OK, *now* that your swap is done... [Lessons Learned]
07-24-2014, 08:14 PM
#41
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my swap has been two plus years in the making and im finally starting to get it going.
for me i should have just spent the money on the t56, instead i am now using a toyota r154 that i had spare, custom bell housing, clutch, and now im fighting with slave cylinder options, header clearance, yada yada. its becoming a large head ache for me and im only saving a couple hundred dollars instead of going with a t56 from the beginning
for me i should have just spent the money on the t56, instead i am now using a toyota r154 that i had spare, custom bell housing, clutch, and now im fighting with slave cylinder options, header clearance, yada yada. its becoming a large head ache for me and im only saving a couple hundred dollars instead of going with a t56 from the beginning
07-24-2014, 11:41 PM
#43
I wrote this up after my first swap. I still hold most of them to be true. I'd add buying some tuning software as part of the initial budget should be a rule and not an exception.
#1 a project will expand to fill any timeframe allotted. setting a timeline with solid wayposts and realistic goals is key.
#2 craigslist is full of half finished dreams. why are they there? project creep. don't paint the goddamn firewall you vain bastard.
#3 when you are tired, put down the tools and go home. it's easier to do the work once when you are rested, than to undo/redo screw-ups
#4 when you are frustrated, put down the tools (see #3)
#5 if you tell her you'll cook dinner, cook dinner. never let her think she's competing with a truck/car
#6 project budgets. ****. just plan on each day costing $100. then add 20% to that. Then double it in the end. i have a box of receipts for the final tally that i'm terrified of. bright side is my cat loves to sit on this box, so i don't ever have to open it.
#7 realize what and who you are. don't deny it. you love anything that turns money into noise/smoke. embrace it.
#8 ride your bicycle sometimes. that **** is fun too. wrenching on stuff does not burn a whole lot of calories.
#9 ask people for help when you need. offer your help before they ask. buy them beers/food/bourbon if they help.
#10 **** the cops.
#1 a project will expand to fill any timeframe allotted. setting a timeline with solid wayposts and realistic goals is key.
#2 craigslist is full of half finished dreams. why are they there? project creep. don't paint the goddamn firewall you vain bastard.
#3 when you are tired, put down the tools and go home. it's easier to do the work once when you are rested, than to undo/redo screw-ups
#4 when you are frustrated, put down the tools (see #3)
#5 if you tell her you'll cook dinner, cook dinner. never let her think she's competing with a truck/car
#6 project budgets. ****. just plan on each day costing $100. then add 20% to that. Then double it in the end. i have a box of receipts for the final tally that i'm terrified of. bright side is my cat loves to sit on this box, so i don't ever have to open it.
#7 realize what and who you are. don't deny it. you love anything that turns money into noise/smoke. embrace it.
#8 ride your bicycle sometimes. that **** is fun too. wrenching on stuff does not burn a whole lot of calories.
#9 ask people for help when you need. offer your help before they ask. buy them beers/food/bourbon if they help.
#10 **** the cops.
07-25-2014, 03:06 AM
#44
SLP double-roller timing chain is over-kill
Don't do headstuds and turn around and abandon the turbo build and go N/A
Ported oil-pumps aren't truly needed
Buying used heads and camshafts is OK
Buy the best fuel and wiring systems you can afford
HP tuners pro and a wide-band...don't try to get by on just regular HP tuners
The GM Musclecar pan is too deep, period.
Don't do headstuds and turn around and abandon the turbo build and go N/A
Ported oil-pumps aren't truly needed
Buying used heads and camshafts is OK
Buy the best fuel and wiring systems you can afford
HP tuners pro and a wide-band...don't try to get by on just regular HP tuners
The GM Musclecar pan is too deep, period.
07-25-2014, 06:25 AM
#45
Break the swap into subsystems like fuel, exhaust, electrical etc. have a solution for everything before beginning the conversion. This research and parts collecting phases prevents the 2+ year builds that snowball out of control. A swap should last under a month, mostly wrench turning. Don't focus too much on the engine, that's the cheap part
07-25-2014, 06:35 AM
#46
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I wrote this up after my first swap. I still hold most of them to be true. I'd add buying some tuning software as part of the initial budget should be a rule and not an exception.
