Warnd

Hey whats up Thirdgen,

I have wanted to do this swap ever since I first saw people doing them on here many years ago. Unfortunately I was never able to get time and money to line up in a way that would allow me to do it the way I wanted, but thankfully that is all about to change. Im about to finish up college over the summer so the progress might be somewhat slow for a few weeks but the plan is to have this drivable by the end of the summer (as with all deadlines Im sure I will look back on this one and laugh LOL but gotta start somewhere).

The plan is to take a 18,000 mile LS1 along with a LT1 T56 with 10,000 miles since a full rebuild and put them into my 1992 Z28. Im probably getting in over my head with this project since I am going from auto to manual as well as converting the LT1 style T56 to the LS1 style but Im up for the challenge and learning experience. I do not plan on keeping the AC initially because I do not want to get into notching the K-member if I can help it. Maybe some time down the road I will buy one of those relocation brackets that puts it up top, but that is a discussion for another day. Here is a brief list of swap parts I am going to use with this build. Some of them are purchased and some still need to be purchased:

Swap Parts

-18,000 mile LS1 from 2000 Camaro (Owned)
-LT1 T56 10,000 miles on a full rebuild (Owned)
-Car Shop 1 inch Setback Lsx swap plates (Owned)
-SBC Engine side mount brackets (Need to purchase)
-Wireharness from BP automotive from over on Ls1tech (Need to purchase)
-Hustler Mid Length Headers (Need to Purchase)
-Full LS7 Clutch kit with new hydraulics from an LS1tech sponsor (Owned)
-LT1/LS1 Conversion kit from Rockland Standard gear (Owned)
-LS1 T56 Bellhousing (Owned)
-Walbro intake fuel pump (Need to purchase)
-Corvette fuel filter/regulator (Need to purchase)
-Radiator/fan combo (Need to purchase)
-LS1 Crank Pulley (Owned)
-F-Body Accessories and brackets (Owned)

Im sure there is some stuff I forgot to include in that list because I have been ordering parts on an absolute rampage but that should give you the basic idea of what im trying to accomplish here.

Anyway onto the stuff you guys came here for, Pictures!

First up is the 18,000 mile LS1 that I found on craigslist. Dont have anyway to prove the mileage, but the engine quality speaks for itself. Drove almost all the way to Canada to find this lol!




Here is the T56 im working with. Ignore the spec clutch kit. Original plan was to put this T56 behind the 5.7 TPI that came with the car but I couldnt bring myself to spend all the money on the outdated platform. Should have listened to people on here who told me to start with the LS1 T56 from the start, but oh well you live and learn I guess.


Here are some pics of the first swap parts that have come in the mail so far. First is the LT1/LS1 conversion kit that I bought from Rockland Standard Gear. This kit is so complete its not even funny. If anyone ever has to go down this road I strongly reccommend Rockland. They were extremely helpful on the phone and shipped this stuff out insanely quick.


here is the PCM that I got with VATs deleted from a LS1tech guy


And finally here is the car that everything is going in, my 1992 Z28 Camaro. I have been getting a lot of flack from people for molesting this car but they just dont understand, or maybe I am just stupid haha!




And here is how she sits while I wait for some more parts I need. There is so much crap that falls from the trees in my backyard, had to throw a cover on top because I couldnt stand the birds crapping on it every five seconds


Well thats where we sit right now. First step in the build is to convert the LT1 T56 with the LS1 parts so I can get the tranny mated up with the engine once my clutch kit comes in next week. Beyond that I have a few miscellaneous gaskets that need to be purchased (intake and waterpump initially come to mind). After that I have to put the coil packs on and finish setting up the front accessories for my engine.

Please feel free to chime in with any advice/help you can give me. I have a very nice set of tools at my disposal (father was a mechanic for 20 years) but for the most part I will be on my own so I appreciate any insight from people that have already done this swap. Other than that, cant wait to get started!

NagleMac

iTrader: (1)

I dont have anything important to say but i will def be following this build!

