majormojo's LY6 swap

Hi folks,

First off, thanks for being a great resource that gave me the confidence to take on this project. I've already found lots of good info here that's been a big help. I've wanted to do this project for several years now and I'm really jazzed about finally getting started. I picked up this car last fall and it sat on my driveway until a couple weeks ago. '87 NA car w/ 144k miles. Mostly straight, not rusty but shows some evidence of ungodly stereo and electronics mods in the past. The 2.5 was already out and in pieces; it had been that way for a couple years when PO re-prioritized his marriage and sold his project to me. I never had any intention of rebuilding the 4 banger, this was to be a V8 swap from the start.  

Here's how it's sat for the past months:
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First mod complete!
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Finally! A place to work on it. Can I please come in and play?
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I have an engine on the way now, an iron 6.0L LY6 from a 2008 Silverado w/ 60,000km (I'm in Canada). Main reason for the truck engine is that they are much much easier to find here compared to Al car engines and 1/2 the price (or less). Engine has starter, alternator, full harness and ECU.  I have ordered a full swap kit from TPC.

I'm no master mechanic, but also not quite a total n00b. I've done a couple easy swaps before (Miata & RX-7) but I have no experience with internals and don't really have the skills & equipment for too much custom fabrication. This is by far the most ambitious auto project I've done. My plan is to take the simplest approach to getting the engine in and running, then move to improving the brakes and safety of the car. More radical engine mods may follow as winter projects over the next few years. My intent is to build the car as a street-legal track car. Suitable for street driving, but does not need to be my DD.

My plans look something like this. Does this appear to be sane?

- LS3 intake/rails
- Cable-operated TB
- Have the harness stripped & re-wired by Speartech
- Move alternator (Can I keep the truck alt and just use a different bracket? Which one?)
- Remove AC
- Undecided on whether to remove PS or not. I probably won't miss it until I move up to much larger tires, which I do plan on eventually.
- Convert fuel system to "returnless" style via Corvette fuel filter/regulator.
- Undecided on brake setup. Either full manual conversion or perhaps hydroboost

Prior electrical/stereo installation shows evidence of poor craftsmanship:
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Job One: Add lightness.
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I found this thing in driver's side wheel well. I think it's related to A/C, which I am removing. What is it, and can I ditch it?
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Here's where it's at right now. I'm not the cleanest worker unfortunately.  
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You can see my full album of project photos here:
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That's the charcoal canister for the evap system.

Well looks like your ahead of me!

Nice to see another canadian with a guards red na and the same aspirations on a conversion!

Good luck and we'll probably be learning from everyone's responses on each other's thread!

Do as much as you can yourself, the wiring harness mods are not hard, and will save you a ton of money. Keep the PS, not much effort to make it work, and with bigger tires and hydro-boost, you will need it! If you use Russell Performance Power Steering line and fittings, you can make all the high pressure lines yourself, very easily. PM me if you need part numbers. With that big ole iron block, do yourself a favor and move your battery to the rear. Get some fibre glass fenders if you really want to try and even out the weight distribution. A return fuel system will keep fuel temps down, and is mandatory in my mind if you keep the stock 944 fuel system pump, otherwise bye bye fuel pump after a while. No idea what the intake ports look like on your chosen engine, just get a car intake manifold that works with your engine, cathedral or rectangular ports. I am not sure about the truck alternator, if it lines up with the f-body accessories, you are good to go and can keep it. All that said, WELCOME! These conversions are a blast, and can burn a hole in your wallet, I hope you have more self control than me!  

Enjoy,

Mike

I recommend having a look at my newb944s build thread on ls1 conversions as there has been excellent advice on torque tube bearing overhauls which has now officially made my shopping list. Sounds like a definite thing to check at your car's mileage and serves as a good pay yourself forward with that preventative repair while you got it apart.

Thanks everyone,

Gutterboy, I've had a look at your thread, the TT bearings is definitely something I will look at. I expect to replace/refresh most of the suspension eventually.

