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LTX and LSXPutting LT1s, LS1s, and their variants into Third Gens is becoming more popular. This board is for those who are doing and have done the swaps so they can discuss all of their technical aspects including repairs, swap info, and performance upgrades.
On the header question, I still only know of one place to get a set of headers, Dyno Dons. I found out that to have a set made just for my application would be way too much$$$$. I should be able to order the headers next month (Oct). It's always something.
I am still messing with mine, been too busy with work to play with car. I have made 2 custom y pipes to work with my 68460 hedman long tubes. I think my recent pipe works but I give it a 7/10 for my happiness with it. I used 2.5" pipe all around and crushed it down where I needed extra clearance. The pipe and the lowering kit do not go hand in hand. Once I get my new wheels on I will gain another .5", so that will help although I am mostly,satisfied with my ground clearance now (given the circumstance). I will do a full write up on my thread one day. I did post you tube video of exhaust with stock manifolds and y and one of long tubes and homemade y. I know I hear a difference in person, I wonder if people do online? Just search project zzzzzz.
Lets talk about the torque arm. I'm looking at the tunnel mounted torque arm option. I'm having trouble finding one that can be used with the T56 in my 83 Camaro. I remember seeing a different style that mounts directly to the floorboard tunnel and could be used for any transmission type in our 3rd gens. Any ideas where I might find these ? Thanks guys
Lets talk about the torque arm. I'm looking at the tunnel mounted torque arm option. I'm having trouble finding one that can be used with the T56 in my 83 Camaro. I remember seeing a different style that mounts directly to the floorboard tunnel and could be used for any transmission type in our 3rd gens. Any ideas where I might find these ? Thanks guys
I think you are talking about the jegster torque arm. I bought one for my swap but decided against putting it on right now. Might stay stock for a while. Possibly have mine for sale.
After some research and most of the write ups came from the early 2000's, I found a BMR torque arm tunnel mount cross member and torque arm. Part # TCC016H and TA001H According to the specs, these should work with the T56 and my 83 Camaro. Has anyone used this combo? Is BMR a good company? I'm still open to suggestions or recommendations.
I've decided on BMR's suspension torque arm relocation crossmember. Then I'll couple that with BMR's torque arm. I also found sub frame connectors that should be fine for our application from UMI. I'll be taking some pix today of the car with the rear end installed.
Sorry about the delays. Today we worked on fitting the 4th gen clutch and brake assembly into the firewall. We had to do a little fabricating to allow the clutch master cylinder to pass thru the firewall. Next is the gas pedal. We are still trying to decide on headers. We have a set of SLPs that came off the 305 that was in the Camaro. The ports are not exactly matching, but at least they don't block anything. Which type of filler or fiber glass is best to use to smooth out the strut towers and other rough areas in the engine compartment?
From what I've read on headers as long as they are 1 5/8 primaries or bigger you should be fine running them with d-port gaskets. I'm finishing up an LT1 swap out of a caprice right now as well. I'm running cheap headman 1 5/8 and they seem to be good, but have only been through a couple heat cycles so far.
I'm not too experienced with body work, but unless you're planning to add a lot of material then most basic body fillers should probably be fine.
Thanks for the comeback. I'd love to see your exhaust set up. Any clearance problems?
No problem. . .I understand how things get drawn out and take longer than you plan with these kinds of project. . although you've done a lot more than me.
I don't have any pics of the exhaust with me, but I don't seem to have any clearance issues. I'm using Hedman 68470 Shorties, with 17478 Y-Pipe. So far the only issue I've had is that I bolted down the headers before connecting the Y-pipe so Pass side was about 1/4" off and took some persuasion for the ball and socket to seat. I also just ended up using an exhaust band clamp to made the y-pipe to the mid pipe. Also I don't remember now if you were keeping AC but the pass side header only has about 1/2" of clearance from the AC heater box so I used some stick on reflective heat shield to hopefully keep from melting the box.
About the A/C, I went with the 92-96 Corvette style accessory set up. So the exhaust won't be a problem there. We bought a high torque starter that is smaller than the OEM. I hope that helps.
About the A/C, I went with the 92-96 Corvette style accessory set up. So the exhaust won't be a problem there. We bought a high torque starter that is smaller than the OEM. I hope that helps.
Compressor clearance is definitely tight on the b-body set up. . .the stock b-body ac lines do interfere with the headers, but I was mostly referring to how close pass header is to the evaporator box on the firewall. Since it's plastic I'm very worried about melting it.
If you're keeping AC and use the Hedman headers then that clearance should be the same whether corvette, or b body acc setup. I think I may end up wrapping the headers because I don't trust that the reflective heat shield is going to hold up long term.