Javier87z28

iTrader: (1)

Suscribed brother

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Will be a super nice ride when done, looking foreward to the finished result!

UnstableAviator

Nice project.

If you get stuck or need help, be sure to post up.

You're gonna love this thing once you get it going!!

STREETDEMON

don't let anybody hassle you about changing out the drivetrain. i did it to mine, the z was all original with 103k on the clock. do and enjoy it!

IROCgiraffe

iTrader: (3)

Subscribed.

Warnd

Thanks for offering your help. I will be sure to take you guys up on that throughout this process.

Hey thanks for looking in on this STREETDEMON, your build thread was the deciding factor in my choosing to pick the hustler headers. How are you liking them so far? I am actually going to place my order for them tomorrow. Did you just call up?

Warnd

Ok just a little update along with a question. I was looking at the oring type gaskets for the intake manifold today and was wondering if they are good enough to keep or if I should replace them. Most likely they are going to get replaced since the cost is pretty negligible anyway but I wanted to see what you guys thought.

Anyway here are some pics of them:




Also got a bunch of parts in the mail today that I am very excited about. Got my whole LS7 clutch kit and hydraulics from East Coast Performance who is a sponsor over on LS1tech. Highly reccomend buying from Mike over at Eastcoast because he was a standup guy and had a good deal on all the parts. Here is a link to his forsale thread on tech:http://ls1tech.com/forums/corvette-p...time-only.html

Anyway pics:



Also got my new crank pulley and power steering pulley in the mail from GMpartsdirect:


And finally here are the carshop 1 inch setback mounts. Can anyone tell me which mounting positions I am supposed to use on the LS1? I noticed it has 2 different positions you can use to mount, either the forward mounting holes and middle ones or the middle ones and the back mounting holes. Let me know what you guys think.


Thats all for tonight. Hopefully will have some progress to show you guys tomorrow. Thanks for lookin!

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Nice to have parts incoming. Will be a little bit before i get to the 91 RS with the stang taking up time with the LS swap on it, but all i need for the 91 will be springs and a timing chain. May do a oil pump, but i ordered everything or had it before i got the stang and needed to get the TA together with the 5.3 swap. I hope to are uninterrupted and get that thing together without a hitch.

NagleMac

iTrader: (1)

I would not reuse the intake gaskets, once you take something apart you never want to reuse the gasket.

Warnd

Yeah I will definitely be replacing the intake gaskets thanks for the advice. When I even suggested reusing the old gaskets my pops almost had a heart attack haha. He was shocked I would even think that would be lol. Anyways new gaskets on the way from gmpartsdirect

25th327RS

iTrader: (2)

Those gaskets did look a little iffy and replacement is a good idea, but I wouldn't be afraid of re-using most gaskets on a ls engine if they are relatively "fresh". With exception of headgaskets and Oring for the oil pump, if they are still soft and look good, not squished, I wouldn't be afraid of using them again.

NemeSS-TyranT

iTrader: (1)

nows a goid time to install a cam, while the pulley is off the crank

Warnd

Haha you have no idea how much I have been debating this in my head. You are right it does seem like the perfect time to get it done but I dont want to get into changing the springs and other stuff. Just seems like it could get out of hand money wise and put me over budget. Unless you know of a nice mild cam that doesnt require many other changes?

DeltaElite121

Call Bullet Racing, Mike Jones, Chris Straub, etc. They can build you a mean cam that will work within your limitations and still offer very good power.


I agree with his comment. While it's all out, just swap it. There's no reason not to considering you'll get a decent pickup in power afterwards.

STREETDEMON

i love the mids, trying to get my 8.8 hybrid rear finished up so i can get the car on the rollers. i've got 2500+ miles on them and would by them again in a heartbeat. next project is true dual exhaust, but that will have to wait for this coming winter....

NagleMac

iTrader: (1)

You should NEVER reuse a gasket, i can understand a valve cover or air cleaner gasket, but never and internal gasket. They way they are crushed and seated when they are torwued down wont be able to happen a second time, while you MIGHT get away with re-using gaskets, its not worth it for the price of them.

