84cruck

So I am doing my research for my plans to swap an ls1 and 460le in to my 84 El Camino. I am going from the stock 305 and auto tranny. I am currently sifting through the vast amounts of info on John b's website. But I have some questions was hoping someone could help me out with.
1. I have found a 98 ls1 and 460le f-body package w/ harness and computers that I am planning on picking up. Is there any downsides to this year engine combo?
2. Which oil pan is the end all fit all for g-bodys?
3. Exhaust that is not going to break my bank? Headers no cats preferably but I would not be opposed to start with manifolds to keep cost down.
4. Fuel pump cheapest easiest way to get fuel?
5. Getting speedo to work?
6. Any other quick tips to get this done as painless as possible?
Thanks

psiconversion

iTrader: (5)

I have an 86 Elky with an LT1 conversion that will be getting an LS2 sitting in the garage soon. Here is my take on your questions.....

1. Regarding the electronics, 98 PCMs use a different schematic. If you can, move to a 99-02 411 PCM. They are more common and you wont be pigeon holed into a 98 pinout. Remember you will have to use a 99-02 pinout on the harness.
2. I used the GM Performance Parts Hot Rod Oil Pan I can get the P/N if you want. Great deal at $150.00.
3. I am going to start with manifolds. Same reason, keep cost down.
4. I took a gas tank from a 96 caprice (any 94-96 would work). Cut the top of the tank off and removed the overmolded Fuel Pump bulkhead (steel ring molded into the tank). I think welded the ring onto the top of the elky tank. Then I loaded the entire assembly into the Elky tank. You can replace with an LS style pump and use a corvette fuel filter.
5. I did a custom gage set. Took my gages out and put a 3 3/4 Tach and Speedo from Autometer with a matching fuel gage. Keeping the idiot lights you can hook into the stock Alternator and Check Engine Lights to keep it stock looking.
6. I ended up removing all unnessesary wiring from the factory bulkhead and ran my fan/oil pressure and water temperature (autometer gage wires) through the factory locations. This kept everything clean.

I can send pics if you want. Hope this helps. Again, just my experience.

kj598bbc

Do a search on this site G-body has an 85ish Elco with an Ls powerplant, and search the G-body swap thread as well. Grab a tank out of a FI Elco.

G-Body

iTrader: (4)

Monte tank will not work, the El Camino uses a completely different fuel tank.

1. Nothing necessarily wrong with a 98, just that the PCM is one year only and has less potential. Not really a problem unless you plan on going forced induction and over ~1 bar of boost. The 98`s had weaker oil pumps,. if your doing a cam replace the oil pump too.

2. The LH8 oil pan (GM perf parts hotrod pan) is a good buy and will fit, but I think it will hang down. The f-body pan will fit, but you will have to notch the heaterbox and the clearance to the firewall is tight. I have heard the CTSV pan is a good fit, but I have no proof to back that up.

3. I am doing a cam swap right now and still keeping the manifolds. They flow as good or better than a set of shortys and longtubes don`t seem to be worth that much power, only a couple tenths in the 1/4. But then again my swap is my DD so I don`t want to deal with the header leak/rust issues....(over 50k miles on the swap so far).

4. I bought a EFI el camino tank new and then found a used 4.3l v6 EFI el camino sending unit.(WOW are they expensive new). If I had to do it again I would probably just cut the tank like juced211s did.

5.I took the guts out of an autometer electronic speedo that I bought off e-bay and put them behind my stock face....then had a new decal made so it would read to 120mph.

6. Check out the el camino swap thread and the stickies.

84cruck

I appreciate the help guys. Which manifolds did you use on your car? Do you have the part number for the hot rod oil pan?
I have another question which motor mounts did you use?
Do all of the accessories fit in a g-body from an f-body ls1 motor?
I plan on spaying the engine is there any concerns with the 98 ecm?
Thanks again

G-Body

iTrader: (4)

I used f-body manifolds. 19212593 is the PN. Custom mounts that I bought off a member who was parting out his car. The accys should fit, the A/C compressor will require notching the frame, and depending on how far you set the motor back the alt bracket may hit the frame. I think you should be ok with the 98 PCM but you may want to check in the nitrous forum.

jj62

G-Body,

How hard was it to attach the Autometer speedo to your old ElKO speedo??.

Thanks, Joe.........85 El Camino SS with lsx and 4l60e..............

84cruck

I pulled the 305 and tranny out last night. I of course ran into some more questions. What did you use for a cross member and transmission mount?

psiconversion

iTrader: (5)

I bought one from Summit nice piece. Regarding the autometer speedo question... it will work with an electronic speedometer. Stock Elky speedometer is mechanical.

jj62

You can use your orginal crossmember and enlongate the trans mount hole so it
will slip in.

You'll need to use a 700r4 or the 4l60e tail shaft yoke. And possibly
shorten the drive shaft. My elko had a 700r4 so the new trans and old driveshaft
went right together.

84cruck

What rearend are ya'll running?

jj62

stock, I think there like 2:90 not sure..

G-Body

iTrader: (4)

The speedo was fairly easy. Just rip the guts out of the autometer, drill a couple holes in the back of my old face to mount the autometer guts with. I did have to notch some of the plastic in the dash behind the speedo so that the circuitboards for the autometer would fit. Luckily there was another person doing a similar swap at the time and they were able to e-mail me a file for the background that I had printed on cardstock. (the factory speedo went to 85mph only and the autometer was a 120mph speedo.)

I fabricated my own trans crossmember out of 2x3 square tube.

psiconversion

iTrader: (5)

Running a 8.5 10-bolt with 3.73 Posi.

jj62

You said you used a 120 mph decal on the old face.
Where to get something like that?.

Is there anything else I need from Autometer to hookup to the 4L60e?.
The speedo is about $250-$280 on ebay.

Thanks,
Joe

84cruck

Does anyone have pics of where they mounted there pcm?

84cruck

ecm* opps

psiconversion

iTrader: (5)

While this is an LT1 setup right now, PCM will stay in the same spot when I put my LS2 in the car and it is close to the same size as an LS1. One pick shows a 2000 Camaro Console with the PCM underneath (I am in the process of making a piece to extend the console to the dash to hide the PCM and Fuse/Relay center kind of visible in the pic). Other pic shows the grommet seal where the harness passes through the firewall.

G-Body

iTrader: (4)

The new face/decal was a printout of an image that was designed by another member on this board. He happened to be doing the same swap I was, except that he had the skill needed to photoshop a speedometer design. I just had it printed on a piece of cardstock and stuck it to the speedo.

84cruck

I am trying to figure out my cooling system setup? Any idea on which radiator to use or is there a way to make a stocker work?
If anyone has pics of what they did that would be super helpful?