Good morning.

These days many of us are upgrading our suspensions and brake systems to perform like a modern sports cars, with so many after market companies like DSE, Global West, Baer and Hotchkis (just to name a few) the possibilities are endless.

These upgrades are a small part of the overall pro touring theme that I really like. I decided to buy a crate LS2 from Gilbert Chevrolet (Salee) and turn my car into a modern classic with a pro touring theme.

Thanks to T.C for providing this forum. It provides the means for all of us to bug the hell out of you guys with ls experience.

Now on to the fun,

My engine arrived late last night and didn't allow me much time for anything but to snap a couple pictures.

http://www.eastbayerectors.com/sitebuilder/images/P1010561-600x450.jpg


http://www.eastbayerectors.com/sitebuilder/images/P1010567-600x450.jpg

I have a lot of aftermarket and gm parts to buy to get this bad boy in the car. The FI setup should be here within a few days.

Rich

I have a lot of aftermarket and gm parts to buy to get this bad boy in the car. The FI setup should be here within a few days.

Rich
Are you going with a factory GM system, or something else?
You could put just about anything on that bad boy!!

Hello,

I need a power steering pump and reservoir for the motor. I just talked to Jeff @ turn one steering Turn-One (http://www.turnone-steering.com/index.html), they provide most of the steering pumps and reservoirs for Nascar, so you know their stuff top notch, and Jeff is a great guy.
He recommended a pump for my application but said I would need to fabricate brackets for it to work with my motor. The pump needs to have a pulley. Turn one sold some billet pulleys but the were V notched and wont work for me. Can anyone tell me what system (power steering) the used and what serpentine system went with it.?

Any pictures of the application would be helpfull too.

Are you going with a factory GM system, or something else?
You could put just about anything on that bad boy!!

I plan to be frugal in some areas and spare no expense in a couple others.
I think the stock GM harness will be good enough for electronics. I found a tuner in Claremont CA (20 minutes from home) that another guy used to build his 68 and he will rework my harness for $300 and tune the car for another $350.00

My head started to spin after looking at everything It takes to make the motor spin.
As far as the FI system, I am going with a stock corvette intake with 90mm throttle body.


Rich

I'm using stock '99 Camaro brackets, accessories and belt, minus the AC compressor. When I get around to doing AC (probably Vintage Air GenIV), I'll probably have to make some brackets for the Sanden compressor. The stock AC compressor/bracket won't clear the subframe.

Here's a pic of the PS bracket. The bolts go thru the pump, under the pulley. It's not fun removing/installing it with the pully on, but it is possible.

http://www.blown.net/ls1swap/DSCF3945.jpg


Here's a view of the front of the engine with everything installed (before I removed the AC):

http://www.blown.net/ls1swap/camarols1.jpg

I've seen two different custom bracket/pulley setups for this swap. One is made by ATS (http://www.t56kit.com), the other by S&P (http://www.hotrodlane.cc). The ATS kit is a hi-perf setup and includes new accessories. The S&P kit is all about chrome and bling. Both are expensive.

is it just me or does it look like the ls2 is shown with a carberated intake?

Jon, thank you for the info :thumbsup:

is it just me or does it look like the ls2 is shown with a carberated intake?

It's just you. :p

It is shown with the carbureted intake. EFI is coming this week.

While looking for salvage yards in my area, I discovered a network of salvage yards across the country.

To find every auto salvage yard in your surrounding area, just copy the link below and replace 707 with your zip code and WAAALAHH!

So damn sweet, I found an ECM and complete wiring harness for my motor for $300.00 in less than 15 minutes! :hurray:


http://www.sbn.com/listings/707/list/024484_1.html

I'm tellin ya, I'ms a genius :D


Rich

Morning all, after 2 hours on the phone with salee Chevrolet, they had to admit they didn't know and they couldn't find anyone who knew what crank pulley came on my engine.

Without knowing which pulley it is they can't order brackets or parts for the belt system. Hopefully today I should have the information to continue.

