LQ4/4L80 swap 1969 Mercedes
07-19-2017, 03:04 PM
#141
Staging Lane
Thread Starter
Made a little more progress in the last week. I had the car aligned and I didn't screw up the suspension too much. They were able to get everything adjusted to spec except for castor, off by just less than 1 degree.
Then yesterday I took the car to get weighed.
Before I started the swap the car weighed 1760 front, 1400 rear, 3140 lbs total with a 1/2 tank of gas.
Now after the swap the car weighs 1880 front, 1420 rear, 3300 lbs total with a 1/2 tank of gas, at the sales scales.
So 120 lbs heavier in the front and 20 lbs in the rear.
Should have gone with an aluminum block!
But while driving yesterday my oil leak problem popped back up. Going to have to swap the oil pan. The one I installed has an issue at the remote oil filter AN line connection. Sucks!
Then yesterday I took the car to get weighed.
Before I started the swap the car weighed 1760 front, 1400 rear, 3140 lbs total with a 1/2 tank of gas.
Now after the swap the car weighs 1880 front, 1420 rear, 3300 lbs total with a 1/2 tank of gas, at the sales scales.
So 120 lbs heavier in the front and 20 lbs in the rear.
Should have gone with an aluminum block!
But while driving yesterday my oil leak problem popped back up. Going to have to swap the oil pan. The one I installed has an issue at the remote oil filter AN line connection. Sucks!
07-19-2017, 04:00 PM
#143
With the driver (me), the "junk in the trunk" and about 3/4 tank of fuel, mine is 3300 - 1764 front, 1536 rear for 53/47 split. Without the driver, without the "junk in the trunk" and about 1/8 tank of fuel, it's 2980 - 1682 front, 1298 rear for 56/44. Weighed with corner scales. That was with the 5.0L thin-wall cast iron block/alum heads.
The all aluminum LS3 weighed net about 20 lbs. less (both weighed on 3 bathroom scales!), but I reinstalled an a/c compressor, hoses, condenser, etc. So I'm calling it a wash on the engine swap. Shows you how little metal they had in those late cast iron 5.0L blocks -- and why they break the block so easily. The better comparison would be to a 5.8L 351 block -- the all aluminum LS3 would be about 80 lbs. lighter - and I suspect that's what you'd see in yours if you'd gone aluminum. FWIW.
The all aluminum LS3 weighed net about 20 lbs. less (both weighed on 3 bathroom scales!), but I reinstalled an a/c compressor, hoses, condenser, etc. So I'm calling it a wash on the engine swap. Shows you how little metal they had in those late cast iron 5.0L blocks -- and why they break the block so easily. The better comparison would be to a 5.8L 351 block -- the all aluminum LS3 would be about 80 lbs. lighter - and I suspect that's what you'd see in yours if you'd gone aluminum. FWIW.
07-19-2017, 04:13 PM
#144
Staging Lane
Thread Starter
Yep, cast iron inline 6, aluminum head. I was really hoping for a closer weight since I pulled so much heavy junk out, like the steering box, and moved the battery to the trunk. But still not horrible.
07-19-2017, 04:18 PM
#145
It was a real lesson in shifting weight around playing with the corner scales. Just opening the door all the way shifts 25-30 lbs from one side to the other. The power of leverage. You might think moving the battery to the trunk would simply shift 40 lbs. (or so) from the front to the rear. Not so. On mine - it sat a about a foot in front of the front axle-line. But about 2 feet behind the rear axle with the relocate. That extra leverage resulted in about 25 lbs. less weight on the front tires and 65 more lbs. on the rear tires. Corner scales are fun to play with. I put 180 lbs. of weights in the driver's seat -- and set the cross weights at 50/50 and aligned it in the garage with the weight in the seat.