Also, for the starter I didn't have any issues with the stock LT1 unit. It's smaller than the stock starter was on my 305.
Okay, I understand. It's the plastic housing covering the heater core etc. I haven't looked into that clearance. We have a pair of SLP shorties that came off the 305. After we finish off the engine compartment (painting) we'll slide the engine and tranny underneath and see how it fits.
Okay, I understand. It's the plastic housing covering the heater core etc. I haven't looked into that clearance. We have a pair of SLP shorties that came off the 305. After we finish off the engine compartment (painting) we'll slide the engine and tranny underneath and see how it fits.
Yep. . Here are a couple pictures I just took of the clearance on both sides. I'm guessing you really shouldn't have any fitment issues though. If I remember correctly the SLP's fit much better than these Hedman's. . Lol I think I've read that just about all others are better, but they were cheap.
One thing I have noticed on my swap is that to me it seems like the engine sits forward like 1"+ from what the 305 did . Could be my imagination because everything lines up fine.
You can kind of make out the foil heat shield on the evap box. . . #6 & 8 primaries are the only tight spots, other than the ac lines on the back of compressor with the b-body setup.
My LT1 had 2 places to mount the motor mounts. In the Caprice, the aft mounts were used. In the Camaro, the forward mounting holes have to be used. Which mounts did you use?
I just read through this thread to remind myself what we have done so far. It helped as we can plan on where we need to go next on this ordeal. We kept putting things off for so many reasons, but it's time to really get back to business. So, next we are going to finish the firewall and engine compartment. We bought some high strength fiberglass to smooth out all the rough edges around the shock towers. Then it will be scuffing the surfaces of the engine bay for priming and painting. Then we're going to roll the drive train under the car and see how it fits. These are big plans, but they have to get done.
My LT1 had 2 places to mount the motor mounts. In the Caprice, the aft mounts were used. In the Camaro, the forward mounting holes have to be used. Which mounts did you use?
I did move the mount forward to the correct location before I dropped it in the car. Like I said could be my imagination about sitting further forward. . .or the 30 years worth of crud back of the 305 heads being gone lol.
Awesome that you're getting more focused on the project again. Good luck on the body work and assembly.
Hi, I'm back. Here is what we have completed recently. We finished painting the engine compartment and we are very pleased with it. The painting process and preparation was extensive. Pix to follow.
Now we're going to start putting things back on the firewall. This is where all those pictures we took when taking everything off pays off. We are also going to test fit the engine and K member from under the car. This is going to be interesting.
Today was a great day. We put the engine in the Camaro. We used the Raise the car and slide the engine and tranny under and lowered the car onto the K member, engine and tranny. Worked like a charm. Here are a few of the photos:
To be honest, this is just a test fit, but it went in so nicely. Even the cross member lined up.
Had to remove the compressor when lowering the car.
Shows the shifter coming through the original hole.
Motor mounts worked great.
Both sides
this shows that the accessaries from a 95 Vette fit very nicely.
I know we have been working on this for some time now, but things are picking up now. If anyone is interested, I can show you the "jig" I built to hold the engine and tranny.
After we check a few details and fitments, we'll pull it back out and install the hvac, hydraulic clutch, brakes, wiper motor, and other things on the firewall. Then we'll start with the wiring.
While the engine was in, even the drive shaft from the 95 Camaro fit between the differential and the tranny.
We took the engine back out and now we're installing the HVAC and other firewall items. We put in a new heat exchanger so we won't have to worry about replacing it later. We bought some foam and we're replacing all of the HVAC foam gaskets. I, also, am installing the rest of the engine components like the water pump and ignition wires. I'm having a little problem finding the "steam pipe" gasket washers.
I know there might not be very many guys following this project as we are installing an LT1 (not the more popular LS series motors). But this thread helps us keep track of what we are doing as this project has been going on for several years. I will say we are still having fun working on it. My wife thinks we're nuts.
Today was a big step. We installed the clutch and brake pedal assembly with the hydraulic clutch system and brake booster and brake master cylinder. Going from a third gen pedal assembly to the fourth gen was not without adjustments and fabrication. If anyone is having problems trying to figure out where to install the hydraulic master cylinder in the fire wall, we did too. After lots of trying to measure and test fit we found that the 4th gen pedal assembly has a bracket that has the holes for the U-bolt that holds the clutch master cylinder to the firewall. Once you put the pedal assembly in place you can simply mark the 2 holes and cut out for the cylinder to come through the firewall. The pictures that follow should help explain what I'm talking about.
