Okay so for those of you who remember, I've been planning on doing this swap for the past 4 or 5 years first into my '85 IROC (R.I.P.), then into my '87 IROC...but as life usually goes it never happened. Until now!!! As of Monday, the LT1/T-56/4th gen rear/Brembos in all 4 corners swap has been commenced!

I will be updating my progress with lots of typing and pictures, so heres what I'm going to be putting in and some pictures!

Engine: Complete rebuild with new rotating assembly, bored .10" over, MSD distributor rebuild kit, coil, and 8mm wires, LT4 hot cam kit , stock heads, stock manifold and throttle body, A/C delete pulley, I have yet to decide on what headers to use, and finally SLP loud mouth cat back

Everything else: T-56 obviously, either a RAM HDX clutch kit or a Spec stage I or II (does anyone have any opinions either way?), 4th gen rear out of a '96 Z28 w/ a 6 speed, not quite sure what the ratio is though, the new Camaro SS Brembos all the way around with an external parking brake, and in order to fit over those, some new ZR1 replica wheels, 18x9.5 front and 19x11 in the rear







Enjoy!!

 

good luck on the swap and keep the pictures coming!

 

Sounds like an ambitious project. And fun.

Do you have to go through smog?

 

Nice make sure topost more pics!. Anyways how did u manage to add the external e brake? Any pics of your brake package.?

 

Thanks guys! To answer your questions, yes I do have to go through smog, but that won't be an issue cuz I will have all the smog equipment on the car, and I "know some people" haha. And I found a company that makes mechanical parking brakes for Panteras and Vipers for only $157 a side...so I'm going to run a simple cable to where I need it and like magic, I have a parking brake! I will be designing my own brake bracket for the rear Brembo calipers so it won't be too hard to make these calipers work. Wilwood has them for $40 a piece...but I don't want Wilwood mixed with my awesome Brembos

Heres the link to the company's website: http://www.ipsco.org/Custom%20Servic...ng%20Brake.htm

 

Updates!! PLUS: an easy way to remove the four brake booster bolts (at the end of the post)

Thursday night some friends and I pulled the engine and tranny. It was a pretty quick job, only taking about an hour and resulting in me taking a bath in tranny fluid as I forgot to drain the tranny before we pulled it out of the top...my hair still smells awesome hahaha



So now that I had the engine and tranny out of the way, I was able to spend some time in the engine bay pulling everything else out so I can clean and paint it. Its slowly coming along!





Once I take the engine mounts and brake lines off the K-member and move the fuel lines, I'll be ready to start cleaning everything and prep it for paint. Stay tuned!!

Bonus content: when I went to pull the the brake booster out, of course I ran into the four sucky nuts behind the brake peddle that usually takes over an hour to remove...well I found a very easy way that took me less then 20 minutes for all 4 of the nuts!
First, I used a deep 15mm socket, a wobble, then a 10" extension connected to my drill with a 3/8ths drive on the 2 driver side nuts...now for the hard(er/ish) part. For this side, I first completely removed the gas peddle and the bracket behind it so I could reach up and over the steering column with a short 3/8ths drive ratchet with the deep 15mm socket while laying on my back. Here, you have plenty of clearance to use the ratchet. I was only able to back the nuts off about half way using the ratchet until it hit the brake peddle. To finish backing off the nuts, I used my 15mm ratchet wrench and within 5 minutes I had the last 2 nuts off!
So theres my write up on my easy booster nut removal!

 

Well I got the engine bay cleaned and prepped for paint



then I painted it with semi gloss black ceramic engine epoxy paint...check it out!

 

Wow! it is looking great! I heard you visited my Brother today for some brake parts. If you need some help with the PCM tune, call me.

(Steve with the 94 z28 and 85 Toy 4x4)

 

Oh hey Steve! Yeah, I stopped by the dealership to order up my rear calipers to get my rear brakes set up. I will definitely give you call this weekend, thanks!

 

i like the progress and am always fond of black engine bays

 

nice work!
engine bay looks really clean.

 

Wheres the update, Ron? Its been a few weeks

 

haha I know things have been really slow...I will post up some more pics tomorrow though. I've got the rear end resealed and the LCA relocation brackets welded on...time to clean, paint, and make my Brembo caliper brackets!!