I did get my hands on a replacement dash and gauges from Matts classic bowties. My old dash had cracks at the screws where someone tightened them down to tight.

http://www.eastbayerectors.com/sitebuilder/images/P1010576-600x450.jpg

I seen this photo on LS1tech,
LS Swap. :D



http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1709/swappics00215lc.jpg

LOL, nice picture!! :D

Ya mean you need more than just the engine? :D

I finally figured out my engine came with the corvette crank and pulley :hurray: .
No thanks to Salle/Gilbert Chevrolet who sold me the motor. Ten phone calls to a bunch of lazy ass h0les netted me nothing. It's clear, once you get your part the customer service comes to an end. You can bet your last dollar that if it was their car they would have found out the answers.


Anyway, now I can order parts for the motor.

Rich

Sometimes it stops even before you get the part! SixSpeedsInc forgot to include a pilot bushing for my T56, so I went up to Napa the next morning to get one. SixSpeedsInc had told me it was the same as a 69 Camaro with a smallblock and Muncie 4-speed. Napa didn't have any in stock, but they are next door to a Chevy dealership so I figured I'd try the dealer. I tell 'em I'm looking for a pilot bushing for a '69 Camaro 350/Muncie 4spd, and their response was "our computer doesn't go back that far and we don't have the old paper books any more. Can't help you, bye". So I go hit VatoZone, get the Motormite bushing, and go home and look up the part # on Dorman's website. You know what? EVERY RWD MANUAL TRANS GM CAR FROM 1949 TO PRESENT USES THE SAME BUSHING! Maybe my expectations are a little high, but that's the kind of "trivia" that I'd expect a GM parts guy to know.

Jon, it sounds like your almost done with your swap, that means you can appreciate the stage I'm at right now. It's the stage that takes countless hours of web searching, article reading and hundreds of phone calls just to get this stuff figured out.
For guys like Mark Stielow who make their living doing these swaps it's like second nature.
Too bad I can't afford Mark's handy work. :noway:

Yep, I remember MANY nights of stay up until 3am searching the web for info and ordering parts. I've put a couple hundred miles on mine so far, just trips to the office and the grocery store. I still need to redo the exhaust (leaking badly and hanging a little too low for the x-brace), reinstall the x-brace, install the subframe connectors, fix the sway bar mount that ripped out of the subframe last week, put the new carpet it, figure out something for sholder belts or harnesses, chase down a couple of mystery leaks, replace the front springs to fix the ride height, ... then need to get it on a dyno and do some tuning.

And someday I need to yank all this stuff out, gut the car, strip it to bare metal, and fix the 100lbs of Bondo that the previous owner used on it. The Bondo's been there about 15 years and most of it hasn't pulled loose--it can stay there for a couple of more years.

Also more immediately need to figure out what I'm going to do about the windshield. The top and left molding are off right now, and most of the clips are broken, and half the clip studs are rusted/broken. Don't way the windshield popping out on the highway, but also hate the idea of pulling it now, fixing the studs/clips, then having to do it all again when I finally get around to restoring the body.

But anyway yeah I remember being where you are now. My big headaches back then were figuring out which parts I was going to use for mount plates, oil pan, fuel tank, fuel pump, fuel system plumbing, clutch, steering system (box or rack), fan wiring, tuning software... it never seems to stop, tho :) Even after it was running, I spent a bunch of late nights researching mufflers on here and other forums. And seats. And other stuff I'm not remembering right now. And I haven't seriously started researching spindles, A-arms, or front brakes yet.

The two biggest headaches in my whole swap so far were:
1) Getting the engine mounts to drop down on the stands (went through this twice, once with Hooker mount plates, then again with Autokraft (ATS clone) mount plates. The Hookers put the engine so far back that I had all kinds of clearance problems getting the engine far enough back to drop down. The Autokraft plates got hung up on a lip on the steel frame of the upside-down poly mounts, which needed to be ground off for use with my frame stands. Tyler from ATS helped me out with this one even though I was using knock-offs of his part :) (I was at least using his crossmember though--next time I'll buy his mounts too!)

2) Removing the leaf springs. All the j-clips were rusted out except one, and I ended up drilling the floor with a hole saw and putting a socket on them. And once I finally got them out of the car, the front bolts were completely seized in the bushings and I had to cut and drill them to get spring brackets off them.

