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Engine SwapEverything about swapping an engine into your Third Gen.....be it V6, V8, LTX/LSX, crate engine, etc. Pictures, questions, answers, and work logs.
Hey guys, so just recently i took a little trip To scenic Tennessee to pick up a nasty little 427 sbc short block. I was blown away by the build quality of White Performance and Machine and would recommend them to anyone for sbc and bbc engine work. anyway the block will be slowly being completed over the course of this fall and hopefully the swap can be finished during the snowy months.. which are long as heck in the midwest. Photos of the build to come!
P.S this is my first time doing any sort of major engine work so questions will be asked lol
Yeah i figured as much.. lol luckily i still have my 700R4 sitting from when i converted it from auto to 5 speed 2 years ago. I was thinking of getting that rebuilt to put in its place once the t5 decides to either shatter or split in half. Would that be a solid choice? i was hoping to keep an overdrive gear in case i ever wanted to highway cruise with it.
Yeah i figured as much.. lol luckily i still have my 700R4 sitting from when i converted it from auto to 5 speed 2 years ago. I was thinking of getting that rebuilt to put in its place once the t5 decides to either shatter or split in half. Would that be a solid choice? i was hoping to keep an overdrive gear in case i ever wanted to highway cruise with it.
Find a T56. You are like 95% there already then.
And you can still sell your T5 setup to help cover the cost.
My entire T56 conversion cost me about $950 or so. I got a steal on the transmission itself though. $250 for it from a JY Cash for Clunkers car. $250 in parts. $250 in labor to rebuild it. Then about $200 in odds/ends and things like the Clutch/Flywheel used.
And you can still sell your T5 setup to help cover the cost.
My entire T56 conversion cost me about $950 or so. I got a steal on the transmission itself though. $250 for it from a JY Cash for Clunkers car. $250 in parts. $250 in labor to rebuild it. Then about $200 in odds/ends and things like the Clutch/Flywheel used.
That's an idea.. a t56 would indeed be a solid choice. However I was trying to steer away from all the drive train shock that comes from stick driving a performance machine. I haven't made a choice quite yet, still pondering it all over, if I was going to go back auto, it would be a built 700r4 with a shift kit with a trans brake,3500 stall converter and a ratchet shifter to top it off
Yeah i figured as much.. lol luckily i still have my 700R4 sitting from when i converted it from auto to 5 speed 2 years ago. I was thinking of getting that rebuilt to put in its place once the t5 decides to either shatter or split in half. Would that be a solid choice? i was hoping to keep an overdrive gear in case i ever wanted to highway cruise with it.
Where are you located? Before you blow up your rebuilt T5, please consider selling it to me...
Happy to say, the UPS guys been 'round my place quite a bit recently lol I'm finally starting to appreciate how much money goes into a decent motor.. :/
-AFR 220 75cc race ported aluminum heads
-Comp pro magnum 1.6 roller rockers
-ARP rocker studs
-Manle head bolts
-7.3" Pushrods from Trend Products, apparently they're the same company that produce Diamond pistons, have been told they are as reliable as any diamond rod for a little drop in price. We shall see lol
So I'm planning on ordering a pan to seal up the bottom end sometime this week, as well as the oil system. What works better as far as gaskets vs RTV sealer on an oil pan?
Yeah i figured as much.. lol luckily i still have my 700R4 sitting from when i converted it from auto to 5 speed 2 years ago. I was thinking of getting that rebuilt to put in its place once the t5 decides to either shatter or split in half. Would that be a solid choice? i was hoping to keep an overdrive gear in case i ever wanted to highway cruise with it.
If you want to keep the auto use someone who knows how to make them live behind big weight big hp cars. I just built a 421, my thread is also here in the swap section. Im using cahall performance for my 700r4. He does alot with the heavy impalas with the 4l60e, which is basically the same trans. He has them living behind 9 and 10 sec cars. Impressive when you consider the weight on those are 4000+ and then some.
If you want to keep the auto use someone who knows how to make them live behind big weight big hp cars. I just built a 421, my thread is also here in the swap section. Im using cahall performance for my 700r4. He does alot with the heavy impalas with the 4l60e, which is basically the same trans. He has them living behind 9 and 10 sec cars. Impressive when you consider the weight on those are 4000+ and then some.
Id be interested in getting the contact info for Cahall, would you recommend upgrading to a 4L60E if i didnt end up keeping the old case? As in is it any more robust of a design?
