bsharpe

iTrader: (3)

You might have noticed i have made some changes since my last update.


First I removed all of the body panels i could and stripped them to bare metal. I then sprayed them with epoxy primer.




I also collected all of the parts to finish my brakes and front suspension. I am using ls1 brakes from 4th gen f-bodies.





The install was really simple. I first brought my front drum hubs and and rear axles to the machine shop with my rotors for a reference. The outside diameter of the front hubs and the inner flange of the rear axle needs to be turned down. I was unsure if the rear axles needed to be modified or not but the inside of the rotor did not fit over the inner axle flange. None of the local machine shops could modify the rear axles so i had to drive and spend more then i expected. Otherwise the rear brakes bolt on with no modifications or adapters except for the use of washers to center the calipers over the rotors.



The front spindles needed to be grinded a little and then everything bolted up using richs brackets. I bought flex core brake hoses from kore 3 and like most was extremely happy with the service and knowledge received from tobin.

I also wire brushed and cleaned the front frame and suspension and painted with por15.



I then installed the powerperformance tall ball joints and spc adjustable upper control arms and i am using the stock springs for now



I still have to run my brake lines and buy a master cylinder.

Pypes 3" exhaust is in the trunk ready to be installed

thunderstruck507

iTrader: (18)

do you know what all one would need to do the front brakes with stock upper control arms (if possible?)

bsharpe

iTrader: (3)

The Upper control arms do not make a difference. What brakes do you currently have?

Russ_B_10

iTrader: (3)

Ben,
How is the Chevelle coming? You haven't posted in a while?

bsharpe

iTrader: (3)

well, I finished bolting up the new suspension and brakes by the end of July. I stripped and primed the rest of the car and tries to get it on the road. Insuring it ended up being more of a problem then predicted so i barely drove it.

With no heat and no insurance i decided to tear it apart and redo some things this winter. I picked up a complete Ly6 gen 4 6.0 truck engine last week. I had originally just planned on swapping cams in the ls1 but decided it made more sense financially to redo the swap with the ly6 that has the l92 heads, dod, and vvt which gives me more options and potential in the future.

I really want to use the 6l80e which was originally behind the engine but i realize that it will require some serious trans tunnel surgery.

I could use a 4l70e which will fit better and i could use the tune from the 6.0 which used it but would need to get a different harness to modify, which i plan on doing myself this time. i also picked up HP tuners so i will be able to do the tuning and vats removal as well.

I will wait for a good deal to make my decision.

bsharpe

iTrader: (3)

Here are some pictures from September








Russ, hows your swap coming?

Chevelle_LS

Great project!

I fitted my Ls1 into my Chevelle 1970 last night and came across the same problem as you with the trans tunnel. How much did you have to massage it with the bfh to make it fit?

I am sitting at 5 degrees now an only hitting on the driver side in the front of the tunnel.

Thinking of remaking the tunnel completely by cutting and lifting it 1/2" to have good clearance.

bsharpe

iTrader: (3)

I am starting the second phase of my Chevelle build and I thought I would share it with you guys.

I had originally planned on upgrading the cam and heads this winter but after thinking about it I decided to redo everything. I picked up a complete 6.0 ly6 and a 2wd 6L90. I love the power and potential this motor has with l92 heads and VVT which I think is a plus. I also think the 6l90 is a huge improvement over the 4l60e but I think it is going to be difficult to fit the huge trans under the chevelle.
I plan on keeping the engine stock at first just to help simplify the wiring and tuning which I plan on doing myself this time. I will be reusing the edelbrock mounts and headers and will probably be getting a cts-v oil pan this time.



The ls1 and 4l60e are out of the chevelle. I was able to compare the 6l90 and 4l60e and I am a little worried. I knew the 6l90 was huge but I did not think the ground clearance was going to be an issue. The 6l90 is 4in taller measuring from the bottom of the pan to the center of the output shaft. This means if I keep my driveline angles the same then the 6l90 will hang 4in lower. I will try and test fit everything later this week.





I have been planning the wiring and electronic part of the swap.
The plan is to modify my stock harness not only to be standalone but to be more appealing. I need reroute everything so the wires do not go over the intake and to locate the ecm and fuse box inside the car.

I plan on getting a dash wiring harness,BCM and escalade gauge cluster. The OEM gauge clusters are nice and effective especially with the newer display information center(dic). I realise it will take some customising but it is a much better option then buying Covans thunder road dash and Custom Speedhut gauges for 750 which i had originally planned.



By incorporating the BCM I have options to add a cts/g8 shifter, remote start and other features in the future. I also feel confident that hackers and others will create more options and benefits for the new systems as well.

bsharpe

iTrader: (3)

The engine and trans are in. Fitment was not a big issue. I placed both trans at the same top height and the difference is not that noticeable. The 6l90 is much fatter in the rear.







I would think the trans would have fit with some persuasion with a hammer if on wanted but I made a H cut for extra clearance.



I removed the engine and finished modifying the engine wiring harness. It took a lot of time but was actually much simpler then I had predicted. These harnesses are basically standalone from the factory. I just had to reroute, shorten, and lengthen some wires. I also wired in electrical fans and made my own fuse relay set up.


I still have not figured out the cluster wiring and computers. It looks like adding the BCM might make things much more complicated. I have read that the pcm, bcm, and cluster need to be compatible but cant find info on which ones are. I think I also might have to have the BCM tuned and set up by a dealer for it to work properly but I currently only want a functional gauge cluster with a DIC. I do not need any of the other features yet. I have a lot more research to do.

Before I reinstall the engine I am shaving the firewall and cleaning things up a little.