Warnd

Hey whats up guys, I will have some pics with an update to post later tonight but wanted to squeeze off a quick question before I left for physical therapy.

Does anyone have a set of the engine side mount brackets for these cars? I have the mounts that bolt to the K member but do not have the engine side bracket (bought this car from someone who was mid project, got almost everything from him but these must have gotten lost in the pile somewhere). I posted a thread in the wanted section but if anyone has a set with the bolt that goes through it I have money in paypal ready to go so let me know. I saw that I can buy them from classic industries but they want 70 for the pair and I dont even think that comes with the bolt. Anyone know of a cheaper place?

Here is a link to the picture of what I am looking for:
http://www.classicindustries.com/fir...l#.UZB45LWPMtU

Will come back with some pics for you guys later tonight when I get a chance to put a post together.

Dustytrix

iTrader: (3)

Are you talking about the clam shells? I know I have some but will have to locate them .

Warnd

Ok so I promised an update and even though its not much its a start. To bring you up to speed the interior is out of the car, the regular pedals are out, and the new manual pedals are in. Also had to spend some time and clean up my garage so I could make room for my recently purchased parts washer. On to the pictures...

First up are just some shots of the interior. Sorry about the glare in some of them, the sun was crazy today. Didn't take any pictures of the tear down because its pretty straightforward and I was anxious to start, but I will try to be more diligent with the pictures from now on.

Here are the manual pedals installed. I do not mind telling you that this was no fun at all and I had many angry words with the bolt all the way up top.


Here you can see the spot where the hole for the master clutch hydraulics has to be drilled. I haven't quite worked up the courage to make this cut yet but soon enough I will do it. Just worried about getting everything lined up good for the pedals. Any advice here?


And here is the console ripped out waiting for the hole to be cut for the shifter. Going to wait until I mate the engine and tranny together before I even think about making this cut.


Next I just wanted to show off the Safety Kleen parts washer I picked up for 75 bucks on craigslist. I know its not swap related but I figured people wouldn't mind because its at least car related. The guy who had it before me was using it to clean paint, as a result he clogged everything and the pump stopped working. I spent some time cleaning things up with diesel and the pump fired right up and pumped like a charm.

Here is what I got for 75 after some cleaning


Only problem now was I needed to find a 30 gallon drum. Went to Brooklyn to pick up a drum and the guy told me he had one 30 gallon left. Turns out it was an original Safety Kleen drum! What are the odds of that?


Had some surface rust at the bottom so I sanded the inner rim and sealed it to prevent future leaks:


The solvent I chose to fill the washer with. It came very highly recommended and can be bought from Tractor supply. Has a very high flash point which is what sold me.


And one shot of everything together. The inside is filthy but its for washing parts so Im not too concerned about it:


Last thing I have for today are the last shots of the engine bay before it goes under for a fresh coat of flat black paint. I had no intentions of painting the engine bay because it seemed like a huge chore, but my pops convinced me to bite the bullet and make it look nice. He doesnt let me cut corners but I guess thats a good thing. Anyone have any advice for what I can remove from my engine bay that wont be needed with the ls1 setup?



Nasty K member:


Next step is to pressure wash the engine bay, sand everything down, and get ready to prime and paint flat black. Should have some more updates on that soon.

Going to end with a picture of the side of the garage I took over. You can see a 6.0 iron block that I picked up for a good price on craigslist from the same person I bought my fbody front accessories from. However that is another build thread all together. No money to build up that block now...but in the future.....

Warnd

Got another update for you guys. Managed to get the engine bay degreased, pressure washed, sanded, and painted. Pics are pretty self explanatory. Just removed the AC/heater box since I will be putting an AC delete box there anyway and just taped everything else off the best I could.

