Alrighty, I've been a long time lurker/researcher to this board and now that I'm finally getting ready to tear apart the car and have most of the big parts I figured it was time for me to start a build thread.
The Car:



The engine in it currently:



A little history on the car. I got the car while I was in college for $900.00.. with around 162k miles on the clock. It was close to bone stock when I got it, carburated with a quadra-bog on a tired small block 305 that smokes on startup with a equally tired 700R4...While I was in college I converted it to TPI with MegaSquirt 2, which fixed the bad bog it had but have been wanting to do another turbo build for a while so I have been collecting the parts to do so..

The parts:

Complete 4.8L in unknown shape I got for $215 and a 5.3L bottom end that makes noise for $30



$80.00 TP38 junkyard Powerstroke turbo, 1.0 A/R exhaust turbine and 1.1 A/R compressor, 60mm compressor inducer (yes smaller turbo, but I can hack up the already planned sloppy turbo kit to fit a better one in later if I need to).



This was a complete 5.3L that I tore the heads off to home brew port/polish and regap the rings, picked the motor up in good running shape, with the factory computer, harness, etc for $400



The 4L80E that I got out of a junkyard core bin for a whopping $50.00.. Once I tore into it I found out it had been already rebuilt once (and not long before I got it). Got lucky and it already had a Trans-Go shift kit in it.. had a few stuck valves in the valve body and fried the direct clutch pack.. and the valves got stuck because the rebuilder left a pump bolt loose and dug into the forward clutch housing.. so just got the parts I needed to fix it, reused the new parts that I could that were in it, internally dual fed the direct clutch pack, and now have a trans that should take 800hp ish for under $200.00..



So the plan:
This is going to be a ultra budget friendly build. Please dont judge because I'm not going for looks, but performance. Any and all recommendations or help will be welcomed. I've done a few other turbo builds before and I got a idea what I'm going to do with this one, along with using the 4.8L as a experimental motor I dont care about

Going to use the 4.8L as is, absolutely NOTHING done to it except for the oil pan to fit in the car, which is going to be cut and re-welded for ground clearance with kickouts for the same or more oil volume.This motor will be used as a mock up/grenadable motor, and eventually I'll bump up to the 5.3L when I get the head port work done along with the piston ring regapping, etc. The plus side to this is I can test the LM7 fuel injectors I modified by removing the atomization cap, which I flow tested afterwards with my homemade fuel injector flow tester and they flowed around 42lb/hr. If I find out my ultra-budget cheapness doesnt work in reguards to the modified fuel injectors, I'm only out a crappy 4.8L anyhow and will at that point get new and correct fuel injectors along with installing the 5.3L I'm in the middle of building for it. Going to run a Ebay intercooler I've had for a while now (got for my twin turbo truck I used to own, just never completely installed it). Going to spray it also (for intercooling purposes and already have the kit so I might as well use it). Methanol injection, Install a 6 point cage, along with a Crown Vic 8.8" rear end, and running the engine with the MegaSquirt 2, and wiring the 4L80E for full manual control.

Goals of the car? To have a blast somewhat cheaply.. and do it with a car that doesnt look the greatest currently.. It'll get a decent amount of track use but I want it to be a street legal car (go to work in it, etc). More interested in the performance side of it, and making it a all around good car, not just set it up for drag racing only.. Not looking to set the world on fire, just something fun on the drag strip Friday nights.. More on the FireChicken to come..

 

Sounds like you've got a solid handle on things. Should be a fun build

Only thing Id advise is to skip the 6pt roll bar in a streetcar. Too much risk if its not a dedicated racer

 

Thank you for the kind words.. Your posts on this board have actually helped me a lot preparing for my build..

On the 6pt roll bar, Why do you say its too much risk? I'm honestly just curious because I'm sure you have first hand knowledge behind your statement.. The main reason I plan on running one is just for safety.. This will be a street legal car, but its my toy and not my daily driver, and for the eventual number I'd like to run (I'd LOVE a few years down the road to have a 9 second slip.. it could be a 9.99 for all I care).. I'm sure I'll need something in the car for the track I plan on running at.. so again just curious.

 

On a track, the rollbar or cage is excellent for keeping you safe. On the street its an extreme hazard because you wont have your helmet and the expected impacts are much different. Imagine your head cracking the main hoop in a LR impact... not good. T-bone pushing the doorbar into your ribcage, not fun

That little turbo may or may not get you booted from a track because of no roll bar. Since you rarely will see the track, why risk it?

