Well, I just picked up my "new" motor and trans for my camaro, i got a LT1 350 and a 700r4 transmission with the wiring harness and computer for $500. The motor oil has a milky appearance which may be from coolant. I have heard that lucas oil stabilizer can cause a milky appearance as well which the previous owner used. I will be pulling the heads and doing a mild rebuild, and if I dont see any problems with the head gasket or any other gaskets I may have the heads or block checked for cracks. I plan on using the car as a summer/spring/fall daily driver which will hopefully get better gas mileage than my truck. So, my old 350 will be for sale, along with my TH350 since I wont really be needing them anymore. If anyone is interested, let me know. I plan on cleaning up the chasis and firewall area while I have the car apart to make it more show worthy. So I will be taking pictures as my winter project moves along to show progress. Any tips or help would be greatly appreciated, as this is my first motor swap. I plan on making the swap look as if the car was built with this motor. I want a clean, "factory" looking appearance. I will be doing all this work in my girlfriend's uncle's garage, who is a pretty nice guy for letting me do all the work. He wants his son to see inside a motor like this so theyre kindof happy to have me there, which is nice. Its not like I'll be getting hounded to work on this project every waking second. Heres some pictures of everything.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/728372677_m.jpg
Car
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/m_43a9c214e23c8ae9f89f29718b5242b8.jpg
Soon to be removed
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010410.jpg
LT1 and 700r4
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010412.jpg
Closer look
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010411.jpg
Even closer look, thats the milky oil.

:bowtie:

So, I've gotten the motor torn down to just the block and crank. I've got a few problems. Cylinders number 6 and 8 have bad spots in the cylinders. Also, the crank has a scratch in it so I'm probably going to have it machined along with the cyliners honed if they are in spec. I'm not sure what the problem in the cylinder is from, so i'll probably put a pic of it up here to get some opinions. The bearings look not so good...they are pretty worn...look like theyve been run pretty hard. Not spun or anything, but they are scored.
I gotta do some more measuring to see if there is anything else wrong with the motor. Typical stuff for 130k plus hard miles i guess. I was thinking going with a long block...but its like 1600 for just a long block! For like 400 I can have it machined to be almost new

You could have gotten a 2001 5.3l for about hte same price. Probably would have had less miles and run better.

But it seems like your in for a lot of work either way...I cant wait to see progress pics!!!

I'm not sure if i could have gotten a 5.3 truck motor complete with wiring harness, ECM, and trans for $500. I'm not sure if its true with the 5.3s, but i know the 6.0s had that piston knock problem when cold. Either way, LS is still a superior motor, but LT1 isnt junk so thats why I went that route. I'll try to get a picture of that cylinder so everyone can see. It looks like the piston was loose and hurt the cylinder, but the piston looks fine.

Also, does anyone know of a reputable machine shop in the south jersey area? I'm not asking for free machine work, I just want somebody that can be trusted.

So after calling around to find out that machine work in south jersey is expensive, I settled on Raz Performance Machine on rt 40 in NJ. I didnt know anything about the business, I just wanted to get my motor cleaned up. Well, when I walk in, the place is riddled with high dollar aluminum heads, big block and small block v8s all over, expensive looking stuff. I talked to Ray there (the owner and machinist) and he's a pretty cool guy. Aparently he builds mostly drag and dirt track motors. He showed me all of his machines, and he had a 400 small block on the dyno. So he says "wanna see it run?" and I say hell yea. Pretty sweet 400, made peak 468 hp, all screaming through open headers, which was very loud

Before I went there, I was assuming it was just a guy working in a garage with a few machines and a dremel, but after seeing his flow bench and machines I was impressed. I know I wont get my motor back for a while, but I know that when it gets back together I wont be afraid to drive it a long distance.

I'm debating on getting my crank balanced. What does everyone think? Is it worth the $150?

Heres where I'm at so far, it seemed like everything was $150 each.
Deck the block-150
Cut the crank-125
Align hone mains-150
Bore and hone-150
Cam bearing replace-150
Clean and inspect-(I forget, probably 150)
Assemble the short block-250

Thats everything I can think of so far. I may have him do my heads, but i'm not sure. I'm supplying the cam, pistons, rings

:bowtie:

Raz is a good place you will be happy with there work. I know others have.