First I sprayed this foam degreaser that I picked up from autozone. Pretty generic stuff, does a good job. After letting it sit for 15 mins I hit it with the pressure washer:


Then I taped off the top of the engine bay where the hood rests. Keeping this part white and everything below will be black:


Then I sanded off the paint that was in the process of flaking off:



Then I got out some news paper and got ready to lay down some paint. Had some help from my friend greg who is in this pic. Prob should have taken off the master for the brakes but I did a pretty good job of taping over it.


Finally time to lay down some paint. Went with a flat black color. Did not want any type of gloss here. Here is my dad helping out with the painting:



Here it is all done...very happy with the way it came out and that I did this before putting in the new engine.






Well that is it for now. Have to get some summer classes out of the way over the next two weeks so progress will be slow. Will try to squeeze an update in here and there though. Thanks for looking, let me know what you think so far.

Javier87z28

iTrader: (1)

Very nice progess!!! Engine Bay came out nice

Javier87z28

iTrader: (1)

progress*

Warnd

Thanks man I appreciate it. First time doing this kind of thing but I am pretty happy with how it came out.

Javier87z28

iTrader: (1)

Doing a great job man keep the updates coming

POP6482

iTrader: (2)

nice work so far. I did my LS swap last year. It was my first attempt at removing and installing a motor. I can say that I enjoyed every minute of my build. Looks like you have accomplished quite a bit already. Best of luck with the build. Just remember there are a ton of people on here that have a lot of experience with this swap and will have the answers to a number of your questions in their build threads.

Warnd

Thanks for the kind words pop. I completely agree with what you said about the build threads and I try to spend every spare second I have on here reading whatever I can. All of the parts that I picked out for this build are from watching other members use them with success. Thank god there are so many people that have done all the hard work already making it really easy for the rest of us.

cprmn14

iTrader: (3)

Keep it up! Looking good

Warnd

Quick noobie question for you guys. I have this thirdgen harness cluttering up my engine bay and I want to remove it but wasnt sure to what extent I will need the old harness since im going with a stand alone harness from BP automotive. What do you guys think? Should i just remove the whole thing and go from there?

25th327RS

iTrader: (2)

You'll need a portion of the stock harness to run guages(if desired) and power distribution for the fusebox and lighting. If its a speed density TPI harness you have, I would sell it and cut down a v6 harness to the bare essentials, since the sd harness sells for good money and a v6 harness can be had cheap.

Warnd

Ok awesome thanks for the info. The harness that I have is the one that came with my 5.7 tpi 92 camaro so I guess I will take it out and see what they are going for on here. Any idea of what a fair price would be? Can I unload the stock computer with the wire harness?

my88transam

Looks like a great project! You and I are in similar situations actually, finishing college, have an ls1 and a t56 waiting to be put in my white 88 TA actually. Throw in that it's a 68k mile original and i'll be 'molesting' it and I can relate haha. You're a little ahead of me though but maybe next year . Seriously though looks like a great car and collection of parts so far I'm sure the added power will make this car a blast to drive

Warnd

Hey thanks for looking and the kind words! I have been itching to go work on the car but this last week of school is taking up all of my free time. Hope to have atleast a small update for you guys during the week.

Warnd

Holy crap is it depressing to look at the last time I posted in this thread! Three months have passed and unfortunately I have gotten next to nothing done on the car. Wish I had some good excuses but really I just slacked off all summer. My prediction of being done by the summer's end is laughable at this point but hey I had to start somewhere.

Anyways, summer is over and its time to get back in the garage and quit the damn procrastination. I got some work done over the weekend and I figured posting in here would motivate me to keep on working. Unfortunately its not major progress but its a step in the right direction.

First up, I had to get the engine out of my dad's van and onto the engine stand so I could get a better idea of what I was working with. Here is a shot of the harbor freight leveler I bought and the engine stand my dad made many years ago.



Here is just a shot of everything with the engine crane we used to lift everything. This crane actually came with the car when we bought it. Not in the best cosmetic shape, but it still works flawlessly so I cant complain.



