Junkyard60

iTrader: (6)

So I've posted a couple times about this car. It is currently for sale but I'm going to continue to build it and eventually drive it. I say it a few times in this write up and I understand this will probably cause some rage.

So far here is a basis of the car:

1995 Unbadged Z28 camaro:

I am the 3rd owner of the car, I wasnt able to find much info about the first owner besides they put 185k miles on it serviced it at a dealer every 10k miles like clock work. The second owner put 4k miles on it and while they had it, they put an Ultra Z ram air hood on it, lowered it and put some crappy tail lights on it.





I was only able to put 5k miles on it as an LT1 until it spun a rod bearing, the water pump blew, the opti went out, the oil pan separated and most of the engine gaskets needed to be replaced.





So while I had the motor out I decided I wanted to make a race car out of it and build everything up. I've went back and forth with what to do and most people will hate me for it but I decided to go with LSx swap. LKQ does a holiday special where everything you pick up is 50% off. So for 240 I was able to get a complete motor out of a Tahoe that was placed there that morning on new years. Once I got it home I started to rip it apart and found that it blew a head gasket not sure how long it was driving for anything like that but most of the oil had turned to that chocolate jello. So I took the time to take everything out and clean it. I didnt take as many pictures as I would of liked to but to give you an idea this was the timing cover



Here is what I took pictures of after cleaning everything up






So I pretty much made a list of everything I need and buy it as I can so I got a TH400 that was rebuilt to handle 1000hp with a 3000 stall along with a 1998 Camaro LS1 M6 wiring harness and computer.





Right now I have the motor together waiting on an intake, fuel rails, a couple gaskets, injectors and starter. Since I was rebuilding it I went ahead and got new piston rings, ARP rod and head bolts, all new bolts for just about everything, GM Muscle car oil pan, new valves, springs, pushrods and rockers.



So the plan over the next few weeks is to attempt to get the wiring sorted out. I've been reading a few guides on here but I have to see it to understand it and most of the guide I've been able to find dont have pictures of the connectors on the harness or in the car so its a struggle for me (any help on this would be awesome and I'll love you forever!). I need to get a TA relocation crossmember and figure out if I can get the A4 driveshaft to work with some modification or not. I'll try to keep everything updated with pictures as best as I can, if not i'll just do a write up about the progress. Im shooting for mid April for this to be done, but it will probably be closer to July with my work schedule.

Any help with wiring would be awesome like I said, I know the_merv did an awesome write and guide and I've been following both of those to the letter for the most part so I really appreciate him taking the time to do those, but like I said pictures of the connectors on the harness and the car really help me out the best.

Thank you in advance!

95wannabe

iTrader: (20)

No hate here... I'm slowly working on the same project, except mine is with a LQ4/4L60E. It started out as a v6 car so the wiring is a little more different than the LT1 body.
Merv thread has a lot of good info, you just have to sort thru it yourself. InsaneAuto86 has a post in there I'm trying to go thru now to see if it will simplify things some. I believe his car was also a 95 but he parted it out before finishing afaik.
Your car looks good in the pics. Keep posting your progress

Junkyard60

iTrader: (6)

Thank you I appreciate it! I've been trying my best to keep it as clean as possible. Yea I saw InsaneAuto86 comment on his wiring thread to simplify it a bit and it helped, but its still learning for me and I'm just going to take my time with it as best I can. Im going to paint a few parts off the motor tomorrow so I'll post that up when it dries. I love doing these kind of builds and this is the first time I've really posted about my progress

95wannabe

iTrader: (20)

Here's a couple sites for wiring incase you didn't have them already.
Shbox.com has LT1 stuff, and LT1swap has some LS1 wiring info

http://shbox.com/1/harness_connector_faces.htm

http://www.lt1swap.com/ls1_wiring_ha...connectors.htm

tta656

iTrader: (5)

I have a 95 ta that did the same destruction as your ,water pump went head gaskets blew...yaydaydaya..I am planing a 5.3 swap,I bought a ls k member for mine,are you doing the ls swap in the lt1 k memeber??

also sounds like you are saying that we can use the lt1 harness for a 5.3,is this true??? thanks for any input..

BigBadWhitey

iTrader: (3)

Doing the same thing in my 97, but with a TBSS ls2!

Not to highjack, but since were on wiring. Ill be using a BS3 for the fuel/spark, can I keep the LT1 computer to output to my gauges?

Junkyard60

iTrader: (6)

Sorry just saw these and I'll try to answer as best I can

Im using a 98-02 k member that I picked up locally. Just need to swap a few things over. And no, I was using a 98 ls1 harness that was almost the same, the injectors plugs and MAF were different but everything else matches. I was trying to mate the engine harness to the body harness. I haven't completed it, but I'm looking for a harness that's already done, Id just rather not pay a fortune for it.

Junkyard60

iTrader: (6)

I'm not quite sure, I had the LS1 computer working the gauges. If you can find a way to have the computer and BS3 run parallel it could work.

95wannabe

iTrader: (20)

unless I'm misunderstanding Mervs thread, it looks like before 99 all the guage's are analog and read directly from the sensors....so no pcm required.
I haven't got that far yet on my swap.

sierravmax

iTrader: (1)

It is just a matter of swapping the pins around on the connectors and extending some wires. Get a pin out of a 95 lt1 Camaro and 98 ls1 camaro.

95wannabe

iTrader: (20)

So, How ya making out?

