Has anyone done a ls or lq motor into a 3rd gen? I've been thinking about it. and need some ideas and how it could work

 

Yes i swearched but really im not sure what all is needed

 

Well covered here
http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/ltx-lsx/

Sticky covers just about everything

 

http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/lt...third-gen.html

Looking at the price sheet good lord.

 

Ya I've thinking about too..but there aren't enough good parts for me to do it.

 

Not enough parts?

What more do you need?

 

Cheaper Headers..better Front Suspension Upgrades, as in something that would work with my Eibach Springs or equavilant to that height in the front. Also better Brakes.

A T56 Crossmember that has the re-location Bracket so I can run my Torque Arm Relocated. I can run the rest of the Rear Suspension from my car in the Gen III Camaro.
I will say that I found one that can be modified..all that is needed is a welder and a piece of Steel..

SPOHN GEN III T56 Cross Member


Yes I'm a picky person, I like my cars setup good..


I could handle the Wiring..everything from my current '95 Z would go in it.

 

I just got slp lt's for free along with a 1800 stall :p

 

Well here's some good stuff..

LS1 Swap Headers..they are great that they are 1 3/4" Primaries, the only draw back(well for me) is that they are 2.5" Collectors. I would get them expanded out to a 3" Collector..it would better suit my application, and I can use a majority of my 3" TD setup.

http://www.hawksthirdgenparts.com/ha...beheaders.aspx



Great lookin part though.

Next is the Motor Mounts..

https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...d-gen-ls1.html



I assume these bolt to the 3rd Gen K-member..I've never looked at one so someone who has one feel free to chime in..hopefully the stock F-body LS1 Oil Pan works with these..


And here is a good part that will work for what I need..

http://www.hawksthirdgenparts.com/tr...t566speed.aspx



I actually would weld up a little vertical bracket up on that and make it to where my Torque Arm would be re-located like it currently is with the UMI setup I currently have..I dont see it being that hard to do. Just a vertical piece of 3/16", and I'll make a Bracket like the one that comes with the UMI one..




Maybe there is some potential in this.. I wonder how my Gauge Cluster would fit into a 3rd Gen..

 

Thirdgen front suspension can be set up quite well. You can get Eibach springs that'll get it as low as you want. The only thing you wont have is a steering rack. Ive driven both 4th and 3rd gens, and have always liked the way the 3rds handled better...on a properly set up and maintained car mind you...

Brakes...you can put any brakes that work on a 4th gen onto a 3rd gen. In fact, a member over on TGO will sell you the parts you need to put the big 6 pot calipers and 14" rotors on. All bolt on stuff. Im running LS1 brakes front and rear...best upgrade Ive made besides the drivetrain.

There are several torque arm/crossmember combinations available right now. You can get the BMR track pack and mount the tq arm back behind the crossmember, or you can get crossmember mounted arms. Best advice here is to build a double hump crossmember to your specs. Thats what I did, and I have my tq arm mount attached to it.

Headers...yes, you will need to drop some coin here unless you can build your own. But keep in mind the expensive headers are stainless, and are really good quality. If you want a cheaper alternative, the 02 manifolds flow pretty good, and can be used on even a healthy motor. You 'll need to fabricate a y-pipe no matter which route you take, but most f-body cat backs will work with a little fiddling on the 3rd gen. Im running an LT1 Magnaflow catback.

These cars didnt change much underneith from 82-02. From about the middle of the car back. Heck even the fuel lines, fuel tank, and entire rear suspension will just about bolt right in. Its great...

Ide say the 3rd gen is probably the MOST swapped car for the LS based motors. Anyone disagree? There are a ton of them out there...even on this board there are quite a few. Even a couple LS3 guys running around. Its a really easy and straightforward swap. You dont even have to do your own harness if you want to shell out the cash for a pre-made. Almost everything can be bought to make it a bolt on...you might have to comprimise on your ideal set up, but if you dotn want to fab things, there are ways around it.

Def do some lurking over on TGO and you'll find more than enough info on the subject. There litterally isnt one question I can think of that wouldnt be covered in one of the threads. If you cant find it, there are a bunch of us that would love to help...so just PM me or some of the other guys in the LSx swap forum.

J.

 

Cool..good info..I was thinking about the Fuel Tank part, I want to use the one that is in my LT1 Car and swap it in.

Yea I got my answer to my Motor Mount Question..that is for the conversion K-member from Spohn..I think I'm going to go with the BMR one on the site I posted links to up there.

There is a guy here somewhere that had some kind of AC Delete Heater Box for the Gen III on his car..hopefully he chimes in on where he got it..I don't plan on running AC.

How are the Steering Column's setup..are they similar to my Car?

 

Non AC boxes are common, usually $100 or less. Be sure to grab the fan motor with it. Your AC fan wont fit. An alternative is a Fiero fan

Steering columns are very similar. Some guys who swap in a 4th gen dash opt to use the 4th gen column too

You dont 'need' a conversion K-member, but it would make life easier. The stocker often clears, but some swaps require a small notch depending on what batch the motor mounts are from

The headers you posted are the pretty stainless pieces. Very nice if you can afford them. Swapping the collector is a non-issue if you can weld stainless. Low cost long tubes are modified SBC headers with LSx flanges. Two primaries per side will have to be moved, but its nothing you cant handle. Good threads on SBC header mods can be found both on this site and TGO. The best choice for this is the hooker 2210's as they have 1.75" primaries and 3" collectors. Most other 3rd gen LTs are 1.625" primaries

The mounts posted are by FAR the most popular type for 3rd gen swaps. The engine side is stock Fbody LS1 rubber, so if you've got a poly mount you can reuse them. Depending on the batch, some are super close to the stock K-member. For piece of mind notch the K-member and dont worry anymore. Its excessively beefy

Crossmember is your preference, Justin like most 'humped' his crossmember for maximum exhaust clearance

A 4th gen cluster will not work in a 3rd gen short of the whole dash going in. Search TGO, that one is very well covered too. If you're worried about stock gauges not working, the 3rd gen gauges will run off the LS1 like any SBC. Most of my wiring threads cover retaining as much stock stuff as possible

99-02 tanks are plastic. Unless your LT1 has a newer one, swapping it wont yield any benefit. Once you get over the cost of extra fittings and odds and ends to make them fit the 3rd gen, the benefit is all but gone

 

I have the steel tank..from what I read after posting that it's the same tank.

I wanted to use the Gauges cause I planned on stripping the wiring out of my Camaro and using it.

Basically what I'm doing is an overhaul..stripping my car out and going through it, cleaning it up(expecially the Wiring), and sticking it into a clean body car..preferably a roller.

My mind is in the middle between a Gen III or Gen IV, but the more I think about it I think I may stick with the 4..it will make life easier, and I can use everything I have and not lose $$$ by selling brand new good parts.

 

Build the 4th

Swapping a 3rd gen doesnt require a ground up reconstruction