Aussie Camaro

Hey guys. As the title says, I'm putting an LSX into my 91 RS. Since I live in OZ, when the car was imported it was converted to right hand drive (legal requirement for any car less than 30 years old).

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone on here has gone through the LSX conversion on a right hand drive vehicle and if there were any problems I need to look out for?

One thing i've already picked up on is that all LS engines available over here in commodores are a very different sump / oil pan design (they have the bulge at the front of the engine), so I have purchased a replacement conversion sump that will fit whichever LS engine i decide on.

The steering box has been swapped for something local because it obviously needed to be back to front and I'm a little concerned about clearance between it and the front of the engine. I'll get some engine bay pics up soon.

Aussie Camaro

Until I get some engine bay pics up, here's an interior shot just for interest sake... enjoy

MassD

iTrader: (1)

It just doesn't look right lmao. I have no input becuase i have never seen a right hand drive camaro before, but good luck!

FirehawkSS

iTrader: (2)

Need some pics of the engine bay but I wouldn't think it would be much different. Gas pedal linkage and cruise control linkage may need to be adjusted but no big deal. If you are staying with automatic then your linkage to the shifter should be about the same. The only problem that I see without knowing what i'm talking about is that you wont be able to run ac pump without relocating it. I'm pretty sure it will hit steering box. Other than that I think it should work.

Shift06

You can tell it was converted since you still have the left hand drive style carpetting lol.

Aussie Camaro

Haha, even I'm starting to think that it looks funny after looking at so many pics of LHD camaros on here, but its how they have to be over here I'm afraid. There are a couple of things about the conversion that **** me... like the shape of the floor on the right hand side, it's not designed for a driver's feet, and you can get your foot stuck between the floor and dash when trying to get to the brake quickly. Might cut out the floorpan when I get stuck into the body work, but that's another story.

It looks like the gas linkage will be fine lengthwise, not sure what you guys do about the end of it tho. Will it need a different fitting on the end to fit the LSX throttle? I don't have one here to look at yet.
Car has no cruise so no probs there. And yep staying auto, but will be using of the B&M megashifters. Do these bolt up to the 4L60E ok???

As you have picked up on, I won't be able to run A/C because of the position of the steering box but thats ok... I strip A/C from all my cars anyway (can't see the point in putting more stress on an engine on a hot day when it is already stressed, windows work fine ). I guess I'm lucky that its only the A/C compressor that is down on that corner of the engine.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Funny the RHD conversion uses an old Astro van steering wheel

Anyways, The mechanics of getting the engine in there shouldnt change much. You may have to modify the pass header for steering shaft clearance, but I highly doubt it. Coils likely have the same HVAC box interference for the rear most, but tilting it fixes that

Mounts, fuel, electrical should all be the same as a standard US conversion. Exhaust would be custom either way

For the pan Id bite the bullet and order one from a US car. Fbody pans work with no mods. LS2 rear sump (C6) pans work with a big notch or tubular K. C5 batwing pans may fit tubular Ks, depending on the design. If you know a fab shop, Id suggest having them weld up a sheetmetal alum piece if you cant find anything reasonable

Any sort of shifter that works with the 700R4 will work with the 4L60E

Throttle cable might be a tad long. Several companies offer cut to fit cables too

Aussie Camaro

I wondered where the steering wheel had come from... I guess they couldn't manage properly installing the airbag equipped wheel
Stupid tho, it's also illegal to remove air bags from an airbag equipped car over here

Headers I was wondering about, I think the hawks style headers should fit but by the time I get them sent over here from US I'm probably better off getting my father to make me up a set. (He's an exhaust mechanic)

The oil pan is all sorted, I hope. I bought this one, let me know if there is any problem with it...
http://www.jegs.com/i/GM-Performance...ductId=1221210

So I couldn't get any decent pics from up top because of the angle of the sun but I got a couple of the clearance between the sterring box and engine pulley:

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

The muscle car pan kit wont work. Its a Hummer pan and hangs 2.25" too low. You will smack it on speed bumps or road debris

Id have a custom set of headers built by your dad vs Hawk's markup + shipping

Heres a few pics of the area

zraffz

Is he going to have any problems with the harness? I helped my buddy swap a twin turbo supra motor outta a RHD supra into an american supra and the harness was way too short.

Aussie Camaro

Hmm thats a good point, hadn't thought of that. At least I can just extend the loom a bit. I can handle that.

As for the sump... I'm shattered! Are you sure? How deep is the standard pan?

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

I did a search and was surprised how the RHD conversion was done. First, the firewall isnt flipped after all! All the harnesses and connections appear to be in the standard locations, even the brake booster is in the std location (Id love to see the linkage)

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/post...39-post47.html

http://camaro-firebird.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2393

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/atta...s-000_0449.jpg

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/atta...-aussiroc2.jpg

Headers will likely give you grief still since the LSx engine is wider than a SBC by a good bit and they're tight on this guy's SBC
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...ng-column.html

88 350 tpi formula

iTrader: (9)

funny thing is it looks like the a/c would fit with out much more trouble lol its that steering shaft vs the manifold that will be the issue

Aussie Camaro

Yep, my conversion is very similar to the links above. The brake booster doesn't move, I have no idea how it is set up under the dash but I'll have it all apart in a short time for a look.

