Hey guys long time lurker here first time poster, I am almost done with my first ls swap on my 91 camaro RS. I'll share some of the pictures of my work I have done so far.


I have had the car for going on 11 years, i bought it the year I graduated high-school. I ended up shipping off for the navy a couple months later so it sat for about 8 years while I was enlisted. Now that I'm out and back, I have been driving it around for a couple years, I figured it was time for an overhaul to the power train.





The engine is from my wifes grandmas old 2000 silverado that had a few rounds in some demo derby.


I took the engine to the machine shop and had it completely refreshed

Bored .030 over

Icon Forged pistons

Eagle forged Hbeam rods

Plasma molly push rods and piston rings

heads and block leveled

Head got a stage 3 port and polish

Stronger timing chain

.660 tsp springs

224r tsp camshaft

stock crank polished and everything balanced

melling high volume oil pump



All of this work was done because down the like going to put an LSA supercharger in.


Transmission is a 4l60e, with a 2800-3k stall converter. The transmission is pretty stock. Later will be throwing in a t56 maginum down the road.


I used the hooker blackheart engine mounts and transmission corossmember.


for the fuel pump and sender it is the aeromotive ls swap sender with 340 lph pump. The regulator is also aeromotive.


radiator is a 3 core aluminum radiator from summit.


rear end is being swaped to the Detroit speed LSD carrier going to keep the 2.93?(i think) gear ratio that's in it now.


I am also removing those wide tires in the rear for some iroc stocks. I'm still deciding on what tires to go with.


The wiring harness is the stand alone harness from PSI conversions.


Below I'll start putting some of the progress photos.



This was pre-ls. The previous owner did a botched tpi to carb swap that really messed up the wiring of the car. I was tired of chasing electrical issues




Out with the old.



This sure was a fun job sifting through the spahgetti of a wiring harness that was left.




This was after i did alot of cleanup on the wiring harness.


[img alt="Not many photos of between putting the LS in and when this photo was taken, but have the wirinf mostly done, still have to depin some wires from the c100 that i dont need. The passenger side header has really been a pain to get in but im getting there.


Only a few thing left to button up before start up."]https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thirdgen.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/20250418_232119_5e035f362562eb13c7b13069285e6dc6167fc3c4.jpg[/img]

Not many photos of between putting the LS in and when this photo was taken, but have the wiring mostly done, still have to depin some wires from the c100 that i dont need. The passenger side header has really been a pain to get in but im getting there. Only a few things left to button up before start up.


Only a few more steps left before I can finally fire it up and start breaking in the engine.


Still to do:

1. Mesure and order a new driveshaft. With the hooker engine and transmission mount system engagement is not great to the trans.


2. Make and wire up the power/ground cables


3. Fill engine and transmission with fluid


4. Fish that dang header into the passenger side


5. Finish up the fuel lines. Doing everything in -6 AN


6. Finish installing the new radiator and install the hoses i have.


Thanks for the read! It was a bit long winded but I wanted to contribute to the community for these awesome cars! I will keep the thread up to date with my progress as I move closer to first start up! Let me know if you have any questions/advice!

 

It looks like it dropped one of my pictures so I'll post it here.

 

Those cathedral port heads on that 5.3 won't work with that LSA blower. There are adapters but they create a tuning nightmare when used. If you're set on going blower eventually you'd be better off going centrifugal blower of some sort.

 

your first swap, meaning there is a second and third somewhere?
just kiddin...
congrats and thanks for doing your time with Uncle Sam...salute!

thats an impressive engine build, lots of good parts.
you can fit a turbo in there really nicely and not have to worry about anything that goes with the SC fun. like hood not fitting.
What accessory brackets do you have ? i see ICT, but is there a name for them?
use non synthetic oil for the first 2 or 3 oil changes. after that, youre good for synthetic oil for the rest of its life.
-also its a roller cam engine, there really is no 'break in' needed, start it, check for leaks, fill the trans, and go ride off into the sunset..