This shows the booster and master cylinder which is for the four wheel disc brakes.
This is the clutch master cylinder under the booster.
I tried to get a shot of the pedal assembly. Notice the notch in the steering column bracket. the 4th gen clutch pedal hit the bracket and we had to clearance it. No biggie. I will say this pedal assembly is much stronger than the 3rd gen set up.
more from under the dash
shows the location of the clutch master cylinder.
Better view of the U-bolt that holds the master cylinder to the firewall.
I'm working on the engine now. Just installing the water pump, spark plug wires and then I was going to put in the injectors and fuel rail, but I CAN'T FIND MY FUEL RAIL ASSEMBLY.
After doing some research on fuel injectors, we need to increase the size of the injectors. The ones we have are only 32lbs and most guys say 36lbs is much better for the 383 with a cam upgrade like we have. So, it's time to go shopping for injectors. Any suggestions?
I have used red top Ford injectors for ever 30lb is what they are rated at however, with an Lt1s fuel pressure the injector generally sees 36 lb at a decent duty cycle that wont put you over the edge.
Be sure to get the hotwire kit below
Not much happening on our project. The weather is not cooperating. We picked up some engine parts, nipples and vacuum hoses. We're trying to figure out how the steam pipes on the back of the engine tie into the cooling system.
Finally figured out where to tie the steam pipe into the system. It just can go right into the radiator. We're replacing all the rubber casketing on the A/C doors. As soon as that is complete, we'll install the housings and guts of the HVAC system. I forgot to run the brake line under the engine on the K-member, so we have to lift the engine off the member so we can get to the clips that hold the lines in place. It's always something.
Today I did some research on the sensors needed to run the LT1. I have just a few questions: 1) The threaded hole in the heads, one on each head, is for a coolant temp sensor. Is this the sensor that talks to the gauge and PCM? Which side do I use for the sensor and do I just use a plug to seal the other hole in the other head? 2) The coolant sensor on the water pump, is that just to turn on the fans and not talk to the PCM?
Just received some more parts. We're tackling the front end suspension and putting in new springs, center link, pitman arm and tie rods. We also got some shocks (adjustable). I'm starting to look down the road at radiators. I'm a DeWitt guy, but my son has been looking at another brand that is made in USA and is a little cheaper. We're going with a double core set up with 1" cores. Any thoughts?
We are planning a trip to Phantom Works next month. Dan has the shows on Velocity Channel and I just want to see his operation and ask about a few prices on some jobs I might want him to handle, like wiring the dash and marrying the 83 gauges and HVAC to the 95 engine. Could be interesting.
im in the process of putting in a 95 lt1 and rewiring the entire car. i had a 92 harness that i was swapping into an 85z, but it turned into a giant mess so i just split up all the plugs and commons and left the fuse panel and main power distribution alone. once you cut out all the crap you basically just wire up the cluster with the lt1 and hook up whatever other accesories, run power for the injectors, ecm, ign coil, hook up some other things like the obd port, tcc circuit, park neutral switch, etc.
it seems easier to split up the car wiring and start from scratch. most of it is outdated anyway. almost all the 4th gen circuits are set up the same way, many even use the same wire colors. i would take extra care to match up the fuse ratings for the lt1, ensure circuits going to the ecm and sensitive components arent connected to power windows or starter relays or anything crazy like that.
its a pita to set it up correctly and not just hack it together but its worth the extra time. youll know exactly what wires do what, know exactly what items are on the same circuit, and further diagnosing electrical issues will be way easier. once the electrical system gets bogged down the whole car will start to struggle and strange things start to happen. im working through this same process right now.
Thanks CatmanFS. I'm fortunate to have both Helms service manuals for my 83 Camaro and the Chevy Caprice where the engine came from. The wiring diagrams really help. I have the harnesses from both cars laid out, but I have lots of questions about sensors and power requirements of some of the systems. Before I spend a ton of hours on this, I'm going to ask Painless or another pro what they can do for me. Thinking about the time required for me to make my own harnesses, it might be cheaper to have them made.
The power suppy is there. You only need to get a small fuse panel
need 2 7.5amp fused power for injectors
need a fuse for the ign coil
use the pink ign coil wire from your ign switch for both of these
need an ECM keyed power fuse
-use red wire that goes from ign switch to the fuse box
10 amp fuse for ECM batt always hot
need to use the orange always hot batt wire
extras include
a fuse for the TCC switch
a fuse for the emissions stuff
a fuse for any other crap you are putting on it
I was daunted by the task, but i did it in one night and it only took about 12 wires to get it running. I was very surprised how easy it turned out to be.