Just made my first big purchase for the '79. Looks like I'm gonna put way more into this motor/project than I had planned. I'm going aftermarket with the cam, so I'm going to need to buy the necessary components to make it last. Spent $700 today, know I'm going to be putting more into it. Bought forged pistons, rings, arp rod bolts, camshaft, and valve springs. The cam I got is fairly mild, but from what i've heard on ls1lt1.com its the best cam only camshaft. I got the Crane Cams 104227 camshaft, which should work with my setup. The pistons are Speed Pro forged pistons with valve reliefs, which should give me about stock compression ratio. I went forged in case I want to spray some day. Thinking I should go with hardened push rods and new rocker arms, what does everyone think?

over budget right ask me LOL.. Is this still gonna be a daily Driver

over budget right ask me LOL.. Is this still gonna be a daily Driver

Yea, hoping to use it during spring/summer/fall and use my pickup during the winter months. I was hoping to put highway gears in the car, maybe 2.73 since thats what the computer is calibrated for, or maybe the 3.42s that came with the car. I'm looking to get 25 mpg with the build and 300 hp or more, and am going to build the motor to go 100,000k miles so whatever i need to make it last i'm going to do.

I wouldnt say i'm over budget yet, i'm thinking a reasonable budget for the motor would be around 2k but I wont be hurt if i go over. I have some money saved up for the project. I dont want to spend money on stupid bs, just trying to keep costs to a minimum and get the job done right, which i think a lot of guys on here are trying to do. Hope i dont get too far into it though! This car does seem to have that snowball effect...

Yea, hoping to use it during spring/summer/fall and use my pickup during the winter months. I was hoping to put highway gears in the car, maybe 2.73 since thats what the computer is calibrated for, or maybe the 3.42s that came with the car. I'm looking to get 25 mpg with the build and 300 hp or more, and am going to build the motor to go 100,000k miles so whatever i need to make it last i'm going to do.

I wouldnt say i'm over budget yet, i'm thinking a reasonable budget for the motor would be around 2k but I wont be hurt if i go over. I have some money saved up for the project. I dont want to spend money on stupid bs, just trying to keep costs to a minimum and get the job done right, which i think a lot of guys on here are trying to do. Hope i dont get too far into it though! This car does seem to have that snowball effect...


I would keep the 3.42,s .When I had the 200-4r in mine.I checked it a couple of times and it was right at 19MPG.That was with 3.42,s and a carbed engine with about 300HP.

where in south jersey are you ?

where in south jersey are you ?

I'm at the edge of franklinville right next to vineland. I'm doing the work in Elmer though.

So I just picked up my motor today since he got it done. Overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It was $1100 for all the machine work, bearings, freeze plugs, timing set, and assembly. Also, I think I have my motor and trans sold. I'll be getting on it soon, i'm also working on finishing a basement plus school and work. Heres a picture of it.

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v361/17/28/507160376/n507160376_4515639_1960.jpg

UH OH

I had the car on the lift. While its on the ground, it looks pretty solid. As I put it up, I could see at the bottom of the RR quarter, there was bondo slathered at the edge. Hmm, I wonder whats underneath. I could also see a fair amount of rust at the bottom of the fenders, which I had never seen before. I only knew of two bubbles, now it looks like theres more. This is the second time I've had it on a lift.

Lesson learned: Put the car on a lift before buying it!! I've had the car 2 years and I didn't know it was there.

Heres the big Uh oh

I was checking out the rear frame, and that bend at the rear that gets rust, which I originally thought was solid, appears to have f'n BONDO slathered all over the bend. Now, why would somebody do that?

I think somebody used body filler on my frame to fill a large dent or rust. I'll be taking it down to bare metal to see whats up. Most likely I'll be developing my welding skills on this car too.

I'm going to take some pictures with my camera next time its up in the air, just so I can get more opinions. Heres a couple pictures of the teardown process. I have the motor just about ready to pull, I'm pulling the motor and trans out together so all I need to do is drain the trans, yank the driveshaft, unbolt the trans and motor mounts, and it should come out

Also, does anybody know if roller SBC rocker arms are interchangable with LT1 rocker arms? I read somewhere that they are, I'm thinking of using the set off this motor.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/teardown1.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/teardown2.jpg

If I'm not mistaken you are supposed to use self alighning rockers on the lt1 engines.