 

I always to spread good tech when I come across it. The following is from a Tribologist on another forum. He offers a very detailed reply to question as to whether break-in oil is a concern in modern engines.Perhaps folks here with find this enlightening.

With even the best machining practices, there will always be micro-asperities and ridges in the metal that don't "align" (for lack of a better term) well with one another. The purpose of the break-in is to ensure proper uniformity of parts moving past each other with the best lubrication, lowest wear, and lowest friction possible. The blow-by past the rings of a new engine is rather high due to inconsistencies between the ring faces and cylinder hone. By putting heat cycles on the engine, with varying load and rpm, you allow the parts to seat. A true break-in oil is designed around this. Base oil - Should be a conventional (group I or II) base oil. The reason for this is the higher surface tension and shear stress of the conventional base oil. This shear stress creates more fluid friction, but with that comes greater additive response, ZDDP in particular. Additives need to undergo a reaction to start working. In many cases with most anti-wear additives, higher shear stress in the oil film creates the environment for additive reactions even at lower temperatures. This is why a conventional base oil is important for break-in to ensure good additive response at low temperature (ie: first startup) where it's needed the most. Synthetic base oils have a lower friction coefficient which delays additives response. This isn't a problem when you already have a protective anti-wear tribofilm established, but not what you want when you're trying to establish that film. Anti-wear - Zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP or "zinc") is the critical component of wear protection for all engine oils but especially for break-in. ZDDP isn't actually a single additive but is a family of additives. There's ~200 different ZDDPs out there and each one behaves a little differently. ZDDP is called a multi-purpose additive because aside from its anti-wear properties, it also acts as an anti-oxidant. Some types of ZDDP are more catered to the anti-oxidant side of things while others favor the anti-wear side. It depends on the alkyl groups used, the molecular structure, the chaining, etc... Anyway, the type used for break-in should be a short chained, secondary alkyl ZDDP as they promote excellent additive response at low temperatures to keep down wear while the parts seat. The goal is break-in without excessive wear. The wrong type of ZDDP, while it may still get the job done, will take longer to establish that needed tribofilm and thus the break-in takes longer and undergoes more wear. The type of ZDDP in common conventional API oils off the shelf is a blended primary/secondary alkyl (for gas oils) or all primary alkyl (diesel oils) so not ideal for break-in. Friction modifiers - A break-in oil should be completely free of friction modifiers. Going back to the point about synthetic base oil, you want that high amount of friction there for the greater additive response. You don't want friction modifiers lowering the friction coefficient. All API conventional oils contain friction modifiers to some degree. Adding a bottle of ZDDP break-in supplement to an API oil does not take out the friction modifiers. Viscosity modifiers - These are commonly in the form of liquid polymers and are used in multi-grade oils to broaden the operating temperature range of the oil. Not only is this useless during break-in (unless you're trying to break-in the engine outside in -40*F weather), they also tend to reduce shear stress in the oil film which goes back to the issue mentioned under the base oil. All multi-grade conventional API oils contain viscosity modifiers in 2-14% concentrations. Esters / Naphthalenes - These are group V base oils with rather high solvency. They're usually added in small concentrations (0.5-1.5%) to all engine oils as seal conditioners. Some of your high end oils use these in higher concentrations of 5-40% for solvency and thermal/heat protection. None of these conditions are an issue during break-in so no need for it to be there. Detergents - You have two types of detergents commonly seen in engine oils: neutral and overbased. Overbased are further broken down into soft and hard based. All types of detergents are surface aggressive, but neutral detergents are especially. What you don't want during break-in is detergents competing for the same surface area as ZDDP. Conventional API oils are high in detergents (1800-2500 ppm) where as break-in oils contain just enough to keep down acidity during the break-in process (Driven BR30 has ~350 ppm). So the purpose of the break-in oil is to establish a protective anti-wear tribofilm as fast as possible to ensure proper break-in and keep down excessive wear.