The majority of progress I made was in getting some really dirty parts cleaned up. First are some pictures of the truck coils and brackets I will be using. These came from a 2001 LQ4 that I bought and were absolutely filthy. As you can see one of the coils is broken but I have a replacement for that waiting to get put on. I just used some warm water and dish soap to clean these.

Here is a set of coils on their bracket before cleaning:



Here is a shot of one cleaned next to one that is dirty. You can see the broken coil on the bottom left:



Next I decided to turn my attention to the front accessory drive that I picked up on craigslist. This has been my biggest regret so far throughout the build. I was having a hard time tracking down these parts and settled on some pretty disgusting parts but they were practically free so I guess I cant complain. Anyway I decided to take these parts, clean them the best I could with my parts washer, sand everything down, wipe clean with paint thinner, prime with self etching primer, and then paint with left over black paint from my engine bay.

First we have the alternator and alternator bracket. As you can see these parts are in crappy condition (hense my regrets). The alternator itself is getting scrapped but I figured I could save the bracket:









Next I have the power steering pump and bracket. Wanted to get your opinions on this. Does this look like its salvageable? I know it looks like crap but funds are short so if I can keep this I would like to.





Going to continue this in a new post because of picture limit...pics incoming....

Warnd

Ok so first part of this process was to clean these the best I could with my parts washer:



Then I sanded everything down the best I could and wiped them clean with some paint thinner:





Then I set up a little painting station. I used the little engine stand that the LS1 came on when I bought it because....well because it was next to me when I started painting lol! Hung everything with wire and taped off what I had to.





Next I sprayed on self etching primer to give the paint a shot at sticking to the parts. Never worked with this stuff before but it seemed to do the job quite nicely. Used 2 or 3 light coats of this until everything was covered nice.







Then I used the leftover black paint from my engine bay. Again 2 or 3 light coats.





Here is everything after it was all finished being painted. There is another part to the alternator bracket that isnt pictured here but dont worry that was also painted. Also I know the wheel on that alternator bracket is still disgusting. That will be fixed tomorrow.

Warnd

Finally just wanted to end with some teaser photos.

Here is a pic of my shiny headers. These are really nice. Glad I had people like STREET to take the plunge first and let us know these things are legit. Thanks man!





Here is a shot of how my garage sits now. This is just to show the massive table of parts. Proof that I have no excuse to not get work done on the car. Pretty much everything I need to complete this project minus some odds and ends are on/around this table.







So that brings everyone up to speed for now. Plans for tomorrow are to go to the hardware store and pick up some bolts for mounting my coils and brackets to the valve covers, as well as some bolts for the coolant tubes that go under the intake manifold. From the information I gather both of these applications require M6 x 1.0 bolts with varying lengths. I believe 30mm for the coolant crossover and somewhere between 15mm - 20mm for the coils brackets to valve covers.

After I get the bolt situation figured out I am going to go ahead and replace the intake gaskets, valve cover gaskets, and water pump gaskets. Trying to get everything squared away with the engine while its on the stand before its time to install all of the clutch stuff.

Quick question, should I install the crank pulley while the engine is on the stand or when the engine is in the car? I am nervous about not being able to torque the bolt down enough while the engine is on the stand. Doesnt seem stable enough to torque down to 200+lbs or whatever the right spec is. Also if anyone has a spare working alternator laying around and wants to sell it let me know.

Flip 2

iTrader: (1)

Are LS6 valve springs on your menu? You can put new valve seals on then. Not a lot of beans there.
Does your T-56 have a 2.66 first gear??? If it has the 2.97 first your parts will NOT fit. I know, because I have been there. Had to get a different transmission.
These cars were waiting for the LS1 to come along....enjoy... it will get done, hang in.

Warnd

Hey Flip, thanks for looking. Unfortunately my budget is completely shot and I cant justify any more upgrades at this point until I have a more dependable source of income. My goal is to just get this LS1 in as is and get it running so I can enjoy the car. I dont want to get caught up too much in the engine for two reasons. #1 I have a 6.0 iron block waiting on the side for a big power build when I get bored with the ls1 (boost maybe) #2 because im broke and I just want to get this thing together lol!