I also picked up a set of Recaro seats to replace the bench in the front. Like the rest of my parts i have used, I did not buy new but rather used from a junkyard. They are from a Saturn ion redline. I do not know if I am going to modify the rear seats to work or just reupholster them to match.


They need to be cleaned but they are exactly what i have been looking for.

I patched the trans tunnel and started reassembling the interior. I was able to set the trans at 3 degrees without cutting the floor braces which was my goal but i will have some serious ground clearance issues.

I got 50 sq ft of fat mat and covered the floors before gluing down some black ozite carpet.



I also put in the new seats and gauges. I realise that the carpet and seats do not go with the old panels but i plan on getting some new panels in the future and would like to change the blue to black. The rear seats fit pretty good without any modifications but i think i will most likely put my stock bench back in and spend my time elsewhere. I have already modified the front seat brackets to bolt up to the chevelle floor.






I only need to finish a few more things before I can get the car on the road. I have to wire in the BCM and gauge cluster. I have to get my exhaust and driveshaft adjusted for the bigger trans. I need to adjust the truck 6l90 dip stick to fit or plug it like the cars. I think the truck one would work but it is seems impossible to install. And i need to buy an alternator

bsharpe

iTrader: (3)

During the last month i have slowly tackled the small but necessary tasks and i was finally able to start the motor last weekend. Only 1 of the banks would fire. After checking all of my wiring, every injector I found that the gas tank was basically empty. Which is why you should always check the simple things first. The only problem i have is a p2138 accelerator pedal code. I have checked my wiring and everything seems fine. The pedal is new. I have read everything i can find about this problem but still cant get the dbw to work. I think my new pedal might be at fault and i will try and find another pedal to test.


I will try and wire in the BCM and start working on getting the gauges and other things working this weekend. I have tested but failed to get the Cluster to power up. I need to find the correct wiring diagram. The one i have shows a 20 pin connector but the cluster is 26 pins. I will try and go to the dealership to get the schematics and diagrams but that is always a very painful experience especially when they charge me $3 each for the tiny bcm wiring terminals which i cant find anywhere else.

deuce4935

iTrader: (2)

Excellent!

71ANTICARB

iTrader: (23)

What size wheel adaptors are you using? Are your wheel for a f-body or a Corvette, I know they are z06's but what offset do you know?

71ANTICARB

iTrader: (23)

BTW nice write up.

bsharpe

iTrader: (3)

I spent most of the weekend working on the chevelle and I made some good progress. The engine is running at 100% now and I am able to rev it with a working accelerator pedal. I read that the corvette pedals were wired differently than the trucks so I switched pins d and f on the pedal connector and to match the corvette diagrams and everything worked perfectly. The Monte carlo pedal is compatible it just needs to be wired differently.
I did pull a couple of the injectors and put them in boiling water to unclog them.

I also was able to wire up the bcm and gauge cluster I will get more information and all of the details later but everything seems to be functional like planned. I still have a lot of things to play with and add in the future. Here is a picture of everything lit up.




Unfortunately everything didn’t work perfectly. I did not drive the car yet because of transmission problems. I am getting a p0700 code and P2723 – Pressure Control Solenoid E Stuck Off. I was expecting some problems with the trans since they are new to swaps but I was not ready for mechanical problems. I bought it from a respectable Junk yard with only 20000 miles. Hopefully the problem will fix itself because I do not know where or how I could have the trans comfortably serviced.

I have been watching a lot of the 48 hour camaro build and really enjoyed seeing the little details that most shows miss. I think the little things are what really makes a difference in a build.

Here are some pictures of the upper intake hose I made for my set up. It makes a huge difference to have a hose that fits the car and looks good. Many install a long hoes that loops around but it looks awful and takes up a lot of extra space in my opinion. I just went to the autoparts store and stared at their wall of hoses until i found one i liked.



I also mentioned I had trouble getting the dipstick installed. I ended up trimming the tip which goes into the trans just enough to clear the floorpans. It fits rather nice otherwise.


I also never mentioned that i swapped the power steering pulley with one from an inline 6 late 90's GM car. PN 10166335

350SS

iTrader: (38)

nice work getting the gauges to work...looks really trick. so did you have to have the bcm flashed with any specific file to make it work with the pcm that you're using? also curious to see how far the 6l90 hangs below the crossmember compared to the 4l60 if you have any pics... subscribing

Agent_Orange_Shuvel

iTrader: (8)

Great looking swap, that gauge cluster will definitely turn some heads! Good luck with getting the tranny issues sorted out.

chuckd71

iTrader: (23)

Have you run it with that pulley? Any issues as far as getting it even with the crank pulley? I don't think the one I have will go on far enough so need to swith to one that will.
Thanks

bsharpe

iTrader: (3)

I do not remember the offset but they are 17 x 9.5 and for the f-body. I am running 2" spacers in the front which barely gives me enough clearance between the wheels and upper control arms at full lock but i have not aligned it yet. The rears are only 1.25" but i will be going to 2" for more clearance with the exhaust.

I was expecting the gauges to be a major problem especially since my all of my computers were from different vehicles but all i needed to do was wire it up correctly and everything worked perfectly.
I will be modifying a g8 6l80 pan and installing it for more ground clearance. It is currently a little lower then the headers which hang down pretty low.
Yes i have run it with the pulley and it works perfectly. I pressed it all the way on and it aligned with all of the other pulleys.


The trans shifted into gear and is not throwing codes anymore. I am not sure how i fixed it. Either reflashing the computer after making some changes or adding another quart of fluid.

I also started to hear a grinding noise occasionally when running in park. I have not been able to track it down and am cautious to run it since it could be causing some damage.

71ANTICARB

iTrader: (23)

Why did you swap the pulley on ps.

chuckd71

iTrader: (23)

So it will clear the p/s box when using truck accessories.