I also finally got my rotors...they are HUGE...pics tomorrow!!!

 

Okay progress has been slooooow but heres some pics. I bought a Ram clutch HDX clutch disc for $160 off Summit so now I'll have a cheap kick *** clutch! I did a bunch of research and found out that SPEC and RAM and other clutches all have a Valeo pressure plate in them with their own disc, so if you can get the disc, its a much cheaper way to get the same clutch!



I welded my Spohn LCA relocation brackets onto my 4th gen axle, resealed it and after I get the centers of my new rotors machined out I'll be able to make my Brembo brackets.




And finally the awesome part! My four wheel Brembos...


Rear caliper and rotor...14.5" and four pistons

and front caliper and rotor...14" and four pistons

 

Okay so yesterday I ordered Spohn's Pro Tour Coilover kit and now I'm thinking I've run into an issue...check out the pic of my Tokicos:

That steel collar on the top of my strut shouldn't be there...the way they come from Tokico is they tread down inside of the strut body and dont look like that...anyone have any ideas? maybe cut them off and then have new ones installed once I get the treaded collar for the coilover on:

I really dont want to have to buy new front struts! I already have to replace my rears because they both leaked all the oil out of them!

 

Wow you have done alot with your car do you have any updates, also arent thse the 5th gen camaro brakes.

 

Yes! Those are in fact the 5th gen SS brakes

Progress has been a bit slow, I got the coil overs installed last week, and the rear end back under the car with just the LCAs and springs so I can roll the car out to drop the motor in. Ive been working on the wiring harness slowly, and I just bought some Hooker shorty headers off ebay this morning! I'll post some pics once I get them. According to DMV, the car needs to be smogged on January 12th, 2011...I'm in for a fun Christmas!!


Ive decided the springs are WAAAAY too soft!! A 350 lb rate is as soft as a stock IROC spring...Im going to be upgrading to some Eibach 850 or 900 lb rates before the race season starts for sure.


Ive also decided I'm going to be using BMW M3 wheels instead of the ZR1 replicas, their 19 by 8.5" front and 9.5" rear, I love the look of these waaaay more than the ZR1s

 

Dang i wish i had the money to do all this especially those brakes they look huge compared to our stocks,

 

Looks like you've done some nice work! I'm doing an LT1 swap, too. My LT1 is in the shop and will soon become a 383 stroker. I've been waiting forever to do a V-8 swap, too.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/ltx-...ver-v-8-a.html

 

Looks way better! Check out my before and after pics in my swap thread, if you want (post # 112 in my thread).

 

Hey thanks man! I just read your entire thread, and I must say I'm excited (and slightly jealous) to see the stroker!

Seeing that you bought the fuel line kit from Pure Choice just made one less headache for me! can I ask exactly what part number kit you bought?

UPDATES: I won a pair of Hooker Comp shorties off eBay friday, should be coming today...a little christmas present to myself! Also, I'm going to be using a BMW M3 oil cooler that actually cools the oil, and 5 series remote oil filter canister, so I've fabbed up a mounting bracket for the oil cooler to mount it in front of the radiator. I'll post pictures up as soon as my christmas hookers show up!

 

Okay time for some pics!

My xmas hookers came in a box five minutes after my last post haha




Here's the oil cooler mounted


and the remote oil filter reservoir, I'm going to mount it on the fender in front of the master cylinder


As soon as my buddy gets his engine hoist back this week, in goes the motor!! stay tuned!

 

My setup was a bit different than the kit they have for lt1 swaps into 3rd gens because I am not running their kit from the stock location hard line ends in my car. I am cutting my hard lines back and running the new purechoice lines against the firewall to the new locations on my stock hard lines (hence my ordering the flaring tool kit from them, too)

I got the braided lines with female fittings on each end, one end goes to the quick connect LT1 fittings (the fittings on the right) and the other end goes to the AN fittings (on the left) that I will flare onto my stock hard lines. Just remember that the return line and main line are different sized lines, hence the smaller diameter hole on one if the fittings on the left in the pic.

The guys at Purechoice new the exact parts I needed for my desired setup, which was convenient for me.



