IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Hey guys, so I finally bit the bullet and decided to do an ls1 swap into my baby after 6 years of owning her and never having enough funds to do something properly the first time around lol. So, a bit of history. Bought the '85 Iroc from a member of this board about 6 years ago. It was 305 TPI with tons of blowby past the rings and it burned oil like mad. After further inspection it turns out someone had swapped an 87+ roller block into the car but retained the TPI and 85 ECM without a tune lol...removed the AC and numerous other little things. I drove it for a couple years before deciding to swap in a 350 LO5. I kept the TPI, upgraded the ECM to '165 unit and used alot of moate's equipment to tune it myself. Threw some AFR195s on, along with an XFI268. The car was alot of fun but eventually I managed to crack 3 piston's lands while tuning which sucked...I've come a long way regarding GM OBD1 tuning since then I promise!

So we yanked the 350, i sold all my goodies and anything pertaining to the old TPI system. While comparing the cost of doing another SBC vs LS1 I decided it would be worth it to jump into the LS world Bought a drop out 2002 LS1/4l60E mated from a builder in Milwaukee, WI. Total cost for everything plus 2 harnesses and a PCM was $2300, it has 42k miles total and came with all accesories.

I'm actually almost finished with the swap but never had a chance to make a build thread. So I'll be re-uploading all my pics and linking them here for a little step by step of the past couple months. Also I wanted to make a nice montage of some sort for a video once its all done, so I used 2 cameras to capture video of us doing the actual K-member swap and engine/trans install. That's about 8-9 hours of footage that I've gotta sift through and hopefully turn into a movie once I'm all done!

Finally, as of right now my plans are to keep this engine sealed and purchase a D1SC and intercooler on 7lbs so as not to risk blowing the motor. I'm looking for mild manners on the street but still putting down power to throw you back in the seat if need be . I figure this should provide me with tons of "smiles per gallon" for the near future and blow my old SBC build out of the water. Sorry if this was a bit long, pics will come shortly!!

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Here's an old thread I made containing pics of it a couple years after I bought it and had it repainted: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/memb...irst-iroc.html

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

a couple pics of how it looked with my 350 and AFRs along with exterior pics:

tylercamaro

iTrader: (1)

good lookin 85 right there

1ADan

iTrader: (4)

very clean looking car, look forward to seeing some photos of the new heart transplant!

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

So here is the LS1/4l60E I picked up from milwaukee during the summer time:

The small nipple for the low pressure line on the PS reservoir was cracked off so I had to order a new reservoir and replace it.

I decided to start the wiring project first as it's definitely the most difficult and time consuming part of the swap in my opinion. I followed Pocket's guide here on TGO and I've really got to thank him for all the information and help along the way, without him idk what I would have done! thanks pocket! Here is the harness I had from the engine:

And here is the second harness I was also given, this proved helpful because I could cut any connector or wire color I needed from the secondary harness:


A good friend of mine helped me remove all of the old tape and loom in order to start separating the wires:


My workstation lol:


I've got a pic of all the sensors very similarly organized like Pocket's:

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Then I test fit my LS with the wires, and taped them to a reference position to measure from:

I was left with this after the fitup:

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

So then one Friday afternoon I decided to tackle the K-member swap and pulled a late night to finish as much as possible. All in all, I think we got the kmember out, installed mounts, and put the ls1/trans back into the car in under 16 hrs. Here are some pics of that procedure, pretty typical except we hoisted the engine up into the bay BEFORE attaching it to the k-member:

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Almost looks like a lift-kit was installed on the front right lol:


So after this, I had to install a walbro 255. I dropped the tank which took much less time than people had said. Just remove the top member above the panhard bar, and the panhard bar itself and it shouldn't be too hard after that, took less than an hour here. I was sort of displeased to see a fuel door had been cut into the car, but I suppose it isn't as much of a hack job as some people have seen:



Nothing fancy just installed the new pump and tossed the tank back up into the car:

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

As was suggested, i went with the Wix corvette filter/regulator and my friend welded together a bracket to mount it on:

Running AN -6 and braided stainless like pocket's diagram shows as well, looks great


I might change up how it goes into the fuel rail due to my fear of that braided cutting and chafing the paint and other things in the bay but it should work for now.