If I'm not mistaken you are supposed to use self alighning rockers on the lt1 engines.

I've decided just to buy new, I probably shouldnt go with used rocker arms that I dont know too much about.

Well, I took some pictures of the body rust, and the frame. I'd like some opinions. Some of the panels I can see bondo. I know that I need to fix the body, it's just not in the budget right now. I'm thinking I'll get a solid drive train in it, and fix that frame and get it on the road. The body looks like it may have quite a bit of bondo, but I'm not sure. Maybe I'll do the body next year.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro1.jpg
Bondo'd fender
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro11.jpg
Rust
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro12.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro13.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro14.jpg
Lots of rust
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro5.jpg
Crack
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro6.jpg
More Rust
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro8.jpg
Bondo
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro9.jpg
Bondo'd Frame
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro10.jpg
Bondo'd Frame Again

Got the motor out today, heres a couple pictures. This was the easy part. Theres a lot of grime and junk in there that needs to be cleaned out, and I'm planning on getting rid of the a/c box and cleaning up the wiring big time. After getting the motor out, the front now sits up like a 4x4 lol
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro15.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro16.jpg

So whats up with your frame? you should address it before you stick allot of power to the car

So whats up with you frame rotted? you should address it before you stick allot of power to the car

Yea, I should be checking that out soon. I just wanted to get the motor and trans out. I should have that fixed before I get the motor in there. I'll take pictures when I get it down to bare metal. Hopefully its not too bad. The rest of the frame/subframe looks decent though

So, I took a wire wheel to the bondo today. Needless to say, it wasn't good. There was anywhere from 1/2 inch to 1 inch of bondo stuffed in my drivers side rear frame. Inside there was some of that screen you use for a screen door. I cut through the bondo to see how thick it was, and chiseled away the rest of it. So, I'm looking for a rear frame rail. Anybody know where I can get one? Do they reproduce it, or do I have to get one from a parts car? Surprisingly, the other side looked great, and the rest of the frame does look pretty good. Is this a common spot to hold water?
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro17.jpg

I also got started on removing the A/C box since I had some time to kill. I'm planning on using it to get rid of the A/C. Anybody know much about this? I don't want to buy the premade piece because from what I remember it was pretty pricey.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro18.jpg

So, I took a wire wheel to the bondo today. Needless to say, it wasn't good. There was anywhere from 1/2 inch to 1 inch of bondo stuffed in my drivers side rear frame. Inside there was some of that screen you use for a screen door. I cut through the bondo to see how thick it was, and chiseled away the rest of it. So, I'm looking for a rear frame rail. Anybody know where I can get one? Do they reproduce it, or do I have to get one from a parts car? Surprisingly, the other side looked great, and the rest of the frame does look pretty good. Is this a common spot to hold water?
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro17.jpg

I also got started on removing the A/C box since I had some time to kill. I'm planning on using it to get rid of the A/C. Anybody know much about this? I don't want to buy the premade piece because from what I remember it was pretty pricey.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro18.jpg

holly swiss cheese. wow, good luck with the frame rail!

really dont understand the what is going on with the ac box that you are using to get rid of but want to use?

Lemme check....I THINK have a set of frame rails available still I think....They'd need to be 'seperated' from the stock body metal around them since they were cut out and whatnots.

Sorry to see all this BS you have....

I will say that the LT4 hot cam kit works pretty good on a 10:1 LT1 engine....my buddy had one done like that and it ran pretty good too. LOVELY exhaust note :D

Lemme check....I THINK have a set of frame rails available still I think....They'd need to be 'seperated' from the stock body metal around them since they were cut out and whatnots.

Sorry to see all this BS you have....

I will say that the LT4 hot cam kit works pretty good on a 10:1 LT1 engine....my buddy had one done like that and it ran pretty good too. LOVELY exhaust note :D

That would be awesome if youve got them. Let me know if you do. If you do could you take pictures?