Oh, and don't be jealous....she's not finished yet...he he he.

 

Yeah I want to run my lines the same way you are, it'll be much cleaner. I don't like how the stock lines come up to the front of the engine. I'll be able to get my hands on a flare tool no problemo, shouldn't be a difficult job. Where are the quick disconnects going exactly?...those are quick disconnects right? haha

Oh but I am, I was thinking about doing the same thing with some AFRs and a LT4 intake...but I decided I like really expensive suspension and brakes instead!

 

The quick connect fittings are the same as the factory LT1 fittings on the intake manifold side...they plug onto the fuel lines on the intake manifold and are threaded for the AN fittings on the new fuel lines. The old ones are useless, as they were attached to the factory Gen 4 plastic fuel lines.

 

Oooh that makes sense...I'm thinking I'm going to do the exact same set up you have going, it makes the most sense to me!

 

It's better than having the fuel lines go halfway up the engine bay and then back to the firewall again.

 

I'm curious...What is your purpose for this? Do you need it to be able to run lines to the oil cooler? That's my guess.

 

Question: I am doing the LCA relocation brackets, as well. How do you determine the proper angle at which they are welded on? Do they come with instructions? I've always wondered this.

 

Okay the big silver thing in the first picture is a remote oil filter holder, so basically all I have to do is unscrew the black cap, pull the filter out, drain the oil, and plop a new filter in. So I'll never have to mess with an annoying filter under the car again!

And with the LCA relocation brackets, they work WONDERS for your traction, and yes they come with instructions, but its how to install them with the axle still in the car. I usually try to line up the flat rear face of the bracket im welding on with the flat rear face of the original bracket on the axle. First I line each side up separately, then I check them to see how flush they are compared to each other. you want to bolt them on loosely, then slow go about tacking little corners, checking the alignment as you go. I've done this on 3 axles now and they've all turned out awesome. So just take your time and ask away if youve got anymore questions!

 

PURECHOICE PART NUMBERS FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO RUN FUEL LINES TO THE LT1, UP THE FIREWALL AND STRAIGHT TO THE BACK OF THE ENGINE:

-LT1 Quick connect fittings-5800
-Large threaded flare nut for large flared stock hard line-5890 (you have to cut and flare the line)
-Small threaded flare nut for small flared stock hard line-5995 (you have to cut and flare the line)
-Male threaded fitting to connect to braided line and small flare nut-105-5
-Male threaded fitting to connect to braided line and large flare nut-105-6
-30" Braided fuel lines 310630 (I think that is for ONE line only and you need two)
-Imperial Flaring Tool Kit-11275

I paid right around $150.00 for all the above parts

Purechoice order phone number (888) 505-8355

Purechoice website: http://www.performanceplumbing.com/

 

Okay update time! The engine is FINALLY in!!! Thats the big news!

In other news, I'm having a horrible time with this whole wiring harness business, because I am either a complete idiot, or my car is the only 3rd gen wired this way! All the info I have for the 3rd gen harness pin outs on the C100/C207 is wrong...yaaay! But on a more positive note, I've ditched the small BMW oil cooler for a much larger 19 row Mazda RX7 oil cooler (in the pics) and the transmission should be in by the end of the week!

 

Nice work! It's coming along!

 

Nice!

Just wondering why you're running an oil cooler?

 

Thanks Steve! My time table of when this was all going to happen was obviously a little off, but I'm on the final stretch!!

I'm running an oil cooler because while its pretty much worthless on the street, when I'm out at Thunderhill or Laguna Seca doing 20-25 minute track sessions pushing the car the whole time it'll be useful to keep my oil temp down a bit

 

Updates! I almost have my wiring harness complete...the biggest headache of the whole swap!!! I'm running a separate fuse block in the engine bay with different relays for the fuel pump, fans, and AIR pump. Hopefully I got it all right! haha


Now I've been going back and forth over what wheels to put on the car, what style and what diameter...price of tires is the biggest factor, but I've narrowed it down to two styles...I think!? Last week my sisters M3 got hit by an idiot in an Enterprise truck and it busted the wheel so I was able to put it on and mock it up on my car...check it out! 18X9.5 all around with 285 35 18s is what I've settled on size wise.




I also bought myself a throttle body plate for kicks...