I'll be getting a non-AC blower box and measured a different location for my wiring hole than some others have done. This one should fit between 2 mounting locations on the blower box:


I'll be putting a grommet on there soon and looming it once I know everything works, otherwise that rough hole might cut some wires.

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Here is how the wiring comes through the firewall on the cabin side, works pretty well albeit messy but it should fit up into the factory ECM location and I can stuff the wires up there as well. Currently I have the pcm hooked up and everything looks fine but I haven't taken pics of it yet:


While I was waiting for some other parts to come in, I installed an NOS front piece that I really liked...you can compare it to my old hideous Illinois license plate Also I got the DEPO amber lights which are much clearer than my 25 year old ones, one of which you can see still installed:


Currently I have all of my PCV and vacuum hoses connected, all of the coolant hoses connected, my relays connected and wired, and I did an oil change as well. The last things I have to do before I can turn the key are find a location for the MAF, which is why I ordered the AirRaid DIY kit to assemble my own. And then because I'm a moron I had forgot to install the trans cooler lines as the engine was going in....so I'm going to be trying to force the 700r4 lines into place or possibly just run my own for peace of mind. Anyways, here is the AirRaid DIY kit before hand:

Hopefully come next monday I can get everything situated and start her up

EDIT: I forgot to mention there are still a couple small things to get, like making a throttle cable, and figuring out how to get my shifter-bracket on the trans pan into place...i think I'm missing something really simple about that piece lol but more pics and info about that later!

cprmn14

iTrader: (3)

Nothing better than those late nights in the garage!

Looks good.

1SICK90RS

should be a good swap thread. keep the pics comin

UnstableAviator

Your swap is a lot like mine. I too used Pockets posts and this forum for just about all the information I needed. Its all here folks...if you've have experience working on vehicles the swap is very straightforward with pretty much no surprises. Lots of people have done the work so lazy people like me just follow in footsteps.

Did you use the Walbro GSS340 pump? Thats one piece of info I coulda used before I bought a GSS307 and had to change it out. It may have worked, but I wanted to make things right. http://www.racetronix.com/307vs340.html

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

I see. This is the one that I bought from summit: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/VPN-GCA758-2/

hopefully that is the correct one.

UnstableAviator

Well, according to this link it has a 255lph rating at 43psi. Its the better pump for TPI applications, but the LS1 needs a higher pressure for operation. 58psi.

http://www.fuel-pumps.net/gca758-2.html

I wish I knew the answer, but I don't. I believe the GSS340 is the pump capable of supporting 500+rwhp and does operate at a higher pressure than the GSS307 or the one you purchased. Maybe some swappers here have been running the kit you purchased with no problems.

Fuel pump experts chime in!

Also, for in-tank hose, since you got the one for the kit you're good to go. Otherwise, you need the SAE J30R10 submersible fuel line. Regular fuel injection hose doesn't work for an in-tank application. The R10 spec hose cost me $25 for one foot...

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

hmmm these are standard gerotor type pumps and most are typically rated @ flow instead of pressure because pressure changes depending on amount of volume in a confined space iirc. Judging by some of the basics I learned in my ol' hydraulics class I would think this pump shouldn't have a problem. The regulator is going to cause resistance anyway down the line and 60psi should make its way to the fuel rail regardless. This is my speculation at least, we'll see when i fire it up

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Got my stock trans cooler lines installed. It was a PITA and i've had enough bloody knuckles for the night lol. But I was not able to find much in the way of pics regarding stock 700r4 cooler lines on the 4l60e and the routing. So I took a bunch of pics for anyone who might need it in the future:

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

I'm still not a huge fan of the stock trans cooler lines and the way they sit. It was difficult to force them into position and had to bend them quite a bit, hopefully I didn't damage or kink them. I might go ahead and get some line and make my own in the near future.

