I've got most of the info I need to be swapping a 5.3 w/T-56 in this car
1 of the last few questions I have revolves around te headers
My uncle who's worked in a GM dealership for 30 years
Says dude all the heads from
Those years are interchangeable
Alot of people put the 5.3 heads on the Ls1 cause they have a lower # combustion Chamber
And he said LS1 headers form a 98-02 will work perfectly fine on a 5.3 in a 3rd gen
That being said if I go that route
What do I do for the sensor ports
Put in simulator or something
The guy who had car before me pulled all the sensors out in a way to where you could easily wire them back in
Shouldn't matter goin to a painless
But will that cause issues

 

Welcome aboard thirdgen.org.

What sensors are you saying were pulled out? The ones from the car, or the ones from the engine?

Yes, 98-02 f-body exhaust manifolds will work in a 3rd gen f-body LSx swap. For the front O2 sensors, the driver side manifold has sensor port built into it, the passenger side you'll have to put a mount bung in the pipe after the manifold outlet flange (that's what the factory did). You have to have the front O2 sensors for the PCM to get proper mixture ratio feedback.

For the rear O2 sensors, have them tuned out of the PCM.

Out of curiosity, what PCM will you be using?

 

I was gonna just order and painless harness and get the ECu tuned from there possible just get the ECU with the engine I get
I should just be able to pull out factory engine harness no.
I had an 82 we pulled out everything and all
The gauges ad everything still worked

It was carbed though
But going to a stand alone I shouldn't need the factory ECU or PCM or harness no?

 

PCM

Power Control Module?
Difference between PCM and ECu
I'm not really fuel injection guru but I can get someone else to tune it.

 

I'll put the car together but get someone else to tune it.

 

he said headers. i am currently using the manifolds. just dont think the headers from 4th gen camaro would work. unless i am wrong because then i have options besides SW/Hawks OVERPRICED headers.

 

That's what I was told by my uncle been at a dealership for 30+ years
He said all the heads are interchangeable like they were on all old school 265-400
Small blocks
And I know 5.3 heads have been used on ls1 block to raise compression and headers used
But as long as they are the same ports why would it be an issue. And same bolt pattern.
This is just what I was told by a dealership tech
I don't know for sure
I'll definitely give a try when the time comes.

I unfortunlty don't have readily access to a speed shop within reasonable distance to order a pair and if they don't fit return them so I unfortunately can't test this theory any time soon.

 

Manifold replacement headers for 4th gen f-body will fit in a 3rd gen swap.

Long tube 4th gen headers for f-body will not fit in a 3rd gen swap.

Not uncommon for people to refer to "manifolds" as "headers".

PCM = powertrain control module. Controls both the engine and transmission.

ECU = engine control unit. aka ECM, engine control module.

 

Hadn't really though about that

I don't have emission so I was goona try to get the computer programmed for no emission
What ever I can

I didn't think t/56 had much for sensors and I don't want a rear with traction control
So I don't know
What would you recommend

 

Will I be able to get the factory PCM to correspond with a painless system
And work properly
I mean they were alot less emission back then
Then now in terms of working with them

 

LS1 manifolds will work. You can spend some bigger $ on the hawk's long tubes, or some hedman mid length headers for the 3rd gen LS swap for around $300. I may be going with the hedman ones depending on my budget.

If you have the engine wiring harness for the 5.3, it's really not that difficult to make a standalone engine harness. There is enough info to figure it out and some guys here will help you out... It just takes some research. In my build thread I'm doing a point by point of my harness. So far I'm only as far as taking it apart, I hope to have the assembly done in a couple weeks once I get some missing pieces.
I started with a harness that was cut at the ECM so that made it more complicated, but it was still fairly easy to figure the thing out... If I can do it, anyone can do it.

The T56 has a few wiring connections. You have the VSS (speed sensor) that goes to the ECU. This is two wires. You have the skip shift solenoid connector also known as CAGS. I'm having my skip shift programmed out of the computer (so you don't need that connection). You have reverse lock out, which I will wire up like factory. Then you have the reverse light wiring that you will wire to your body harness already on the car, just splice it to the current reverse wiring from the current transmission in the car.

The painless harness will plug right up to your ECM. You will still have some wiring to do, like to your gauges, ignition power, starter wiring and a few other things.
Your ECM will need to be flashed to run without the emissions equipment, front O2 sensors only, the transmission flash needs to come out of it if you're running a T56. There are a bunch of places that flash computers regularly for swaps. I'm probably going with the LT1swap.com fella.