#1 a project will expand to fill any timeframe allotted. setting a timeline with solid wayposts and realistic goals is key.
#2 craigslist is full of half finished dreams. why are they there? project creep. don't paint the goddamn firewall you vain bastard.
#3 when you are tired, put down the tools and go home. it's easier to do the work once when you are rested, than to undo/redo screw-ups
#4 when you are frustrated, put down the tools (see #3)
#5 if you tell her you'll cook dinner, cook dinner. never let her think she's competing with a truck/car
#6 project budgets. ****. just plan on each day costing $100. then add 20% to that. Then double it in the end. i have a box of receipts for the final tally that i'm terrified of. bright side is my cat loves to sit on this box, so i don't ever have to open it.
#7 realize what and who you are. don't deny it. you love anything that turns money into noise/smoke. embrace it.
#8 ride your bicycle sometimes. that **** is fun too. wrenching on stuff does not burn a whole lot of calories.
#9 ask people for help when you need. offer your help before they ask. buy them beers/food/bourbon if they help.
#10 **** the cops.
#1 a project will expand to fill any timeframe allotted. setting a timeline with solid wayposts and realistic goals is key.
#2 craigslist is full of half finished dreams. why are they there? project creep. don't paint the goddamn firewall you vain bastard.
#3 when you are tired, put down the tools and go home. it's easier to do the work once when you are rested, than to undo/redo screw-ups
#4 when you are frustrated, put down the tools (see #3)
#5 if you tell her you'll cook dinner, cook dinner. never let her think she's competing with a truck/car
#6 project budgets. ****. just plan on each day costing $100. then add 20% to that. Then double it in the end. i have a box of receipts for the final tally that i'm terrified of. bright side is my cat loves to sit on this box, so i don't ever have to open it.
#7 realize what and who you are. don't deny it. you love anything that turns money into noise/smoke. embrace it.
#8 ride your bicycle sometimes. that **** is fun too. wrenching on stuff does not burn a whole lot of calories.
#9 ask people for help when you need. offer your help before they ask. buy them beers/food/bourbon if they help.
#10 **** the cops.
07-25-2014, 10:58 AM
#47
After reading through other posts I have thought of a couple other things.
- Unless you are ultra-confident with wiring and computer tuning consider purchasing a wiring harness and have your computer programmed by a reputable vendor. I chose to have a custom harness built by Speartech and also had them reprogram the computer from the TransAm my motor came from. The harness works and fits perfectly and looks great. And the engine fired and ran right on the 2nd revolution when it came time to start it. I was able to sell the stock harness to offset some of the cost. John Spear was also very helpful when I was troubleshooting a cruise control problem, and before I started the swap he provided good and encouraging advice.
- Next, if you doing an uncommon swap that will require some fabrication, pulling the front sheet metal off will make it easier. This may also be true with more common swaps. Plus it gives you a chance to paint or clean up inner fenderwells, frame rails and control arms.
- Before you pull off the sheet metal find some out of sight but accessible places to drill some 1/8" guide holes that you can use to get everything aligned when it is time to put it back together.
- Use the LS1Tech swap forum to find parts and to recoup some money selling things you don't need. You can see from my Trader Rating that I was pretty active, and I had great experience dealing with LS1Tech buyers and sellers. This is especially true if you buy a full pullout and end up with stuff you don't need.
- Unless you are ultra-confident with wiring and computer tuning consider purchasing a wiring harness and have your computer programmed by a reputable vendor. I chose to have a custom harness built by Speartech and also had them reprogram the computer from the TransAm my motor came from. The harness works and fits perfectly and looks great. And the engine fired and ran right on the 2nd revolution when it came time to start it. I was able to sell the stock harness to offset some of the cost. John Spear was also very helpful when I was troubleshooting a cruise control problem, and before I started the swap he provided good and encouraging advice.
- Next, if you doing an uncommon swap that will require some fabrication, pulling the front sheet metal off will make it easier. This may also be true with more common swaps. Plus it gives you a chance to paint or clean up inner fenderwells, frame rails and control arms.