 

Update on Project FireChicken.. I finally pulled the trigger on yanking it apart.. been waiting for this day for a few years now, felt quite nice.. I got a lot more done tonight than I thought I was going to. Radiator, wiring, transmission cross-member, washer fluid/overflow bottles removed, hoses disconnected, etc. Tip from a Auto Technician on removing radiator hoses that you want to re-use.. use a larger diameter pick and free the hose up from the inside.

The last things I need to do to get the engine out is: cut the exhaust off (with the turbo kit I'm building for it I wont need the factory stuff anyhow), remove the hood (rather not do that myself so I'm waiting for help this Friday/this weekend), remove the engine mount bolts and lift the engine/trans out of the car!

Where I left the car tonight:





Also never did mention what type of FireChicken this was.. I'm sure some people could shoot me for doing what I'm about to do to this car.. being I do have all the original paperwork for the car too lol.



Oh! I ordered the 1" setback mount adapters from a guy on Ebay last Friday, to get what is supposed to be them today in the mail and find out he must have send me the wrong package because what I got looks like lift shackles.. go figure.. hopefully I'll get this worked out so I can get the 4.8L grenade in for test fitment..

 

Update on the car!
Its starting


Its coming


Home Stretch


Its outta here!!!


Now I'm just waiting for my 1" setback engine mount adapters to show up in the mail, should be in what is now today (Friday) or tomorrow.. Going to go ahead and do some mockup with the LSx/4L80E/turbo/etc but before final installation I'm going to replace a few brake lines that I found are rusted and replace all the bushings, etc. Just general maintenance items on a car this old.. and trying to decide if I'm actually going to modify the 4.8L oil pan to make it fit or just go ahead and get the 4th gen camaro/firebird oil pan and pickup tube.. Not sure what one is going to be cheaper at the moment (being I'd have to get the aluminum plate, aluminum welding wire and straight argon gas to due so)... so going to do some figuring out this weekend/next week to see what would be cheaper.. but at least for now I can get the engine/trans in the hole and start figuring out turbo kit and re-doing my mess of wiring from my college days of installing the tuned port injection and MS2 on the old engine in the backyard lol.

 

Well not much to report today, had to get a snow blower running again for family.. BUT! My setback mount plates came in!!!



Tomorrow evening I plan on getting at it.. might even have the 4.8L in the hole temporarily for turbo mockup and see how it looks with a LS/turbo in the empty hole lol..

 

Update from Saturday nights progress!

Ol' worn out SBC 305 and 700R4, with the powers invested in me I now pronounce you divorced.. go live happy (or not so happy) lives seperated LOL



Now that is done.. I moved on to getting the 4.8L into the same garage the FireChicken is in which took a little jockeying around with my father-in-laws truck and moving the engine hoist/engine from garage to garage..



Then Stripped her down to the bare necessities.. started mocking up the engine mounts and found a few issues.. the 1" setback mount adapters, the way they came don't quite clear the accessory bolt bosses on the engine.. Nothing a grinder wont fix. I still bolted it together to get it in the hole so I could see what else needed modified.

Setback mount adapter 1



Setback mount adapter 2



So with that in mind I got it bolted together the best I can for now just to see what it'll look like in the hole.. while bolting the engine side of the mounts to the adapter plates I found out the factory hardware from the 305 mounts (which I was going to replace anyway because they were rusted out) is too long. So just a FYI for anyone who plans on using the setback mount adapters to fit the LS in a 3rd gen engine bay, you'll have to get shorter hardware..

Its in the hole!







Look at the clearance between the front of the harmonic balancer and the radiator support! I know the front accessory drive will take away from it a little bit but I should have more than enough room to fit my front mount intercooler and turbo plumbing in there somewhere LOL.



For right now, I can only get the Passenger side motor mount bolt in.. I believe the motor mount plates not being flush is causing my issue of why I can only get the one bolt in.

So my game plan is next getting the motor back out and grinding the corners where they touch down to where they clear.. and see if I can get it actually in with BOTH motor mount bolts.. Get it to where I KNOW the engine mounts up, then mount the transmission to the engine so I can get to modifying the trans tunnel to clear the big 4L80E.. and somewhere in there clean up my wiring..

 

I mounted my FMIC inplace of the AC condensor, leaned the radiator back some and fabbed a small extension for the hold down. Fit nicely

The 4L80E does fit the tunnel for the most part. I used the Spohn/hawks LSx conversion mounts and them being unlevel sure didnt help things. IMHO, I think the engine should have been lowered because with the trans jacked all the way up into the tunnel, it was still about 3* tail down. All in all, the 4L80E was a "barely fits" class

 

I was actually going to do pretty much the exact same thing from seeing it in your previous posts/threads LOL..