Mike/87-944S, thanks for the info on the Russell hoses. I like that idea, didn't know it was so easy to do. I would like the part numbers, please. Also, which of the Porsche bits did you leave on the car? Specifically should I keep the coily bit that looks like it's for cooling? Is it really very effective? The "returnless" fuel system I'm thinking of is only returnless from the engine's perspective. The Corvette filter includes a regulator and a return line that goes back to the tank. I learned of it here:

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The battery is going to the back, probably the spare tire well. I have a battery cage ready, will cover that in a proper box and run new wiring. The wiring harness part intimidates me a bit, but I'll look at it closer when I get the engine here. This past winter I built a DIY MegaSquirt ECU and have it running in my Miata now, but re-wiring the harness seems a lot more complicated.

Here are some specs on the LY6 engine:

• Displacement: 364ci
  
• Block: Cast Iron
  
• Heads: Cast Aluminum 15-degree rectangle port
  
• Compression: 9.67:1
  
• Bore & Stroke: 4.000” x 3.622”
  
• Specs: Rated at 352 hp and 382 ft-lbs
  

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It uses the L92 heads and has VVT which I plan to keep.

Admin, I've removed the evap canister as all the emissions stuff is being removed. It looks like the canister eventually vents to atmosphere via the long hose that goes down the side of the car? I'm surprised that it doesn't run back to the fuel tank. Maybe a piece of hose is missing on mine.

Anyway, last night I got the A/C condenser and some other junk out, plus I sorted, bagged and labelled the parts I'm keeping for later.

I also need to decide on radiator/cooling. I have the original Porsche rad, but I'm thinking it will be too small and I should do an upgrade to an Aluminum racing rad.

Nice to see another Canadian with a Miata as well! I'm at the same stage as your are right now but I scored an aluminum 5.3 L33. Where are you in Canada?

Hi DJ,

I'm in Edmonton. The Miata's been fun, I've had it since 2007. It has the drivetrain from a 2000 and is a pretty well prepped CSP autocross car. Now I'm ready for another nicely balanced, great handling car that has some actual power. I know lots of turbo miata folks, but those cars always seem just a bit too fussy and I want something a little roomier. I've ice raced an RX-7 the past couple winters and it's also a bit small. Plus, with the V8, there's that sound...

I spent quite a while looking for the right 944 to build on. I wanted something clean as I hate body work, and didn't want to pay for a good engine I'd be tearing out. I got the car with the engine in a bunch of crates as well as some spares, an engine stand and some other stuff for $800. The seller's wife was thrilled to be getting her garage space back after two years.  

So is there some special contortion one needs to perform to get at those bolts holding the brake booster way up on the firewall? I can kinda reach, laying on my back with the seat out, but yikes those are a challenge!

Yeah, those bolts are a reach. It's the same to get to the end of the throttle cable.

The charcoal canister is there to trap fuel vapors displaced from the tank when refueling. The air is released from the tube toward the back of the car after "filtering" through the canister. The last thing you want is to fill a hot engine compartment with those fumes and then key over to trip the starter solenoid. Once the engine is running, vapors are reclaimed via suction from the engine through the canister.

It's not a difficult setup to maintain and setup with the v8. I left the canister and all the lines to the tank. I removed the metal "regulator" but kept the plastic vacuum switch, hooking it up to the back of the intake manifold. And I ran the big line into my air intake ahead of the MAF. Seems to be working fine and keeps the fuel smells down in my attached garage.

Rich

So I think I have the list of things I'll need to change over to install the LS3 intake:

- intake (duh)
- fuel rail
- injectors
- throttle body (want to change to cable from tbw anyway)
- MAP sensor

Questions:
Will the injectors be compatible with the connectors on the truck harness or will those need to be changed as well?

I've seem some reports of the LS3 intake/TB interfering with the truck water pump. Will I need to replace WP or not?

I believe I should also be looking for an F-body alt bracket to mount it lower, can I re-use the truck alternator?

Oh another question, this time about fuel lines. I have the flex lines removed from underhood and just have the hard lines left. I want to use the Corvette filter/reg and initially I was thinking to run a couple new lines to it under hood and mount the filter to the firewall. I see now that some have done this via mounting the vette filter back at the tank in place of the OEM filter. That seems like more work, but a bit cleaner and would allow me to remove the extra length of the return line (simpler = better IMO).