Anyways, here is the PCM hanging out:


And here is everything as it stands tonight:


Once the driveshaft is installed I'll go ahead and fire it up Hopefully not more than 48 hours from now!

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

annnnd the moment everyone waits for lol, probably have to click on the picture to play it! :


Started on the first try, flawless I'm serious when I say this has got to be one of the best feelings ever!

Sounds great, open headers lol. But everything seems to be solid, i don't have the video of the second start up but we let it idle out more and it was great!

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

so i dug up this thread about wire looming: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto...oses-wire.html

I really did not want to use the corrugated plastic crap from AZ or Napa since I don't like how it looks and crinkles. Here at Caterpillar where I work they have a woven plastic braid sort of thing and the breakout sections from the main harness to the connectors looks very professional.

However our suppliers actually pull wire through the braid and finish the connector at the end, so it looks flawless and should never unravel.

The closest thing I can find would be that "Techflex" from the thread and a couple of other products from McMaster-Carr. Does anyone have any input regarding techflex or any alternative? I think it looks pretty professional once done and seems tight!

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

went ahead and got some techflex in various sizes and was able to do 1 bank of injector wiring tonight. I wish the sun stayed out longer....or i had some flood lights lol.

Anyways I'm pretty impressed so far. Like the above thread, I didn't want to depin my connectors so I bought zip ties and shrink wrap for the ends of the techflex. Maybe i should use electrical tape on the ends to make it look more clean instead, idk.

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

its been a little while since ive updated the build thread, here are some more pics of the Techflex, i have it all finished but haven't had a chance to take pics! it's very nice and you really can't see any of the wires except for injectors and coils....but i loomed everything:


Thats just one pic, ill get more later.

I also replaced my broken shift cable since the plastic tabs came off when yanking the 700r4. I can confirm that the rockauto part made by DORMAN DOES FIT! it worked perfectly for me, and i reused my old grommet since the new one wouldn't work. I haven't ever found good pics of it installed so here is one for anyone who wants it:


and lastly the intake piping I made myself, got the air raid 3.5" kit as listed above a few posts, and bought silicone couplers from ATPturbo, which I plan to reuse on the D1SC setup as well! Looks nice, feels solid, no complaits so far!

89ROC-Z

iTrader: (7)

looking good!!

one question: how tight is the fitting on the outlet of the filter/regulator? Mine seems pretty loose even though it's the exact same as yours....i'm hoping it doesn't leak

88blackiroc

iTrader: (1)

Looks like a great iroc! Loving the red to, im not a big fan of it but your car is a sexy beast! How do you plan on tackling your new high rise front?? And im jealous of your fuel lines to!

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

I didn't want to overtighten it but cranked down on it pretty good. Isn't it the nature of AN fittings to have a bit of a swivel? I can definitely spin mine around if that's what you're wondering. No leaks whatsoever the few times I've started it


Thanks man! haha she looks like I installed a truck's lift kit :P I'll most likely get a set of wheels and see how they fill out the wheel wells...and drop the ride height accordingly. I want to do some work and calculations on the geometry before dropping her tho. Seeing what I can do about the roll center.

88blackiroc

iTrader: (1)

For my swap, I ended up cutting a whole coil off and it sat pretty low up front after that. The bump stops are almost touching however I dd my car and haven't had any problems with it yet so far gives my car a dragcar like look also, which I love. Or most people end up using eibach lowering springs in the front which sits about where stock is. Any clue on what rims and tires you want??

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Oh I see! I will keep it in mind when I tackle my front end! hmm as far as wheels I've search quite a bit of threads....and only 1 or 2 members have these. http://www.oewheelsllc.com/Wheels_3/...-Wheels-Argent

I really like them in grey! Also the typical:
http://www.oewheelsllc.com/Wheels_3/...-Wheels-Argent

But id rather not have the studs, just those Z06 wheels in grey is fine haha.