Removing and reinstalling the 135lbs trans by myself with a floorjack with the car on jackstands was a distant third. (Note: if you buy a used T56 without an opportunity to test drive it, go ahead and rebuild it before you ever install it)

Sweet engine, looks really nice.
Looks like a carb'd intake to me too. Those are good for the MSD-LS ignition box and a Holley 850. There's differences in reluctor rings between different years/types of LSs. So make sure that you know what you have to get the appropriate PCM.
GM has a line of engines called Ramjets. Complete engines w/supporting electronics. All they need is battery voltage and a fuel supply. Making it easier than adapting donor electronics/pcm + modifications and reprogramming.

I can't agree w/you more, Rodder.
I miss the days when you could tell the dude at the counter what you needed and he knew exactly what it was. Even if it was to make some car tranny work with a boat engine that uses a flywheel from a truck.

Parts guys don't make for good gear heads. The geeks at the terminals only go by what the "computer" tells them. I've lost count of how many times I've checked on a part and had to give a completely different application to get what I needed.
It's a different generation, indeed.

OK, I ordered up a complete serpentine from my local Chevy dealer for $721.00 !
It includes AC Compressor, Pulley and bracket, Alt, PS pump, reservoir, bracket, both belts, pulleys, tension Assy and PS brace.
If I ordered all those parts separate it would have been $1,300.

The EFI setup came in today, I couldn't help but bolt it on :D.
I will snap a couple pics in the morning.


Rich

Most parts guys now days only know what the computer tells them. I have found that unless I research, part numbers applications and years most likely I wont get what I need.

Got a phone call from the dealership last night and apparently the front serpentine kit I ordered from GMPP is not available yet.
The dealer was shocked that GMPP would put parts in the 2007 catalog that aren't even available.

Now I'm exactly where I was a week ago. I can either spring for a billet serpentine kit from S&P $1700, Billet Specialties $2400, or buy all the OEM parts separate from the dealer for $1300.
It pisses me off that GM sells crate motors and doesn't have the drive system to back it up 6 months in to the year.
:mad:

Rich

Or hit a junkyard, ebay, ls1tech.com classifieds, etc for used stuff.

Rich, I'll be following your thread frequently! I wish you good luck!

I am also in the learning stage for brackets, pans, wiring harnesses, etc. Been doing that for a few weeks now, off and on.

I thought I had read, and have email from the guy that owns the 'Fuel' Camaro, that what you want is basically the standard "F-body" brackets.
The only real question after that is how you choose to mount your A/C compressor.....assuming you'll be doing that.

To cut to the quick,.....S&P has a bracket that will mount one high on the passenger side for you. All other F-body brackets should work I believe.

I can't help but wonder if the GM guys you are working with are *really* referencing the brackets that GM ended up creating to put the LSX iron block into the Camaro they helped build for Reggie Jackson. I DO think those are NOT available to the public yet.
My gut tells me your counter guys aren't looking up the right stuff, but I could also be a blathering idiot on a keyboard at 2:30am.

Hey Alan, Yes the brackets listed in GMPP catalog are for the LS2. It's basically a complete set of stock accessory drive parts to the front of your LS based crate engine. They offer two different setups, one for the LS2 and one for the LS1. An LSx setup will depend on a couple different factors, one being the heads you buy and the car it's going into.


As for my car, I decided not to wait for the GM stuff and bought a complete setup from Synister,

http://www.synisterproducts.com/LS1/images/image2.jpg



If you plan to run AC like me, the GM compressor will not work with any of the aftermarket or stock AC units. If you decide to buy the S&P bracket you need to buy their compressor which is a basic Sanden #502. The Sanden is what all the hot rodders and 1st gen owners run.

