themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

A little but of an update, I took it to the track for test n tune. I won't tell my time because it was pretty embarrassing due to the granny shifting and easing off the line, but afr was on target and my trap was 107 shifting to 4th just before the line. It's got more in it, but the starter died after the 2nd pass lol...

Also beat a stock '14 5.0 on the highway. No pics or video, but hilariously, my mom can attest as she was in the passenger seat lol!

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

Teaser update:

We had our first kid mid-December. He was early, and I immediately put both my '02 Camaro and the Hombre on CL to see if I could liquidate some assets for the impending NICU bills. Well, after several months and an unexpectedly lower NICU bill (the wife's insurance is absolutely awesome!), the plan shifted. I had mentally prepared to part with one, so I've decided I will, but not on the "low-ballers" terms.

The plan is to take the 383 LS6 and T56 magnum from my Camaro and throw them in the pickup, then sell the LS1 from the pickup on CL. The 383 makes around 500WHP and it's all torque on the dyno, should be fun!

I've gathered around $1k in parts to do the swap and *should* come out with around $18k in parts from the fully built Camaro. Not nearly what I put into it, but tons better than letting it go for $13k and losing so much tire-shredding opportunity.

Pics coming, the Camaro murder begins this weekend!

psychosid30

iTrader: (7)

I would be more disappointed than I am if I wasn't getting some more good parts from you.


I'll pick through it this weekend while we're at the shop... LOL!

RogueFab

Great looking build!

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

Last Friday, I pulled the 383 LS6 and T56 Magnum from the '02 Camaro. Last Saturday, I pulled the S60 rear end out of the Camaro. As of now, only the motor and trans are destined for the Hombre. However, I couldn't help but look across the shop as that rear end sat there, not 10 feet from the truck...

Phase 1 is complete. I'll do some disassembly of the motor to do some quick upgrades (steam port revisions, oil barbell, oil pickup girdle, oil pan swap, etc), then pick a date to tear into the truck. I may start a new thread, or I may not. I'll link if it happens.

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

Not much action, it'll be a few weeks before the backlog on "our" lift is cleared... my father-in-law has been gracious enough to let PsychoSid, Silas and myself come over occasionally to rip our vehicles apart and put them together. Currently, his son's '57 is on the lift, next Silas will want to put his '67 IH Scout on there, PsychoSid needs time for setting up his suspension, etc. So meanwhile, I'm powder coating and generally just bumming around the motor and trans. We separated the two last weekend, I plan on using the Monster Stage 2 currently in the truck with this 383 and the T56, debating between the 18# and 28# flywheel... I have both.

I got a new engine stand from eBay, really cool design! Like two skates, and even better when powder coated to match! Got some castors and set the motor on it to clear the K-member for sale. It'll probably be 3 or 4 weeks before the truck rolls in for the lift.

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

It's my turn on the lift! PsychoSid's Camero took forever with all the crappy wiring and such, but now that it's moving, it's out of the way.

In the last few weeks, I've swapped on a powder coated truck oil pan with an Improved Racing crank scraper and windage tray, an oil pickup tube girdle, a Saccity oil barbell, resurfaced the 18lb flywheel and reinstalled it, and rerouted all the steam tubes to vent the four corners back to the water pump. While I was at it, I coated the T56 magnum with some nice "I'll show all the oil stains" silver and changed the fluids in the motor standing by.

Gonna have to post pics as attachments until I get time to go back and do something about Photobucket...

TipsyMcStagger

iTrader: (1)

Posting as attachments is a perfectly fine solution.

After you attach your images, preview the post. In the preview, right click each image and select "Open image in a new tab."

Copy the URL of each image that's open in a new tab and paste them into your post between image tags (eg. [img]URL[/img]).

Tipsy

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

You, sir, are a sorcerer... I appreciate the info! Let's see if I can make this work.

Thursday, I drove the truck into the shop for surgery. Friday I began disassembly and it seemed like it was going slow. Saturday I put time into it again, and again, it felt slow. But sure as anything, Saturday afternoon the motor and trans came out. Sunday, PsychoSid and I went to Hattiesburg to sell the transmission, so that was a no-work day.

Here are some progress pics with the parts to be installed sitting nearby. Interesting development with the clutch, I was planning to reuse the Monster Stage 2 that was in the truck with the 18# flywheel of the LS6. The LS6 flywheel cleaned up easily, it barely looked used from the Monster Stage 3 that was pounding on it for 14k miles. Meanwhile, the Stage 2 had hot spots on the flywheel! Take a look at that and let me know what you make of that... going to see if it'll clean up, will go to the local machine shop tomorrow.

