V8 Conversion

[martsink]

Starter Motor:

I picked up an $50 starter from a local scrap yard which came off a 2005 Silverado. The Kennedy Engineering adapter plate was designed around LS1 starter, so I had to make some modifications. The moulding in the dome is a little bigger I guess... I spent a good hour filing away, but eventually I got it to fit. The reason I got a truck starter over LS1 is because it's cheaper and I heard LS1 starters tend to crack.

Oil:

I didn't want to start the engine without priming it, so I purchased a drill pump at Princess Auto for $15. One end of the hose clamps onto the filter threads on the oil pan and the other into a jug of oil. This pump has no problems reaching 45 PSI. I stuck a gauge on my remote mount oil pressure switch hose (I will eventually post part numbers and pics for this part).

As for the tranny, I called Porsche about gear oil, which they quoted me at $55 a liter!!! I ended up purchasing some Swepco 201 which is manufactured locally, but surprisingly difficult to find.

Engine Cover:

The engine cover still fits, but it had to be cut a bit to make room for the throttlebody.

Rennline Floor Boards:

Rennline hooked me up with a wicked deal on their racing floor boards. I really didn't want to put carpet back in this car, so these things are great.

Corbeau Seats:

I also gotta thank Corbeau for hooking me up with a deal on these FX1 Pro seats and rails. My friend started working on the brackets the other day while I was making brake lines.

Cracked Rear Subframe:

I noticed a crack on the rear subframe side section where it mounts to the body. It seems like it was put together with a bent stud by the previous owner that caused it to crack. While taking it off, one of the lower control arm bolts got stuck inside the bushing and pretty much pulled it apart. This was a huge pain in the ass, but at least I got a sweet deal from Woody for the replacement.

Brakes:

Pretty much all the brakes lines are gone on this car. I tried making some hard lines out of the copper-nickel stuff, but had a hard time getting them to flare properly. I ended up buying some poly vinyl fluoride coated metal lines from NAPA. This stuff is great, they flare perfectly and are easy to bend. I would also recommend Lisle tube pliers if you plan on doing any kind of brake line work.

[Bayley]

I used the starter that came on my L33 (2006 Silverado) as well. I had to grind a significant portion of the dome off, but it eventually fit.

I've had incredibly poor results with every single aftermarket starter I've ever used in terms of casting quality of the housings. It's difficult to find a more sturdy starter than a good 'ol GM truck starter. Also, I would have scrapped the starter anyway if if didn't fit, so it's a win-win all around.

As for the timing cover bolts, I replaced all the original hex head bolts with countersunk allen head bolts. I opened up each hold on timing cover with a beveled drill bit and the new bolts sit almost flush with the surface of the timing cover.

I love the progress updates from you and J. I went a different route with the motor mounts and fabricated my own design and omitted the longitudinal pieces that connect the front later bar to the middle lateral bar. My mounts land squarely on the front cross bar.

I was also able to reuse the stock transmission mounts. I made spacers out of the original trans brackets that offset the Renegade bracket to the OEM mount. Everything seems to mount up.

(cell phone pic, it's the best I got. Sorry)

(full size)

I'm currently stuck in wiring hell at the moment. I'm trying to keep the electronic throttle body / drive by wire form the original truck motor. It's been... challenging. There is little to no documentation online on what is compatible with what, and I was never given the original throttle controller when I bought the engine. I'm on my THIRD throttle body controller and I STILL can't get the goddamn module to talk to the ECU. It powers up for ~5 seconds, doesn't see any UART comm from the ECU and then eventually shuts off. Frustrating.

At this point, I'm probably going to drop the engine and restart a new harness for everything from scratch. Any resources you may have for harness info is appreciated.

-A

[martsink]

Originally Posted by Bayley

I used the starter that came on my L33 (2006 Silverado) as well. I had to grind a significant portion of the dome off, but it eventually fit.

I've had incredibly poor results with every single aftermarket starter I've ever used in terms of casting quality of the housings. It's difficult to find a more sturdy starter than a good 'ol GM truck starter. Also, I would have scrapped the starter anyway if if didn't fit, so it's a win-win all around.

As for the timing cover bolts, I replaced all the original hex head bolts with countersunk allen head bolts. I opened up each hold on timing cover with a beveled drill bit and the new bolts sit almost flush with the surface of the timing cover.

I love the progress updates from you and J. I went a different route with the motor mounts and fabricated my own design and omitted the longitudinal pieces that connect the front later bar to the middle lateral bar. My mounts land squarely on the front cross bar.

I was also able to reuse the stock transmission mounts. I made spacers out of the original trans brackets that offset the Renegade bracket to the OEM mount. Everything seems to mount up.

(cell phone pic, it's the best I got. Sorry)

(full size)

I'm currently stuck in wiring hell at the moment. I'm trying to keep the electronic throttle body / drive by wire form the original truck motor. It's been... challenging. There is little to no documentation online on what is compatible with what, and I was never given the original throttle controller when I bought the engine. I'm on my THIRD throttle body controller and I STILL can't get the goddamn module to talk to the ECU. It powers up for ~5 seconds, doesn't see any UART comm from the ECU and then eventually shuts off. Frustrating.

At this point, I'm probably going to drop the engine and restart a new harness for everything from scratch. Any resources you may have for harness info is appreciated.

-A

I like what you did there with the mounts. Its interesting how everyone has their own take on the same project.

I did plenty of research on the drive by wire setup a few months back, but I can't remember much. From what I recall there are very few combinations that will work together. I think your best bet is to get in touch with LT1 Swap guy. He has all the answers.

My wiring is much simpler since I went with the drive by cable setup, so I'm not sure if these resources will help you much. Here are some good links:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.570183759682543.1073741827.148224325211824& type=3
LS1 harness: Start to finish - Third Generation F-Body Message Boards