Where are you with your conversion?

I've been feeling there's a bit of a lack of posts on "here's where I am with my overall project" type posts, so I'm going to put some basics of my conversion up to share with the community. Several members here have been very helpful thus far on my conversion, and there may be lurkers that are considering the conversion (I'm doing it!).

My automotive background is: I always do my own oil, brakes, alt/comp replacements, exhaust replacement (stock). Until this week, I never held a welder before. On the other hand, I'm a technical guy, do computers for a living and have various technical certs (Cisco, MSFT, GIAC, etc).

I always wanted to "put a chevy v8 in a 1976 911." Upon closer investigation I decided I prefer front engine rwd cars, way they drive, etc. The 944 is pefect. I bought my 944 project car (not running) about two months ago. When I looked into the online community, PHB had just self destructed, which was disappointing but 944Hybrids seems to have the critical mass of what I consider "useful" posters now, so here I plan to stay.

So far:
Old motor is out, front end is completely disassembled. I have a handful of conversion parts, BH adapter, engine mounts, L33 engine, 'vette intake/fuelrail. So far, my ratchet has only been on the counter-clockwise setting, however. I probably have about 5k into this project after the motor purchase. I did attach a new head unit to listen to music in the garage. Seems like a silly thing to do early on but it sounds better than the old radio that used to hang off the rail of my Catalina 27 and the previous owner put "retro fitment" Pioneer 18w speakers in the car.

My goal is to have the car test-driven by January 2010 and fine-tuned as a daily driver by December 2010.

Next steps!
- First motor test fit, waiting on set-back plates.
- Get a bit of plate steel mount the MC, or something (wondering if a 6-7" dual diaphram would fit, probably not).
- Get the engine "stuff" (ecm, f-body front drive, etc).
- Get Moroso pan and decide whether to test my (new) mig skills or pay someone to modify it. Thinking about practicing on relatively inexpensive exhaust parts since those are easier to repair and leaks there are not catastrophic.
- Get rennbay ball rebuild kit for control arm, only one side needs it, the other was already obviously rebuilt but needs new rubber anyway.
- Get new tie rod ball ends, both are shot.
- Decide whether to re-route steering, RH headers, or wait for a possible community solution (completely undecided, when I'm ready for it I will probably take the path of quickest implementation).
- Decide whether to keep the PS rack or convert to manual, price is about the same but fewer future hydroboost options with PS delete (thinking manual brakes to start, upgrade later).
- Decide on radiator/fan arrangement (thinking a summit 380-645 for $160). Not the best but it would probably fit and be better than my 22yo Porsche radiator, I think.
- Decide on exhaust diameter (thinking 3", cheaper and that diameter supposedly will support up to about 500hp before it's a bottleneck anyway).
- Decide whether I want to, or if it's possible/practical to cam the L33 to be "more like a car motor" (e.g. more HP than TQ)
- Decide whether to keep stock brakes, buy the wilwood ones, or roll-my-own bracket for another caliper entirely (leaning towards the wilwood, might be easiest option to bolt up).

Down the road I'll probably do coilovers, rebuilt tranny, LSD, complete interior rehab, wheel/tire set from tirerack, etc.

Feel free to post your own, or pick apart mine!

In response to your point about camming the L33 - swap that stick out for a Corvette Z06 cam, and change the springs to yellow Z06 ones! Common and very beneficial swap, and not too expensive, either.

Also worthwhile is the larger 85mm MAF from the Z06 as well. Watch the classifieds at LS1Tech.com for all these parts as they come up frequently.

Well I posted a short clip of my conversion here a while ago on "ts finally underway" I gotta say the stock GTO engine is just fine for me. I'm running a turbo radiator and its working just fine. Also running the Porsche stock fans and relay system. The first kicks on at 197f and the second at 207f. No overheating issues. My thermostat is a 160, that was in the engine when I got it. Yeah someone played with it since stock is much higher I'm sure. But still this engine has so much power I can shift into 5th at 40mph and no buck or lug sounds. Stock turbo lsd trans. I've still got a few bugs to work out, like leaky oil pan( Bad weld at remote filter fitting) Posted a leaky clutch fitting a while ago. And working out Tach problem.I went to manual rack a while ago due to ps leaks. A little tight in parking lots but otherwise don't miss it .This car is amazing though and still sych'd about it. Plans? Hydroboost, Fbody computer (to have fans turn on sooner) Then work on body. You will be very happy with your results I'm sure.

