Conversions & Swaps LSX Engines in Non-LSX Vehicles
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Ls1/t56 69 ta vert

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Old 04-15-2010, 12:02 PM
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Absolutely epic interior. Did you do this in your home garage?
Old 04-15-2010, 12:07 PM
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Originally Posted by disc0monkey
all it needed was a stroker 455 crank for that 350.
I know, but the cost to rebuild the 350 to get the kind of power and mileage the LS1 has was way more. I also wanted fuel injection and the cost to convert with the old school motor was just too prohibitive. Don't get me wrong, my first car was a 70 GP that would chew up Chevelles, Mustangs, and Camaros all day long, and this was during the muscle car days. My brother had a 66 tri power GTO and a 74 Formula 400, so I hear your pain. The engine did go to a fellow pontiac guy that is putting it in a 72 ventura (nova look a like).

Sam
Old 04-15-2010, 12:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Cameano
Absolutely epic interior. Did you do this in your home garage?
Thanks, yes every bit of the fabrication and assembly was done in my garage at home. The only thing I didn't do on the interior was sew and cover the seats.

Sam
Old 04-15-2010, 01:08 PM
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Have you done this kind of thing before or did you just learn as you went along?
Old 04-15-2010, 02:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Cameano
Have you done this kind of thing before or did you just learn as you went along?
Nope, first time. Let me say that I was a chevy line mechanic way back in the early 70s working my way through college, so I'm fairly mechanically inclined. I also restored a 1930s house (played Bob Vela for a couple of years). I also built my own log cabin lake house. I like working with my hands and you don't get to do that much in an office. I also like the challenge, so a lot was learning as I went along. This site and couple of others like pro-touring.com, lateral-g.net and performanceyears.com were my go to sites when I ran into problems. What you guys see here are the results of trial and errors, head scratching and the like, over a three year period. Some ideas worked and some did not, no big deal.

Car guys are the most generous people I know. They're always willing to help a fellow or share their ideas. I just wanted to share my experiences with this build and maybe help or inspire someone else.

Sam
Old 04-15-2010, 03:20 PM
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Question - for the rear subs - did your narrow the rear seats at all? I know you tore apart the frames...



This seat pic looks wider then yours...
Old 04-15-2010, 03:25 PM
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i hear that, good job tho~!
Old 04-15-2010, 03:41 PM
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Originally Posted by bonecrrusher
Question - for the rear subs - did your narrow the rear seats at all? I know you tore apart the frames...



This seat pic looks wider then yours...
What are you putting them in? Those are the same seats I used. I think they look wider because of the lighter color. The only modification I did was take the seats apart and cut of the top hoop on the back and cut the seat bottom frames in 1/2 shortened them to fit the firebird and welded the round bars back together. The upholstery guy then trimmed the foam to match the frames and recovered them.

Sam
Old 04-15-2010, 03:47 PM
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absolutely beautiful build....I've never been a huge fan of people modernizing muscle cars, but this changed my mind. Very very tastefully done, and still pays homage to the original!

Just need to take some more pics of the final product!....as if you didn't take enough pictures during your build process, lol
Old 04-15-2010, 09:49 PM
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Originally Posted by 99FormulaM6r
absolutely beautiful build....I've never been a huge fan of people modernizing muscle cars, but this changed my mind. Very very tastefully done, and still pays homage to the original!

Just need to take some more pics of the final product!....as if you didn't take enough pictures during your build process, lol
Wow, thanks for the compliment.

Sam
Old 04-15-2010, 10:53 PM
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How much did those front seats weigh/where did you get them? They look really nice. I'm not very happy with mine and the GTO seats look huge in an fbody.

Thanks!
Old 04-16-2010, 06:44 AM
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Originally Posted by 99FormulaM6r
How much did those front seats weigh/where did you get them? They look really nice. I'm not very happy with mine and the GTO seats look huge in an fbody.

Thanks!
I think they weigh about 50-65 lbs each. They're heavy suckers thats for sure. Extremely comfortable and you can adjust them 50 ways from Sunday. I got them out of a salvage yard that specializes in foreign cars. You can check e-bay as they're on there all the time. They aren't cheap either. The biggest motivation for me getting them was the integrated shoulder belt. In a convertible I wanted to be strapped in.

Sam
Old 04-16-2010, 07:33 PM
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Incredible build! I thought I was putting a lot of effort and money into mine. Awesome craftsmenship to top it off!
Old 04-19-2010, 12:40 PM
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Originally Posted by SamHatco
All the gauges work as well as the Driver Information Center in the gauge cluster. The only issue I'm having is the cruise control isn't working. I shows that it is on but will not engage. Oh well, I'll have to chase that gremlin down.

Driving the car is a ball. The seats are are extremely comfortable, power from the LS1 is great, although I'm not making huge power, it already sucked the doors off a friend's 69 bird with a pont 400 that was not stock, but the best thing is I'm getting about 23 mpg on the freeway. At 70 mph engine is turning just over 1900 rpm in 6th gear. I just love fuel injection. Suspension is firm and it drives like a new vette. Let me say from 1st hand experience back in the late sixties early seventies that these cars didn't handle the way they do now.

I still have a few more loose ends to clean up like finishing the trunk, get the cruise working and ironing out any electrical problems. This car is going to be a great cruiser.


Sam
Really nice build. Everything looks like it's belonged there since they built the car.