So many choices, so little money!

88blackiroc

iTrader: (1)

Haven't seen z06s in gray before.. very attractive. I was thinking about getting some in black with chrome rivets but those gray ones would look oh so good. And I know, If I only had another 20gs to dump into my baby

adamemerson

Good lookin car

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

It's been a while since I've updated the thread but here's whats happened! The car is drivable and pretty much everything is complete! I had to get custom exhaust routed from the flanges all the way back, its a 2 into 1 and back into 2 again, 3 inch system. I do have STOCK LS1 manifolds, not long tubes, and i did have them route it back under the rear of the trans. I'm impressed with the ground clearance, so for those of you looking to keep stock manifolds check it out! I didn't see any other setups like this on the board, you can also see my subframe connectors welded in, and the v-band flange/coupler i bought to make exhaust removal easier. Works like a charm





I also purchased the bigbrakeupgade.com C5 vette front brake conversion kit, some OE wheels deepdish 17s and 18s c5 replica wheels, and some ezaccesories 2inch spacers!


I have a thread on the brakes/wheels board regarding these adapter since they were not the right ID, and i will be getting them turned on a lathe to the proper hub diameter...so be warned if you plan to get adapters from them..im sure the "spacers" work, but not the c5 "adapters" if you have the converted front brakes from bigbrakeupgrade. Just my 2cents, find my thread if you want details and measurements!

Anyway, hopefully I can install that stuff soon! I've bee driving the car around for 3 or 4 days now and its great! Starts up instantly, the PCM went through its learning cycle as well and it idles well. Shift points are wacky and i need to tune out EGR/rear 02/VATs/etc etc, hopefully I can get onto my coworkers dyno sometime as well to post numbers. And as usual, none of the gauges in the cluster work...but other than that, its reliable and power feels great! You'd never suspect it has an LS1:

Engine shot before i put the manifolds back on:

1SICK90RS

how much did you give for that kit?

jbenge

iTrader: (2)

Good job on the build. Its nice to see another LS thirdgen in Indiana, I've only seen a few around here.

LivinLarge

Is that 2.5" or 3" intake piping?

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

See post #23

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

What kit do you mean? The intake piping, exhaust work i had done, or C5 brake kit and wheels/spacers stuff? If you mean c5 brake kit, bigbrakeupgrade.com has the prices listed and Scott will work with you if you don't need certain parts of the kit itself.

Thank you! I'm glad there are more in this state I haven't seen any here in lafayette...heck its hard to find a nice rust free thirdgen period in most places lol Hope to see yours someday!

jbenge

iTrader: (2)

Very true, there aren't many nice thirdgens around here period. I bought the 91 in Lafayette last year, I was surpised to find one so close to home. You should go to this event.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172123

I'll be there with one or both cars.

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Oh great! I'd like to attend that event for sure, I can probably drag my friend into it with his 2010 SS as well Did you buy the white '91 that was down here lafayette then? I believe that individual works with me at CAT but i have never spoken with him before. I'll let ya know if/when I'm going to the camaro event when the time gets closer! thanks for the heads up

jbenge

iTrader: (2)

I think the guy I bought the 91 from did work at CAT. He listed it for sale in the classified section here...thats how I found it.

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Got a couple teasers of the wheels I'll be running, I had to sand the hub-centric spacers out on the ID due to EZaccesory.com not understanding what a clearance hole spec is..... so after taking roughly 60 micron of material away with a drill and a steady hand, my spacers slide on/off as a nice tight fit without any resistance I'll post pics of my solution for the C5 brake conversion front spacers as well when I'm done.

