6.0L LSX/T56 swap in 1991 Z28 convertible *Test Fire 11/21*
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Yea I thought that would increase the dramatic effect just a tad
And yes, it says Bride and Groom. When I said I haven't washed the car since May 22nd I wasn't kidding, I got married on May 23rd and that stuff was written on the windows at the church
Well hey, let me be the first one here to congratulate you on the septum piercing (so that the ring fits through it)! Lots of success/happiness to the two of ya!
Thanks! I spoke with the shop this evening and they said they ran a quick calculation and said the compression ratio will be about 11:1
The scorpion rockers aren't here yet, they are hoping to recieve them thursday morning so they can put them on. They were sent 1.8's but I need 1.7's, and we're missing a few other odds and ends things like some bolts for the covers as you can see there are a few missing in the pictures. Also they had to order new seals for the knock sensors in the top cover.
I think the bore/hone was 8 over from the original width from the factory. And the crank is a stock LS1 crank (same thing as what came in the block except it will work with the T56 I will be using...but haven't bought yet haha)
The bore/hone was either 8 or 6 over, I can't remember. I'll let you know for sure when I get the build sheet tomorrow morning. I want to say it was 8 but I can't promise, because I thought I heard the shop say they had ordered the 8 over Mahle forged pistons for the block....ehhh....I'll find out for sure tomorrow!
I got the block back from the shop today! I'm going to buy new valve covers because the ones that came on the block look crappy, and we can't have that you know.
I didn't get a picture of the heads without the covers on because the rockers and pushrods are not on them yet. They rockers haven't come in yet, probably will be here tomorrow if not by Monday. I'll get pics as soon as they come in.
One small change in the parts list: The underdrive harmonic pulley is not a 10% underdrive, it's 25%. And it's a Power Bond SFI race pulley.
Here's the build specs:
Mains:
Block
2.5607
2.5606
2.5610
2.5606
2.5608
Crank
2.5586
2.5586
2.5588
2.5588
2.5589
Clearance
.0019
.0020
.0022
.0022
.0021
Rods:
Rod
2.1016
2.1017
2.1016
2.1015
2.1015
2.1016
2.1016
2.1016
Crank
2.0995
2.0995
2.0994
2.0995
2.0994
2.0994
2.0995
2.0994
Clearance
.0021
.0022
.0022
.0020
.0021
.0022
.0021
.0022
Cylinders 4.030 + or - .00025
Pistons 4.0265 + or - .00025
Clearance .0035 + or - .00025
Ring Gaps
1st .020 + or - .001
2nd .018 + or - .001
Oil .016 + or - .001
Nevermind on getting new valve covers. I just dropped the stock ones off to get powdercoated (black chrome), so I should have them back next week sometime. And since I removed them to take to get coated, I took a pic of the freshly cleaned heads with PRC springs from Texas Speed.
SWEEEET!! That things gonna SCREAM with that ms4 once she gets the rpms to 6500!!! The idle on that cam is insane, sounds like an all out drag car (me LIKEY!)
I think i'll have mine bored to 4.050~4.060 with the walls being sonic checked. Oh did i forget to tell you nick, i'm buying that lq4 and 4l80e for 650 tomorrow!!! Selling the trans should help me find a good t-56. DId you find a 6 speed yet?
great buildup man, your gonna need a 12 bolt or a 9 inch (for the ladies lol) to take that power, AND your tires are gonna hate you.
I'm looking into a possible deal on a T56 right now actually. The shop that built the motor is checking on the owner for me to see if he'll actually go through with it. Apparently he's wanting an auto because he's sick of driving the T56 in traffic. It's got like 50,xxx miles on it, comes with an LS6 clutch/flywheel, in perfect working condition, comes with the shifter and all the other crap I would need to do the swap, probably looking at about $1,400 for everything. If I can find a cheap 700R4 core, he might be more willing to do it because the shop is trying to talk him into a built 700 instead of a 4L60E.