If you have a crate motor and decide to run the Fbody brackets you need to change the dampener and water pump to an Fbody style. It all was so confusing, I decided pay more and buy an aftermarket system like Synister products. These picture doesn't do this setup justice. This stuff is off The Hook!
$2500 Complete

Rich

that's what I'm running. Here it is with a silver anodizing instead of polished. Also comes in black.

http://www.camcojb.com/malitude%20093.jpg

http://www.camcojb.com/malitude%20082.jpg

Jody

It just became apparent to me that it's Jody's fault for making me spend my kids inheritance.
It's pictures like those that make you say; "Gotta have it" :beers:

Update: here are some pics of the intake and throttle body I bought off ebay for my build.

link (http://eastbayerectors.com/P5190675.JPG)



link (http://eastbayerectors.com/P5190676.JPG)


I bought it before I decide to buy the Heads, Cam and roller rockers. So this intake wont supply enough air to feed my motor.
Hey Jody, do you think I should keep the TB and just sell the intake or replace everything?

Update: here are some pics of the intake and throttle body I bought off ebay for my build.




I bought it before I decide to buy the Heads, Cam and roller rockers. So this intake wont supply enough air to feed my motor.
Hey Jody, do you think I should keep the TB and just sell the intake or replace everything?


what size throttle body is that? What HP are you planning on making? I've seen big numbers with the stock intakes, although the FAST is a nice (and pricy) unit.

Jody

I should be right around 600 hp at the crank.
I was curious on your input because the guy who I planned on using to put this motor together said the stock intake wouldn't work.

You have done enough of these to know.
The TB is 90mm

I should be right around 600 hp at the crank.
I was curious on your input because the guy who I planned on using to put this motor together said the stock intake wouldn't work.

You have done enough of these to know.
The TB is 90mm

the pics are huge, so which intake is that, LS1, LS2, ?

Damn your right! the intake is LS2 off an 2006 GTO

Ok try this: Link (http://eastbayerectors.com/resizemanifold2.jpg)
Link (http://eastbayerectors.com/resizemanifold1.jpg)

Damn your right! the intake is LS2 off an 2006 GTO

Ok try this: Link (http://eastbayerectors.com/resizemanifold2.jpg)
Link (http://eastbayerectors.com/resizemanifold1.jpg)

the LS2 guys were either swapping to LS1 intakes or better yet having theirs ported by Jeremy Formato

http://www.fasterproms.com/

His website is under construction but there a phone number contact on the link. I think he gets less than $100 for a full port, and guys were picking up very well. Closest you'll get to the FAST setup, which is even better, but a lot more money.

Jody

I know a lot of guys use him for porting the stock intakes. I will give him a call today.
Thanks for the link.

Rich

Morning all,


I pulled the car out of 5the garage yesterday for the first time in 3 months. As you can see the front suspension needs a few turns of the spanner wrench. The rear still needs the Hotchkis leafs and sway bar installed which is a project after the holiday weekend.

A few parts for the crate motor came in yesterday as well.


http://eastbayerectors.com/side1.jpg


http://eastbayerectors.com/side2.jpg


http://eastbayerectors.com/side3.jpg

http://eastbayerectors.com/synister2.jpg

The synister stuff included, Alt, WP, ATI Dampner and AC. This stuff is just awsome. No picture could ever do it justice.

Rich

car's looking good there Rich!

What's wrong with the front? You think it's too low (?), or to high???

I think the front looks bitchin if your roads can handle it! :)

My QA1 shocks are set all the way down. Still need to be adjusted.
I could never make it up my driveway like that.

Picture of the front sitting low.

http://eastbayerectors.com/front3

Couple more parts to add to the list.

http://eastbayerectors.com/heads1.jpg


http://eastbayerectors.com/heads2.jpg

http://eastbayerectors.com/heads3.jpg

LOOKS GREAT, what size wheels and tires are those,also what offset?

I dig the autometer gauges in the stock housing. How are they secured in the housing and would you happen to have photos of the backside.

Just a general FYI I am in the process of tearing down a 67 to restore with all the modern amminitys. I would like to install an LSx in it at some time maybe phase two of the build.

The gauges fit great in the stock housing but I haven't secured them from the back side yet.
I bent a piece of aluminum and drilled holes for the bolts. I plan on installing the dash when I do my ignition system.

Rich

LOOKS GREAT, what size wheels and tires are those,also what offset?

The wheels (Intro) are 17" x 7" front and 17" x 8.5 rear. Back spacing is 4.25. I'm not exactly sure on the tires.