As far as the t-56 question goes..the 2.97 first was only for the 93 t-56 right? I remember reading something about that anyway. The t-56 I have is from a 97 camaro so I think I will be ok, but correct me if I am wrong please.

Flip 2

iTrader: (1)

https://sdparts.com/details/gm-perfo...parts/12499224

They are pretty cheap.

I prefer the lighter weight of the alum block..... they are much harder to find, these days, btw... you are in good shape that way.

T56 is probably fine... put it in first, then count... tell you for sure.
Mine was an aftermarket one (from GM). New in '99. Good and strong, but wrong ratios.

Warnd

Whats up guys, got another small update for you guys. Nothing major because I could only sneak 2 hours in the garage but all progress is good progress. Tonight I cleaned the intake ports on the heads, installed the coolant crossover tube, and changed the gaskets on my valve covers and intake manifold. Nothing really exciting to look at but I figure people like to look at pictures anyway. Sorry about the quality on some of them. Was running out of sunlight quickly and worked in the dark for a bit.

Here are the intake ports all taped up. The way the previous guy had stored the engine.



The tape left behind a bunch of gunk, but nothing a little brake cleaner and elbow grease cant solve:



All Clean:



Next I installed the coolant cross over tube. I was missing the hardware to install this so I looked it up and bought M6-1.0 x 30mm machine screws. Quick question on this, my pops is insisting that I use a little sealant under the small gaskets for the coolant crossover. Is this really necessary?





With that taken care of I moved on to replacing the gaskets on the intake manifold. Here are the new gaskets from GM direct:



Old gaskets still on the intake:



All taken out:



New gaskets installed...These are fool proof, only one possible way for them to go in:





Intake manifold back on with new gaskets and torqued down:



Few more pics coming in next post

Warnd

With the intake manifold gaskets taken care of, I moved onto the valve cover gaskets. Again this was fool proof and they can only be installed one way. If you are really trying to force these in your doing it wrong and the gasket is upside down.

This is what it looked like under the drivers side valve cover:



Here is under the valve cover with the old gasket:



New gasket installed:



Here is what it looks like under the passenger side valve cover. It is incredibly clean in here but the lack of light makes it look less impressive than it is:



and new gasket installed on that side:



And finally everything all buttoned up and torqued down for the night:



Thanks for looking. Next up is to finish installing the front accessory drive and put my coil packs on the valve covers. Want to get everything sorted with the engine while its on the stand before I take it off to install the clutch stuff.

88blackiroc

iTrader: (1)

Looking great!
Too bad your didnt make the summer deadline LOL
Oh well, should be a nasty car come spring

UnstableAviator

Lookin' good.

Trust me, you're gonna love this setup once you get it all going and sorted out.

Stock they're a blast, but the way these engines wake up to mods is just unreal.

Warnd

Hahaha yeah that was quite the ambitious deadline for my first ever swap. Thought I was going to have so much free time to work on it during the summer but then I kept getting invited to Mets games and NASCAR races...and then the summer was over LOL. Coming back to it though and dont plan on losing focus until it is driving around. Thanks for lookin!

Warnd

Yeah right now my dad is lending my a toyota camry to get me from point a to point b. While it is a ridiculously reliable and gas efficient car, if I have to drive it for any longer I am going to lose it haha. Im hoping that the headers are enough to keep me satisfied for a little while my bank account recovers. After that I can do some nice supporting mods. Thanks for lookin!

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

If the orings in the coolant crossover tube gaskets are in good shape, you don't need any sealant on them.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Oh, yeah, that's a really clean looking engine inside. Congrats!

Warnd

Thanks for answering this for me. If you wouldnt mind can you take a peek at my power steering pump that I posted up there and give me your opinion on whether or not you would run it?

Thanks for looking!

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Worth a try. But, if you don't want to risk it, you've got a core for a parts store rebuilt.