Opinions? How did you run your fuel lines and mate up to the Porsche side?

have a look on the wiki link on this forum for an article that discusses how a truck alternator bracket seems to work in place of the f body bracket.

or have a search for a cartruck site or something (first google hit when you type "f-body accessory change on ls1" or something to that effect)

wife's parents are in edmonton, i'll drop you a line when i'm there to maybe have a visit to see how your 948 creation is looking not mention the miata machine you have if you don't mind.

Thanks Gutterboy, I think this is the thread you're referencing.

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I also found this, but it's a bit $$, and I'm not 100% sure it will clear the hood:

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Got those crazy brake booster bolts out, removed the rest of the PS system and did a bit of junk removal and cleanup inside.

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WRT to my wiring harness, I found these how-to videos for converting the truck harness and it actually doesn't look that bad.

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And this thread has a link to a PDF with the LY6 PCM pinouts:
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did a couple google searches and found the link for that truck alternator blurb.

have a look

truck alternator on ls1 conversion

For the high pressure line, I used Russel Performance power steering hose and fittings, here's a few examples

Russell Performance 620401 - Russell Powerflex Power Steering Hose Ends

Russell Performance 632610 - Russell PowerFlex Power Steering Hose

They have straight, 90 degree, 135 degree etc. hose ends.  This stuff is super easy to use, and I have never had a leak!

Summit Racing or Jegs stock it.  Measure how much you need before hand, as the hose is not cheap, well, the fittings aren't either, but cheaper than having someone make them for you.  For adapters to -6AN, do not use the aluminum plated ones.  Use steel, either from Earl's, Russell, and really the best value are from discounthydraulichose.com.  The 37 degree JC are equivalent to AN fittings.  Let me know if you need more details.

They also look great and are thin.  

I'm not sure What you guy's are looking at on the truck alternator bracket, But you can use the truck alternator But you will need the F body bracket.
 

A few new tasks done and decisions made.

Evap system. I have removed the evap canister, associated paraphernalia and the flex line back to the tank. Instead of the complicated OEM system I'm going with a simple breather mounted by the tank as described here.

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Fuel filter/reg. I'm going to mount the Corvette filter at the back. I've removed the hard return line all the way to the back, but I'm stuck on the fitting to the flex hose back to the tank. The connection is badly rusted. I hit it with some PB Blaster and I'll leave it overnight and try again tomorrow.

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I have the interior mostly cleaned out now. I'm going to clean it up a bit more and then leave it for a while. It's just something to work on while I wait for the engine and parts. My engine is now on it's way from the wrecker. Looking forward to getting that here! I wanted to get all the carpet and insulation out because it was old and stinky and had to go anyway. Even though it will be mostly a track car, I don't think I'll leave the car bare inside. I will probably do some light insulation and a new carpet kit. When the center console goes back in it will contain gauges, maybe a radio if there's room.

Finally, some money coming IN for the project!
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Actually, some of those coins made getting the passenger seat out a real b*tch. There was a couple pennies jammed into the seat rail that prevented the seat from going all the way forward. So there was no way to access the bolts to remove the rails. Took waaaay too much work poking around with a long screwdriver and a few too many unsavory words to get them out.

I have the PS pump out as well as the stuff I don't need and I labeled the lines I do need for hookup later. What I plan to do is to replace that HI pressure line with a new line but keep the banjo fitting for the Porsche steering box. Might also replace the lines to/from the reservoir just because they're old. The hard lines should be OK to keep.

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I also removed all the foam insulation from under the hood. It was dried out and rotted anyway. I got most of it off just by using a shop vac. For the goo/glue that's left I'm going to try leaving it to warm up in the sun then hit it with the high pressure wash and see if that cleans it up.

I think I've found a decent deal on an LS3 intake w/ fuel rail, injectors and bolts. Should finalize that tomorrow. When I get it, I think I can mount the fuel rail 180* from normal (inlet on driver side) and simplify the routing for the fuel line from the Porsche hard line at the fender to the input on the rail. I'm guessing maybe 10" or so flex line.