I'm hoping for around a 3 week turnaround, but I have this nagging feeling like it'll be more like 5 weeks. I'm banking on locospl helping me fab a tubular trans member to replace the modified stock one we made last time, I'll need the DS cut for the longer trans, I want to cut out and replace some sheet steel, etc. Long list of to-dos, including some powder coating!

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

Since the last update, the Level 2 Monster clutch has been installed on the back of the 383 and the magnum trans bolted on. I took the time to trim the bellhousing a bit more around the starter and powder coat it chrome... not exciting, just trying to burn through this crappy Kromezone powder. It's not chrome, more like silver. A nice silver, but I digress...

Converted the harness to LS2 injector connectors, started some wiring in the cab, wrapped the headers (my wife loves me lol) and addressed an interference on the passenger side header. Progress, tons of wiring coming up, along with new fuel line arrangements.

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

Alright, made some progress! I had an issue with my battery relocation before the swap, I had killed 3 batteries over 2 years. The way the wires were configured, the alternator was the last stop on the chain. While one wire went from the battery to the starter, the other primary wire went from the battery through a 150A fuse to the fuse box and then the alternator. I suspect the alternator didn't charge the battery, but kept my power in check on the fuse box. Now, there are 3 wires: one to the starter, one to the fuse box and one to the alternator.

While I was there, I added two Racetronix hotwire kits for the dual pumps. Second pump is on a switch in the center console, along with the line lock and bed lights (it's a work truck, gotta see the bed contents at night!) The fuel bucket was modified with dual pumps with a wye to a single 8an outlet due to all the space available in the tank. Didn't have the bulkhead, so I ordered that.

Meanwhile, did some powder coating to get things ready. Powder coated the alternator bracket, the fuel regulator and some other CS pieces that would normally rust in the engine bay. Also brought over the intake and mocked up a steam tube configuration. I will vent all four corners, and while I have an LS6 tube on the back, it's too close to the firewall for my liking and I've ordered the Cadillac crossover for the rear.

Left to do is fab fuel lines and a tubular trans x member, get the driveshaft cut, receive the PCM from Vengeance, then reinstall everything. That'll take some time... the headers require the studs to be out of the heads for install, and it's not exactly spacious in there! And I thought the 3 hours I spent on the lower motor mount bolts was bad...

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

Got a good bit done last weekend. Things just keep popping up, but I'm happy to address them ahead of the first drive rather than on the side of the road. The FEAD is on aside from the compressor, which will go on once the core is back on the front of the truck. Fuel is plumbed, -8AN to the regulator, -8AN to the rails and -6AN return. Now that the truck is on the lift, I may be able to get a few good pics of the plumbing.

Remaining items are to reroute a 2GA from the battery to the fuse block, wire the TSS for the magnum trans and wrap up wiring in the cab, then secure lines and reassemble. Simple enough, right?

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

After a week of evenings and a good Saturday, it runs. A few hiccups along the way, the intake tube isn't going through to the passenger side without some more work. When the shop put my Sanden 508 compressor lines in, they routed it such that there's a line right across the intake path on the passenger side. So even with the battery out of the way, the radiator bung and the AC line are in the way. With the taller truck intake, that wasn't a problem... now it is. I think a Silverado intake tube will work, so I ordered one.

Also, it got up to temp and kept going. I was up to 210 on the Autometer gauge when I decided to pull back into the shop. I let it cool down and added coolant (didn't take much), tried again and it did it again. The radiator is ice cold and the block is hot, so I suspect my thermostat. I ordered one of those as well.

So for now, it'll crank, idle and rev, but it's awaiting FedEx goodness. That gives me some time to wrap up some loose ends (literally) under the truck and get everything how I like it. Sweet! Once this is done, I'll get a couple home projects done and get to work on the '57 swap!

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

Well... apparently, "several locations" for the eBay intake seller meant several California locations. And FedEx decided to get a good exercise in by bicycling my intake across America. Same with RockAuto, apparently all of the GM LS2 thermostats in their possession reside in New York and must stop in New Jersey for 3 days before heading South. Both arrived Saturday, and Sunday is family day.

Fortunately, I discovered the LS3 thermostat is the same part number, and I had an unused one on my LS376 crate motor for the 57. So I robbed the crate motor and brought it Friday to swap in. While I was there, I realized I had a perfectly good thermostat on the motor I just took out of this very truck! My thermostat cup runneth over! So I bolted the old one on and reconnected everything. Cranked it up, same problem: cold radiator, 220 on the dash.

