dprest68

iTrader: (1)

I spent most of the afternoon yesterday laying on my back under the car test fitting the new trans crossmember and torque arm.

It's a good thing I did too! Some douche bag mechanic (and I use the term "mechanic" very loosely in this case!) messed-up the welded nuts inside the frame so they drilled them out, put through bolts though the welded nuts, cut a hole in my frame, and put nuts on the through bolts to fix it. GRRRR You can see the hole they cut in my frame in this next pic

I also had to drill and tap the "third hole" on each side to help support this heavy crossmember. I was actually thinking about making a 4th hole on each side because this thing is so heavy! I'm kidding of course

Now that I have that fixed, I won't have to deal with it when it comes time to put the new engine in the car. I think it looks real nice installed.

White'89

iTrader: (8)

You should try rerouting your belt. On the stock LS1 routing (facing the front) it goes down around the crank pulley then up to the idler then to the alternator and up to the PS pulley, etc. This allows for more belt wrap around the crank pulley since its the only thing that drives the accessories.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, that does make more sense. Thanks for the advice!

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Can anyone tell me up to about how much power the stock '98 injector are good to? I'm figuring about 430 flywheel hp for my engine. I guess I will need injector size recommendations if the stockers aren't going to be big enough to feed it. Thanks.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Probably need a set of 30's by then according to the rough calcs

Ford 30's at 58psi = 36's which fit the bill

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Sounds good. If I plan on future upgrades to get 500hp, should I get the correct sized injectors now? or would that be too much for the current configuration?

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Something like this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=300512154950

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Actually these guys are local for me. Probably better. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/30lb-...item415852e726

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

I need to get my harness over to you too pocket, but this week has been too busy. I guess you could go ahead and send me the information sheet so that I can get started on that this weekend.

Jaysz28

iTrader: (30)

good progress man!

fwiw, mine is still in the car...... lol

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Id stick with retops until your next major build

Ill send the harness build sheet out shortly

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Jason. Man, I thought you would have had that out of there by now That must mean that you've been staying busy. If you lived a little closer, I'd come over and help you take it out!

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Looks like I'll get the redtop injectors then

I got the harness build sheet. I will fill that out soon. I got the light harness seperated from the engine harness today. Both harnesses (LS1 & L98) are in a box pretty much ready to go. Thanks Jon.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

I finally have an update. I kind of lost my motivation there for awhile. Anyways, I finally got my 3rd gen a/c compressor brackets cleaned-up and installed today along with my old compressor off of my old L98. Here are a few pics...

My new mechanic is going to get me a NEW compressor for around $230. So that's cool. It will be nice to have one that doesn't have leaky seals for a change! I just went ahead and installed the old compressor for now though. I will probably wait to get the new one until I'm amost done with the swap. Too many other things that I need to buy that are more important at this point.

Jaysz28

iTrader: (30)

Wow, that is one clean motor!

btw, finally yanked the motor out friday after work

will start swapping out the k-member this week I hope.......

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Hey Jason! Yeah, I'm doing my best to make it as clean as possible. Do those a/c brackets look familiar? I'm glad to hear you finally got your motor removed. You are switching over to the tubular k-member you bought, correct? I'm seriously considering getting my k-member powder coated. I would love to get a tubular one, but it's just not in the budget at this point. My trany rebuild is my first priority at this point. Hey, do you still have that 5-wire MAF? I want to get it from you soon if you do.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

A few more progress pics...

I finally got my flexplate installed with ARP bolts. Just waiting to get my trany rebuilt along with a new torque converter.


This isn't the best pic, my camera was acting up today for some reason. I rerouted my coil harness behind the coil bracket like they do it on the late model truck coils. I think it cleans it up a little better. I will eventually get coil covers, but this will do for now. I'll try to get a better picture tomorrow.

I tried to find late model truck coils and brackets at the junk yard this weekend, mostly for the passenger side, but had no luck. I'll keep looking.

scooter

iTrader: (11)

Been following for a while now, I like

I think the coils you are talking about are only about $200 new if you want to just buy them instead of looking for them in a junk yard.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, I just have a ton of stuff left to buy for the swap, so I'm just being cheap!

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Here's a small update. I've been real busy here lately, so I haven't had much time to mess with the swap. I did get the cross member removed from the L98

and the L98 up on the engine cradle so that I can slide it under my work bench.

