am thinking that the LM7 could be very fun. If nothing else, it is a 327 in a Corvette! In truck form, it's rated at 285/325. Not bad at all. It doesn't take much to get some more out of it, either.

I am also thinking LQ4... that's the truck 6 litre.

Now I am considering that I can do the the LT1 long block... I am not out for a gazillion hp, so these are my basic ideas:

LT4 hot cam kit
LT4 timing chain
Roller Rockers
some form of a header

I don't think I want to spend deep cash on things like AFR heads right yet...

thoughts?

Why not the 5.7 LS1? Melrose even makes headers specifically for putting the LS1 5.7 in a C4. Maybe the 5.3 is the same block but I don't know anything about them.

the 5.3 is the same block.

I am a bit worried about getting an LS1... they were used in performance cars and might be a bit used up.

What do you mean.....used up?

Quote:

Might be, but then maybe the donor truck hauled heavy loads into dusty construction sites. There are a lot of LS1s out of wrecked vettes for $2K or less.

Even if the LS1 was in a sports car, so what? I certainly wouldn't be putting it into a swap project without a tear down/inspection and possible rebuild. I remember reading about one guy's LS swap and after he put it all together he found out it had a bad head gasket.

Matthew

Parts vendor:

http://www.vettaid.com/LSxPackagesKits.aspx

Why not just put the LSx into your '92?

My vote - 572

I thought that Kalifornia frowned on cams and headers and such.

Quote:

it's a wiring nightmare with the CCM. I would want to keep things like ABS and ASR, and the CCM is the key to keeping those working.

I also lose the inst panel... it's just easier to stay LT1.

Quote:

Technically, they do. But 90% of all smog check stations are more concerned with the damned thing smelling good than anything else. Seriously.

If it passes the sniff, they aren't getting involved.

Also, there are some cam kits that are 50 state legal. Edelbrock for one, but the thing is, internal parts are not visual, so how would they know? And think of this, if the tune is good, it will burn clean, so who cares? They don't check OBD1 for compliance.

LSX is the way to go. There is so much support and the swaps are very well documented.Pretty much every thing hasbeen worked out. Look up fc soldier on cf... He did an awesome swap...A nice LS3 perhaps...Kept stock,you wouldn't get better reliability

And that's my plan... stock LSx and leave it at that!

E-rod LS3

http://www.gmperformanceparts.com/home.jsp

I have seen several of these used in replacements and they have done pretty good. One guy at my show installed one in a Porsche 911. It was very sweet!

It's also $8800.00.

I saw a number of LQ9 (6.0L 400HP Escalade motor) swaps (Engine, ECU and harness) on ebay for under $2500.

The LQ9 is a great swap engine - Rectangular port heads, flat top pistons... lots of HP stock and w/some head porting and a cam change they can easily have C6ZO6 power.

I have been thinking of getting one for my Avalanche.... then I remember that not everything has to be a race car.

I like the LSX engine but swaping them into 1980-1990's cars has some drawbacks for me. The LSX swap in a C4 is pricey with the special mounts and headers (I don't know if stock LSX ex manifolds will fit) and then having to buy the Corvette accy drive. Alot of little stuff for daily drivers as well like new AC hoses, modifying the water pump so the heater will work, losing the stock ASR and half of the factory dash not working.....

I know it sounds bitchy to knock "little elect stuff" for a guy (me) that has a near full fleged race engine in my 92 but I built that engine because it made the power I wanted and doing so kept everything else in the car stock. I could have easily made the same power with an LSX swap but re-engineering or losing the little factory electronic stuff that makes a 92 Corvette a 92 Corvette.... just didn't appeal to me. Maybe it's because I drove the car stock for so long, it endeared all those 1992 electronic niceties to me or something......

If you can do it in a way with the earlier L98 cars that dosen't effect.... or effects in a positive way (like replacing that Buck Rogers dash) then I'd like to see what shakes out.
Will

The LQ9 is an attractive thought, but I run into CARB rules (and EPA) that restrict using the truck engine in a car. All I need is some nosy smog guy to go checking numbers.

I agree, putting an LSx into a 90+ Vette is nearly impossible. Guldstrand did it, but it cost the guy over $20k!! The simple solution is to piggy back the two computers... but it also means reprogramming the existing ECU so it won't throw codes.

Too much of a pain for me.

bill boudreau did one of these swaps in his 89 and even his buck rogers dash works .

The atari dash is easy! It's nothing more than a digital interpretation of the old analog gauges that GM used at the time.

The CCM is another beast entirely. Your ZR1 has one. It's behind the radio. It takes data from the engine controller, passes it to the ABS/ASR computer. At the same time, it delivers info to the IP, monitors the stereo (the SVC function) and the climate controls.

The problem? All of this data is sent via a pair of redundant wires call the Serial Data Line. There are 2 off the engine controller, splices into 1 for the run through the firewall, then splits out to 2 again at the CCM. There are 2 because there are 2 UARTs on each computer. UART = Universal Asynchronous Receive/Transmit. The idea behind 2 is that if one fails, the other will pick up the load. I think only one is in use at any given time. Or else there would be a data collision at the splice. That could be bad.

The trick would be reading the data coming off the LS1 engine controller and translating it into data readable by the UART on the CCM, and visa-versa.

The UARTs on the CCM are what make the VATS work. The key is read by the CCM, and it will send a handshake acknowledgement to the ECU to say "start the car."

On 1992 and newer, the CCM sends engine speed data to the EBCM - ABS/ASR - so the traction control can be activated.

You now know the rest of the story!!