It started out as a simple motor swap and now its getting out of hand lol, but I guess I should have known not to expect everything to be in good shape

really dont understand the what is going on with the ac box that you are using to get rid of but want to use?

I'm not going to be using air conditioning, and I would like to either modify the a/c box so that it doesnt stick out so far...basically get rid of the part for the evaporator but still have enough to be able to cover that hole in the firewall. Or maybe fabricate a whole new housing for the blower motor with some sheet metal. I just think an empty a/c box hanging out on the firewall looks half @ssed

Some one here cut down the protruding parts of the A/C box and made it look pretty good by creating a flat front.

(I think the two halves of the box were joined as one piece in the process of bonding a flat front panel on it.)

I have to admit..... I gasped when I saw the tinworm infestation in your frame. :eek:

Yes, this is a fairly common area to rot in these cars.

Check out the toeboard area on the passenger side too.
There was a spot near the exhaust "Y" pipe on my 78 which rotted out in only a couple of years. :mad:

Better check the whole floor while you're at it.

I don't see anything which can't be fixed with patch panels. (Except the frame.)
You're going to get plenty of welding experience with this project.
Good Luck!!! :D

Ouch.

At least you will learn a lot from this project!

Ouch.

At least you will learn a lot from this project!

I'm officially naming this project "Can of Worms" since any simple task snowballs into a borderline restoration lol. Work has slowed down for me so I will have some time to get this done. Also, the owner of the garage I'm working in just purchased a brand new 120 volt Miller MIG welder, so I'll get to put it through its paces lol.

One more question...Since I'm using a lift to do this, I have the lift arm near this rotted frame member holding on the drivers side subframe connector. What would be a safe spot to position the lift arm in order to work the frame? I was thinking maybe a wide piece of wood to spread the load out and use the nearby floor board to support, but I'm just wondering what would be the best. Or should I do it on my back and pick it up by the differential?

So I have my long block almost complete. Heres a picture of it in paint. I used Dupli-color engine enamel, its supposed to withstand 500 degrees. So The motor is almost complete, its basically down to cleaning the rest of my parts and putting it together. I still need to repair my frame, which is what I'll be doing after this motor is back together. I can't use the lift right now because theres something on it. But I should get working on it in the next week or so.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/lt1paint.jpg

I'm officially naming this project "Can of Worms" since any simple task snowballs into a borderline restoration lol. Hahahaha...my car is the same way! I started with a simple rear brake job and ended up with the car tore apart for 4 years...LOL

Well, I'm working on the frame for the next day or two. I'm doing more of a patch, then a cut and replace. The new piece going in should make that side stronger than it was when it came from the factory, since I'll have the other sheet metal back there. I will be overlapping about 4" onto the good sheet metal. I am choosing to do it this way because a true replacement would take a really long time, and I would have to get everything in allignment. I have a GM manual for the '79 body by fisher which gives all allignment specs for the frame. The frame is still pretty straight for what I could measure (tape measure) so I'm doing the frame patch. I basically just want it safe to drive. Heres some pictures of the progress so far.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/DSCF4518Resized.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/DSCF4520Resized.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/DSCF4522Resized.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/DSCF4523Resized.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/DSCF4524Resized.jpg

Also, my LT1 is pretty much done, just need to bolt up the accessories, get my PS lines made, and run my wiring to have it running. From the calculations I have done, it looks like I'll have 10.8:1 compresson.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/DSCF4525Resized.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/DSCF4526Resized.jpg

Here it is up on the lift
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/DSCF4528Resized.jpg

Wow that engine turned out to be a looker!! Lets see how it performs!!

Keep the good work up!

