1FastShorty

I just bought a 5.3 and 4L60E transmission with the ecu, fues box (under hood) and any/all wiring i could grab for Fuel pump, ignition, ext... out of a 99 Chevy. i have two issues standing in my way of getting it in the truck.
1. what motor mounts/conversion kit is required? my truck had a 350 SB originally.
2. what wires do i need to keep and what can i junk to make it run? i am keeping the factory wiring for the Windows & Lights, but need to wire in the ingition and fuel pump (adding an in line fuel pump). I will not be running ABS or A/C.

If anyone has a wiring diagrams, motor mount part #'s, or any information that will help get this truck back on the road, that would be great.

jomomma

iTrader: (39)

you will only need a pair of adapter plates for your swap. they will allow you to use your stock motormounts. adapter plates are pretty generic and you can pick up a set on ebay for cheap.

dec010974

iTrader: (1)

hello 1fastshrty. my conversion in a '87 c10 is almost complete(DBW/5.3/4l60e). 1)motor mounts- i used motor mounts from s&p which places the motor very close to the fire wall. if the adapters could bring the lsx closer to the radiator support you will B able to use the factory holes mounting for your ac compressor. this may force you to use electric fans. 2) wire harness- if you can make your own great. i couldn't find schematics. buy a wire harnes with everything such as fuse block, relays for fans N fuel pump, signals for speedo N tacho, check engine lamp, and obd port. it is easier this way. 3) it may be easier to go drive by cable. with your (DBW)5.3 you buy the matching tac module and foot pedal(dbw). if you didnt, the engine wont idle. thats why i cant finsh my project. 4) your computer for reprogramming will be CABLE or DBW. make sure thats correct. 5) pics what tranny your gonna use. that will cause an issue also. the project is doable. im not a mechanic. good luck. email me if you need any help(dec010974@yahoo.com). i have alot of pics to send and explain things. im not an expert.

1FastShorty

i have seen quite a few adaptor plates on ebay, but was not sure that it is exaclty what i needed. i do have a complete wiring harness - the fues block in the dash, but i was able to get all the wires coming out of the firewall, and back to the fuel pump. i have been reading other conversations about similar swaps and have seen a few people mention that there are only a few wires that need to be connected. I do plan on running electric fans, and i'm pretty sure that the motor i have is cable not drive by wire. if you have any pics of your build you would like to share, please send them to bobs_emailis@yahoo.com i would love to see it. i will try to take a few pictures tonight and post them tomorrow.

dec010974

iTrader: (1)

everything about the conversion is trail and error. you may have to buy two or three different motor mounts. street and peformance adapters plates sat my motor closer to the firewall. the adapter plates are labled driver side and passenger side. may be if you switch the sides the motor may sit closer to the radiator support. some adapter plates are adjustable. you may want to try those and use the most forward setting. be mindful that you need space for clutch fans and tubing for throttle body. i can get pics but gotta find camera. email me. dec010974@yahoo.com so we can correspond directly. ill give you my number also with the email. i live miami fl for eastern time zone.

1FastShorty

Below are the plates that i have been looking at... i contacted the seller and he said that he doesn't know if they will work or not, but for $30 how can i go wrong... any thoughts... i will email you some pictures tomorrow once i take them tonight.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

dec010974

iTrader: (1)

you cant go wrong with them. i would try them also for $30. here is a pic of my s&p adapter plates. is your motor and tranny bolted together? if you try to put thm both in at once,its easier to remove the radiator support or get some good strong friends. lifting motor n tranny together is pretty heavy and they both must clear the radiator support. i had problems mounting the 5.3 to the clam shell mounts. i had to remove the clam shell from the frame, bolt it to the motor mount, and then fasten them to the frame mount. the passenger side was a breeze. the driver side gave me my gray hair.

dec010974

iTrader: (1)

pics of mounts. look and see how close it is to frame. if i could move it maybe 1 inch or so i could mount my a/c, down below passenger side motor mount.

bustac

iTrader: (1)

We just put a 5.3 in my sons 89 silverado, we used the fuse block from the 2001 engine and its only about 4-8 wires we needed to hook up. We used the instructions from this link.