So after much contemplation i decided i will be possibly interested in selling my entire 5 speed setup to help fund the build. It will include everything needed for an Auto to Manual conversion
-WC T5 (completely gone through and rebuilt in the past year)
-bell housing with new OEM clutch fork
-brand new Ram Powegrip Clutch and steel flywheel (just broken in)
-Entire hydraulic clutch setup, with braided lines, new slave and master cylinder, and fluid resovoir
-pedal assembly
-Hurst Short Throw Shifter
Id be interested in getting the contact info for Cahall, would you recommend upgrading to a 4L60E if i didnt end up keeping the old case? As in is it any more robust of a design?
If you go with a 4l60e you need a controller for it. Its basically an electronic 700r4. Same holding power each.
What are you going to control this motor with? Efi? Carb? That will dictate most other decisions. Street/strip? Pick one. If its a carb a 700r4 built "correctly" will handle the power. If its a efi setup with aftermarket ecu you can either go 700r4 or upgrade the ecu to one that has trans control and use a 4l60e. That motor should be at least 600hp at the crank, very doable with a 700 or 4l60.
Haven't had much time to post between juggling the car, school, and work. But here's some photos of the progress so far. Got around to pulling the 305 beauty out as well lol.
Now begins the painful process of cleaning up the engine bay. Figuring which harnesses to keep and which to eliminate mostly. Since im switching from TPI to carbureted, I know a lot can go. Any insight to that would be helpful (:
Plans for a trans is an ATI turbo 400 with reverse manual valve body. And as for the rear end.. well if it's good to roll and it's warm out the 10 bolt may be in for a little spin.
Is this the Dart 427 forged short block kit from Skip White? It looks great and I plan to follow you through your build. I hope to build the same engine next fall and winter. Great choice of cylinder heads.
Is this the Dart 427 forged short block kit from Skip White? It looks great and I plan to follow you through your build. I hope to build the same engine next fall and winter. Great choice of cylinder heads.
I know right? (: I sat and stared at that pretty aluminum headwork for hours when they came. Got them for a steal too from my engine builder. And it's actually a Dart SHP Block, which is a factory style bow tie block that's been Remachined, rehoned, and stroked from a 350 block to a 427.
So your still chugging on. Looking good. I went through a bunch aof bs with my 700r4 and it was holding up everything. No more billet shafts are being made. Had to go 4l60e. And then buy a dominator ecu. I envy you carb guys sometimes. Whats left on this swap?
So your still chugging on. Looking good. I went through a bunch aof bs with my 700r4 and it was holding up everything. No more billet shafts are being made. Had to go 4l60e. And then buy a dominator ecu. I envy you carb guys sometimes. Whats left on this swap?
As of right now I'm just waiting on the trans to get here so I can throw the whole drivetrain in at once for ease of a headache. Besides that just little junk
-ignition box, fuel fittings and lines, new starter, and all the accessory pulleys. I decided to make this a serpentine style motor so it comes with the brackets and pulleys and such. She's getting close that's for sure. I've been doing some gauge work on the interior since my last update. I'll have pics once I'm satisfied.
Loudnproud... here's a link to the build on my 90 IROC. Basically did the same thing as you. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer though I didn't do the work myself.
Loudnproud... here's a link to the build on my 90 IROC. Basically did the same thing as you. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer though I didn't do the work myself.
Not sure I understand the question. The old harness and computer were scrapped and we built a brand new one from scratch.
More or less i mean, what all did you keep from the factory harness for lights, windows, wipers that sorta thing, and what did you eliminate? Its A factory tpi harness so i know alot can go. But would i still need the old ecm to run everything that is kept?
I'll have to ask my mechanic for details of what we kept to run the accessories but we got rid of the ECM entirely. I sold it along with the old engine.
Get a Helm manual. A real one. You can seperate everything from ecu. It doesnt control anything like horn or lights. Are u putting ina n aftermarket ecu?
Hey guys, just an update so far on how the build is coming along.
-Finished cleaning up and painting the engine bay.
-Installed an A/C delete panel for a cleaner look, and wanted to keep heat for the fall
-gutted main harness and ecm from passenger side fenderwell
-solid motor mounts from my buddies third gen
-reinstalled control arms and springs (almost died from a spring to the face, so coilovers asap lol)
-got a fresh T400 from ATI racing delivered. Good up to 800hp with a reverse manual valve body and a transbrake wired in.
-168 tooth flywheel 0 balance
-B&M 3600 stall converter
-bolted on front accessory drive to motor, (went with a serpentine conversion kit from CVF racing, came with all the brackets, pulleys, and hardware)
-threw the shiny new metal in the car and bolted her down
-running a Spohn tubular crossmember and torque arm in the rear
-realized the stock yoke was a wee bit too small so had to order a 1310 yoke from a local circle track shop down the street
-did some interior gauge work
-2 pod a pillar with carbon fiber series oil pressure and water temp
-carbon fiber series monster tach (i thought mounting it on the air box and reinserting the vents was clever imo lol)
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