Questions:

I'm stuck on how to remove the cruise control cable from the inside end. Is there a circlip or something  on the pin at the end? I can't see how it's held on.

I have most of the AC out; I'm wondering about the evaporator now. It looks like it's integral with the heater core assembly; does it come out separately? The parts diagram I have shows it as a separate piece, but it's not clear if it can be removed separately from the casing. I don't know if it's even worth the effort to get it out.
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Some tips to pass along:

I found these manuals including wiring diagrams online:
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Good info on decoding the wiring diagrams. I didn't realize that even though the manuals are English, the color codes are German. Threw me for a loop when nothing in my car matched the diagrams.  
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Admin wrote:I'm not sure What you guy's are looking at on the truck alternator bracket, But you can use the truck alternator But you will need the F body bracket.
 

Is this the right one? For a 2010 Camaro SS 6.2 w/o supercharger. Can't seem to find the exact part # online.
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No that's not the right bracket you'll need one like this.
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3/4" spacers for the F-body bracket are available here:

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Remember if you follow xschop thread you will need to modify the "F" body bracket that relocates the idler pulley to a different position on the bracket. His thread should have the info on where to make the cut(s).
I have this bracket on my 5.3L that he had modded awhile back along with his mount to use the porsche power steering pump. Xschop also told me that I could eliminate the idler all together but I don't know if your application will be as user friendly as his set up.

Thanks for the accessory info, I think I have it now. I'm leaning towards using a GM PS pump w/ attached reservoir instead of the Porshe unit. Looks like it might be a bit cleaner install.

I'm going to pick up my engine tomorrow, looking forward to that.

Having a heck of a time getting an LS3 intake for this project though. Finding them isn't difficult, but getting someone to ship it to me in Canada seems to be a problem, even for some sellers that are a business. I've had 4 potential deals fall through now. Must be gangs of evil Canadian fraudsters out there scaring everyone off or something. I might just break down and buy new; at least that way I know I can get it. I will call a couple local speed shops that do supercharger installs etc, maybe they can find a take-off for me.

About time for another update. I have been busy but have completed a few things so far.

Picked up my engine, that was a fun day:
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Then I removed and labeled the wiring (at least the parts I could identify):
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After doing some research and reading, I decided that I could re-wire the harness myself, so I started by removing the tape and loom. That was the "Oh my God, what I have I done?" moment...
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I took it downstairs to work on it at my desk and things started to get a bit better.
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After a bit more work, I got it all sussed out and labeled. It's all got temp labels and bound up with painter's tape until I can do a trial fit in on the engine and work out which wires I will need to lengthen. Then I'll bind it up properly with some good tape and loom.
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Meantime, I've got the fan and accessories all removed. No one in town open on a Sunday had the special fan clutch tool needed, so I improvised with a v-belt type strap wrench to hold the pulley. Intake was easy to remove. I will do a bit of cleaning before installing the new one, but for now I used some heavy duct tape to cover up the ports.
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I also found an LS3 intake. Here it's just sitting in place. I think I can reverse the fuel rail 180 degrees so the fuel inlet is on the passenger side and simplify the fuel hose routing. Can anyone confirm?
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I have not decided on DBW or cable yet, so I left all the APP sensor wires hooked up. If I go DBW, I'll need to buy an accelerator pedal, but I can use the TB that I have. If I go cable, I will need to use a different TB. I'm on the fence about this one. Anyone have any pros/cons for either approach?

It looks like you printed out my harness wiring info from the project I'm still working on...if so, hope it helped.

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Absolutely, thanks, that was a huge help! There were a few small differences on my harness and I was able to combine your info with some info from this LT1Swap page to get closer. There were still a couple changes needed, plus I'm not keeping any of the dash or BCM connectors. Do you have a link to your original spreadsheet file so that I could copy and update for my application? I'd like to be able to update that and re-publish my changes for others.

944convert wrote:It looks like you printed out my harness wiring info from the project I'm still working on...if so, hope it helped.

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