And yea, the 12 bolt or 9 inch will be the second to last thing I do after it's back on the ground running (last would be a 6 pt cage). The rear in it right now is a low milage 2002 10 bolt and doesn't make any noise, works perfect. If I don't drive the pants off the car it should last me a while until I can find a used 12 bolt or something. And yea, I plan on not having any tread after the swap is done. Not because I would drive the piss out of it, but because they're really hard compound rubber. (Riken Raptors ewwww)
I'm looking into a possible deal on a T56 right now actually. The shop that built the motor is checking on the owner for me to see if he'll actually go through with it. Apparently he's wanting an auto because he's sick of driving the T56 in traffic. It's got like 50,xxx miles on it, comes with an LS6 clutch/flywheel, in perfect working condition, comes with the shifter and all the other crap I would need to do the swap, probably looking at about $1,400 for everything. If I can find a cheap 700R4 core, he might be more willing to do it because the shop is trying to talk him into a built 700 instead of a 4L60E.
And yea, the 12 bolt or 9 inch will be the second to last thing I do after it's back on the ground running (last would be a 6 pt cage). The rear in it right now is a low milage 2002 10 bolt and doesn't make any noise, works perfect. If I don't drive the pants off the car it should last me a while until I can find a used 12 bolt or something. And yea, I plan on not having any tread after the swap is done. Not because I would drive the piss out of it, but because they're really hard compound rubber. (Riken Raptors ewwww)
Fwiw I have the 700 out of my 91 for sale. I haven't heard from the guy that wanted it. I am on the other side of the state from you but we could probably work something out in the next couple of weeks. I would be willing to sell it cheap.
Thanks to my friend Mike for helping me out, the car is no longer drivable in its current state
Yep - there comes a point in the swap where you're like the ancient (Vikings? Greeks?) who sailed to the enemy's shores & immediately burned their own boats. (My point came when I sold the original engine & transmission to different people.)
Yea, well my old engine and trans belong to someone else already too! He is picking it up whenever it comes out
I got the valve covers back from getting powdercoated last night. I think they turned out pretty sharp. The color is a version of Black Chrome. Here's a few pictures in indoor lighting, and then what they look like on the block:
I tackled some more of the un-wiring today. I got everything disconnected except for the trans and the starter. I should have it ready to yank the engine and trans late next week. I also picked up my Scorpions today!
are you going fuel injected or carb. i know it may be a good deal. but if you are going fuel injected i would stay away from the aluminum intakes. i have seen the wiend and others suffer. save your money and do it once with a fast intake. other than that run an ls6. you wont be sorry.
__________________ YOU MUST ALWAYS PUSH THE LIMITS-IF YOU NEVER FAIL YOU WILL NEVER SUCCEED--NO FEAR!
omg ur soo lucky i wish i had the cash to pick up an ls1 i want one soooo bad
It's all about how good you are at saving the money that you do make I will be the first to admit, it's an expensive hobby and being that I just got married in May, it will be a tough road for my personally, but I (and my wife!) are determined to finish the car and enjoy it a few weekends during the summer each year.
Also worth mentioning, my Fbody accessories came in today, factory alternator, water pump, power steering pump, and belt tensioner. All came from a very low mileage WS6 and I picked them up from a member on LS1tech. So now that I have those, I will be drilling and tapping the new holes for the alternator brackets very soon, so the motor will be ready to drop onto the k-member in the near future.
I made some small progress today even though it was scorching hot outside. I had to drill and tap a new hole on the driver side of the block so that I could mount the alternator bracket. On truck blocks, the alternator is mounted high on the driver side where the power steering pump would be on an Fbody. There is no hole where the bracket would mount on an fbody on these iron blocks, so I took drill bit (21/64) and made a hole and tapped it using a M10x1.5, which is the correct size for the factory bolts. I also went ahead and put on the water pump.
looking good if you're ditching the power steering pump then that idler wheel has to go as well. Search "short belt mod" on ls1tech for the proper length which is 51.5" or 52.5" for the 6 rib belt, been a while since I've bought one.
__________________ my car thats never done
"I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6"
First Place Camaro Modified Thirdgenfest '05, Second Place Camaro Modified Thirdgenfest '06, Best Modified Camaro Thirdgenfest '07 , Second Place Camaro Modified Thirdgenfest '08
MFBA March 2008 Featured Calendar Vehicle
Yes I realize t valve covers are on the wrong sides. I had them put on temporarily because I haven't put in the pushrods or the Scorpion rockers yet. Once I get it all installed I will make sure the covers go on the right sides.
