LTX and LSXPutting LT1's, LS1's, and their variants into Third Gens is becoming more popular. This board is for those who are doing and have done the swaps so they can discuss all of their technical aspects, including repairs, swap info, and performance upgrades.
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It took months longer than expected, but I finally got my car back yesterday. Long story short: LS2 with a few goodies, T-56 with Viper back half, Moser Ford-9 with 3.50's, and all suspension and k-member is tubular (some mild and some chrome moly).
It's about 99% done though. The tach still doesn't work, but they think the PCM is bad (no power at the correct pin). The heater isn't working, but I'll take it in tomorrow to try and fix that. The engine runs really good and I think it sounds good too. The ride is pretty harsh, I was hoping the progressive rate springs would keep things smoother. The suspension springs make a lot of noise too, like they're shifting around; I'm hoping they'll settle in as the powder coating wears off. I'm also thinking about cutting the springs and placing a thin rubber bushing on top; there isn't enough room for one right now.
Although I took it to a shop, I picked up a lot of valuable information about the conversion. Thanks to everyone who's shared their knowledge and experience.
On the way home:
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__________________
'99 Formula Firehawk
'88 Firebird: Short version: MTI tweaked LS2 with a D&D Performance T-56, Moser Ford-9 (31 spline, 3:50), coated long tubes (HAWKS), Random Tech cats, single Moroso Spiral flow in front of a Hooker Aerochamber. BMR Tubular K-member and suspension components
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That container is actually the washer fluid, the coolant overflow is a smaller black tank on the passenger side. The stock jug wouldn't fit with the air intake there; I just bought new containers too! Eventually I want to find two aluminum or stainless steel overflow containers and place them on both sides of the radiator.
I'll try to get some better pics this weekend. I also have an extensive list of part numbers for the GTO LS2's. I'll start another thread later in case anyone needs to find parts.
I'd love to see some detail pics on the overflow tank and lines you have. I'll be putting my pcm on the front side of the strut tower, right where the rad tank is right now.
Nice...verry nice. even if the heater doesn't work, it's an ls2 third gen!!! CONGRATS!!
__________________ "Stage 2 is great. Its covered by warranty, better fuel economy, the eaton screams louder so deer wont jump onto the road, it makes girls get wet, and the emissions produced will not kill songbirds or melt glaciers."
Yea, the heater wasn't a big deal, but it's been fixed already .
The new PCM is right where the old one was. It's a snug fit and a bracket was made to hold it in place, but it fits. I'd rather have it inside than under the hood; might as well try it out before moving your overflow tank.
I do have some better pics, but I'm short on time right now. I'll post them soon though.
Sweetness man. Looks nice.
If don't mind my asking, what kind of AC bracket is that? I want it...heh. (well, not yours....)
Quote:
Originally Posted by V6canvas
I'd love to see some detail pics on the overflow tank and lines you have. I'll be putting my pcm on the front side of the strut tower, right where the rad tank is right now.
__________________ KONIs I Eibach Pro-Kit I 36mm/24mm sway bars I Spohn: Adjustable PHB I Wonder Bar I SFCs Custom LCAs I LCARBs I J&M Products Camber/Caster plates I Hawk's Ceramic Pads I 4th Gen 3.23 Posi I LS1/LT1 Brakes
The overflow tank is nothing special, it's a canister with a tube that runs from the bottom to the radiator, and the top of the canister has a tube that runs to the bottom of the car. If the fluid overflows then it just dumps out.
I finally got the fuel rail covers on too. I had to use Corvette coil packs and the GTO covers required some cutting.
The overflow tank is nothing special, it's a canister with a tube that runs from the bottom to the radiator, and the top of the canister has a tube that runs to the bottom of the car. If the fluid overflows then it just dumps out.
Thanks for the tip, may just do that. As for the A/C bracket, I couldn't find that on their site. A ton of cool stuff, I'll keep looking. See what else I can find.
Look right between the battery and the fender. The overflow sets below the battery tray. The tank in front of the radiator is the windsheild fluid tank.
__________________ 90 Firebird Formula (Stephen)Sold!
LT1/T56(formerly 305TPI/T5), 355 with LE1 heads and cam, Hooker 2210s, 1le Brakes, alston subframe connectors, Spohn tubular control arms and panhard rod, Jegster torque arm, Richmond 4:10 gears and all new interior and paint.
Working A/C!
My car on Cardomain (updated 12/27/06).http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2415999/1
92 Oldsmobile Silhouette (Agnes)
62 Galaxie 500 An old friend that found his way back.
Couple of questions for my LS2 swap. What is the module on your firewall next to the wiper motor? Is the small hard tube that runs behind the radiator your steam vent? What is the aluminum fitting in the upper radiator hose?
Not my post but, the module is for the headlight motors on Firebirds.
__________________ 90 Firebird Formula (Stephen)Sold!
LT1/T56(formerly 305TPI/T5), 355 with LE1 heads and cam, Hooker 2210s, 1le Brakes, alston subframe connectors, Spohn tubular control arms and panhard rod, Jegster torque arm, Richmond 4:10 gears and all new interior and paint.
Working A/C!
My car on Cardomain (updated 12/27/06).http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2415999/1
92 Oldsmobile Silhouette (Agnes)
62 Galaxie 500 An old friend that found his way back.
Couple of questions for my LS2 swap. What is the module on your firewall next to the wiper motor? Is the small hard tube that runs behind the radiator your steam vent? What is the aluminum fitting in the upper radiator hose?