Isolde

iTrader: (4)

I just bought a '94 Camaro 3.4L / 4L60E that needs one of my 4.8L swaps. I've developed this "thing" for the 4.8L versions. Anyway, I'm curious about this Merv thread you guys keep mentioning, but the best other info I found are on these 2:

http://forum.camarov6.com/showthread.php?t=104970

http://www.tacreationsusa.com/3_4_3_8_v6_to_ls1.htm

Though I want to do it without the LS1-specific crossmember, and I already have the "correct" steering rack. I'm prepared to mod my crossmember as may be needed, both to save $ and to prove a regular average guy can do it.
I won't be starting until I get one of my other project vehicles daily-driveable.
I'll probably go 4L80E with a 3.08:1 Sterling 9.75" 34-spline axle.

Toddoky

I really respect the motivation you guys are showing here to take on this particular swap and see it through to the end. I can tell you that Hooker will be releasing some parts in the near future to make this swap easier for you and permit it to be done using the existing LT1 or V6 engine cradles. Keep up the good work.

Junkyard60

iTrader: (6)

Sorry I havent updated this in a while, been searching for some parts that I need and trying not so spend a fortune on it. I just got the GM muscle car oil pan, plus plugs and wires. I'm waiting on the intake, water pump, starter and motor mounts. I think that I may need to get a different style of a mount because the oil pan might be a little taller than the fbody one, I wont know until I can get the kmember out again and mock it up. I was wanting solid motor mounts but it might bring the motor to close to the bottom of the kmember.

This is the thread I've been going off of. Its really helpful and detailed plus it gives the general list of what is needed:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...to-95-z28.html

I work a lot more than what I used to when I first started this so its taking me a while to get it going, im hoping here soon I can get it moving. Im under my $2k mark now so to me thats the home stretch. I've probably put a little more work into than I should of, but I wanted to make sure its going to hold up to what I want it to do later on the down the road. I would of loved to use my LT1 kmember but I found it easier to get an LS1, plus one of my friends parts out wrecked camaros so he had one laying around I could buy for $50 that included everything. But most people that do swaps like this are the average person. Hell I'm only 23 and this is my second ls swap lol.

sierravmax

iTrader: (1)

Here is the thread on my swap. Not very descriptive, but it might help some.https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...q4-t-56-a.html

Isolde

iTrader: (4)

ALL of Hooker's other LSx swap stuff has been EXTREMELY overpriced, so I guess I'll be showing the affordable alternative. Rant / threadjack over, sorry.

I have the Musclecar pan for my S-10 swap, it's not going to work for this. I modified an '01 4WD truck pan for my '86 Camaro, and that's not very good either.

Toddoky

Others who put a priority on ease of install, inter-component compatibility, component clearances, engine inclination/U-joint working angles and under-vehicle ground clearance would respectfully disagree with you. Examples of parts that are both less and more expensive than Hooker components in every product category (engine mounts, headers, crossmembers or exhaust systems) are easy to find; supplying the lowest cost universal swap parts to the market has not been the driving force behind our engineering efforts the last few years...producing parts that provide better results has been.

I'll be watching this thread earnestly as I've developed a new appreciation for this swap application recently and see the potential for some good driving cars to be put together. Keep the good work going.

Isolde

iTrader: (4)

Oh look, the big name's representative is "respectfully" declaring that we're incapable of getting the drivetrain placement, and angle, correct for good clearance everywhere.
But you obviously fail to realize that while factory-LS1 4th-gens are now scarce and costly, there's no point to buying swap parts so grossly overpriced that finding the factory version comes out more cost-effective.
There's no tangible gain from overdoing parts that'll never be seen, aluminum instead of steel when the difference is maybe a pound or 2, or even 5.
This particular swap will always be guys who don't have megadollars to just buy their way out of every little snag. Those guys start with other cars.
I'd rather buy Chinese than be ripped off by someone who can already afford a new Silverado HD or Corvette.
The spirit of this is how to do it cost-effectively. If it was my thread I'd have a moderator remove you from it. Go show this post to your peers, and your boss if you're not the boss.

Toddoky

I'm not sure of the reason for the combative nature of your response since my reply to your statement was nothing of the sort. I have been posting on this forum as an enthusiast and unofficial representative of Holley for quite some time and provide plenty of appreciated assistance to fellow users who ask for it (i.e. information and sometimes free fabricating work) and room for various opinions to be expressed in all the threads started by me without taking offense to any of them.

I clearly never implied in my response that anyone was incapable doing anything, what I stated is that our design objective is to provide components that achieve better finished swap results than what is possible from using independently sourced parts that are not specifically designed to work together.

I disagree with your opinion that every single person undertaking this swap is intent on doing with absolute minimal cost being there primary motivator; for those that are, there are established ways to do that already, which is why we aren't endeavoring to produce more products in that vein.

I drive an un-restored 1979 Chevy truck, so I think am closer to the average enthusiast mind set and income level then you assume I am. If the spirit of this forum is to share information between enthusiasts, I don't see how my opinions and knowledge are any less valuable than yours. I'm following this thread because I have an interest in the OP's project and what he's able to accomplish with it.

Junkyard60

iTrader: (6)

Alright, seeing this my thread, im going to have to ask you guys to stop. Toddoky please feel free to follow this thread, I love holley's products just for the sheer fact as you said they are easy to use and the tech support has been awesome to deal with.

Isolde, I dont think he was trying to state that we are not able to find these things out on our own or without any of their assistance and make them work. I dont want any hostility because I do have a few questions to ask about the oil pan. Why didnt it work? What clearence issues were you having? When I did the LS swap in my 99 mustang Im using the same oil pan and it works with the stock kmember. Im fairly new to the chevy car world as I've owned ford and mopar for the last 8 years, so all of this is a new experience for me.

I dont want any hostility, im not attacking anyone im just simply asking, seeing as I still have a bit left on this project I still need some help with some of the things left, so I dont want people thinking this is a "hate" thread.

Thank you