When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
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,
All right so Im brand new to this forum and Id like to say hello Ive been on forums for years with my other hobbies and DIY projects. With that being said I have scrolled through the stickies and tried to see if my specific problem has been talked about. I am wanting to LS swap my 83 Camaro backed by the 4L80e. I found that Holley makes a conversion kit with additional parts that will allow you to use a 4L 80. However the first problem that I came across is that theyre designed for 84 through 92, and as previously stated I have an 83. The car is equipped with the LG4 305 and the 700r4. I spoke with hawke motorsports and he informed me that the transmission tunneling is different in my 83 even though it has a powertrain package that was carried on throughout the years. He continued to say that on the transmission crossmember only one of the two bolts will line up and I would have to drill and make my own, if that is the only issue then thats ok, I will drill a hole and use a rivet nut to secure. This also makes me wonder if I will have issues with the driveshaft fitting into the transmission as well.
If anybody can guide me to threads that I may have missed that already talks about this issue I would appreciate it or if anybody can chime in I will appreciate that as well!
Last edited by Jaredface; Mar 14, 2022 at 04:05 PM.
I'd trust hawks on this. They swap these cars on the daily. As with any LS Swap, you'll eventually have to "figure" out something that everyone else makes seem to easy. I doubt you'll have driveshaft issues. Holley kit moves the engine and trans rearward a half inch, but you should be ok.
That car looks just like my little bro's 84 LG4/700-R4 car.
That said, in 83, they changed over from the "early" crossmember mounting where it was farther forward, to the "late" 84-92 setup. Some 83s have the later setup (mine does for example; T-5 or 700 cars will have it), some don't (if it came with a 4-speed or a 200C, it might not). It's not that hard to add the extra rearward nut, in any case. Probably the best way all-around is to hole-saw through the floor pan from the inside, and weld a nut inside the "frame", and use a plastic hole plug to fill the hole under the seat afterwards.
That's why Hawks doesn't claim an unconditional "fit" for 83.
Yours, being a 700-R4 car, will have the hole pattern in question, and the 84-92 kit will work as well in yours as it does in those.
That car looks just like my little bro's 84 LG4/700-R4 car.
That said, in 83, they changed over from the "early" crossmember mounting where it was farther forward, to the "late" 84-92 setup. Some 83s have the later setup (mine does for example; T-5 or 700 cars will have it), some don't (if it came with a 4-speed or a 200C, it might not). It's not that hard to add the extra rearward nut, in any case. Probably the best way all-around is to hole-saw through the floor pan from the inside, and weld a nut inside the "frame", and use a plastic hole plug to fill the hole under the seat afterwards.
That's why Hawks doesn't claim an unconditional "fit" for 83.
Yours, being a 700-R4 car, will have the hole pattern in question, and the 84-92 kit will work as well in yours as it does in those.