As for the cruise control, not trying to be a jerk, but do you know how to engage it? When I first got my 06 GTO, I had to figure it out, because it doesn't work like any other car I've driven.

You have to turn it "on," which it sounds like you've done, and then you have to set the speed to "engage" it. Something like "cruise engaged" will pop up on the DIC when you do this. Without sitting the car, I'm not positive, but I think you have to twist the piece on the turn signal stalk to get it to engage.
Old 04-19-2010, 01:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Chris442
Really nice build. Everything looks like it's belonged there since they built the car.

As for the cruise control, not trying to be a jerk, but do you know how to engage it? When I first got my 06 GTO, I had to figure it out, because it doesn't work like any other car I've driven.

You have to turn it "on," which it sounds like you've done, and then you have to set the speed to "engage" it. Something like "cruise engaged" will pop up on the DIC when you do this. Without sitting the car, I'm not positive, but I think you have to twist the piece on the turn signal stalk to get it to engage.
Thanks, for the information. Yes, I believe I know how to work it. I can turn on the cruise and the DIC will show that it is on, but when I try to set the speed by turning the turn signal stalk "cruise engaged" does not come up. I think I've narrowed it down to either the clutch position switch, brake disengage switch or the turn signal switch. I haven't checked for continuity on the clutch and brake switches, but I did try to direct wire the turn signal switch to the cruise module to see if I could bypass some circuits with no results. Any thoughts or help is certainly appreciated.

Sam
Old 04-19-2010, 04:55 PM
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Originally Posted by SamHatco
Thanks, for the information. Yes, I believe I know how to work it. I can turn on the cruise and the DIC will show that it is on, but when I try to set the speed by turning the turn signal stalk "cruise engaged" does not come up. I think I've narrowed it down to either the clutch position switch, brake disengage switch or the turn signal switch. I haven't checked for continuity on the clutch and brake switches, but I did try to direct wire the turn signal switch to the cruise module to see if I could bypass some circuits with no results. Any thoughts or help is certainly appreciated.

Sam
I think you're on the right track. I would have been surprised if it had been the turn signal switch, since you could get it to come "on." If it's not something to do with the clutch or brake switch, I'd figure you'd be left with the BCM. I'd imagine if it doesn't see everything it wants, it could shut down the whole deal.

I'm not really too familiar with how the LS1 cars worked, since on my 06 the cruise is handled internally by the ECM controlling the electronic throttle rather than by a separate module.

I've got the factory manual for my car if you need to know anything, but beyond the switches and how they're wired I doubt there's much commonality.
Old 04-19-2010, 05:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Chris442
I think you're on the right track. I would have been surprised if it had been the turn signal switch, since you could get it to come "on." If it's not something to do with the clutch or brake switch, I'd figure you'd be left with the BCM. I'd imagine if it doesn't see everything it wants, it could shut down the whole deal.

I'm not really too familiar with how the LS1 cars worked, since on my 06 the cruise is handled internally by the ECM controlling the electronic throttle rather than by a separate module.

I've got the factory manual for my car if you need to know anything, but beyond the switches and how they're wired I doubt there's much commonality.
Your right about the difference in the 04 and 05/06 cars. I think 04 is kind of a transition between drive by cable and drive by wire systems. I have the service manual also on the 04. I wouldn't even attempt a swap like this without it. I've been going to LS1GTO.com forum and snooping around to see what's happing to cruise issues, maybe it's tied to the ABS or traction control. I'll continue to chase this bugger down, in the mean time it doesn't hold me up from driving it, it's just annoying. I'd like to have all the systems work if they're there. Worst case I could get a stand alone system and wire it into the turn signal.

On second thought... Does your cruise work if the Traction Control is off? I may have to fool the BCM in thinking its on somehow.


Sam

Last edited by SamHatco; 04-19-2010 at 05:08 PM. Reason: edit
Old 04-19-2010, 05:31 PM
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Originally Posted by SamHatco
Your right about the difference in the 04 and 05/06 cars. I think 04 is kind of a transition between drive by cable and drive by wire systems. I have the service manual also on the 04. I wouldn't even attempt a swap like this without it. I've been going to LS1GTO.com forum and snooping around to see what's happing to cruise issues, maybe it's tied to the ABS or traction control. I'll continue to chase this bugger down, in the mean time it doesn't hold me up from driving it, it's just annoying. I'd like to have all the systems work if they're there. Worst case I could get a stand alone system and wire it into the turn signal.

On second thought... Does your cruise work if the Traction Control is off? I may have to fool the BCM in thinking its on somehow.


Sam
I kinda figured you've have the manual without some sort of engineering degree it'd be impossible to do that type of swap.

You don't have to tell me how annoying it is to not have the cruise. In my Dad's LS7 68 Camaro, it's basically impossible to add with the drive by wire. After we drove from Denver to Reno in one day, I think we were both limping we got there.

I really never drive my car without the traction control on, to be honest. A lot of the 04 owners I know always turn it off because when it kicks on in those cars it will literally push your foot up with the gas pedal. In the LS2 cars with the dbw, that's a nonissue. Does your DIC show traction being off or any ABS warnings? I could definitely see that being a problem here.

If it's something with the BCM, you could always just bypass it. GM has used those type of cruise modules for some time, so I'd bet it would work on it's own. You'd lose the DIC display, though.
Old 04-19-2010, 05:46 PM
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wickedly cool build
Old 04-19-2010, 05:48 PM
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This is one of the BEST builds I have ever seen! Excellent work


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