The full thread is in the link below.
There are similar responses to other questions. Both my own and from others.
https://www.speed-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=62098
I used Lucas SAE 30 in my fresh roller cammed engine. Following that up I use Mobil 1. Either Extended Performance or High Mileage formulation. The data sheet from Mobil lists these as having sufficient ZDDP ( but not too much) to keep protection ongoing.

 

My combo had 0 miles on it when I strapped it to a dyno and sent it to 7200 rpm. Used gibbs break in oil for the first 500 miles and then went mobil one since. As mentioned there is always going to be some break in, however, due to modern machining it isn't nearly as dramatic. Not seating the rings, and running with a bad tune is a bigger issue than break in on a modern platform.

 

As you are undoubtedly aware, seating the rings is part of the break-in. But I know what you're saying.
That said, there are other replies (from that same forum) that go on to describe all the dissimilar metals that have to bed in together. Steel rings and aluminum pistons. Pistons and a cast iron bore. Bearing and steel crankshafts. Etc.
That Mobil 1 (the formulations I posted) offer continued protection makes it my oil of choice. If I can safe guard my $$$ investment, then I'm all in.

 

I guess what I should have said is break in is different now. In the past you'd very speed and never go WOT. Now, you want to put some stress on the motor early in the break in. As you mentioned, oil type is critical, especially during the first portion of a motors life.

 

Actually going to be swapping a 78 Lincoln continental later this year with my buddy...

For the ICT Billet accessories the part numbers are 551585X-3 for the AC bracket.
551778LS0-3 for the PS pump and Alt Bracket.
551921-LS01 is for the iron block support bracket.
Then if your using a truck block 551195-M1015 has the right bit and tap for drilling and tapping the front ear.

Belt length with the stock truck alt is 97.5 P/N K060975 for a gates 6 rib belt.

I am using the AMSOIL SAE 30 oil for the first hundred or so miles. then going to switch probably to the Mobil one ZR1 oil for longer term.

I have document with all the part numbers for everything i've ordered if its helpful to anyone i can post that here.

 

Ill post it here if it helps anyone, i missed some parts but got most of them. Made this so in 10 years when I break something i have an easy reference to order new parts.

 

I will update the thread later with pictures of my progress, should have start up today!

 

Did not get to start up time having issues building oil pressure cranking.

I was cranking with no sparkplugs in an fuel pump off but it didn't seem to do much.

I ordered the mellings oil primer tool going to prime it them fire it up for a few seconds to see if i have oil pressure then. (this advice came from my engine builder)

 

If everything is prelubed the engine will build oil pressure immediately after starting. Fire it and you should build pressure instantly. If not, kill it.

 

So is it common with built engines and not getting oil pressure with just cranking? New to the built engine world

 

In the LS world yes. Lots of variables too, gages used, thickness of any installation lubes, etc. Mine didn't show pressure either (sensor at top rear of block) and immediately went to normal after fire. This is why some folks opt for coated bearings in the off case it takes a second to start on a brand new motor.

However, there is nothing wrong with pre oiling the system and there are a few slick tools out there.

 

As always it's each to their own however I'd never start a new engine without pre-lubing. Far too much invested to skip that step.
While it's far easier in a gen 1 SBC, I pull the valve covers, spin the pump with the prelube tool, rotate 90°, and repeat until the engine has gone a full cycle. Watching for oil to come out through the rocker arms.
Then I'm satisfied.

 

You can also just take the oil galley plug out on the driver's side lower front of block and fill it with oil put the plug back in and fire it up and you'll be good to go

 

I realize I should clarify and you are correct. My method is only if you have thick assembly lube on all critical components where an oil prime may wash off some of that. I also would not start without prelubing if I didn't have coated bearings.

 

Hey guys just a quick update used the mellings prime tool and started it up with a mechanical gauge and have 60lbs of oil pressure. It's being hauled off to my tuner for exhaust work and tuning next week! It sounds nice and choppy with with cam.

 

Congrats. The first startup is always the most nerve racking.