Greetings all,

My engine builder recommended I ditch the stock LS2 intake and TB, so i put the stock unit back on ebay and bought a FAST intake with Nickey Williams TB.
I found a good deal on a set of billet fuel rails and injectors for the fast unit and picked those up yesterday.

Everything should start arriving next week. I'll post up some pictures then.

Rich

http://eastbayerectors.com/P6040770.JPG

Fast intake :thumbsup:

Sweet. If you want that fast setup to make 20 more hp, send it out to Tony Mamo of AFR and have it ported. You can contact Tony via pm through ls1tech.com. The guy is a genious and is very friendly. I asked him some questions about my 406 and he replied back the same day. Check out www.ls1tech.com for their ls1 engine conversion section and the internal engine section. You can learn a ton of stuff by just browsing the forums.

Hi Andy,

Tony designed my cam shaft for me and my engine builder knows him from years back.
My intake was port matched with my AFR heads.

I should have my engine back from the builder before the end of the month.

Rich

It's been a while since I posted because the car keeps leading me down different paths.

I bought a new 12 bolt Moser with trutrac and 33 spline axles. I also bought a Chris Alston canted 4 link to eliminate the leafs.

When I dropped my stock rear I found that the axle tube slammed the frame so hard it deformed it. I cut out both sections of bad frame and welded in new 10ga plate.

I should complete the mock up by this weekend.

Bad Frame section;

http://eastbayerectors.com/P7010789.JPG

G-BAR BRACKET

http://eastbayerectors.com/P7010783.JPG

http://eastbayerectors.com/P7010784.JPG

Love seeing the new parts Rich. I'll have to share some myself.

So what do you figure happened with the axle tube and frame rails? Has your car been part of some kind of Dukes of Hazzard driving? :)

EXCELLENT parts choices by the way. Top notch through-out!

Thanks for the comments Allan.

The chassis works canted 4 link is a sweet piece. finished my mock up this week which means the rear end can go to powder coater!
Next comes the under carriage. :(


Rich

Few pics of the motor.

http://www.eastbayerectors.com/images/P7170793.JPG

http://www.eastbayerectors.com/images/P7170808.JPG
http://www.eastbayerectors.com/images/P7170801.JPG

Very SWEET! Has she been on the dyno yet?

Hi Steve, no dyno yet but I used the specs from an article in PHR for the cam shaft, bought the same heads and intake. That build made 591hp.
Mine is slightly different because we ported the intake, welded up a portion of the combustion chamber then put the heads on a cnc and did some flow work.

Out of the box, the AFR heads flowed 301 CFM @ .600, after they were worked; 347 CFM @ .600 :D

With the addition of Jesel rockers, head work and ATS road race headers, I think 630 hp is a reasonable guess.


Rich

I also have a 100 shot of NOS from Nitrous express.

I'm starting to get pumped!

I can't wait to see it when it's running again. What's your time frame?

I can't wait to see it when it's running again. What's your time frame?

The following items still need to be checked off my list;
Pull original motor
Mock up LS and trans.
DSE firewall plate
Autowire electrical
Paint car
Install new radiator
paint engine bay
paint under carraige,
relocate battery to trunk
Install new fuel tank
Run fuel lines
Install ecm and harness

I'm sure i forgot a few things but with work being so busy I figure January.

This is my itemized list of parts I bought for the car so far.
Click (http://eastbayerectors.com/ls2buildsheet.doc)

Rich

WOW. I wish I had your budget.

This is my first build and I went about it the wrong way.
I could have saved 20k by buying a shell instead of the expensive POS I got.

Live and learn.

Paint on the rear end.

http://www.eastbayerectors.com/P7200812.JPG

http://www.eastbayerectors.com/P7200810.JPG

http://www.eastbayerectors.com/P7200820.JPG

Looks sweet Rich!

Looks great Rich.

Only managed to get a few things accomplished this weekend.

Trial fit of the ATS headers, assembly of the serpentine belt system.

http://eastbayerectors.com/P7220834.JPG

http://eastbayerectors.com/P7220823.JPG

I have such low light in the back of my garage. My camera takes crappy pics.