- Before you pull off the sheet metal find some out of sight but accessible places to drill some 1/8" guide holes that you can use to get everything aligned when it is time to put it back together.
- Use the LS1Tech swap forum to find parts and to recoup some money selling things you don't need. You can see from my Trader Rating that I was pretty active, and I had great experience dealing with LS1Tech buyers and sellers. This is especially true if you buy a full pullout and end up with stuff you don't need.
07-25-2014, 06:49 PM
#50
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I wrote this up after my first swap. I still hold most of them to be true. I'd add buying some tuning software as part of the initial budget should be a rule and not an exception.
#1 a project will expand to fill any timeframe allotted. setting a timeline with solid wayposts and realistic goals is key.
#2 craigslist is full of half finished dreams. why are they there? project creep. don't paint the goddamn firewall you vain bastard.
#3 when you are tired, put down the tools and go home. it's easier to do the work once when you are rested, than to undo/redo screw-ups
#4 when you are frustrated, put down the tools (see #3)
#5 if you tell her you'll cook dinner, cook dinner. never let her think she's competing with a truck/car
#6 project budgets. ****. just plan on each day costing $100. then add 20% to that. Then double it in the end. i have a box of receipts for the final tally that i'm terrified of. bright side is my cat loves to sit on this box, so i don't ever have to open it.
#7 realize what and who you are. don't deny it. you love anything that turns money into noise/smoke. embrace it.
#8 ride your bicycle sometimes. that **** is fun too. wrenching on stuff does not burn a whole lot of calories.
#9 ask people for help when you need. offer your help before they ask. buy them beers/food/bourbon if they help.
#10 **** the cops.
#1 a project will expand to fill any timeframe allotted. setting a timeline with solid wayposts and realistic goals is key.
#2 craigslist is full of half finished dreams. why are they there? project creep. don't paint the goddamn firewall you vain bastard.
#3 when you are tired, put down the tools and go home. it's easier to do the work once when you are rested, than to undo/redo screw-ups
#4 when you are frustrated, put down the tools (see #3)
#5 if you tell her you'll cook dinner, cook dinner. never let her think she's competing with a truck/car
#6 project budgets. ****. just plan on each day costing $100. then add 20% to that. Then double it in the end. i have a box of receipts for the final tally that i'm terrified of. bright side is my cat loves to sit on this box, so i don't ever have to open it.
#7 realize what and who you are. don't deny it. you love anything that turns money into noise/smoke. embrace it.
#8 ride your bicycle sometimes. that **** is fun too. wrenching on stuff does not burn a whole lot of calories.
#9 ask people for help when you need. offer your help before they ask. buy them beers/food/bourbon if they help.
#10 **** the cops.
07-25-2014, 10:20 PM
#52
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I wrote this up after my first swap. I still hold most of them to be true. I'd add buying some tuning software as part of the initial budget should be a rule and not an exception.
#1 a project will expand to fill any timeframe allotted. setting a timeline with solid wayposts and realistic goals is key.
#2 craigslist is full of half finished dreams. why are they there? project creep. don't paint the goddamn firewall you vain bastard.
#3 when you are tired, put down the tools and go home. it's easier to do the work once when you are rested, than to undo/redo screw-ups
#4 when you are frustrated, put down the tools (see #3)
#5 if you tell her you'll cook dinner, cook dinner. never let her think she's competing with a truck/car
#6 project budgets. ****. just plan on each day costing $100. then add 20% to that. Then double it in the end. i have a box of receipts for the final tally that i'm terrified of. bright side is my cat loves to sit on this box, so i don't ever have to open it.
#7 realize what and who you are. don't deny it. you love anything that turns money into noise/smoke. embrace it.
#8 ride your bicycle sometimes. that **** is fun too. wrenching on stuff does not burn a whole lot of calories.
#9 ask people for help when you need. offer your help before they ask. buy them beers/food/bourbon if they help.
#10 **** the cops.
#1 a project will expand to fill any timeframe allotted. setting a timeline with solid wayposts and realistic goals is key.