Thanks Bingo. The hard tube is the steam vent and the other fitting is the temp sensor.
You can probably find them in Jegs or any other parts store. It's just a tube big enough for whatever radiator hose you have with a threaded fitting for the temp sensor. So buy the temp sensor and radiator hose, then find an adaptor that fits both. You want it in the upper hose to get the most accurate readings; that sensor is what turns my fans on, it came with the Be Cool radiator kit.
Are those BMR front crossmembers strong? Can they handle road racing or hard cornering with a Kenne Bell LS1? I was thinking about buying one to save weight and time but it looks like with only having one small tube going across that it wouldn't hold up to abuse like the stock K-member. Very nice car BTW, I love that LS2!
It seems pretty stout. I think all aftermarket k-members have a single bar across the bottom, they all have different ways of bracing it though. I've seen other guys on the board say to stay with the stock piece if you do a lot of road racing, but the tubular pieces are lighter.
Forgive my ignorance but what is the small bottle next to the throttle body? I am looking to do an LS2 in my GTA now and I am looking into what I really need to get. I am thinking GM Performance crate LS2 and the conversion harness and I would not have a donor car to do this with.
Thanks, James
Forgive my ignorance but what is the small bottle next to the throttle body? I am looking to do an LS2 in my GTA now and I am looking into what I really need to get. I am thinking GM Performance crate LS2 and the conversion harness and I would not have a donor car to do this with.
Thanks, James
Yea, it's the power steering reservoir, I have a GTO accessory kit.
Does that engine kit come with the front drive accessories? If not, then buy a complete aftermarket kit. I bought the parts one by one, it was a PITA and cost just as much.
Nothing wrong with searching old posts!
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Here's a parts list:
Yea, it's the power steering reservoir, I have a GTO accessory kit.
Does that engine kit come with the front drive accessories? If not, then buy a complete aftermarket kit. I bought the parts one by one, it was a PITA and cost just as much.
I do not think the crate motor comes with a lot of stuff really. I think it is a long block with fuel rails, throttle body, and water pump. It pictures an oil pan and some weird kind of motor mounts but I think those are both for the corvette so I would wind up buying replacements for those too.
I would rather buy the GM stuff for the accessories and piece it together, I usually do not like the aftermarket stuff.
Based on what I said is included what else do I need to get that engine to work in my car as far as sensors are concerned? I know I would need PCM, pedal and harness but do I need a MAF? MAP? Temperature sensors, etc?
Thanks for any help. I would like to see more of your car!
Check out the link in my previous post, it has almost all the parts I used. If you can find an Oct '07 issue of High Performance Pontiac, then you can see more of the car; it got featured I can try to add some other pics later.
I should have mentioned I started with a long block as well. The link does have almost everything you'll need, but I did forget the knock sensors (2). You will need a temp sensor for the fans, but mine operates seperate from the PCM.
Also, the compressor listed is the stock piece. I changed to an aftermarket one to keep it off the K-member.
I would be starting with a crate motor which includes a few items, but unfortunately the documentation on GM's site is very poor and does not list EVERYTHING that it has or needs. I will probably buy the engine and conversion harness and go from there.
You list is very comprehensive and I will be referencing it once i get ready to do all of this.
Do you think that you can update the list with the knock sensor part number too? Also I am reading about the steam tube, is it necessary to run this? I do not have current provisions and would rather not use it, but if I am going to wind up with problems then I will figure something out.
Yes you need it, though it doesn't seem too critical where it's hooked up to. The important thing is it is hooked up to something. If you look at the new LS1 swap sticky, there is a bunch of info linked. There seems to be ppl attatching it to the top of the radiator, drilling the top of the water pump or even the upper radiator hose.
Basically it's there to carry away any steam that gets caught in the head with a constant stream of coolant.
I agree with V6 canvas. Mine runs to the radiator but if you want to hide it, then a lot of guys have tapped a hole to the top of the water pump. I'll see if I can find the part number for the knock sensors.
I have now read the problems you can run into if you do not use the steam tube. I would like to hide it though so I think I would plumb it into the water pump. I want everything to look as clean as possible. If you can get the number for the knock sensors would be great, thank you
I had a few parts provided with my harness and the knock sensors were part of it, so I don't have part numbers. They also included my O2 sensors (2), crank sensor, idle air control valve (LS1) and throttle position sensor. The last one is for the cable throttle, you could also try an electric throttle.
You can just call a dealer parts store to get those part numbers.
If you scroll up to post 10, you can see my steam tube in the 1st and 3rd pictures. It runs parallel to the air intake, so it doesn't stand out too much.
Thanks! I've had 13 years to think about this project. I've seen other 3rd gens getting a complete strip and make-over however, so I'm still reaching for the bar too
looks good, i think my bro talked with you about his car that we did. There's a link below. You are the one i saw in pontiac high performance We used a tach convertor box from dakota digital to get our tach to work.
I bought mine from Summit, but the part number I used is no longer on there. I bought a kit with a new master cylinder, but you can buy one without it.
I think I paid around $700 for it. Summit still has the kits but they don't seem to have the same variety.
I had a hot-rod shop install mine, so I couldn't give you the details on that. The manufacturers site may answer some questions: http://www.hydratechbraking.com/
Eventually I want to find two aluminum or stainless steel overflow containers and place them on both sides of the radiator.
I bought the motor from MTI and I bought those parts with it. It's the FAST 90mm and Nick Williams 90mm. 