I'm currently trying to swap my oil pan for a proper f body pan. Many thanks for the heads up by the way.

Are these part numbers correct?

F-body Oil Pan: 12558762
F-body Oil Pump Pickup: 12558251
F-body Windage Tray: 12558253
F-body Dipstick: 12551581
F-body Dipstick Tube: 12551577

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Looks like it

http://compnine.com/index.php?u=1&ye...00&grouptype=B

Dont forget the pick-up tube O-ring. You can use a common O-ring if you like, just be sure theres some form of seal in there before you button it all back up

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

MAN i would rock the hell out of a right hand drive third gen!!!!

Aussie Camaro

Me too!

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

Any RHD 3rd gens in the bone yards over there? Maybe part the conversion stuff out to us in the USA?

"Officer.....Over here."

Aussie Camaro

Now that would be funny. No camaro's of any kind in the bone yards here. Although the one I bought should have been! They are so rare over here that I had never actually seen a camaro until the day I picked mine up (I bought it sight unseen)

Aussie Camaro

Ok so I've managed to get my incorrect oil pan swapped for a proper f body pan, luckily eagle auto parts were happy to help me out.

I'm just looking at mounts at the moment. The commodore engine mounts and bushes are different over here so I'll need to not only buy the new LSX mounts but also the clamshell bush type things as well. Can you guys clarify for me whether the clamshell bolts directly onto the engine block and that there is no other mount involved between the block and clam?

VAN454

I am getting ready to go through the same ordeal, my car is RHD too, but mine is a full mirror swap, so the brake booster is on the right as well. I will be following this thread closely. Which state are you in?

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Using the LS1 Fbody mounts on the block, you simply use the Spohn conversion mounts bolted to the K-member

Using SBC mounts, you use the stock 3rd gen V8 K-member mount and the 3rd gen mount bolted to the engine. There is an adapter plate sandwiched between the engine mount and block allowing the old mount to attach to the new engine

Aussie Camaro

Mine was done by Best Enterprises in Adelaide.


Thanks heaps Pocket for clearing that up for me.

VAN454

Yeah the conversion on mine is pretty good. Geelong is not too far away, about 2 hours from my place. When you get started I'd love to have alook at it, maybe I need a nice long cruise down that way

Aussie Camaro

It's been a while between posts, luckily that means I've got updates.

The old 3.1L V6 is out and the front suspension has been dropped. I also pulled out the filthy K frame and had it sandblasted then painted it. I've installed energy suspension poly bushes into the front lower control arms and will paint them up once my lower ball joints arrive in the post. Soon to blast and paint the springs and stabilizer bar but most of my attention has been on engine bay prep.

Couple of questions:

Does anyone have trouble with the energy suspension bushes being noisey on the road?
How will car car sit with the standard v6 springs back in when the LS is installed (no air con, battery in trunk)?

Aussie Camaro

Some more pics and a preview of whats to come

88FormulaKiller

iTrader: (8)

i dont know HTH i'd be able to drive a stick RHD car. I'd be all f'ed up on that one.

bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

Subscribed.

White'89

iTrader: (8)

Guess A/C will be out of the question on this one.

Aussie Camaro

You gotta try it, it's the only way to go

Obviously I've never known any different but I like it because being right handed it means my useless left hand can happily change gears and screw around with the radio while my dominant right hand can take care of the important business like steering the car away from pedestrians.

< This guys doing it all wrong

the solitaire

Not exactly certain on the weight of the LS engine. V6 springs and a steel block V8 is a no go. Gives a very plushy ride, and the car sits quite low (comparable to having 2" lowering springs installed). My car came with V6 springs and a 305 cid cast iron engine

After replacing the V6 for V8 springs (and a small shock upgrade, which will also partially be responsible for the change) the car is far more precise.

Weight will be the key factor. If your LS with accessories weighs about as much as the V6 with accessories, go for V6 springs. If total engine weight is closer to a steel block I'd personally definately advise to stick with a set of V8 springs.

I guess that means you need a big kitchen scales to weigh the LS

(Since you have the V6 springs already, you might as well see how you like them before ordering V8 springs)

Aussie Camaro

Thanks heaps for that. I guess I'll try them since I have them. Engineer might make me change them to V8 springs to keep it legal anyway but i'll see. Does anyone know the aprox weight of the 3.1 V6? It's not a large engine.

Also still want to hear from anyone using energy suspension poly bushes. Will they squeek?

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I used V6 spring with the LS1/T56 swap. Ride height is just like factory.

Aussie Camaro

Ok cool I'll paint em up and give them a try.

To keep interest going, here's a couple of shots of how the brakes are setup under the dash to move the pedals to the right but leave the brake booster on the left. There is a tube that runs the length of the dash and one end is attached to the brake pedal (dont have pics of that end) and the other end is linked to the booster shaft, weird.