Update on the car:
I got the engine back out tonight and marked the clamshells and the setback mount adapters for where I need to modify them.. so after work tomorrow I'll modify them and hopefully both bolt holes will line up this time.. Then I'll either start in on getting the transmission to fit or the modifying the oil pan.. again not sure if I'll just buy a 4th gen F-body pan or if I'll modify the one I have.. still pricing out materials to modify it..

 

UPDATE:
Well I've had some progress happen. Last Thursday I got the setback mounts ground down in the areas I needed to in order to have the clearance to flush mount them to the engine block.





Then tonight I got to test fitting again and the engine fits in but this time both motor mount bolts go in!!





Then I went ahead and grabbed the intake off this lousy 4.8L. I didnt take any of the wiring off the intake, just layed it on the motor to see how it looked and if there were going to be any clearance issues, etc.





Obviously the hood is not going to clear the stock intake.. Everyone and there brother though runs a scooped hood on these cars anyhow so I plan on cutting the hood to clear the stock intake and truck alternator and making a fiberglass scoop to cover the hole lol. But thats later down the road. Next up, going to get the 4L80E bolted up the the motor and figure out if or what needs "adjusted" with the firewall (most likely with a sledge hammer) to make it clear with enough room for the cooler lines and dipstick.. Hopefully nothing will need "adjusted".. but with my luck I'll find something needs tweaked lol..

 

Try a car intake instead of cutting the hood. LS1 intakes can be had $50-100, aftermarkets $300-600

To fit a 4L80E, the firewall doesnt have to be modified. You have to cut the "ears" off the bellhousing much like any TH400 swap, but the main fitment challenge is the rear of the trans tunnel

 

UPDATE:
I snapped a daytime photo of the engine/intake before I pulled it back out.. I should keep a count of how many times I put this in and out of the car lol..



Then out it came.. again, and got mounted to the 4L80E.



Then the real fun began.. with trying to get them both in the hole with the short engine crane I have.. A: Found out that I NEED to get the front bumper off of it before I try that again.. B: It doesnt fit with the truck oil pan.. The engine/transmission get bound up on the K member/firewall..



So after that finished making me mad.. I got the engine/transmission back out of the car.. and sitting on the floor. Then I got the oil pan off my 5.3L motor I'm actually building for the car for after the 4.8L is done.. and got the hack saw out and cut the sucker.. I know where the flywheel bottom is so I cut the oil pan just a tad lower than that.





Now dont judge because the cuts arn't straight, I'm going to grind it flush before I weld a plate to it..
Next step for it is to get just the 4.8L back in the car to measure how much room I have between the front of the sump and the K member.. because I plan on cutting the front sump off the modified oil pan and making it bigger (kind of copying the F-body oil pan setup).. and possibly making a "kick-out" for extra oil reserve.. not sure on that but it may happen..

 

Fbody pans are 5.5" deep. Might help with the cutting

 

Thanks for the heads up! I'll have to measure how far I cut mine down to get a idea where it sits currently.

I'm currently sourcing the aluminum plate needed to work on the pan, and maybe this weekend I'll get just the 4.8L back in to do some measuring with the stock pan to figure out how far forward I can cut and add to the sump..

 

UPDATE:
While I'm figuring out what to do for the oil pan, I'm slowly gathering parts I need to get the MS2 to fire off the LSx ignition coils.. My plan for people reading this and trying to figure out how to do it with the V3.57 pre-assembled MegaSquirt 2.. I'm going off of the MSextra hardware manual found >here< Look for part: 5.3.0.4 Logic spark outputs - resistor method on page 71. I've got a small radio-shack project box, which I'm going to bring PAD 1, PAD 2, PAD 3, JS11 to the spare DB15 connector on the MS2. I'm going to build the circuit described in the manual for JS11 to run the SPARK D output within the project box then wire the ignition coils to that box. I plan on taking photos step by step on how to do this and post here for a reference for whoever plans on running a Gen 3 LSx with a MS2 (MS2 will also run the Gen 4 with the software set up differently to accept the 58x crank trigger wheel).

 

UPDATE:
Got to work on the oil pan yesterday after work.. I finished my final cuts on the pickup tube assembly and got it welded up.







Then I tested how a oil filter would fit before I clean cut the bottom of the oil pan, with the 2.5" rough cut off the oil pan. If you look up a oil filter for a 1999 Chevrolet Camaro with the 5.7L, it has the short oil filter compaired the the 4.8L/5.3L tall oil filter.. fits quite nicely if I say so myself



I also figured out from this cut section of oil pan that it held 1 7/8 quarts of water.. so the oil pan if it was welded up with just a flat plate on the bottom would have a oil capacity of 4 1/8 quarts. Some people have done this without issue, but I'll be adding to the front of the sump to gain back some lost oil capacity.