I am planning on bolting the Spohn engine stands to the K-member sometime this week and test fitting it to the LS1 to check my oil pan clearance. I will notch it if necessary.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Here are a few pics of the relocated coil wiring harness...

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Tidying up the coils and injectors makes a big difference in overall appeal for the most viewed area. Easy too, just wrap the excess length back with tape. IMHO, pushing the harness bundle to the base of the injectors looks the best instead of using the OEM clips on the tops of the rails. Im also thinking about cutting the blue secondary locks off the coils because they look awful and they never come unseated. Id forgotten the Fbody coils had one on each coil too

Heres what I did for mine

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Man, it's been awhile since my last post. Been busy working so that I can get enough money to finish my swap

I finally did a little with it this weekend. Found a few spare hours to go out there and work on it. I didn't really get much done, but I did what I set out to do. Which was get the K-member installed under the engine to see how much clearance I have between it and the oil pan. With the two connected and hanging from the cherry picker, there is enough room to stick your pinky finger between them. I was really happy about that, but as I'm typing this I'm thinking that I will need to put the trany on the engine and mock install the assembly under the car to see exactly what I have to work with as far as actual clearance goes between the two. Am I correct in this line of thinking?

Anyways... here are a few pics

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

A few more pics...


This is the pan & k-member. That was the best shot I could get under the circumstances. I will try to get a better one.


There is enough room to stick your hand in there this way. (between the bottom of the pan & the top of the k-member)


And yes, I am going to remove the k-member after all this to clean it up and paint it. I just want to see if I am going to need to notch it or not.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

I figured out that I needed to remove the O2 senser from the left side manifold before I could bolt up the k-member on that side. You need a 90 degree sensor for that to work if they even make one. I'll probably just plug it and move the sensor to the exhaust piping.

I think someone else used an 18mm oil pan plug to plug this hole. I'll probably just do that.


What has really been holding me up is my transmission. I didn't have the money figured into my budget to rebuild it. And I hate sticking a tired trany, that I don't know the background of, behind a fresh 430+/- hp engine. So, I'm trying to get some money together for that so that I can get it rebuilt & finally move on.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Any thoughts on test fitting the engine & trany in the car to check the k-member clearance? Or do you guys think the clearance I have out of the car will be the same as it will be in the car?

White'89

iTrader: (8)

There is nothing wrong with that clearance, and since you got the poly motor mounts you really have nothing to worry about.

Most here tell you it makes them feel better that they notch the back of the K-member for oil pan clearance but have you ever read about anyone complaining of it actually hitting and making noise? Didn't think so.

GM did a damn good job on that pan for us.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Cool. Thanks for the input White! That will save me some work this weekend.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

I just got back from vacationing in Ohio. So you can probably guess where I visited. If you guessed Summit Racing you guessed correctly. Man, did I hit the jackpot there!

They were having a demo sale and between the springs, converter & plug wires, I got over $700 worth of stuff for less than $250! I couldn't believe it. I don't usually get lucky like that. It must have been my lucky day So, I made a big dent in my shopping list to finish up the swap.

Hopefully in the next week or two I can get my trany over to get it rebuilt & get my k-member powdercoated. I'm dying to get the engine back in the car and get it running.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

I did actually get (8) plug wires, but I already installed (4) of them and didn't feel like removing them for the picture

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

They gave that stuff away

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, no doubt. I'm glad I was the one they gave it to!

White'89

iTrader: (8)

I wish they would have sent a sale e-mail I would have been up there quick fast and in a hurry. I need drop springs to

You had me like, HUH? when you said vacationing in Ohio. I think the most exciting thing about this state is mid-ohio raceway which I still haven't been to.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Haha. I hear ya. I enjoy summers up there actually. I was born there, but moved to Florida in 1975 for health reasons. I pretty much go up there every summer to visit the rest of my family. And I try to visit Summit everytime if I can. That was the first time I came across a nice sale like that with stuff that I actually needed!

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

I got a quote to powder coat my k-member & lower control arms... $150 for the k-member & $80 for the pair of control arms. If I have them sandblasted, that adds another $125. So that's no too bad. I'll probably try to clean the stuff up myself & just have them do the powder coating.

White'89

iTrader: (8)

Consider the sand blasting, by the time you sand everything you'll of spent a hell of alot of time on it. Plus that way if there is any trouble with the coating they don't have an alibi.

