Help! 5.3 into a 71 Chevelle...
11-12-2011, 05:23 PM
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Help! 5.3 into a 71 Chevelle... ok guys...I'm new here so my apologies if this has been covered elsewhere. I'm generally a Ford guy but we have a customer who has asked us to put a 5.3 out of an 02 Suburban (as far as we can tell) into his 71 Chevelle. We did some up-front research, mated up to his existing transmission and have attempted to get the engine/trans in place. We're using trans-dapt mounts for an ls to sbc conversion but we're seeing clearance issues with both the rear of the crossmember at the oil pan and the front of the oil pan with the steering linkage. Has anyone used the GMPP muscle car swap oil pan and if so does it help with the steering linkage clearance issue? Do the mounts that move the engine back an inch help any with this as well? Our customer is on a very limited budget so an aftermarket pan may be out of the question...sorry if this is covered elsewhere, but I appreciate any help!
11-13-2011, 09:40 AM
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The 1" setbacks move the trans forward about 1/4" so you can use the existing trans mount/driveshaft. It also allows for clearance of the CTS-V oil pan with the crossmember.
Using 1/4" spacers between the motor mount and plate moves the engine for better steering clearance, but most still seem to have contact at full lock. I removed the grease fittings for clearance. One way, the tie rods clear. Other way, it barely touches the pan.
My 72 442 build with 5.3:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...442-build.html
Using 1/4" spacers between the motor mount and plate moves the engine for better steering clearance, but most still seem to have contact at full lock. I removed the grease fittings for clearance. One way, the tie rods clear. Other way, it barely touches the pan.
My 72 442 build with 5.3:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...442-build.html
Last edited by garys 68; 11-13-2011 at 09:48 AM.
11-13-2011, 01:36 PM
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Thanks again for the information, I'm planning to take another stab at it tomorrow with the newer mounts. One additional question, has anyone tried to use the stock exhaust manifolds in an a-body? With the motor sitting back another inch it looks like it would clear on the passenger side but I'm unsure about the driver side. Worst case obviously would be to use a set of headers which we've already priced, just curious as the owner intended to use the stock manifolds (not my preference).