Then took the parts back home and got them set up on the 5.3L I'm using for mocking up the oil pan.. Looks like I'll have to heat up and bend the middle tube a bit to get it centrally located but I think it'll work just fine.





Upcoming plans:
After Christmas I'm getting aluminum to finish modifying the oil pan. I'm also ordering the stuff needed to build the project box to run the LS ignition coils.. Once the oil pan is finished I'll get it installed on the 4.8L and start back in on 4L80E fitment..

 

UPDATE:
Not much of a update but progress is progress. I heated up the pickup tube with the torch and bent it to more centalize the pickup in the sump.





Should work just fine. I just got a 2 foot X 2 foot section of 1/8" aluminum that I need to cut down this week and then find someone to weld it up for me after I excessively clean the oil pan with heat and a wire brush...

 

UPDATE:
Happy New Year everyone!
I got the plate aluminum for the oil pan, so soon I'm going to get it cut and find someone to weld it up for me that way I can continue on with fitting the engine/transmission combination into the car.

I had some time New Years Eve to do some thinking, and I'm worried the setup will "out grow" the one 60mm to quickly once I start pushing the setup, and sense I have another 60mm GT3782VA turbo off of a 6.0L powerstroke I think I'm going to go twins.. This way I can keep the boost low for now and slowly start pushing the system and I wont run out of turbo hopefully ever.. I plan on welding a blocking plate to one side of the twin scroll turbine housing on the TP38 7.3L powerstroke turbo and taking the VGT actuator ring on the GT3782VA 6.0L turbo and tack welding it half way in its travel, effectively about halving both turbos turbine A/R's so I can still get the turbo's to spool at a usable RPM (I plan on redline at being 6000rpm, and I'm a fan of lower end grunt).. I'll log exhaust back pressures on both banks once I get the car going and see if I need to open up the turbines a bit due to excessive back pressure, etc..

Heres a few photos with the turbo's just sitting in the car on there own just to get a idea of where I'll have them, I think..

 

I've made quite a bit of progress with the oil pan.. in 24 ish hours it'll be ready for install on the 4.8L test mule..

Got the piece of aluminum cut to plate the bottom of the oil pan.. Cut it with a sawzall, with a regular blade, then cleaned up with a bench grinder and wire brushed it and came out quite nice if I say so myself.



I took the oil pickup and bent it just a little more to get it squared up with the bottom of oil pan. Then I re-welded the support to the bottom of the oil pickup.





Then I modified the what I'm calling the sump screen to clear the modified oil pickup tube with a couple taps with a hammer.





Then I started drilling and tapping the bottom of the pan to 1/4"X 20 threads to bolt the aluminum plate to the bottom of the oil pan.



Got all 4 corners held down with the bolts with lock washers, then started figuring out how I was going to weld it..



So I've been trying to find someone to weld it up locally sense before Christmas to no avail.. at all.. Because of it being a used oil pan, everyone who I asked didn't want to do it because of the oils coming back up to the surface during the weld and ruining the welds.. So I said fine.. Its a budget build on a bone stock motor, if this doesn't work I'm only out $235 ish.
**WARNING** Do this AT YOUR OWN RISK if you do it to your oil pan!!! This IS NOT how your supposed to weld one up, but because I couldnt find anyone who would weld it up for me this is how I'm choosing to do mine.. I'll obviously update ya'll and let you know how it works.





Then, I let it sit for the 24 hour cure time, and tested it. First, water test for 12 hours.





Passed with flying colors, not even seepage. Then, onto the oil test! 25 hours soak in a quart of the cheapest oil I could find at walmart.

 

Passed that too, no issues what so ever, no seepage, nothing at all.. So I drained the oil out and filled it with 4.5 quarts of water.. came up to here on the pan:





So I figure 4 - 4.5 quarts of oil should be good for capacity.. would like to be around 5, but beggars cant be choosers.. and now I've got a good idea where I can drill/tap the oil pan for the turbo drains.. Then I decided that I would also JB weld the outside. Not because I'm worried about the inside not sealing, but because I'm going to get a kick out of telling people "Yeah man, I JB welded the pan shut, go look under the sucker and see for yourself!" LOL.





The outside weld now needs to cure 24 hours, then I'm going to get it all installed on the 4.8L and start test fitting the 4L80E again.. almost positive I'll have to encourage fitment around the firewall with a sledge hammer from what I saw the first try.. We'll see.

 

Well because of the very low temperatures outside and my garage not being heated I've been doing what I can in my basement and in the house. So I started in on modifying the MS2 to run the LSx ignition coil setup and have a launch control input for “anti-lag”.