I'm using power steering, I just couldn't put on the pump today for two reasons: 1) I have to buy the bolts for the bracket from the dealer on Monday 2) the pump needs a new line, the one on there was cut and the aluminum hard line is crimped
I contemplated going to the dealer but they wanted like 9 bucks a bolt or something like that. So I went to Brafasco and they got me some high strength bolts that worked perfectly for 8 bucks for all of them.
nice build. it appears you haven't cut any corners. i have a few questions for you, though..
why not a custom cam?
why the scorpion rockers?
why the eagle rods?
just curious. the cam really sticks out to me. i don't understand why you'd spend so much everywhere else and use an off the shelf cam created and designed for a stock-longblock ls1. beautiful setup.
Shift: $9 per bolt?! I just bought the 3 bolts that screw into the head for the p/s pump and the 2 bolts that hold the smaller bracket to the front side of the pump for $4.XX. Sounds like your dealer was taking you for a ride, I've always had great experiences with my dealer's parts dept.
Quote:
Originally Posted by s346k
nice build. it appears you haven't cut any corners. i have a few questions for you, though..
why not a custom cam?
why the scorpion rockers?
why the eagle rods?
just curious. the cam really sticks out to me. i don't understand why you'd spend so much everywhere else and use an off the shelf cam created and designed for a stock-longblock ls1. beautiful setup.
Most of the parts I bought were bought because its what I could afford. You wouldn't probably guess by my $3,800 engine overhaul, but I do have a budget (and a wife! LoL). So the eagle rods and the Scorpions were on the list for what I could afford. The rockers are supposedly really nice and they have a lifetime warranty. I was going to get yella terras but they were on back order.
With the MS4, I really hadn't done a whole lot of research with my cam choice. I got a lot of peoples' input and looked at dyno sheets and kind of went from there. I wanted something with proven gains, and Texas Speed has proven over and over that the MS3 and MS4 work, they don't need to re-invent the wheel. I might have gone with a custom cam if I hadn't got the MS4 for $200. It was used for around 1,000 miles and I know the car and the owner of the car it came out of
And tonight I got the rest of the wiring removed, and got some of the trans bolts out. Tomorrow I am shooting to get the trans out. I also may end up changing the title of the thread, as my friend and my dad might have me convinced to go with a built 700R4 instead of a T56.
if u go, automatic , i would go with a 4l60e, maybe even built since u have the pcm.
if i had the money, i would get rid of my a4 and get a t56. I think its more fun for driving arond.
but automatic is the way to go for the drag strip.
I'm not sure what is needed to run a 700R4 behind an LS1 swap, any input would be great. The reason I was considering the 700 is because they are so darn cheap to buy and rebuild.
I don't have the money right now for a T56, the swap would take a lot longer than I want if I was going to wait around for a 6 spd. If I go automatic, I can have this thing drivable come spring time. Also, I would like to be able to pull some really nice ET's at the track.
We also made a mess of the garage floor. There's trans fluid all over the place. Saturday the engine will be out and I can roll her out in the driveway and powerwash the bay to get it ready for paint.
I doubt this is everything, but.... You need what I think is the flat flexplate and crank space that comes on the '01 and later truck motors w/4L80E (so you should have that already), your PCM will have to be flashed to accommodate the non-electronic trans., you will have to do an alternative TCC lock-up setup (vac. controlled probably), and most importantly a way to hook up the TV cable has to be made, oh and you will need a way to get a VSS signal to the PCM.
So, that should get you started anyway. I would look more into the flexplate/spacer thing, I think I gave the right info, and I did find a post to confirm, but I cant remember if you had to like switch around the spacer to the other side of the flexplate or something weird like that... It's been a while and I don't recall all the research that I originally put into this, as I was thinking about keeping the 700 in my swap too. So, yeah, I guess it's time you get to searchin'. Hopefully some other people can point you along as well.
BTW, regarding my swap. I finally found a 4L60E for a price I was willing to pay. So, I might be back on track sooner than I thought.
I doubt this is everything, but.... You need what I think is the flat flexplate and crank space that comes on the '01 and later truck motors w/4L80E (so you should have that already), your PCM will have to be flashed to accommodate the non-electronic trans., you will have to do an alternative TCC lock-up setup (vac. controlled probably), and most importantly a way to hook up the TV cable has to be made, oh and you will need a way to get a VSS signal to the PCM.