I bought my 1986 turbo a few weeks ago. Believe it or not I am spending time and money right now to get it California smog compliant so I can register it just to tear the engine out.

I have found a 2000 Trans Am with 59k. Front sheet metal is gone as is the rear bumper. I am getting everything that is left for $3000. I suspect that I will be able to sell the leftovers, including the T56 for about $1500. So, I hope that my complete LS1 engine base will end up costing me about $1500. The engine is not very pretty or shiney but it is all there.

What's next? Everything! I need to gather up everything for my "kit". Has alternative to RH been established?

Right now I have a TON of questions......

Bluemach1 wrote:... So, I hope that my complete LS1 engine base will end up costing me about $1500. The engine is not very pretty or shiney but it is all there.

What's next? Everything! I need to gather up everything for my "kit". Has alternative to RH been established?

Right now I have a TON of questions......

That would be a great deal. Good luck with the donor.

I think the only missing piece for a "non-RH" kit is the drivers side exhaust headers (mandatory to solve, and not easy) and a truly suitable/affordable power brake booster (which is semi-optional for the guys, but perhaps not so optional for the wives). Everything else has been solved by the community for the most part. I got my motor mount risers, C5 bellhousing adapter and pilot bearing adapter from xschop. Those are all the big/precision machined and/or heavy-weld items that I was not comfortable doing.

I'm hoping to do the oil pan and exhaust welding myself with a lincoln electric mig.

Well, I am not sure what to do about headers as I have to keep the stock ones for now to get past the Bureau of Automotive Repair. BAR will inspect the motor swap and verify that it meets the requiremetns of the model year motor and give me an acceptance sticker that stays with the car for life. BTW, that also means that I have to have ALL (including cats) of the smog gear in place and working.

I think the stock headers have been used with slight modifications. I wish I knew what that mod is (assume it is drivers side only) as I can probably have our machine shop mill away anything I need.

If anyone on the board wants to PM me with a "kit" price, please feel free.

Ted

I thought I had one but that fell through. The header fix is on this site it has 2 threads and in the gallery there are pictures with dems on how to make your own.

Bluemach1 wrote:Well, I am not sure what to do about headers as I have to keep the stock ones for now to get past the Bureau of Automotive Repair. BAR will inspect the motor swap and verify that it meets the requiremetns of the model year motor and give me an acceptance sticker that stays with the car for life. BTW, that also means that I have to have ALL (including cats) of the smog gear in place and working.

My condolences. I am glad we don't do that here. I just have to meet the emissions test for the year of the car, which I fully expect to meet. They only do a visual inspection for a cat and the up-the-pipe test for pre-OBDII.

I think the stock headers have been used with slight modifications. I wish I knew what that mod is (assume it is drivers side only) as I can probably have our machine shop mill away anything I need.

If anyone on the board wants to PM me with a "kit" price, please feel free.

Ted

If there's a particular stock exhaust manifold that will fit, I hope sometime will chime in here, because I completely missed that option. The iron manifolds on my L33 motor are *way* too wide to fit between the frame rails.

There are a few threads on headers here yes, but nothing I would consider "ready for prime time" and I'm not a fan of the radically long vs. short tube mod on the Hooker 2312 -- something seems "wrong" about that. Folks that know more about fluid dynamics than I can tell me I'm right or dead wrong I suppose... but at the moment I'd rather run stock/iron manifold or a more carefully designed/time-tested design like the RH option that already run in dozens of conversions.