So I got on www.msextra.com and got the latest hardware manual for my pre-assembled MS2 V3.57 board. All the directions to make it work are in the manual, but I’ll try my best to describe what I did and why I did it to more centralize the information for converting the MS2 to run the LSx ignition setup. Alright so I started with undoing the HEI mod I did to the board to run the old 305 SBC single ignition coil/distributor setup. Then I proceded to jumper the connections as described in the manual and adjust both POT’s for a VR crank input. I went ahead afterwards and brought 5VDC, PAD 1, PAD 2, PAD 3, JS11, and JS4 to the DB15 connection on the MS2 with 18 gauge wire I had around from previously wiring the car.

Be very tedious with this, and make sure you are using a anti-static mat with a wristband that has a ground clamp to the computer housing so you don’t have a high risk of shocking anything and destroying it while you are working on the computer.
Once that was done I downloaded the latest public release of MSextra firmware and followed the instructions on flashing it onto the MS2. Its quite easy to do, but again be very careful when doing this and make sure you pick the right options in the firmware programming menu or YOU WILL BRICK THE MS2. I didn’t and came out just fine, but just be careful and follow the instructions to the letter.

Next up was testing the unit with TunerStudio to make sure functionality was still ok. Because of the way I plan on wiring the MS2 to the ignition coils (resistor method) I set the coil setup to “going low”. This WILL MAKE THE L.E.D.s come on! Don’t be worried when you flash it and they are on, they are supposed to be on. I went ahead and flashed the computer to let it know it was being coupled (or going to be coupled) to a 4.8L with the LS1 24X crank trigger and wheel and set the ignition coil setup to spark A on D14 and going low. This way when I wire the car and put power to it I won’t fry anything.

Then I started on the harness to the project box. If you have a MS2 with the V3.0 board that you home built then you don’t need a project box “interface” and you can do everything I’m doing in the project box on the pronto board in the MS2. I bought the assembled MS2 V3.57 unit when I was converting the 305 SBC from quadra-bog to fuel injection because I didn’t want to mess with building the computer so I’m forced to build a project box to “buffer” and handle the ignition outputs and launch control input.
So far I have also got a DB-15 to DB-9 harness made to harness the MS2 to the interface box. This coming week I’ll be building the project box to handle the input/outputs. More to come.

 

Finally! I got the interface box finished up. I got PAD 1, PAD 2, PAD 3, JS11, JS4, 5VDC into the interface box on a male DB9. I then took PAD 1 - Spark A, PAD 2 - Spark C, PAD 3 - Spark B, and ground to the output female DB9 of the interface box due to the PAD's circuits already being buffered in the MS2 and needing a ground for the launch control switch input circuit. Then I built the spark D output circuit as described in the MS-extra hardware manual with JS11 input from the MS2, and then built the launch control input circuit using the same instructions with JS4 input from the MS2.
Photos of the madness:






This weekends/next weeks plans now that the MS2 and interface box are now ready and the temperature outside/in my unheated garage is at a bearable level to work is to work on getting the modified oil pan mounted on the 4.8L, and get the broken/rusted dip stick tube out inbetween pan swapping, and get back to fitting the 4L80E in the hole.

 

Tonights progress:
Got the 4.8L out of the car, and got the the oil pan test fitted. I plan on taking the oil pan back off before final fitment for a new oil pan gasket, but this was to see how the clearance was of the oil pan in the car.




Then I put the engine back into the car and checked clearance. Be forwarned the engine is currently sitting at a angle back due to the motor mount configuration and lack of the transmission/trans mount. But it's got plenty of clearance for me. Once the engine is leveled up it'll be level with the bottom of the K-member..



Next up, mounting to 4L80E and firewall party time with the fire wall with a sledge hammer!

 

Finally some major progress!
Got the engine back out and bolted up to the transmission.


Then dropped 'em both down the hole.


Then leveled the transmission/engine with a floor jack. Heres the results:






Trans/engine to firewall clearance. For those reading, I cut the "ears" off the top of the bellhousing on the transmission back when I was using it for a mockup transmission in a buddies foxbody mustang getting a LS/4L80E swap.. So actually no modifying to the firewall was needed to make it fit. If you keep the "ears" on the transmission bellhousing you'll need to hammer the firewall a bit to clear them.


Then the intake and water pump got set on the engine:


Next up I'll be modifying the exhaust manifolds and start in on turbo placement. Going to work on modifying or building a transmission mount, but need to figure out what I'm running for subframe connectors first.. if I'm building them or buying some, lots and lots of planning and figuring out coming soon..