Z28ricer

iTrader: (2)

A little bit of info that might be useful, on 240sx's with the LS1, and RHD conversion, people are having to use an aftermarket ministarter, to clock it so that the solenoid is as close to the block as possible, to allow header and steering shaft clearance. Most take this as far as removing the plastic housing around the crank sensor and soldering wires straight to the terminals to get it as far rotated as possible.

Also depending on clutch clearance, you may have to do something similar to the LSx 240s also, which is a clutch pedal setup that relocates the clutch master to inside the car, since with rhd, your clutch stuff ends up in the same space as the rh cylinder head.

Aussie Camaro

Thanks for that. Could proove useful info, I'm not sure how much clearance I'm going to have on the right side.

Ball joints arrived during the week. LCA's are assembled and painted

Aussie Camaro

I've had some requests for more pics of the right hand drive camaro. Enjoy

Aussie Camaro

Small update. Here are some shots of the current progress in the engine bay. Lots of sanding ahead of me

bluegrassz

iTrader: (3)

Interesting build. I like how you smoothed out the strut towers.

Aussie Camaro

It's been a while between posts but the project has still been moving along and I have some more pics. I've actually been locked in the shed for a couple of months with bleeding fingers just working away at shaping the engine bay. Over the weekend dad and I finally got it in primer. Now I have to block back the primer a few times to get a mirror flat surface for the final black colour and clear coats. I'm very happy with the way it's turning out since I've never done anything like this before. Anyone thinking about attempting something like this (with no experience like me) better have hundreds of hours of spare time to do it right.
You can see where the right hand drive conversion runs the steering column through the heater hole. We've welded up the original holes for the steering on the other side. Also note that the left side of the engine bay is modified to mount the steering box, nice and flat.
I'll spend the next few weeks finishing the engine bay prep and paint, then will look at buying a donor car. The mechanical side of things should move faster hopefully. I already have an alloy radiator with twin thermos and a tranny cooler all sorted. You can just see in the first pic the two straps welded onto the radiator support to mount the tranny cooler.

TreeFiddy

Hey Aussie - that looks amazing! Just wondering what state you are in - how much hassle is the rego going to be for you? I'm in NSW, and from what little research I've done, any kind of engine swap is likely to be a real paperwork nightmare for a US car like these.

Aussie Camaro

Hey there TreeFiddy, I'm down in VIC. Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it. The car was already registered for RHD and I haven't let the rego run out so it's still under full rego. Obviously for the engine swap I will need to have the car engineered and I'm just about to consult with an engineer and go through the whole conversion process with him. I'm not sure how painfull this will be because I haven't gone through the engineering process before either. It will likely need to have all of the emissions gear and be a standard motor and be safely fastened to the car. The fact that this swap has been carried out so many times on TGO will likely help me out in terms of supplying evidence that the swap is safe and that the hawks mounts are up to the task etc. We will see in a few weeks when discussions start.

Aussie Camaro

I bet I'm one of only a few lucky people who have had to do this to a brand new heater delete box. (After paying a fortune to have it shipped round the world I might add)

TreeFiddy

Cool, will be watching this thread to see how you get on. Would love to do some kind of LS swap myself, instead of continually patching up my well-worn old 350. It would probably pay for itself in fuel savings alone, in a few months!

Curious - are you having any problems with exhaust manifold/headers interfering with the steering shaft? It's pretty crampy on that side.

Aussie Camaro

Yeah it looks like LSX is the way to go, lots of weight savings to be had and a ton of aftermarket gear available. I haven't had a motor in there yet so I don't know how much room I will have to work with but it doesnt look like much room at all. Luckily dad is in the exhaust game so he can fabricate me some headers to fit whatever space I have

Aussie Camaro

Decided against using any clear coat. I still have to sand it back and polish it but it will be shiney enough for an engine bay.

Double hump crossmember in the mail. I'm not going to use the crossmember with torque arm and driveshaft loop I bought months ago... I'm all about ground clearance now
I will shorten my spohn torque arm and fabricate a track pack style cross bar for it that ties into the subframe connectors (which I dont actually have yet and may also fabricate).

I'm looking for a donor car now.

6SIX6

iTrader: (35)

This was one cool read for sure. Cant wait to see whats next. Awsome build

peterc005

There was a yellow, RHD, third gen, Firebird for sale recently in NSW with an LS1 engine. It was advertised on one of the club web sites.

Aussie Camaro

Cool I would have liked to have seen that, I wonder if he had it engineered and legal???


After missing out on a donor car I was trying to purchase a few days back I said screw it and bought a 307kw LS2 motor from a hsv maloo ute. (Pic of a maloo for all my yank friends that dont get to see these things cruising the streets everywhere like we do in OZ )

Double hump crossmember arrived today... didn't bolt into the trans tunnel (holes wont line up) Anyone else have fitment issues with these?

Fun fact - I weighed both crossmembers today. Double hump = 2kg. Torque arm mount crossmember with tail loop = 7.5kg (obviosly without torque arm included)

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Id take the Ute over a 3rd gen. Wish Holden would export that to my driveway!