I don't know the extent of the rust on your pieces but sandblasting is the only way to keep anything relatively pitted from resurfacing. I found that out the hard way on the side of a garbage truck I painted.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

$100 more and you can buy a brand new tubular K

IMHO, degreaser and paint it unless you can do the PC yourself

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Both good points. Thanks for the input guys

Jaysz28

iTrader: (30)

I complained about it.... and suggested he test fit and clearance as needed.

I did not have poly mounts though, and I found out recently that my rubber mounts are shot, so that prolly contributed to my noise/vibration

I have since upgraded to a spohn tubular k-member, and new rubber mounts.... once day I'll put it all together and hopefully it will be quieter... lol

cprmn14

iTrader: (3)

agreed, seems alittle stiff if you ask me

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Hey Jason,
Do you still have that 5-wire MAF? I'd like to buy it from you if you are still selling it. Let me know. Thanks

Jaysz28

iTrader: (30)

replied to your PM

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

I relocated my brake line today. I only had to drill two new holes. Is this the way it's usually done? Here are some pics:

I used one of the holes that was already in the k-member to mount this line clamp.


I just moved this clamp to the right putting the guide post in the big hole and drilled a new hole for the bolt/screw.


I drilled a new hole for this clamp too.

I also took a chisel and knocked-off most of the welding slag on the K-member.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

I test fit the K-member back in the car to see how the brake line relocation would work with the other brake components. With a few tweaks here and there, everything worked just fine.


driver's side. No problems. As you can see, I got new adapters to connect my braided fuel lines to the factory hard lines. ^^


Passenger side. I had to tweak the line back toward the center - away from the control arm mount on the right side.

Man, it was a bitch getting this k-member back up under there by myself. It's so bulky. Now I'm going to take it back out from under there and get it cleaned-up so that I can get it painted.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Id suggest tweaking the lines to go on the other side of the steering shaft. If you ever plan on a set of headers, the area is really tight

mwfrels

I've always wondered why GM trapped the steering shaft which does have to occasionally be removed and serviced behind the hard brake lines that almost never have to be serviced in the life of the car. For header clearance or steering shaft service brake lines under shaft are definitely the best location to put them when you have the opportunity...

M

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, I thought that was kind of weird how they did that.

Anyways, here are some before & after (& one halfway in between) pics of my K-member that I cleaned-up this weekend

semi-cleaned up


self etching primered


finished product


I almost took it over to be powder coated, but just decided to go ahead and paint it myself. If it ever starts to rust, then I will buy a tubular one at that point. For now though, this will work just fine.

Now I need to work on getting my engine bay cleaned-up so that I can get the engine back in there. I still have to get my trany rebuilt though, so there's no big rush just yet.

White'89

iTrader: (8)

Exactly the route I would have gone. That duplicolor self etching primer is great stuff.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

I've been making a little progress here lately. Nothing major just yet, but I figured I'd go ahead and post an update & some pics as usual.

As you can see in this pic, I got the k-member back under the engine & all assembled. I got my EGR block-off plates painted & installed. I got an 18mm oil pan bolt and installed it in the O2 sensor hole on the exhaust manifold. My high pressure power steering hose is installed. And my plug wires are installed. I started marking all of my torqued down bolts with a grease pencil so that I don't forget to tighten anything.


I bought truck coils & brackets for the passenger side so that I don't have clearance issues with the A/C box. Unfortunately, now my new plug wires are no longer long enough on this side. I guess I'll be buying another set. As you can see, I have short 7/16" bolts plugging my injector holes until I finally buy my new injectors which will hopefully be soon.


I tried to get a better shot of the oil pan clearance here. There is enough room for me to fit my pinky finger in between the pan and K-member.


Not that it matters, but I touched up the paint on my TCI converter. The paint they put on from the factory sucks! I'm also working on painting my fuel rail.

I finally went on the Monster Transmission website today and I decided I am going to go that route for my trany. Competitive pricing and free shipping. Good stuff. Everyone seems to have good things to say about them.

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Just FYI, in case any of you need exhaust flanges & EGR block off's, I found a guy on e-bay selling both of them together for like $45, which is a pretty good deal. And both flanges have a 2.5" hole in them. Some guys make the one flange with a 2.25" hole.