It's been almost a year since I last logged in to camaros.net or lateral g, life always throws you unexpected turns and puts a damper on rolling projects.

I bought a new house in Nov. last year, moving my car and all the new parts I've accumulated was a PITA, I boxed everything up the best I could but even the best laid plans sometimes have problems.

Business has been great even with the economic turn down, in fact, I don't know how I'm going to find the time to complete my car.
I'm considering turning the project over to someone and letting them finish the car.

I will keep you guys posted on my decision, either way, It's sh*t or get off the pot.

Rich

welcome back................ :)

Jody

welcome back Rich. I was wondering what happened.

Thanks guys :beers:,

I decided to let Rodger at Ironworks custom speed finish my project. Rodgers shop does some great work and his prices are very reasonable.

Rodger is coming to pick up the car after the Pleasanton auto show.

It kills me to give my car to someone else but I really want my car finished.

I will keep you guys informed.

Rich

Rich Sweet looking engine going in a nice car . This should be an awesome ride when its done.
Wayne

Thanks guys :beers:,

I decided to let Rodger at Ironworks custom speed finish my project. Rodgers shop does some great work and his prices are very reasonable.

Rodger is coming to pick up the car after the Pleasanton auto show.

It kills me to give my car to someone else but I really want my car finished.

I will keep you guys informed.

Rich

you'd be hard-pressed to find a more talented shop to finish your car. Some day I need to give them a visit just to see their work.

Jody

Thanks Jody,

I've talked to Rodger on the phone a lot in the past couple weeks and he's helped calm my nerves.
I will be heading up to his shop for a visit after they have the car for a couple weeks.

There's so many talented builders on Lat-g, Rodger is close enough that I can drive and hang out for a few hours and drive back all in the same day.


Rich

I'ts about time I blew the dust off this thread and posted some pitures of the build.

Some recent additions are:

F1 Procharger with Cog Belt
Roll Bar
Exhaust (modified floor to raise the exhaust off the ground)
Sucked the bumpers into the body
New wheels (HRE 893R) 18x10 rear with 335's and 18x8-1/2 with 275 up front
ATS Coil overs to accept Chassis works Varishocks up front
Tubs
Willwood 6 piston all around
Hydro boost
Modified the cowl. (extending the cowl through the window to give a cockpit feel. a cluster of gauges will be placed inside the cowl)

Pics:


http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/bodymods-7.jpg




http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/bodymods-1.jpg


http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/bodymods-2.jpg


http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/bodymods-4.jpg





http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/bodymods-5.jpg



http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/intercooler-2.jpg







http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/f1-3.jpg



http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/cowl3.jpg


http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/cowl5.jpg

http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/cowl8.jpg

A couple more:

http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/f1-1.jpg

http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/exhaustfit-1.jpg


http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/rb-1.jpg

http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/rb-4.jpg


http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/11.jpg


http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/14.jpg

http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/rim1.jpg


http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/rim3.jpg



http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/tir4.jpg

http://eastbayerectors.com/camaro/cowl1.jpg

Very nice Rich!:thumbsup:

Thanks Doug!

Killer build Rich....that motor is gonna be an animal.

Thanks Ron,

I sure hope the motor lives up to my expectations. It was 600 HP before the blower setup so we will see.

I'm thinking between 900-1000 with the new crower lower end.


We need to have a weekend place for us N. Calif. guys to meet and have coffee. Would be cool to see all the local pro-touring and muscle cars in a group.


Rich

Wow looks awesome Rich. Keep the pictures comming.
Wayne

that cowl is amazing.

Thanks Ron,

I sure hope the motor lives up to my expectations. It was 600 HP before the blower setup so we will see.

I'm thinking between 900-1000 with the new crower lower end.


We need to have a weekend place for us N. Calif. guys to meet and have coffee. Would be cool to see all the local pro-touring and muscle cars in a group.


Rich


I agree...that would be cool. But man.....mine is nothing compared to your car. But....I still love it! Let plan it when everyone gets there cars up and going this spring.

Rich,

I loved your car before. Favorite color, LS2, favorite year,....how could it get any better? Then this......your my hero man!

Dee

wow!:thumbsup: