LT4 pullout into 68 Camaro help needed
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
From: El Dorado Hills, CA
LT4 pullout into 68 Camaro help needed Hey all,
I've been lining things up for a LS swap for awhile until recently. I had a childhood friend who had a 2017 ZL1-1LE Camaro and he got hit on 80 during a somewhat fluke raining in the middle of May. He has 1500 miles on it when it got totaled, and we bought it back and I am getting the motor and tranny and harness complete. Since the motor will be here next week I wanted to learn as much from proven setups, I remember seeing someone on here that did this in a 69 and even had a couple videos on youtube of it on startup and test drives. I am hoping someone on here can point me in the right direction of best place to find proven combo's. I know much of my LS conversion stuff will not work, so I am starting to find parts now. I know I will need new motor mounts, headers, and oil pan. I have read about Holley's pan working on my stock frame, but what about headers. Is there a place to find out what wires I need and what I don't or is it better to have someone rework the harness, etc. Rather than search for hours on end and hope I remember what I read, I figured I would start a new thread. Please chime in!!!
Thanks!!
I've been lining things up for a LS swap for awhile until recently. I had a childhood friend who had a 2017 ZL1-1LE Camaro and he got hit on 80 during a somewhat fluke raining in the middle of May. He has 1500 miles on it when it got totaled, and we bought it back and I am getting the motor and tranny and harness complete. Since the motor will be here next week I wanted to learn as much from proven setups, I remember seeing someone on here that did this in a 69 and even had a couple videos on youtube of it on startup and test drives. I am hoping someone on here can point me in the right direction of best place to find proven combo's. I know much of my LS conversion stuff will not work, so I am starting to find parts now. I know I will need new motor mounts, headers, and oil pan. I have read about Holley's pan working on my stock frame, but what about headers. Is there a place to find out what wires I need and what I don't or is it better to have someone rework the harness, etc. Rather than search for hours on end and hope I remember what I read, I figured I would start a new thread. Please chime in!!!
Thanks!!
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,295
Likes: 3,617
From: Central Cal.
Get EVERYTHING associated with the engine. ALL wiring, sensors, gas pedal and wiring loom, OBD2 plug and loom, etc. Will you have access to the wrecked Camaro during the build? It would be nice in case you forget to scavenge any parts/wiring.
Theres not a lot of people i know If that rework the Gen v harness but i spoke To one guy that is very knowledgeable and he will be doing mine when i put It in. I’m doing a L86 with a 10speed as well. Nobody offers a new harness with the 10 speed wiring yet so a rework is a must if you plan on doing it soon. https://www.standaloneharness.com/
For fueling you can do PWM or regular LS swap type pump. Some say PWM is a must and others do not but you can go either way, the PWM just costs more. I’m doing Ricks Tanks first gen tank and zl1 pump without the PWM. Get the PWM and fuel pump if you can, it will save you some bucks. All the PMW does is cut down on amps used. All the new cars have all the bells and whistles so it’s needed because the alternators are maxed out. I believe You can run the ZL1 pump without the PWM and just set the pressure accordingly, speak to Ricks Tanks about this.
Edit: Ricks Tanks was under the impression I was using a 5th gen zl1 pump. The 6th gen zl1 pump can only run with pwm per Ricks tanks. PWM it is for me.
as you probably know you need power steering too. This is where it can get expensive, selecting an accessory drive to do so. Look around if you plan on running hydraulic power steering. I have only searched for NA systems for the LT1and L86, the LT4 has more going on.
For fueling you can do PWM or regular LS swap type pump. Some say PWM is a must and others do not but you can go either way, the PWM just costs more. I’m doing Ricks Tanks first gen tank and zl1 pump without the PWM. Get the PWM and fuel pump if you can, it will save you some bucks. All the PMW does is cut down on amps used. All the new cars have all the bells and whistles so it’s needed because the alternators are maxed out. I believe You can run the ZL1 pump without the PWM and just set the pressure accordingly, speak to Ricks Tanks about this.
Edit: Ricks Tanks was under the impression I was using a 5th gen zl1 pump. The 6th gen zl1 pump can only run with pwm per Ricks tanks. PWM it is for me.
as you probably know you need power steering too. This is where it can get expensive, selecting an accessory drive to do so. Look around if you plan on running hydraulic power steering. I have only searched for NA systems for the LT1and L86, the LT4 has more going on.
Last edited by jasonz28camaro; Oct 1, 2018 at 12:44 AM.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
From: El Dorado Hills, CA
So far I will have access to the car for a couple weeks, then it gets hauled off. Oct 1 is the date... I did not think of the gas pedal.... I have all the sensors and wiring coming with it. Are there options for running other gas pedals?