Frame work looks good so far and motor looks great :)

So, I've got the piece welded in pretty good. Looks like it'll be pretty solid. I drilled some holes around the area where spot welds used to be. I did 1/2 inch holes on the inside, since I wouldn't be able to run a bead on the edge of the rail, due to the things in the way. I drilled 1/4 inch holes on the other side, and ran a few beads down the side of the rail. Also, I drilled 3/8 inch holes in the side of the rail itself, to weld to the metal that is still existing. I had help massaging the metal with a torch and hammer so that everything was tight against the existing metal. I also ran a bead at the top of the rail where it met with the good metal. After that I ground everything even. All that is really left is to paint, seal, and maybe put some undercoating up there. Sorry for the crappy cell phone pictures, its all I had today. My camera is broke, I've been borrowing.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/frame.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/frame2.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/frame3.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/frame4.jpg

frame protected
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/framedone1.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/framedone2.jpg

Well, I've gotten more progress, getting ready to put in the motor and trans, and run the harness. Its getting close to D-Day. I dropped of my driveshaft to have it shortened, and I'm getting new u-joints also. Should have that back in the next couple days. I also cut off the front of the a/c box and smoothed it out using fiberglass, a piece of cardboard, and bondo to make it look smooth.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010019.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010020.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010021.jpg
o2 sensor bungs welded in
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010025.jpg
Headers painted with VHT header paint, hope it lasts a little while.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010024.jpg
Motor with accessory bracket, and fuel rail after putting in new injector o-rings

I'm hoping to start it this week...wish me luck

Good work so far.
Good luck getting her running.
Will we see(hear) a vid of her running??? lol

Good work so far.
Good luck getting her running.
Will we see(hear) a vid of her running??? lol

Definetly going to try. It'll be getting a new exhaust eventually, so I'll do like a before and after thing.

Definetly going to try. It'll be getting a new exhaust eventually, so I'll do like a before and after thing.
Thats a great idea :)

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010008.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010009.jpg

It was a bear by myself, but the motor and trans are in. Now I have a million things to hook up to make it all work. i also got my driveshaft back today, and I'll hopefully be getting close to running it tomorrow, and my goal is to have it running and moveable friday or saturday

Looks good sittin in there.

Good work! Looking forward to a video with soundtrack once you get it all bolted up and running.

Great story leading up to the restoration! A lot of work being put in, and it's turning out sweet. Good luck with it!

I have an update to add to my project, but I don't have any pictures. I ran my harness, and spliced in my new fuse box, and cleaned up everything. I also installed new gauges for my oil pressure and water temp, while cleaning up a lot of wiring that a previous owner did. Much of it was hanging low, and many of the splices were un-safe. So I fixed a lot of things, and did my best to make everything look clean. I added a check engine light, kill switch, and installed a switch which I can flick to allow me to read codes. Also, I added a relay to the electric fans so they will only turn on when the key is in the on position.

If anybody doing this swap with a stock harness would like help, I would be very willing to give more details on what I did to help out. I wish I had a better guide...as its not as easy as many think it is to use a stock harness. Given a chance to do it again, I would have gone aftermarket. I was lucky to have a '93 GM service manual with good wiring and connector diagrams which really helped me work my way through the harness. I will take some pictures of everything i added when I get a chance. I also picked up a switch from radio shack to allow my reverse lights to work, since they haven't worked since I have had the car, due to the aftermarket shifter.

Also, I came up with a grand total for everything so far, and also I've managed to sell a couple things, so I'll add up my total out-of-pocket so far so others may see what they are getting into if they do a swap.

So far between all my parts and services so far, I'm up to about $3600 spent. I have managed to sell $405 worth of stuff including my engine and transmission. I'll probably outline more details later so others can see how to spend if cost is more of a factor. I know given the chance to do it again, i would do a few things differently, and probably would have bought a lower mileage engine that didn't have problems, but its ok. I sort of did my project on a budget, although I think it could get done cheaper, I think my build is a solid one. After all, I am planning using it as a driver.

Well, I've got a few pictures of what I have done so far. I'm getting really close to having it running. I had to make a power steering line for my high side, since I was having trouble getting one made. I'm sure if I had searched more, I could have had it made, but I'm sure this will work just fine. All I really need to do is drop in the radiator, run the rest of the fuel lines, and hook up the radiator and coolant lines. It should be ready to run after that. After that it will be just fixing a couple things to get it to pass inspection, such as hooking up reverse lights, fixing e-brake cable, adding catylitic converters, and putting the console back in.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro.jpg
I mounted the PS reservoir on the drivers side, and ran new hoses for it, as opposed to how it was mounted in the '93
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro1-1.jpg
I mounted the ECM on the fender well for three reasons: The way the harness stretched, that was the only place to put it-The ECM was designed for all weather (its originally mounted underhood in the '93)-Its an easy access location for when I get a new PROM

