LT1 Swap into a 1989 Sonoma, help please!
01-06-2014, 01:20 PM
#1
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LT1 Swap into a 1989 Sonoma, help please! Hey everyone, I posted this on a couple other forums as well, including ltxtech, and was suggested to this page, thanks for the help in advance!
So my dad and I are doing an LT1 swap to my '89 Sonoma and we ran into a couple problems.
1) What should we do about the cooling system? (What radiator to use)
2) What should we do about headers? Should we run shorties? Block hugger? Long tubes?
Thanks for the help!
So my dad and I are doing an LT1 swap to my '89 Sonoma and we ran into a couple problems.
1) What should we do about the cooling system? (What radiator to use)
2) What should we do about headers? Should we run shorties? Block hugger? Long tubes?
Thanks for the help!
01-06-2014, 02:32 PM
#2
Due to the reverse cooling I would see his an F or B body radiator would fit. Might look at the Corvette also.
I would contact Current Performance & Wiring, in FL myself. They have done more V8 S 10 swaps than anybody. Jared is a good guy and a straight shooter. You need his harness also. Nobody has done as many, or done them as well.
I would contact Current Performance & Wiring, in FL myself. They have done more V8 S 10 swaps than anybody. Jared is a good guy and a straight shooter. You need his harness also. Nobody has done as many, or done them as well.
01-06-2014, 07:16 PM
#5
here is a link to a pic of the hose setup I am talking about.
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/4...ement01qo4.jpg
it shows the t gm used so the steam hose doesnt have to go to the radiator.
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/4...ement01qo4.jpg
it shows the t gm used so the steam hose doesnt have to go to the radiator.
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01-07-2014, 09:16 AM
#9
You are correct. now look to the left at the T in the heater hose and you will see what I am talking about. the bleeder in the heater hose is on top. the throttle body return goes in to the heater hose. I respect your opinion but I am a retired master auto tech not just an idiot on the forum.LOOK at the heater hose!
here is an excerpt from an article explaining it in detail.
In LT1 B/D-cars, coolant exiting the throttle body is passed directly into a pressurized coolant reservoir where any air remaining in the coolant is completely scavenged. In LT1 F-cars, coolant from the throttle body connects to the heater outlet via a vented "tee" connector, where any trapped air in the system can be bled off manually. Eliminating steam pockets and foam in the coolant allows for more uniform cooling system performance, preventing hot spots and potential overheating.
you can find the entire article here. http://www.fierolt1.com/lt1_cool.htm
here is an excerpt from an article explaining it in detail.
In LT1 B/D-cars, coolant exiting the throttle body is passed directly into a pressurized coolant reservoir where any air remaining in the coolant is completely scavenged. In LT1 F-cars, coolant from the throttle body connects to the heater outlet via a vented "tee" connector, where any trapped air in the system can be bled off manually. Eliminating steam pockets and foam in the coolant allows for more uniform cooling system performance, preventing hot spots and potential overheating.
you can find the entire article here. http://www.fierolt1.com/lt1_cool.htm
That hose should just dump into the radiator tank, not a heater hose.
01-07-2014, 02:23 PM
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Thanks all for the help!
And to answer the 5.3L swap question instead of an LT1.. I love the LTX community. Also it doesn't take a genius to build an LS motor. Throw a random LS cam into an LS1 and it could make it quick! LT1's though, you actually have to do your research on everything. I just think the LT1/LT4's are awesome. Not trying to start an argument haha, I'm not opposed to LS motors, it's just that LT1's are more intriguing to me.
That is all.
Thanks again for the help Ed and Superspirit! The wiring harness is being sent to Bill at BP Automotive. He should have it back to us pretty quickly. We also ordered a set of Hedman LT's so we'll see how they work out!
And to answer the 5.3L swap question instead of an LT1.. I love the LTX community. Also it doesn't take a genius to build an LS motor. Throw a random LS cam into an LS1 and it could make it quick! LT1's though, you actually have to do your research on everything. I just think the LT1/LT4's are awesome. Not trying to start an argument haha, I'm not opposed to LS motors, it's just that LT1's are more intriguing to me.
That is all.
Thanks again for the help Ed and Superspirit! The wiring harness is being sent to Bill at BP Automotive. He should have it back to us pretty quickly. We also ordered a set of Hedman LT's so we'll see how they work out!