1FastShorty

My motor and tranny are both still together, but i don't have a front clip on my truck, so setting it in the frame should be easy. What did you use for a transmission mount? did the factory mount work? it looks like my 4L60E has a single stud and the factory 700R4 had two studs... i may be able to drill out the crossmember, but i will have to see where the motor fits first.

thanks for the pictures, they were a great help... i just ordered the plates so they should be in soon... i will try to take a few pictures of the truck and motor tonight... i didn't make it to the shop last night.

1FastShorty

this is exactly what i was looking for... i appreciate it... do you have your sons motor running yet? What fuel pump did you use (in line or in tank) did you use the factory gauges? did you still have to reprogram the computer to bypass the security?

dec010974

iTrader: (1)

to convert the single mount to double tranny mount use the polyurethane tranny mount. they cost around $30. it also comes with the hardware except the screws to mount the tail shaft to the rubber mount. i used the original screws from the 4l60e and bolted it to the rubber mount and the rubber mount to the tranny mount. the drive angle must sit between 1 - 5 degrees. when everything is up and running i will have it checked by the company that extends my driveshaft. before i started the swap, i ran with a 383/700r4 setup. my drive shaft needs to be extended 2-5 inches. this is very critical. must be measured will vehicle is on a flat leveled surface. i pay for thier expertise rather than measuring myself. ill mail you pics directly

dec010974

iTrader: (1)

also i used a walbro in tank pump. its quieter and they it last a little longer due it not being expose to the elements. only thing, you have to drop the tank. but its cost effective. the walboro 255 is easy to install. it also comes with all the pieces. when setting up your pump you must place the fuel pump with at least 54 psi, idle and 58 WOT between to 2 filters. the setup goes filter, then fuel pump, 2nd filter, regulator, to fuel rail. regulator regulates fuel to 58 psi and returns excess fuel back to tank. i used a corvette fuel filter/regulator combo. ill send pics directly of tranny mount and fuel line. also you may have to go with headers. factory exhaust (in my case) touches the frame rail. ill send pics of that also.

jomomma

iTrader: (39)

i just relocated my trans crossmember and used a poly 4l60 trans mount and it worked out just fine. i was able to reuse the stock tranny crossmember rear hole and drilled the other hole to make it work.

fptransport

could you send pics to me also at fptransport@yahoo.com

bustac

iTrader: (1)

The motor is up and running as of last week. We used an external inline walbro pump, don't have any feedback on it yet. We are still trying to work out a drive shaft for it since we also used 4L80E. As far as trans crossmember we just used the original just needed to drill new holes for the frame. We are planning to use factory guage so far we only have fuel and volt meter.

You'll need to tune out VATS (security) we have HP Tuners S/W or you can send your PCM to people on the site and they will add what ever tunning you need for a fair price.

1FastShorty

we should be able to set the motor into the frame at some point this week. my adaptor plates should be in any day now. i don't expect to have it running any time soon as there are still a lot of little things to do, but i will try to get some pictures posted asap. I was going to do it this weekend and instead i bought two more trucks and had to go pick them up. (nothing that will hurt my shorty build, i bought a 76 Bronco to build for a guy, and a 72 chevy long bed 4x4 to strip the parts off of and scrap the rest) i look forward to the pictures this has been really helpful so far.

As for the tuning, there is a local guy that is really good at it, he will tune my truck, override the security, and help with the wiring for $250 and i know he is good, so i think i am ok there.

1FastShorty

i started setting in my motor last night and hit a few bumps in the road but nothing major... i used a set of adaptor plates that said the motor could go 2 inches forward or 1 inch back... i tried the 2" forward to try to keep my A/C compressor but its not going to work. my oil pan is sitting on the motor crossmember and won't let the motor mounts drop in place. i will be pulling it out and flipping the plates either tonight or tomorrow night so we will se how that goes.

1FastShorty

IT FITS... who knew? the 5.3 is sitting in the truck now with a jackstand supporting the transmission. i can use the factory crossmember, but i will have to move it back a few inches, so instead we are building a new crossmember to clean up the look of the frame. should have that done soon.

I guess i will see how things go this week, gonna try to get a fuel pump and lines so i can see if the thing even runs.

jomomma

iTrader: (39)

when you get ready, id send the pcm to tunedby frost.com. hes a sponser on here and does great work! hes done the tuning of all my vehicles.