Thank you Catman, I'm looking at my fuse box to see if I can use it. I have to also look into the steering column electrics to see how to start the engine. We thought about using a push button set up, but more research is needed by me.
Hey Tom305, welcome aboard. Yep, years in progress. We haven't seen the light at the end of the tunnel yet, but maybe this spring / summer.
Yeah I like the original parts for aesthetics purposes, so I'm using original electronic components to keep it at simple as possible
The Ignition switch has 2 plugs going into it, the one with the larger wires is for switched, keyed, run etc power, some run to the fuse box, some to outside the car like the starter wire and IGN wire. If you give the starter relay keyed power it will send you 12+ you can run the starter from. The smaller plug is for stuff like the high beams, turn signal switch, hazards, etc.
If you have electric fans you can give keyed power to the fan relays and when you turn the key to run the fans will come on.
Start with the red wires from the battery and see where they go, they go in through the C100 plug on the driver side firewall. some go directly into the steering column, and come out as various colors, pink, purple, red, etc. use your hanes manual to see what each wire does.
Just cut out everything you don't want (doublecheck) without destroying plugs and fuseboxes etc. just cut the wires short and tuck them away in case you need them.
If you wanted push button start you can just use the red wires that go directly to the batt, run them to a relay and onto the starter. Then supply the switch with 12 power to turn on the relay. The original setup had the started wire running through the trans switch to ensure car is in park or neutral. You could use that to do the same.
What is your goal with the car? Is it a road racer or show car, drag?
Thanks for the tips on the electrics. I'm trying to cleanup the C100 plug which has that dielectric stuff on it. I'm going to have to dig into the wiring on the steering column; your tips will surely help.
The car will be a multi task car. Rides in the NC mountains (great curves, etc), a few car shows, and a few trips to the track. My son wants to be able to keep up with me in my Vette. ;-)
sounds like it will be a cool car. yes the c100 plug is a mess and i used multiple cans of electronics cleaner spray and its still not completely clean. im glad my effort could help someone. the lt1 swap is a fun project and can be fairly easy if you study all the diagrams and follow all the circuits on the car. im interested to see how it turns out bud, im finishing up some body work and ill post some pics of my finished product and a few others. thanks
I ordered a dust cover for the T56 tranny from eBay and the material was too thick, nice aluminum piece, just too thick. I couldn't get the starter back in because now the bolts wouldn't quite line up with the mounting holes. This was an after market made dust cover and not as thin as the original dust covers. So, I guess I can kiss that $50 good by. I'm waiting for a response from the seller before I give him a bad rating on this order.
OK, we had to modify the dust cover and now it's on there. Now getting back to working on the project. Got to do some welding on the floor tunnel as there is a crack that needs attention. Next will be the HVAC system and once we get that done, we want to finally install the drive train for good. The steering and suspension parts are all here and that goes on after the drivetrain install.
We lost interest for a couple of months, but maybe we'll get going again.
Just when you think you're getting back into this swap, poop happens. Had to buy new tires for the daily driver and I bought some land which might make room for another garage. We cancelled the trip to Fantom Works, way too expensive for us, so it's back to the wiring diagrams in the FSMs. I can't believe we have been working on this project for 5 years! Thank God we took all those pictures along the way.
Just when you think you're getting back into this swap, poop happens. Had to buy new tires for the daily driver and I bought some land which might make room for another garage. We cancelled the trip to Fantom Works, way too expensive for us, so it's back to the wiring diagrams in the FSMs. I can't believe we have been working on this project for 5 years! Thank God we took all those pictures along the way.
No fun getting stopped, just as you're getting started again. Awesome news about the potential garage though. I wish I had a larger/better space, or room to build one.
You can definitely do the wiring! I think I said a while back, but that was my biggest fear at the beginning. It actually hasn't been the worst part of the swap lol.
Just focus on the fact that once it's done there will be no more carb tuning!!! I never could get my Holly tuned perfectly on the 305. . .Granted I'm going to need a tune on the computer for the LT1, but only need to do it once.
Thanks for the come back. I was beginning to think nobody is watching this any more. I plan on visiting my son in Orlando this fall and we want to see a baseball game in Tampa. Any chance we might get together? I'd really like to see your car and maybe get some ideas from you.
09-17-2015, 11:22 PM
. Could be my imagination because everything lines up fine.
My wife thinks we're nuts. 
Just focus on the fact that once it's done there will be no more carb tuning!!! I never could get my Holly tuned perfectly on the 305. . .Granted I'm going to need a tune on the computer for the LT1, but only need to do it once.