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro3-1.jpg
New gauges and the red light is my check engine light. There was a hole there from where a choke cable used to be mounted, so I took advantage of that.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro4-1.jpg
My fuse box mounted up nice, it looks close, but when sitting I am nowhere close to kicking it. Also took advantage of a hole that was already there for the ash tray. It looks like a lot of wiring, but everything is tucked up nicely
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/camaro5-1.jpg
Can't see the new wiring. Exactly what I was looking for. The stuff in the center is for the electric fans and the head unit, and will be hidden by the center console.

My next update should include a video of it running...

nice build!

nice

which headers are those?

which headers are those?

To be honest with you, I have no idea. They came with my old 350, and I just cleaned them and painted them with VHT header coating

It Runs! I'll try to get a video tonight.

Well, here it is, the rings still need to seat better, but it's running pretty good right now. It is smoking in the engine compartment from the painted headers, and I'm assuming the smoke in the exhaust is from condensation and oil from the rings that still need to seat.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/th_S3010049.jpg (http://s293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/?action=view&current=S3010049.flv)

It took me A LOT to get past the damn VATS. My modules I ordered online didn't work, so after screwing around for 2 weeks I went to a junkyard and got a theft deterrent module from a '93 bonneville, and it works like a charm. Now all I really have to do is get my e brake cables in, which probably won't be easy since most of the e-brake system is gone.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010050.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010051.jpg

cleaned up a bit

looks good;) nice job on the frame:bowtie:

which harness did you use?

which harness did you use?


I used a harness from a '93 z28

You could have gotten a 2001 5.3l for about hte same price. Probably would have had less miles and run better.

But it seems like your in for a lot of work either way...I cant wait to see progress pics!!!

Where?!?

I used a harness from a '93 z28
what did you have to modify to make it fit, i have a 96 harness...

what did you have to modify to make it fit, i have a 96 harness...

I didn't really make any modifications, I just cleaned it up and fixed any crappy-looking wire loom. As you can see I mounted the ECM on the inner fender, that is because that is the only real place it could fit. If I were to mount it under the dash I would have had to extend the harness somewhere to reach all the sensors and injectors. It should be ok there since it is meant to be mounted under the hood.

I didn't really make any modifications, I just cleaned it up and fixed any crappy-looking wire loom. As you can see I mounted the ECM on the inner fender, that is because that is the only real place it could fit. If I were to mount it under the dash I would have had to extend the harness somewhere to reach all the sensors and injectors. It should be ok there since it is meant to be mounted under the hood.
what about the part of the harness that goes into the passenger comparmet, for fuel pump&others i think....

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010050.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010051.jpg

cleaned up a bit

Very Cool!!:bowtie:

RickSSR :cool:

I'm doing this swap myself currently. What did you do as far the passenger side motor mount? I took my motor bracket, flipped it upside down and moved it forward, ditching the rear A/C compressor bolt and the Air pump in the process. I cut the two "high" ears from the motor mount itself so I wouldn't have to notch the bracket it self and possibly lose integrity in it. I notched the crossmember for clearance and boxed it in. I'm very pleased with it, and there is no way I would spend the money ($300) on a different bracket when doing this was so easy. I like the low mount also because it keeps at least the A/C lines out of the way. How did you do your cruise control? Swap the steering column or splice into the harness?

I like looks killer
is the air filter is upside down?

I'm doing this swap myself currently. What did you do as far the passenger side motor mount? I took my motor bracket, flipped it upside down and moved it forward, ditching the rear A/C compressor bolt and the Air pump in the process. I cut the two "high" ears from the motor mount itself so I wouldn't have to notch the bracket it self and possibly lose integrity in it. I notched the crossmember for clearance and boxed it in. I'm very pleased with it, and there is no way I would spend the money ($300) on a different bracket when doing this was so easy. I like the low mount also because it keeps at least the A/C lines out of the way. How did you do your cruise control? Swap the steering column or splice into the harness?