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
From: El Dorado Hills, CA
Theres not a lot of people i know If that rework the Gen v harness but i spoke To one guy that is very knowledgeable and he will be doing mine when i put It in. I’m doing a L86 with a 10speed as well. Nobody offers a new harness with the 10 speed wiring yet so a rework is a must if you plan on doing it soon. https://www.standaloneharness.com/
For fueling you can do PWM or regular LS swap type pump. Some say PWM is a must and others do not but you can go either way, the PWM just costs more. I’m doing Ricks Tanks first gen tank and zl1 pump without the PWM. Get the PWM and fuel pump if you can, it will save you some bucks. All the PMW does is cut down on amps used. All the new cars have all the bells and whistles so it’s needed because the alternators are maxed out. I believe You can run the ZL1 pump without the PWM and just set the pressure accordingly, speak to Ricks Tanks about this.
as you probably know you need power steering too. This is where it can get expensive, selecting an accessory drive to do so. Look around if you plan on running hydraulic power steering. I have only searched for NA systems for the LT1and L86, the LT4 has more going on.
For fueling you can do PWM or regular LS swap type pump. Some say PWM is a must and others do not but you can go either way, the PWM just costs more. I’m doing Ricks Tanks first gen tank and zl1 pump without the PWM. Get the PWM and fuel pump if you can, it will save you some bucks. All the PMW does is cut down on amps used. All the new cars have all the bells and whistles so it’s needed because the alternators are maxed out. I believe You can run the ZL1 pump without the PWM and just set the pressure accordingly, speak to Ricks Tanks about this.
as you probably know you need power steering too. This is where it can get expensive, selecting an accessory drive to do so. Look around if you plan on running hydraulic power steering. I have only searched for NA systems for the LT1and L86, the LT4 has more going on.
I've never had power steering on the car before, so I was not going to run it in this setup either. I will be running A/C though.
For the fueling, that is an interesting topic, I was running the A1000 Aeromotive pump (external) with my fuel cell in my prior LS Swap I was going to do. This is where I am lost and trying to get up to speed for fueling systems. Am I basically having to throw away my current setup and start over or since I was going to use this on my LS swap I can still use it.
Thanks for all the thoughts so far, keep em coming
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Your fuel cell will probably work as long as it can feed the demands of the lt4.
They have just about everything already available to do the swap through different vendors. I’m in the same boat as you but I’m going from big block to L86. Im sicribing to get updates on this. I just Pulled the motor a minute ago and my new motor should be here this weekend. I’m planning on getting it going by the spring if possible.
The trans is huge too so tunnle modification will be a must. Also have not seen a crossmember for a 10 speed. You can use any shifter you want, it’s mecanical for the most part still but if you want to do slap shifting there are not really any easy options currently. You might be able to make the factory stuff work but not sure. Speartech a few months back was about to release the 8 speed shifter to go through all gears manually but i havent checked back on that.
I got most everything lined up except motor mounts and headers. You can use your mounts and just run the adapter plate that everyone sells. Just like an LS swap it will determined on what mounts you are running now. I think There are only two different mounts used from factory so you would need to figure that out. Speedtech also sells the adapter plate and motor mount that might be an easier fix. I have not seen longtube headers for this swap with the factory subframe, only for aftermarket sub frames. http://www.speedtechperformance.com/...rod/prd614.htm
They have just about everything already available to do the swap through different vendors. I’m in the same boat as you but I’m going from big block to L86. Im sicribing to get updates on this. I just Pulled the motor a minute ago and my new motor should be here this weekend. I’m planning on getting it going by the spring if possible.
The trans is huge too so tunnle modification will be a must. Also have not seen a crossmember for a 10 speed. You can use any shifter you want, it’s mecanical for the most part still but if you want to do slap shifting there are not really any easy options currently. You might be able to make the factory stuff work but not sure. Speartech a few months back was about to release the 8 speed shifter to go through all gears manually but i havent checked back on that.
I got most everything lined up except motor mounts and headers. You can use your mounts and just run the adapter plate that everyone sells. Just like an LS swap it will determined on what mounts you are running now. I think There are only two different mounts used from factory so you would need to figure that out. Speedtech also sells the adapter plate and motor mount that might be an easier fix. I have not seen longtube headers for this swap with the factory subframe, only for aftermarket sub frames. http://www.speedtechperformance.com/...rod/prd614.htm
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Hopefully those LT4 mounts and headers for a stock 1st gen subframe are out soon. The DSE subframe mounts are out already and back in April Todd was responding to my posts about the stock subframe.
Ultimate headers has them and they are sending me one for a test fit with my particular engine placement to keep the vacuum pump on my L86. I'll try to update the fitment around the PS box.
Staging Lane
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 54
Likes: 3
From: In the mitten
IMO you really need to keep the car until you get the powertrain in and ready to start. Park in a storage building hopefully not far from where you have the 68. You may find you need odds and ends hard to identify once the shell is gone.