01-07-2014, 04:28 PM
#11
Wow! I'm just trying to keep somebody from doing something wrong. I'm no engineer. I have been a mechanic since 1965, opened my own shop Feb 1972. I have owned LT1 cars since 1997. Worked on them since they came out in late '91. I can walk out in my garage right now, look at two virgin LT1 cars and tell you how the water lines run. Just like the picture you show, except for the throttle body bypass thing it shows.
01-07-2014, 06:58 PM
#12
Can't recall having a '93 apart. Not one single '94, '95, '96 of '97 I have ever had apart routed the steam line through the throttle body. That pic you put a link to doesn't either.
If your getting away with that on your swap, good for you. The GM service manuals I got from a dealership that went under (published by Helm) aren't worded like that. What book are you quoting?
If your getting away with that on your swap, good for you. The GM service manuals I got from a dealership that went under (published by Helm) aren't worded like that. What book are you quoting?
01-07-2014, 08:36 PM
#15
Maybe I am misunderstanding the argument here but based on what I think I am reading.
Factory routing of the steam pipes to the best of my knowledge was always up along the intake then through the TB then from the TB to the cooling system be it the "surge" tank on the b-body or the hose on an f-body or apparently the radiator on other year f-bodies.
Rerouting the steam line so it bypasses the TB is a VERY VERY common mod and many folks who buy a used LT1 will likely find the bypass already done.
Otherwise what are the pipes on the bottom of the TB for?
Factory routing of the steam pipes to the best of my knowledge was always up along the intake then through the TB then from the TB to the cooling system be it the "surge" tank on the b-body or the hose on an f-body or apparently the radiator on other year f-bodies.
Rerouting the steam line so it bypasses the TB is a VERY VERY common mod and many folks who buy a used LT1 will likely find the bypass already done.
Otherwise what are the pipes on the bottom of the TB for?
01-07-2014, 08:45 PM
#16
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Maybe I am misunderstanding the argument here but based on what I think I am reading.
Factory routing of the steam pipes to the best of my knowledge was always up along the intake then through the TB then from the TB to the cooling system be it the "surge" tank on the b-body or the hose on an f-body or apparently the radiator on other year f-bodies.
Rerouting the steam line so it bypasses the TB is a VERY VERY common mod and many folks who buy a used LT1 will likely find the bypass already done.
Otherwise what are the pipes on the bottom of the TB for?
Factory routing of the steam pipes to the best of my knowledge was always up along the intake then through the TB then from the TB to the cooling system be it the "surge" tank on the b-body or the hose on an f-body or apparently the radiator on other year f-bodies.
Rerouting the steam line so it bypasses the TB is a VERY VERY common mod and many folks who buy a used LT1 will likely find the bypass already done.
Otherwise what are the pipes on the bottom of the TB for?
01-07-2014, 09:14 PM
#17
Maybe I am misunderstanding the argument here but based on what I think I am reading.
Factory routing of the steam pipes to the best of my knowledge was always up along the intake then through the TB then from the TB to the cooling system be it the "surge" tank on the b-body or the hose on an f-body or apparently the radiator on other year f-bodies.
Rerouting the steam line so it bypasses the TB is a VERY VERY common mod and many folks who buy a used LT1 will likely find the bypass already done.
Otherwise what are the pipes on the bottom of the TB for?
Factory routing of the steam pipes to the best of my knowledge was always up along the intake then through the TB then from the TB to the cooling system be it the "surge" tank on the b-body or the hose on an f-body or apparently the radiator on other year f-bodies.
Rerouting the steam line so it bypasses the TB is a VERY VERY common mod and many folks who buy a used LT1 will likely find the bypass already done.
Otherwise what are the pipes on the bottom of the TB for?
As for the steam plumbing, I have never had a B body apart, so will have to defer to the guy that has.
01-08-2014, 10:18 AM
#19
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I run a Griffin radiator without a fill cap. My fill cap is tee'd into the top hose (radiator return). There is a nipple on the bottom of the fill cap to which my steam line is plumbed. The stock top radiator hose for a 1993-94 has a molded tee you can use for the steam line. A Goodyear 62055.
01-08-2014, 04:53 PM
#20
On every unmolested LT1 car I have ever seen there was a 90degree elbow on the end of the steam pipe routing it to the TB then the outlet on the driver's side of the TB is then routed back into the rest of the cooling system.
Where do you propose the TB defrost circuit gets it's heat from if not the steam pipe?