I didn't change anything with the passenger side motor mount. I'm not running a/c so I just used an a/c delete pulley and everything fit fine. Also, the car didn't have cruise control so I didn't bother trying to add it. If I'm going to get cruise control it'll probably be some aftermarket unit.

I like looks killer
is the air filter is upside down?

Thanks, The K&N on the chrome part reads properly so I'm assuming it is mounted correctly

Well, I took the car down the road for its "maiden voyage" and it's running great!! All i really need now is to get the e-brake cables in and get it working so it can pass inspection. No more "QQ" tags for me, its a daily driver until fall!

Did you tap into all of your existing gauges and then add the additional gauges? Any issues getting them to be calibrated properly? Pull-up resistors or anything like that?

Great progress

Did you tap into all of your existing gauges and then add the additional gauges? Any issues getting them to be calibrated properly? Pull-up resistors or anything like that?

With the fuel and volts gauge work as they used to. I tapped into the tachometer signal from my LT1 harness. All I did was splice the signal wire into the stock '79 wire, and the tach appears to be accurate. With the temperature gauge, i have an aftermarket gauge, so the one in the cluster isn't hooked up. Also, I have an aftermarket oil pressure gauge. I had to use an aftermarket sender for the aftermarket gauges.

i'm currently doing a similar swap with a 1995 lt1-t56 to a 79 T/A. Right now i'm trying to use the new harness with the old harness. I am planning on using the 79's Harness to control the iInterior and exterior light and then just using the 95's harness for the engine controlls. How difficult was it to trim all the wires down the the needed wires and would you happen to have any pictures? Thanks in advance so far the wiring is the only thing holding me back from finishing this car.

i'm currently doing a similar swap with a 1995 lt1-t56 to a 79 T/A. Right now i'm trying to use the new harness with the old harness. I am planning on using the 79's Harness to control the iInterior and exterior light and then just using the 95's harness for the engine controlls. How difficult was it to trim all the wires down the the needed wires and would you happen to have any pictures? Thanks in advance so far the wiring is the only thing holding me back from finishing this car.

What I used was just the engine harness, so there wasn't much trimming to do. Whatever I didin't use I just taped up into the harness in case I want to use it at a later date. I did basically what you are describing...I used my LT1 harness just to control the engine, with its own fuse box, and I kept the old harness in the car to control lighting. I also ran a totally separate power wire directly from the battery, then split it and ran one half through a relay (to feed power with the key on) and the other half remained hot all the time. I did this in order to satisfy the needs of the ECM inputs and sensors, without putting an unnecesary load on any other circuits. The only part where my old harness interacts with my new harness is it powers a relay to allow key on power to my new fuse box, and I added resistors to the one alternator wire to switch on the alternator (480 ohms I believe...its in the GM wiring diagram)

As far as the swap, getting the wiring right is something that you should really take your time on and make sure its all right. If one thing gets messed up, it can hold you back for a long time. If you have any more questions let me know, i remember mostly how I did everything, and I have a GM factory manual to help look up wiring diagrams. It would probably be in your best interest to pick up a GM service manual for a 95 camaro, it will likely help out a great deal. I know it did with me. Chilton or Haynes won't help much.

91cehvy you would have to have a picture of the Relay and split etc.?

91cehvy you would have to have a picture of the Relay and split etc.?

I have it all hidden now,so I don't really have a picture. I taped the relay to the side of my fuse box so it looks neat, and mouned the fuse box under the dash. I basicallly just ran a 10 gauge wire directly from the battery to the interior, and split it using a large crimp terminal. From the terminal I ran two 12 gauge pieces of wire (parallel), one is interupted by that relay and the other comes straight out. Then I used that as my source for my "Hot at all times" and "Hot in Run, Start." Basically like wiring the computer in as an accessory. Hope that helps

i'm sure it will thanks for the information. Great job on the swap looks really really clean i hope mine comes out even half as clean as yours. I doubt it will its my first motor swap and first car build

I'd just like to give a little update on the car. I got it to pass NJ inspection, which is awesome. It passed emissions like a champ after replacing the knock sensor and getting a tune. I got a mail order tune from PCM for less for $175 and is MUCH better than the stock tune, and it runs great. I'm very happy with the car right now, it seems to be running awesome. I'll check my mpg soon and probably post it up. I'm hoping for 20 or so with the 4.10 gears and mixed driving, but we'll see.