Done I wish! I've been wrestling with the M/C mount, finally have it where I'm satisfied. I finished the front exhaust pipes, I have to relocate the hanger I made, in front of the cat. I need to mount the pump for the power brakes, redo the front brake lines, bleed all the hydraulics and get this beast of out the garage! I also need to make some brackets to move the ignition coils up a little to clear the M/C I don't want to mount them on the body). Too much to do, too little time!

87-944S wrote:Done I wish! I've been wrestling with the M/C mount, finally have it where I'm satisfied. I finished the front exhaust pipes, I have to relocate the hanger I made, in front of the cat. I need to mount the pump for the power brakes, redo the front brake lines, bleed all the hydraulics and get this beast of out the garage! I also need to make some brackets to move the ignition coils up a little to clear the M/C I don't want to mount them on the body). Too much to do, too little time!

Good deal! PLEASE post pictures of some of the "mundane" solutions you've reached. For example the MC mount, exhaust mounts, etc. I'd love to see a collection of pictures for all the various parts of this conversion. The more 944v8s on the road the better, and the easier a newbie can get this conversion done,the more likely that is.

87-944S wrote: I also need to make some brackets to move the ignition coils up a little to clear the M/C I don't want to mount them on the body).

I just recently installed LS2 truck coils on mine in order to clear the MC. They are higher output than the stock LS1 coils, look nice, and are plug and play with the LS1 harness. I also installed aftermarket fuel rails because the stock fuel rail inlet and return ports were running right into the new coils.

I got them from a place in Woodbridge for $150, which included the coils, brackets, harness, and mounting hardware. That might be something to look into instead of fabbing a new bracket.

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I have had the project car for 4 years now. 3.5 years ago I went through a plant shut down and decided to go back to school for my Mechanical Engineering degree which I am on my last semester. I put the project on hold until graduation and successful job search.

Specs.
1987 944S
1993 Corvette LT1
Mega Squirt II stand alone engine management
1996 Ford Cobra ignition

Where I am at...
engine pulled
engine bay sanded ready for paint
Mega Squirt II built
Cross member and steering rack cleaned and wrapped to keep clean
Brand new LT1 crate engine on engine stand awaiting components and flywheel



I am on my last semester at school and I am glad I waited to purchase the swap parts so I can purchase them from the members from this board. I can't wait to get started once again.

On a side note I am getting practice with designing and building standalone engine management systems from school with work I am doing for a professor. I spent 20 hours last week wiring up an engine using Micro Squirt. The project engine should be able to start in the next week or 2.

Speedy:)

speedracing944 wrote:I spent 20 hours last week wiring up an engine using Micro Squirt.

Great, maybe you can answer my PM now...

Sorry about the PM. I took entirely too many credits last semester resulting in having to stay on campus from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM almost every day combined with commuting 2 hours each day from our farm in the country and trying to maintain a relationship with my wife and kids. Things are a little easier this semester so I will take another look at your PM.

Speedy:)

That's cool...
I have been looking through 630+ pages of the MegaManual...

LT1 Megasquirt was what I was curious about.

endrnet wrote:

Bluemach1 wrote:Well, I am not sure what to do about headers as I have to keep the stock ones for now to get past the Bureau of Automotive Repair. BAR will inspect the motor swap and verify that it meets the requiremetns of the model year motor and give me an acceptance sticker that stays with the car for life. BTW, that also means that I have to have ALL (including cats) of the smog gear in place and working.

My condolences. I am glad we don't do that here. I just have to meet the emissions test for the year of the car, which I fully expect to meet. They only do a visual inspection for a cat and the up-the-pipe test for pre-OBDII.

I think the stock headers have been used with slight modifications. I wish I knew what that mod is (assume it is drivers side only) as I can probably have our machine shop mill away anything I need.

If anyone on the board wants to PM me with a "kit" price, please feel free.

Ted

If there's a particular stock exhaust manifold that will fit, I hope sometime will chime in here, because I completely missed that option. The iron manifolds on my L33 motor are *way* too wide to fit between the frame rails.