Ill post more details of the wiring harness once its done, loomed and installed. I decided to ditch my Spohn coilovers for some Ground Control weight jacks...I'm doing a straight trade with a member on here, should have them soon!

 

Few updates...got the transmission in and most of the wiring harness hooked up! Fabricated my bracket for my remote oil filter canister...I'll post pictures when its light outside. And heres for the big news! I bought my wheels finally...got them $500 off brand new...

matt black VMR V710 18x9.5 all around hehehe





Tell me what you think

 

WOW! Looking good!!! Look forward to seeing it in person when it's done!!!

I finally got my LT1 running consistent ET's at the track. I won the first race of the season, and was runner up to my brother in the second, in a Bro vs. Bro final. Lost on a breakout running the best ET for the car so far. It's in the 13's now just with few tweaks here and there in the programing. I missed the 3rd race, and my Nephew won that one! Hope you bring yours out some time too!

 

Thanks!!! I'm realllllyyyy excited to get this thing back on the road!

Thats awesome! Sounds like an absolute blast! Sorry I never ended up making it out that time...my girlfriend of almost a year and a half ended it that day...cant say I was much in the mood to really anything for a while after that haha once this things broken in I'll be out there trying to keep up with you guys!

Any chance you could still help out with the programming?

 

Sure, as long as it's an OBD1 94 or 95 PCM, I can help. My setup can not do OBDII.

There will be other girls, take your time and enjoy dating until you find the "one".

We should be going next week as long as it does not rain again, come out anyway, you will have fun.

 

Cool build. Quite a few bucks thrown at this car huh? Keep up with the progress!

 

aahhh darn...I'm running OBDII hahaha dunno why I decided to do that, but I did.

yesss well for now my car is "the one" for me...we dont get in many fights hahaha

That sounds fun! what time is it all?

~Demon355...yessss I have no desire to tally up every penny I've spent on it...Ive been putting money into it for almost 7 years...!!!

 

im running OBD2 as well, people say OBD1 is better but i havent heard anything bad about them. just harder to tune.

 

Mighty ambitious of you to tackle the wiring yourself. I had Pocket do my harness. I hate wiring more than anything.

 

great rim selection. build is looking great!

 

Any updates?

 

He's closer to being done than I am, I imagine.

 

Ive been swamped with school and other fun stuff. just got done doing an INSANE engine swap on my buddies '89 BMW M3...we put a 380hp '02 M3 motor in it with a full carbon fiber airbox, standalone, and full stainless exhaust, and my favorite part, the big brake kit that I designed
(we raced a GSXR 1100 while we were out tuning it, and at full throttle he looked like he was going 5mph as he went by...so 340rwhp and 2700lbs is awesome )





these brakes are what I do on the side.

Anyways! back to american muscle!! I have my front brakes on, I have the wiring harness plugged in, the torque arm back in, the fuel lines in, computer reprogrammed for my intake, cam, and exhaust, aaannnddd...oh! I got the fuel pump to fire up, so part of my wiring harness I did myself is good!

I cant get the starter to bump over...gotta figure that one out...but the entire body harness still works so i didnt mess that up! haha

I will post some more pics later tonight when I get them uploaded from my phone which is hiding from me currently...Im so close!!

 

Buddy had an E30 Eurospec M3 back in the high school days. I had an E30 325is. Awesome car to drive. His was even the same color as your buddies there.

 

Oh wow I'm jealous!! Sadly us americans cant get those...especially here in Cali I actually have a white, murdered out '89 325iS, and a Dinan supercharged '96 M3 haha I still prefer my good old american muscle!!

I got the starter to work!! Turns out I just had a bad kill switch on the clutch, all I had to do was put my other one in and it turns right over hehe! But here are some pics of the engine with all the accessories bolted down and my awesome aluminum intake elbow. Somehow it turns out that my Goodyear silicon hoses match my (aaahhh) ford blue plenum. I must say that in my defense that I didnt realize what color it was until after it was painted haha





and here is my oil cooler and remote oil filter mounting right inside the nose




aaand here are the brakes!! hehehe





I'm heading to LA for Bimmerfest 2011 for the weekend...schools almost over and so she should be running very soon!!