So, that should get you started anyway. I would look more into the flexplate/spacer thing, I think I gave the right info, and I did find a post to confirm, but I cant remember if you had to like switch around the spacer to the other side of the flexplate or something weird like that... It's been a while and I don't recall all the research that I originally put into this, as I was thinking about keeping the 700 in my swap too. So, yeah, I guess it's time you get to searchin'. Hopefully some other people can point you along as well.
BTW, regarding my swap. I finally found a 4L60E for a price I was willing to pay. So, I might be back on track sooner than I thought.
I found a great priced 4L60E too! I am picking one up for $80 that needs a rebuild.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 89ROC-Z
somebody needs either a lift or a pit lol
A lift would be nice, but the ceiling is too low. My friend hit his head on the steel rafters when he was sitting in the engine bay trying to get the exhaust manifolds out
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPI TERR
great build what exhaust are you going with ?
*hopefully* the Hawks/SSW longtubes with custom ypipe. Most likely shorties and ypipe just to get it on the ground and running though.
I found a great priced 4L60E too! I am picking one up for $80 that needs a rebuild.
Nice, dude that should work out great. You gonna do the rebuild yourself? Maybe throw some upgrade parts in there while your at it? (I don't really know what all the standard upgrades are for a 4L60E, if any... (but maybe like 'vette servo/boost valve kinda stuff a la 700R4?)
Yea I know a guy that works with a really good friend of mine, he's going to rebuild it for really cheap. I'm going to throw a manual valve body in there (reversed) so that I can shift it myself, and pulling the shifter towards the back of the car will shift up, putting it forwards will shift down, so that you don't risk throwing it in neutral while you're slamming gears. I'll also throw a new overdrive band in there and new clutch pack, a shift kit of some kind, etc.
Now I'm off to buy a black tubular K-member, soak down the engine bay and then spray it blue with clear coat, install the new 4th gen coolant and windshield fluid reservoirs, and start putting this swap in gear.
Hey BlueZee28, did you ever get your fbody clamshells and were they different from the truck units?
Actually yes I just got them in YESTERDAY after getting the run-around with a guy on LS1tech. He kept saying that he would ship them and never did but yes I finally had a set now. Just by looking at the ones I got in the mail they do look different from the truck ones although I haven't looked at them side by side yet. I will take them over to the garage this evening while I'm cleaning up the engine bay and look again so I can tell you for sure.
So the eagle rods and the Scorpions were on the list for what I could afford.
ok. i understand you bought what you did because it is what you can afford. but i ask why? what is wrong with the stock rockers and stock connecting rods? they don't cost anything extra. the stock rockers are the lightest of the rockers available and the most recommended by engine builders unless you're using a tfs head (or any others) that utilize a 13* valve angle. same goes for the stock rods. they are proven to 7k+ rpm and 1000+hp. throw in some katech rod bolts with the rebuild and let'er eat. you keep mentioning your budget...i'm just curious, it seems you could've saved a lot of money reusing stock parts that will have no problem getting the job done just the same.
ok. i understand you bought what you did because it is what you can afford. but i ask why? what is wrong with the stock rockers and stock connecting rods? they don't cost anything extra. the stock rockers are the lightest of the rockers available and the most recommended by engine builders unless you're using a tfs head (or any others) that utilize a 13* valve angle. same goes for the stock rods. they are proven to 7k+ rpm and 1000+hp. throw in some katech rod bolts with the rebuild and let'er eat. you keep mentioning your budget...i'm just curious, it seems you could've saved a lot of money reusing stock parts that will have no problem getting the job done just the same.
The rods (and pistons) were not something I directly paid for. I'm doing some side work for a friend and in turn he bought me those. That's what I meant when I say that's what I could afford. Plus, the stock pistons that came out of this engine looked like they had a lot of blow-by and the rings were shot, so I decided it would be really bad to throw them back in, and why not just get new rods while I'm getting new pistons?
As with the rockers, I didn't feel comfortable using the stock ones with the cam I put in the engine. I would have had to send them out and have new needle bearings put in and that would have cost money too, so I just went ahead and got something aftermarket with a lifetime warranty.
and being that you had it bored .030" over, the stock pistons had to go. And IIRC, no aftermarket piston uses the .940" (or .960"?) wrist pin so new rods were in order anyways. Comin along nicely nick!
Lots of success/happiness to the two of ya! 
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