There are a few threads on headers here yes, but nothing I would consider "ready for prime time" and I'm not a fan of the radically long vs. short tube mod on the Hooker 2312 -- something seems "wrong" about that. Folks that know more about fluid dynamics than I can tell me I'm right or dead wrong I suppose... but at the moment I'd rather run stock/iron manifold or a more carefully designed/time-tested design like the RH option that already run in dozens of conversions.

Re: Stock manifolds... I believe that there is a member here, skywalker01, that used stock manifolds. Here is a link to his cardomain page and toward the bottom it mentions the use of the stock manifolds.

Maybe he could chime in?

Bluemach1 wrote:

Re: Stock manifolds... I believe that there is a member here, skywalker01, that used stock manifolds. Here is a link to his cardomain page and toward the bottom it mentions the use of the stock manifolds.

Maybe he could chime in?

Yeah I saw that and started hunting through his pics. To my eye, looks like he broke down and bought the RH headers... [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

He did, the stock Vette headers looked promising, but didn't work out. You'd have to get creative with the steering shaft and add some u-joints, not much room for that.

This is test fit #2. Intake is on, brand new camaro front accessory drive and harmonic balancer installed.

There are not yet any spacers on the cross member. Using xschop's uprights and 1/2" version of carshopinc setback plates.

Clearly this car is going to need xmember spacers or hood surgery.

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Comments are always welcome... I'm currently thinking about buying a spare 944 hood off ebay to cut up, then when I get the car painted, have them paint both the cut, and original hood.

I've done the same with a pair of hoods. I had cut a hole out in my original hood, and bought a fibreglass SRT8 Charger-style hood scoop to fit over the intake/TB. I just bought XSChop's xmember drop kit, so I picked up another hood from a 924 I found in a local junkyard for $75.

I'm using my own uprights so I don't know how the height compares with Rob's set, but I think they're close.

Comments:

Hey Endernet. I just (literally) got my spacers in from mcmaster carr. I ordered a 36" long x 1/2" thick x 1-1/2" wide piece of 6061-T6 aluminum. Cost was $15.81 with $4.75 shipping.

I ordered it at 1-1/2" wide x 36" so all I would have to do is cut off the required length i.e. two 6" pieces and two 4.25" pieces, drill a couple holes/per and install.

I thought about buying steel but I can work Al faster and easier than steel.

Just thought this may help ya.

I currently have my engine sitting in place utilizing XSChops Bellhousing adapter and engine uprights. I have completly redesigined the crossmember I cut out the center section, which is now removable and moves the rack down about half an inch, which may require a bumpsteer kit in the future. My goal with that was to mount the engine without shimming my crossmember, and use the stock hood. I am using the e-throttle and the servo from my throttle body was hitting the hood so i made an adapter to mount the t-body upside down. With all this i achieved my goal, I can close my hood with the intake on, and have plenty of clearance and i didnt have to cut my oil pan... . beyond that I have full coilovers all around, with turbo brakes, I need to make my M/C mount, I plan to go manual brakes in the beginning, but I have located a complete self-contained hydroboost system that is designed to work with the GM pump that only runs $400!!!! I may try that in the future. I still need my accessories, but thats only a waterpump and alternator in the beginning, I would really like to get an electric water pump so i can run a simple belt and cantalever the alt to tension it, but thats $600 i dont have right now... I have a harness and my moduales and throttle pedal still to sort out, but that shouldnt be a big deal. I am on the fence about my headers, I saw the hooker 2312 solution, but i would prefer something that moves the flange down and back more, more like a mid length, so i may get a build your own kit. I am also in contact with another swap company to get RH some competiton, but I may need a car in the N.E. that wants there car done as a guinepig...

Mark

If you will do a little reading you will find that I installed the Mustang hydro boost that only cost $200 off of Ebay, and it works fine.

Got the engine out of the T/A today!

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A friend saw it listed on ls1tech.com and it turned out to be 15 minutes from my house. 24k miles on it, pulled from an '01 vette (he's putting in some sort of bigger crate engine). Got it for $1700.

I'm planning to do a mild cam upgrade, replace the valve springs and timing gears/chain with heavier duty ones, and upgrade the oil pump. Also going to put in the LS6 valley pan, I think.

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