E-rod installed & Passed
 

Its alive....Just did a 30 mile break in.Still need to see a ref, so far from out of the woods.Could go either way from here.Never made a thread, figured there was too many already.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...4dfb631ab9.jpg
Vitals look good.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...6cb0a99a7c.jpg
One last look.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...b8fb3ba543.jpg

Re: E-rod installed
 

looks clean man .... i love those gauges are they speed hut ?

Re: E-rod installed
 

Yep, speedhut they are.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Looks great! I'm planning on doing the same swap in my car. Nice to see someone else with the LS3 erod kit. How does it drive?

Re: E-rod installed
 

Very strong, but smooth at the same time.Night & day difference from old motor, to say the least.Very pleased with it.The big hurdle is the secondary cat fitment, especially the passenger side.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Thats great. Better fuel economy too i'm sure.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Yes, that too.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Where did you get your air intake setup? Or did you make it?

Re: E-rod installed
 

Made it, along with the "cai" piece.

Not with an E-Rod.

I know they're pricey, but they are probably the best solution for an emissions-legal LS swap in California.

Re: E-rod installed
 

I agree. This e-rod kit is the route I'm going to go in. I live in California and I can tell you first hand that the smog is a pain in the ***!

The LS3 is a great engine and should make a thirdgen fly.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Probably, just figured, you've seen one LS conversion, you seen them all.

Yeah, but even with carb approval theres no guarantee itll pass.Thats California for you!

Re: E-rod installed
 

What trans are you running with the LS3? Did you have make a custom mount for the transmission cross member?

Re: E-rod installed
 

4L65E.No custom mount, but the Hawks piece did need some tweaking the holes to mount properly.

Re: E-rod installed
 

If you can afford a genuine ERod kit, then you can afford a better car to put it in. Faking an ERod is a great idea, and at least $2K cheaper just for starting with a salvage-yard 5.3, which you can rear-turbo and still be a grand cheaper than a real ERod, with even more power and even more MPG.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Nice gauge setup.

Is that the stock bezel? How did you mount them?

Re: E-rod installed
 

OK,:huh:

Thanks.I made the bezel, gauges are mounted on a plexiglass template, on the stock cluster.

Do you mean the sniffer test?

As I understood it, the referee will check that the kit was installed per the instructions, applies a new bar code for future emissions use, then you go to the smog station for the test. Is that the case?

I picked up a '96 Vette last year thinking I'd do an E-Rod swap, then learned the car has to be '95-earlier to meet the exemption. Oh, well, guess the LT1 will have to be upgraded...

Re: E-rod installed
 

That doesn't exactly work.

If you swap a salvage-yard 5.3, you have to have all of the emissions equipment the 5.3 had. Can get sticky with the referee. The EVAP system is about enough by itself to make this extremely difficult. Truck exhaust manifolds don't fit without modification (referees don't like to see things that are modified). You're at the mercy of the referee about what's good enough.

With the E-Rod, it's all laid out for both you and the referee. If it's in the kit and on the car, no argument.

Re: E-rod installed
 

I mean the state referee inspection.They have their own set of guide lines, that can contradict what GM specifies in the installation manual.Mostly with the fuel tank & exhaust.My concern is the exh.GM manual says I can use any factory based LS exh manifolds.CARB thinks otherwise.We'll see.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Thats a question I had as well. If your allowed to swap exhaust manifolds I wonder if you could use stock LS7 manifolds.

Re: E-rod installed
 

According to the GM/Erod installation manual, yes.According to CARB, no.

http://arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermkt/de...o/D-126-30.pdf

First page, end of 4th paragraph. The CARB EO requires use of the exhaust manifolds in the kit. Following paragraph states any replacements have to be approved by CARB. So, you'd need an EO on the exhaust manifolds for the E-Rod engine.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Ive read that, specifically it says "modified or add on" which exh manifolds are not an add on, nor modified.Of course the final call is to the discretion of the ref.

As far as I know EO certification is for aftermarket, not OE parts.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Well, there's always the "smog test day" system and the "other 729 days" system approach... :nod:

Re: E-rod installed
 

If you're going with an EROD kit you don't visit a referee, you just go have a regular smog with the CARB OE.

If you visit a referee you're changing effectively what your car will smog as to whats installed and must adhere to much tighter restrictions including the mood and leniency of the referee.

Take this with a grain of salt as my swap is still in progress and i might just honestly move out of california to save on headaches.