Anyways here is a couple pics:



These are OEwheels C5 replica deepdish wheels. It's an 18 in the rear, and i have 17s up front. I needed the 2 inch spacer due to extreme corvette backspacing as usual but plan to get a rear end with the proper width in the future. Apparently OE no longer sells these in Anthracite/Gunmetal so I was glad i got one of the last sets over the phone! I really like how they looked on other fbodies over at ls1tech. Was planning to run a 295/35/18 on the rear but the clearance is about 3/4" from inner wheel lip to inner fender well wall...so i might run a stiff sidewall 285 for safety lol.

My main inspiration for running these wheels in particular comes from this car:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/post...92-post33.html
I just decided i wanted them in gunmetal instead Hopefully I can get them all on soon!

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Got a chance to run my car at a coworker's shop. Private dyno runs... if you will Ran a couple times and noticed smoke issues on decel. After research it seems if the engine has sat for a while or has higher miles, the valve stem seals will allow oil to seep past under massive vacuum....AKA cooldown from high RPM on a pull. In the second video you can see the plumes of oil smoke on decel. I'll also be swapping the PCV to the LS6 design, there is a good writeup here on the net somewhere. Then I'll add catchcan as added protection.

In any case, it makes around 285hp at the wheels, and i shut it down just after the crossover point on the graph so I don't have accurate TQ numbers yet. I will get them as soon as i replace the valve seals and run again







In-case you noticed in the pic, this is the old Thrashercharged performance 3800 shop You might be familiar if you have a regal GS or GTP or Grand National

LivinLarge

Very nice swap. Im eager to see how the wheels look mounted..

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Ok finally had a chance to run to redline without any real issues, I'll have to get a screenshot or printout and add it to this post. But it made 302whp and 317ftlbs....pretty good for a sealed stock LS1 i think

Flip 2

iTrader: (1)

Should drive nice and not be breaking stuff every week.
Enjoy!

LivinLarge

Any updates on this bad boy?

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

ill get some more pics soon. I've had it up on a lift to sand/paint the bare metal at the subframe connector welds in hopes of keeping it rust free for the future. Otherwise, I've been trying to fix that deceleration oil consumption issue from the second video. After doing more research it seems the LS1/6 are notorious for burning oil by means of the pcv re-ingesting it, or pulling vacuum down through valve stem seals with oil on decel. I checked leakdown and compression and will replace the seals, my pcv seems fine as well as i disconnected and still got the problem. Everything seems good and the engine is healthy....so the last thing I found was a service bulletin linked here:

http://www.rjsmith.com/gm-894549.html

I have an official PDF version as well if anyone wants it. So instead of tearing down the motor, I'll probably just keep an eye on the oil, convert to LS6 valley tray pcv someday.... but in the meantime just run it hard lol.

Hope to get my tires soon and updates with new wheels and c5 front brake conversion will be next!

EDIT: updating 8/9/12 to include thread about bizarre overheating issue https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/ltx-...ating-ls1.html

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Quick update, I know it's been a very long time! I've purchased a 2002 torsen diff for my 10bolt, 3.73 ring and pinion and 28 spline axles! I've currently got the stock auburn clutch type posi (which is blown) and 3.23 ratio. I know the 10 bolt will probably explode someday, but I'll try to be easy on it this summer...since I don't have the cash for a 12bolt or 9inch at the moment lol. Looking to order tires and start doing some work to get the brakes and wheels mounted this spring!

IROCgiraffe

iTrader: (3)

Nice build!

IrocZ'85

iTrader: (9)

Just a teaser of the OE deep dish c5 anthracite grey wheels. Test fitting my friends old 275/35/18 nt01. I've decided since I've got the room to go with the 285/35/18 on the rear and the 255/40/17 on the front. They will be NT05 since I don't really need a "race tire". Plus I have a feeling the 10 bolt will take a dump with any remotely sticky tire anyways lol. I think the aesthetics would benefit from at least a 1inch drop too.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

I agree with you on all of that. Especially about the 10 bolt. That is going to look sweet! I was looking at those wheels for my car too. So many wheels to choose from though!