Fortunately, a friend got an IR gun out and shot the engine bay while I watched the gauge. Basically, the upper radiator hose is so high, it wasn't filling the block. After a couple hours of nursing the radiator/block by squeezing the upper hose, we got it full and happy at 200 at idle. Perfect!

Intake still not here, so I took it for a drive snorkel-style. We can still have fun in the face of slow shipping lol! I calibrated the speedo, MUCH happier with the magnum close ratios compared with the viper ratios. I got in it a little, MUCH stronger as expected.

I do have an issue in the tune: it's VERY lean at start and for the first several minutes. Like, shake the truck at 20:1 AFR. Once it settles, all is good around 15 at cruise and 13 at throttle. Polishing will happen, but that lean start is concerning.

Going by today to fit the intake after work, the plan is to drive it home tonight!

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

Alright, now we're talking! I went over after work and put *most* of the Silverado CAI in the truck, and it "fits"! I cut the brackets off and had to use my crappy old filter, plus I had to use the elbow and adapter from my old intake to accommodate the truck MAF, but it's all there. I won't call it a permanent solution, I want to either ditch the MAF for closed loop speed density or keep the MAF and cut the Silverado intake shorter to accommodate the larger filter. I hadn't even considered that my old filter was too small, but it's no more than half the surface area of the new one that showed up. No wonder I have such vicious intake noise!

On to the drive... I took it highway to see how it did, awesome! Smooth as could be, no vibes and hummed along around 2250 RPM at 75MPH, a huge reason I did all this again to begin with. When I got home, the only fluid on the ground was a tiny drop or two from the output shaft seal. I'll watch that. However, after a few more minutes, I came back out and found the lower radiator hose had dropped a few ounces of coolant. I tightened the worm clamp, didn't feel too good about it. We shall see what happens there.

Once that's done, I'll start trying to learn some tuning to get rid of some lean spikes at shift and a really lean start up. I'll call it driveable for now, just not daily driveable yet.

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

This weekend, I was over at the shop to assist Sid if he needed help with removing and reinstalling his 4l60e for some troubleshooting of an oil leak. Meanwhile, I got to do some powder coating while a friend worked on our big oven modifications.

So, not a lot of technical progress, just some showing off for now! I'll address the coolant leak and some minor issues on the truck, but here's how she looks now.

themealonwheels

iTrader: (20)

I think this will be the last update for the foreseeable future...

The coolant leak is a leaky radiator. I ordered a new one, just haven't installed it yet as I haven't seen temp go over 200 (186 thermostat) and it's cool. It's on the to-do list. I also need to replace the trans output seal, it drips a little.

I took the truck to Baton Rouge to Geoff at EPS last weekend for some driveability and WOT tuning. I have around 600 miles on the LS6, so I figured it was all broken in and ready. Spent the day with him, nice guy and very knowledgeable. The truck drives and idles better, and now I'm confident the spark table is right for the truck, so I can romp on it!

We made pulls in 3rd gear, not the 1:1 4th gear. Turns out there's a limiting speed to a driveshaft, and if you didn't know that, chances are you may be flirting with it. In my case, with a 48.625" long 3" .083 CS driveshaft with 1350 yokes, the max RPM of the driveshaft is 5000. So when the engine is spinning 6500 in 4th, the driveshaft is at 6500. Instead, had to pull in 3rd, which is 1.3:1. This meant the power numbers were down from actual, but we got to drive off the dyno lol! Still, the torque registered above 400 from before 3000 to around 6000 in 3rd. Now that it's safe, I'll be awaiting the opening of the track to see what she'll do. I'll hope for a mid-11 with a lazy launch to preserve the 10-bolt

JayinMI

Where did you get the bulkhead for the wiring?
I want to upgrade the wiring to my pump, but the pigtail that came with the install kit is only about 16ga.

Thanks,

Jay

TipsyMcStagger

iTrader: (1)

Google "cable gland."

JayinMI

We use them Cable Glands at work, but I was looking for something specifically for fuel system use. That sealed 2 12ga wires tight enough to work with fuel injection.

I found a company that makes exactly what I want, but it's $25-30. And, let's be honest, that's outrageous considering every other cable gland I can find is about $1.50.

Also, the cheaper ones don't say anything about being fuel safe/E85 safe.

Jay