Re: E-rod installed
 

That's what I thought too. If you install the e-rod kit the C.A.R.B. order would mean that you wouldn't have to go to a referee.

Re: E-rod installed
 

No 5.3/iron 6.0 will ever be a legal swap in california. Truck engines cannot be put in cars legally

Re: E-rod installed
 

I swear someone here did it... Blue camaro I think, black dude. Im going to search.

Re: E-rod installed
 

You know what, I think it was a aluminum 6.0....

Re: E-rod installed
 

Ah I remember now.. It was a LQ9. Weather it was AL or not im still searching.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Did you use one of the connect and cruise 4l65e transmissions from GM? Do they set that trans up to do a full throttle 3-4 upshift or do you have to program the trans controller to do that?

Re: E-rod installed
 

https://www.chevrolet.com/content/da...nd-17tooth.pdf
Which Erod install manual are you reading?

OE LS7 manifolds (for example,) are not certified for anything except a C6 or C7 chassis behind an LS7. Even then, if 2006 LS7 manifolds were a one-year part, they're not certified for a 2008 LS7 C7.

In the case of using OEM manifolds with a certified combination, that would be a CARB referee station approved circumstance. You could have everything perfectly matching a 2006 LS2 Corvette, and 2006 LS7 manifolds would need referee station approval. Usually in the case of exhaust changes, reasonable consideration is usually given due to fitment issues.

An EO cert. is a little different, but they are still a certification of a product on a particular group of parts. In other words, you probably will never find a header that's actually certified for any 4.8 through 7.0 from any year. But, if a part has an EO, it's probably going to be given a lot more accomodation by a referee on a unique (read: non-matching the EO cert.) LS swap than a non-EO part.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Correct, they are not a certified swap.

However, they have been given referee approval in the past, in CA.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Yes, The TCU has (A/B) calibration.Outside of that, you can access the TCU via a usb port to change shift points & other parameters.I haven't done any of that.Just played around with street/A & perf/B features.Which is just a ground wire you disable.

The one that came with the e-rod.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Pic of what is actually said?

Re: E-rod installed
 

No pic, its basically the same as above.Most e-rod manuals are the same with 1-2 paragraphs added/omitted.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Thanks. I had understood your post to indicate GM was advising any OEM exh. manifolds were approved for the Erod.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Ill put it this way, when I see "LS style manifold" i think OE, NOT aftermarket.If you drive to the ref with any aftermarket manifold (or header), none of which have an EO for the e-rod) it is an automatic fail.Your chances are better with an OE manifold.

Only one header (patriot) is EO cert for the e-rod specifically, but it doesn't fit the 3rd gens either.Since its configured like the manifolds that come with the e-rod.

So, interpret the literature as best you can, since the OEs are somewhat vague about clarifying this sh!t.

Re: E-rod installed
 

So which manifolds did you end up using and how much trouble was it to get them passed?

Re: E-rod installed
 

I'm using 4th gen manifolds, but I haven't been to the ref yet.Gotta do a 500 mile break in, then a "(CASE) learn" procedure at the dealer, then a "prep drive procedure".After that, off to the ref station.

Re: E-rod installed
 

How is the shift quality with that trans? Is it still stock soft or did GM give it firmer shifts?

Re: E-rod installed
 

Such a clean setup. Looks great

Jay

Re: E-rod installed
 

Thanks Jay.

It shifts pretty firm, you can just feel it when it does.I haven't messed with the shift points or anything else.

Re: E-rod installed
 

That's great! Lol as you can tell I'm looking hard in to installing this kit. Your car looks great and as others have mentioned it's a very clean install. Looks like the factory installed it. If only thirdgens came with 400hp+ stock lol.

Re: E-rod installed
 

You'll like it, worth the money.Only drawback is the exhaust/ref!

Re: E-rod installed
 

What did you have to do for evap and running the wiring for the ses light?

Re: E-rod installed
 

The kit comes w/ a charcoal can, identical to 4th gen f-bodies.There is only a purge solenoid to control vacuum, that's it, pretty old school.I mounted mine under the air filter.

E-rod harness has a redundant MIL wire, which allows you to run a interior MIL.Mine is in the OE location.There is also a MIL in the fusebox.

Re: E-rod installed
 

Have you had the chance to take the car to a smog place for certification?

Re: E-rod installed
 

Not yet.