Hi 91chevywt,

can I ask some question to you?
I'm doing the same too, and I've installed the engine and tranny in place, using 80 Camaro motor mounts.
but, to me, looks like the tail housing of the tranny is too much on the passenger side, I'm not really satisfied of what it looks.
were I'm wrong?
also, how did you set up the power steering lines and the PRNDL switch?

thanks a lot if you can reply.

bye!

I'd be glad to answer any questions, that is the whole point of this form lol.

As far as having the engine and trans in place, I encountered the same problem as you. The tail housing was too close to the passenger side. This actually caused my u-joint to hit the floor board. However, my transmission had an aftermarket polyurethane mount from the donor car, made by "energy suspension", which actually had 3 holes in the mount. I was able to use a prybar to pull the transmission over one hole (it was originally in the center) and this brought the tail of the trans to the center.

Heres a link, you can see a picture of it.
http://www.energysuspension.com/pages/transmt.html

For the power steering lines, it may be better to show you a picture of what I did. I actually used the donor's power steering line for the high pressure side, and made my own lines for the return lines.

As far as the PRNDL switch, do you mean the one that came from your donor car? or the indicator to show which gear you are in?

thanks!!!!

about the tranny support I'm using a Energy Suspension ones too, also because the crossmember I have has two holes too, if you look on the Summit web pages you can find a picture of it. p/n SUM-770318. I will drill a new hole in the cross member.

about the PS lines, I'd like to see some picture, I already surfed your posts but nothing found. I'm concerned only about the pressure side too, that is about 8" too short in my IMHO.

about the PRNDL switch I mean the one that came installed near the shifter in the donor car. many 4L60E has the PRNDL switch installed near the gear selector with the cable. Also I will install a B&M shifter.
I'm not concerned about the indicator that is part of the B&M shifter, I'm concerned only about the item needed by the PCM, and for safety function, you now!

thanks a lot!

you owe a beer, and you're not alone :)

bye

I'm thinking in this piece of beauty:

Inland Empire Driveline ALU-1350-4C - Inland Empire Driveline High-Strength Custom Order Driveshafts

from Summit ...

Hey i don't have a picture of the lines yet, but I just wanted to add that to make up the extra length for the stock line, I used steel tubing with a double flare on the end. I bent it with a brake tubing bender to make it look ok. I joined that steel line to the stock line with a compression fitting, which does not leak.

About the shift selector switch, I didn't have to worry about that because I used the 4L60, the non-electronic version. I'm not sure how you would go about it, but you may be able to take care of it through your tune. I used an aftermarket shifter also which is the best way to go for a swap like this, in my opinion.

Also that driveshaft looks like a nice piece, pretty pricey though! I had mine shortened at a driveline shop for about $65, but i'm not sure how easy it is for you to have something like that done in Italy, but good luck to you with your project.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010171.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm43/91chevywt/S3010172.jpg
You can see the compression fitting where it joins in with the f-body p/s line. I haven't had any leaks with this setup. I have been having slight problems with the reservoir. It isn't sealed 100% where the two pieces are joined. Hope this helps. There are other ways to set up the lines, I think the best is to have custom lines made, but that is $$$.

great, that's about the same solution I applied.
I bought some items in the States:
3/8 steel lines, fittings from Dorman and Eaton.
I already have in my shop (where I work) both the flaring tool and the tubing bender.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa63/Christian_GM/S6301484Medium.jpg

So I cut the OEM pressure tube and I added a custom fabricated steel hose in the middle.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa63/Christian_GM/S6301485Medium.jpg

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa63/Christian_GM/S6301487Medium.jpg

here you can see the hoses installed, painted and fixed with clamps:

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa63/Christian_GM/S6301488Medium.jpg

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa63/Christian_GM/S6301489Medium.jpg

and the engine bay looks like this by now:

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa63/Christian_GM/S6301490.jpg

I need some more weeks to have the engine started :)

bye!