#2 craigslist is full of half finished dreams. why are they there? project creep. don't paint the goddamn firewall you vain bastard.
#3 when you are tired, put down the tools and go home. it's easier to do the work once when you are rested, than to undo/redo screw-ups
#4 when you are frustrated, put down the tools (see #3)
#5 if you tell her you'll cook dinner, cook dinner. never let her think she's competing with a truck/car
#6 project budgets. ****. just plan on each day costing $100. then add 20% to that. Then double it in the end. i have a box of receipts for the final tally that i'm terrified of. bright side is my cat loves to sit on this box, so i don't ever have to open it.
#7 realize what and who you are. don't deny it. you love anything that turns money into noise/smoke. embrace it.
#8 ride your bicycle sometimes. that **** is fun too. wrenching on stuff does not burn a whole lot of calories.
#9 ask people for help when you need. offer your help before they ask. buy them beers/food/bourbon if they help.
#10 **** the cops.
Wonderful. What I was hoping would be a great thread has now devolved into bumper sticker sloganeering...
Mods, can we PLEASE remove this small portion of the thread, so that people can still get some good out of this?? 
07-26-2014, 05:55 AM
#54
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Thanks for all the great ideas. This will help me plan everything better as I approach my first ls swap. I do think I picked a great time me to do it with all the new products out there.
07-26-2014, 08:41 AM
#55
I've done 2 LS swaps now, both went pretty well. These are the things that I do when taking on something like an engine swap.
1. Read everything you can find about similar swaps. With enough research you won't run into many surprises.
2. Make a list of parts needed with cost so you have a reasonably accurate estimate of what everything will cost to get the swap finished. If you do this you won't end up selling your half finished swap on craiglist because you ran out of money.
3. Buy a how to build a LS engine book for quick reference on torque values etc.
4. Take pictures of everything as you take it apart and put it together. After a few weeks/months sometimes even simple things can be difficult to figure out during reassembly like routing of wiring or which bolt goes where. I saved a lot of time by referencing my pictures and many times it was pictures of things that I didn't think I would need.
5. Use plastic bags to store your nuts/bolts/parts and label them so you can find them easily.
6. Clean and/or paint your parts before putting them on the car. Do it while its apart, that is the easiest time to do it. If you put it together thinking that you will clean/paint it later usually it never happens.
7. Replace any questionable items on your donor engine before installing it into your car. Have the injectors tested(mine were bad after the engine sat for a couple of years), new o2 sensors, etc can go a long ways in making your swap reliable.
8. Take a break when frustrated, don't force something together and risk damage.
9. Know your limits and skill level. Ask for help when you need it or seek advice/parts from a vendor.
1. Read everything you can find about similar swaps. With enough research you won't run into many surprises.
2. Make a list of parts needed with cost so you have a reasonably accurate estimate of what everything will cost to get the swap finished. If you do this you won't end up selling your half finished swap on craiglist because you ran out of money.
3. Buy a how to build a LS engine book for quick reference on torque values etc.
4. Take pictures of everything as you take it apart and put it together. After a few weeks/months sometimes even simple things can be difficult to figure out during reassembly like routing of wiring or which bolt goes where. I saved a lot of time by referencing my pictures and many times it was pictures of things that I didn't think I would need.
5. Use plastic bags to store your nuts/bolts/parts and label them so you can find them easily.
6. Clean and/or paint your parts before putting them on the car. Do it while its apart, that is the easiest time to do it. If you put it together thinking that you will clean/paint it later usually it never happens.
7. Replace any questionable items on your donor engine before installing it into your car. Have the injectors tested(mine were bad after the engine sat for a couple of years), new o2 sensors, etc can go a long ways in making your swap reliable.
8. Take a break when frustrated, don't force something together and risk damage.
9. Know your limits and skill level. Ask for help when you need it or seek advice/parts from a vendor.
07-26-2014, 09:25 AM
#56
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Just found this, & it's too good not to share:
Electrical Pigtail ID/part numbers
(Opens as a PDF file, you should be able to right-click & 'save as'.)
