Over the past few months I have been picking up all of the parts I need for my swap. As I start to get into the fabrication stage of the swap I have some questions that I have not been able to find the answer for so I have decided to make my first build thread to help get answers to a few questions and to help others out with trying to fit the ls blocks into a small engine bay. I will start with the info about my swap then go onto the questions. I picked up an aluminum block 5.3 that was supposedly out of a suburban with 250k miles on it and it has dod which I removed. I picked up a vvt setup that i am planing on using if I can fit it in but if I cant then I have a friend that can use it. I am using a t-5 out of a 4th gen camaro if I can find the right bellhousing, the first one I got from Quicktime was wrong so im trying the one for the ford t5. for the axle im using a ford 8.8 that is a bit wider then stock. Now for my questions. I do not have much room in front of the engine for the water pump and alt pullys as well as the tb, I may have to cut up the coresupport and I am planing on running the radiator in front of the coresupport for more room but do any of you know what combo is the shortest that will still work with vvt and a car style intake? I will also post up pics after work.

 

C5/C6 accesories tuck in closest to the motor from all the other ls accesories versions.
U may have a hard time mixing and matching parts to couple a T5 to a ls motor. Imo just pay for a ls t56. Sometimes u gotta pay up for the right parts.

 

I like fact the t5 weighs a bit less then the t56 and I will probably end up using a tko in the log run but it is some what of a budget build right now since most of my $ goes to school and I got the transmission for cheep and its a good step too get the car together then upgrade to the tko in a year or so. I think i have the bellhousing sorted out and i it bolts up right than everything with the trany is golden since the input shaft i almost identical to the tr6060 in my garage. Do you know if the c5/c6 accessories work with the vvt front cover?

 

your gonna break that t5 pretty easily

 

The car, yes i know its a strange angle ant its dirty(i have not driven it since High School, 4 or so years ago) i will try to remember to get better ones when the sun chooses to show itself.

 

its rated to 300 Ft/Lbs in a car that has an extra 1k Lbs in it and there is a shop running the same transmission in there e30 bmw ls swap that they raced and abuse the trany and have only gone thru 3 so i think i can make it last a year. The shop is called Vorshlag.

 

The engine in my room mates car. He was the big pusher to get me to do this swap and he was willing to drive down to organ to pick it up for me on his day off. Thanks Ian. but man do i love this pic an ls bringing an ls home

 

go boost and you will shock the hell out of some people,if there is no room make room lol

 

have always thought about something similar to this..I was looking for a nice 4.8-5.3 also to put in mine before I just completely scraped the idea because back in 03 this wasn't so popular.

 

If ur gonna run the cam phaser hump timing cover. No way will it work with any other water pump but the truck wp and truck offset accessories

 

Ok that was the info I spent a few hours looking for the other day. Thanks. I may have to let my room mate use it on his e30 BMW swap.

About the boost I think I will shock the hell out of most people with just the stock 5.3. Most people in my area think try are fast in there turbo civics with a street tuned putting about "300hp" to the ground. The car was never on a dyno and I can almost keep up with it in my stock powered miata with only about 100hp lol. someday I'm sure I would boost it but for now I am looking at heads and cams down the road but in a refreshed block. With how many miles this block has its just for mocking up mounts then drive it almost stock for a few years.

 

Does anyone know if anyone has done a gen 4 block with vvt and converted it to drive by cable on a stock PCM? I am just wondering. And my swap is being put on hold for a month as my roommate is turboing his trans am right now.

 

Would love to see some pictures when you can get them on.

 

I keep forgetting to take some more of the corolla befor work. I will bust out the lights to take some tonight. Once my roommate gets done with his turbo install I will move my car into the garage to start making the mounts.

 

So an update for photos but still no progress outside of ordering up ordering parts for it. and I know the car is filthy, that's what happens to a car that sits for 5 years . I have yet to put the vvt setup on he engine yet.

 

I just LOVE projects like this. Man, I hope you see it through to completion...cuz it's totally unique. Love it!

 

All u can say is it will be alot of work and take alot of time. I'm hopping to get it done by this time next year.

 

And thank you. There is alot If carbon build up in the cylenders with dod so I'm cleaning that all up right now. I will get some befor and after pics once I'm done with that then I will sart to work on the mounts once my roommate gets done with his trans am at the end of the month.

 

Kinda like the hatch better, the coupe looks like a grandma car, which I guess would add to the wtf is that, when you get it done. and drive by camaros and mustangs.

 

I am definitley intrested in seeing how this all comes together.
I have a 95 C36 AMG Mercedes that I want to swap a LS engine inside. . . cant find much other than one thread that someone put a LS inside a 190 Mercedes