JacobJ

On the bright side, getting a new condenser in there was a breeze! Im thinking it will need its own pusher fan, maybe a thin 15"
An original condenser weighs about 40 pounds and this thing is maybe a quarter of that, and should work better!
I made a pattern from the original radiator core support, which will come in handy to make a bracket to hold in an aluminum radiator.

JacobJ

So i haven't don't my computer programming yet and I was wondering about the 8l90e transmission. those are behind these same engines from 2016 up I believe, but does anyone know if they use the same wiring harness and computer? is it just a matter of different programming? or what else is changed?
Now would be the time to upgrade.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

1989GTA

I really do not know about the 8L90. However I would assume the communication scheme is the same as the 6L80. So I think you would just need an ECM that is setup for the 8L90 and that "might" require a new harness depending on what ECM you have now. Maybe get ahold of Speartech as he is doing an 8L90 conversion right now and can probably tell you all you need to know.

JacobJ

I was just reading about the new 10 speed transmission! I'm guessing thats an entirely different animal though, its a Ford / GM joint project

I wil try to get ahold of speartech, thats a good idea. from what I can read online, the 6L and 8L are about the same external dimensions

evldoer

iTrader: (7)

The 8l uses an external tcm, and the 6l uses an internal tcm.[mounted inside the trans] If you want to go with the 8l, you are going to need a complete harness from a 6.2/8l combo, from my understanding. I see member Vanetta20 replied to this thread, shoot him a pm. He offered up his expertise on the wiring aspect to this project-I can't think of a better person to ask

1989GTA

The dimensions are pretty close. John at Speartech said the rear mounting pad location is in a little different location on the 8L90. I would guess slightly further back than on the 6L80.

jcvett56

The wiring for the 6L80 and 8L90 are completely different. The two aren't interchangeable and require their own harnesses.

-Justin @ Speartech

JacobJ

That solves that, thank you for the info!

JacobJ

Got a bunch more work done on the Special this week. This car had one of the dirtiest frame / undersides I've seen. Not oily or greasy, but probably 20 pounds of that california desert sand from sitting for ages outside. On the bright side, almost zero rust in the trunk and floors, with the exception of the area where the rear passenger's feet would be. this will be an easy fix though. I used an angle grinder and various wire wheels to clean it up, some wax and grease remover, and then sprayed some kbs rust seal on it. I should have got some before pictures, heres after wire wheeling it and then paint.

JacobJ

The gas tank on the left is the original to the 56 special, and the one on the right is from a 51 Roadmaster. the 56 has been visible leaking and looks rough, so I test fit the 51 and sure enough its a match! the filler neck actually sits a tiny bit higher but with the electric fuel pump and plumbing, I will need to space the tank down a 3/8 to 1/2" anyways. Went over it with the wire wheel on the angle grinder and painted it up.

JacobJ

Next I plan on tackling this monster of a wiring harness. Luckily the wrecking yard that pulled it left it all completely intact. I was able to find some schematics after sorting through 900+ pages of wiring diagrams that will be helpful for making this a standalone system. It looks like getting the computer tuned for standalone will be around $250 so thats not terrible. I'll be making my own system of fuses and relays, with some luck this will only be a few hours.

skylark

I'm in lust! If I ever won the lottery a 53 Skylark convertible would be my daily driver.

JacobJ

I did some more work (mostly planning) on the exhaust and fuel system today. I will be using an aeromotive 340 pump with a standard LS1 style fuel filter / pressure regulator (from a 98 to 02 LS1). As you can see, a standard 6an bulkhead with a barb adapter is most of an inch too long. I think I can make a different bulkhead fitting thats a lot shallower, I did something similar in the past. the pump won't be mounted in this hole, this is just for height reference. where it will be mounted is about 1/2" deeper. I plan on cutting a hole on one of the flat areas of the tank and making my own bracket. I will use the factory sending unit as the return line. Also, I trimmed up the X pipe to get it a little tighter. I will have to mount it in place with the rear cage, then remove the rear cage and finish building. It looks like I can position the pipes in a way that doesn't interfere too much with the brake rotors cooling ability.

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

Excellent work. Really cool project!

Andrew

JacobJ

Does anyone have a recommendation for a type / brand of gasket maker that holds up to gasoline? I will be making my own gasket that seals on the gas tank for the fuel pump assembly.

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

Permatex Aviation sealer. I've used it with cork gaskets and also by itself. Works well for both. Cleans up with rubbing alcohol.

Andrew

JacobJ

Thanks for the tip, I'll give that sealer a try.

Also does anyone know if using a standard LS1 style fuel pressure regulator (58 psi) works well with this L83? I tried to do some searching on this forum and couldn't confirm that.

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

For fuel pressure you need to find out what the stock setup is. A lot of new setups are PWM controlled.

Andrew

jrob56

iTrader: (39)

Subscribing, nice work!

JacobJ

After some research, it looks like I can either run a PWM computer, which involves a small wiring harness and fuel pressure sensor, or I can run a constant 73 psi system. I think I will opt for a constant regulated system, for simplicity sake.

Also, for the MAF- I have the original maf but not the air intake. Does anyone know the diameter of the maf housing? is the best way to make my own air intake to simply cut out this portion of the oem intake and integrate it into my air intake? or can I get a piece of generic intake piping, cut a hole, and stick the maf in there? It looks like I can buy an air filter housing with the maf housing, for 85 bucks on eBay