Electrical Pigtail ID/part numbers
(Opens as a PDF file, you should be able to right-click & 'save as'.)
07-26-2014, 10:57 AM
#57
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What I would have done different, not over power the car, everything on the car was bought to handle 700-800 hp, except the car itself, I'm sure I would have been happy with a 400hp 240 but at the end ended up with 481rwhp and built for nitrous which I soon decided it was not needed, I should sell the motor and start over but the idiot voice in my head says screw that, cage it and put a live axle and put the nitrous kit on, I've since started collecting parts for that. and 160 mph in a car that came with 155hp maybe, scary.
07-26-2014, 11:13 AM
#58
Maybe his wife is a cop and he meant this literally? 
Things I'd do over...
Setting the end goal for the car and sticking with it. Case in point, I bought a front brake conversion for what I thought would be a street cruiser and drag car. Then I got bit by the road race bug and went through progressively bigger "band aids" for an undersized brake system. I'm happy with it now, but I own three front brake setups.
Use ziplock freezer bags and a sharpie to bag and tag bolts/parts as they come off. This keeps things clean and organized. No more "um... Where did I put that bolt?"
Things I'd do over...
Setting the end goal for the car and sticking with it. Case in point, I bought a front brake conversion for what I thought would be a street cruiser and drag car. Then I got bit by the road race bug and went through progressively bigger "band aids" for an undersized brake system. I'm happy with it now, but I own three front brake setups.
Use ziplock freezer bags and a sharpie to bag and tag bolts/parts as they come off. This keeps things clean and organized. No more "um... Where did I put that bolt?"
07-26-2014, 01:24 PM
#59
Best advice yet I have found is this.
Finish college and get a good job BEFORE building a car or doing a swap. Your wallet and girlfriend will love you for it. Nothing like being broke, no decent job, having a leach of a girlfriend, a half dis-assembled project and no garage to work on your stuff.
Lastly, I found this somewhere, A good cross-thread is better than Loc-Tire and day. So learn from yours and others mistakes
Finish college and get a good job BEFORE building a car or doing a swap. Your wallet and girlfriend will love you for it. Nothing like being broke, no decent job, having a leach of a girlfriend, a half dis-assembled project and no garage to work on your stuff.
Lastly, I found this somewhere, A good cross-thread is better than Loc-Tire and day. So learn from yours and others mistakes
07-26-2014, 04:56 PM
#60
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When I started this project I was going to refresh a 350 I have bolt it to a T56 and stuff it in my Nova. I had already planned on upgrading the suspension. So I bought TCI front and rear.
Then I decided to go LSx. I jumped in head first without doing any research. I bought an '04 Vette pullout. I had not planned for this expense and put me WAY over budget. LTx trans + LSx motor =
So now that I have overspent, and far more important things come along, my project sits quietly in my shop waiting.
#1. Set a realistic goal and stick to it!!
#2. Do lots of research before you jump in!!
#3. Work up to your abilities and not beyond. If you do not feel comfortable doing it yourself, get help or pay to have it done. You will save a lot of money in the long run. It will cost you more to have somebody fix your mess than having it done correctly the first time.
#4. Pay attention to how much you are spending. While you may end up with a cool car, it's no place for your family to live.
#5. Do not let your project "Snowball".
#6. Take your time and do it right the first time. It's not a race to see who gets done first. Except at the track.
Then I decided to go LSx. I jumped in head first without doing any research. I bought an '04 Vette pullout. I had not planned for this expense and put me WAY over budget. LTx trans + LSx motor =
So now that I have overspent, and far more important things come along, my project sits quietly in my shop waiting.
#1. Set a realistic goal and stick to it!!
#2. Do lots of research before you jump in!!
#3. Work up to your abilities and not beyond. If you do not feel comfortable doing it yourself, get help or pay to have it done. You will save a lot of money in the long run. It will cost you more to have somebody fix your mess than having it done correctly the first time.
#4. Pay attention to how much you are spending. While you may end up with a cool car, it's no place for your family to live.
#5. Do not let your project "Snowball".
#6. Take your time and do it right the first time. It's not a race to see who gets done first. Except at the track.