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Hello LS community, I am new here and have a couple of questions for a build I would like to take on.
I recently purchased a C20 which was converted to a C10 short bed with a step side. Came as a roller shell. It was originally a manual with no AC. I would like to drop a 5.3 engine into it. Most of them come with an automatic transmission. I want to keep things as simple as possible and budget friendly. My only plan was to add AC and to replace the gaskets while I have the engine out.
Would you guys recommend, since the car already has the clutch pedal, for me to get a T56 transmission for the 5.3 engine? From what I read, it should bolt right up and the only mod I need to do is drill and tap a hole for the alternator. Thing is, most swap kits I see are for automatic transmissions. If you guys can recommend a swap kit made for a 5.3 LS with a T56 that would be great. Any other thoughts or ideas are very welcome as I am a noob when it comes to LS and Chevys. Thank you very much for your time.
Thanks for specifying, that helps. We are in the middle of development of the Hooker Blackheart LS swap system for the 67-72 Chevy trucks right now in the Holley engineering lab, but I can't say when exactly the parts within it will become available. What I can say however, is that accommodation of a T56 transmission has been taken care of in the design of the transmission crossmember. You may get lucky and get some tips from others members here regarding existing parts on the market that will accomplish the same thing for you.
Thanks for specifying, that helps. We are in the middle of development of the Hooker Blackheart LS swap system for the 67-72 Chevy trucks right now in the Holley engineering lab, but I can't say when exactly the parts within it will become available. What I can say however, is that accommodation of a T56 transmission has been taken care of in the design of the transmission crossmember. You may get lucky and get some tips from others members here regarding existing parts on the market that will accomplish the same thing for you.
Awesome! Thank you very much for your reply, I look forward to seeing the kit ready. In the meantime I have some body work I need to take care of
I just finished my 68 C10 LS1/T56 swap. I used ECE engine mounts. I wouldn't use them again. In my opinion they mount the engine too high. Also you should use a CTSV oil pan if you use the ECE mounts.. I had a Fbody oil pan so I had to slot the frame holes quite a bit to clear the cross member. I believe the engine could come down 1/2" to 3/4" and still clear the cross member and steering. I used the Speed Engineering headers. The fit well and look great. I think they were $295 shipped. I used 4:10 gears running 20" wheels. With the T56 6th gear it seems to work really well.
You will need a high hump trans cover to clear the T56. Also if I was to do it again I would use an aftermarket trailing arm cross member. I did a 6 inch drop in the back The drive shaft clearance is very tight. Per my drive shaft shop I needed a 3.5" diameter drive shaft. Since the T56 is so long and trying to keep the engine angle less than 4 degrees the drive shaft gets very close to the top of the opening in the stock trailing arm cross member. Captain Fab makes a slick brake booster / clutch master mount. It comes with the master and correct pedal linkage. I tried to hide as much of the wiring as I could. ECM is behind the glove box. I smoothed the fuse block hole.
In my post I should of said the clutch master is included. It's a Wilwood part so replacement is easy if needed.
The brake booster is Corvette C5. The brake master is a 2002 Fbody. I like the late model masters.
C5 brakes all around. Stops really well.
To Toddoky. It would be very helpful as you develop your kit which LS oil pan would work the best. Not to flame ECE but it wasn't clear unless I missed something. The Fbody pan was a problem. Also as your team designs your kit with the T56 try to get the engine angle down as best you can. The lower it is the better the drive shaft will clear the stock trailing arm cross member.
I would imagine that the ECE kit was designed more than a few years ago before any of the Holley oil pans were available. Only the OE pans were available at that time, so engine placement was usually a compromise to clear one of those pans as best as possible. The Holley 302-2 and 302-3 pans both provide more clearance than the F-body pan and won’t provide the user with the issues that commonly come with using that pan.
Last edited by user 4737373; Oct 27, 2018 at 06:20 PM.
So I did a little measuring and I have 1" from the pan to the cross member and the steering center link with the ECE engine mounts. Engine could come down more than 1/2". It maybe with the ECE mounts they were thinking 4L60E instead of a T56. The 4ll60E is a lot shorter than the T56 so the drive shaft clearance would be better.
Another thing to consider is the trans cross member. The ECE cross member fit well but due its design and the header outlets the exhaust pipes (I used 2.5" after the collectors) I had to route them up and over the cross member and then back down to match the 3.5" holes I made in the stock trailing arm cross member. With the Speedway Engineering headers and the ECE mounts the bottom of the headers are even with the bottom of the frame rail. As your team designs the engine mount, headers, and trans cross member it would be great if the trans cross member either was "humped" or had pass thrus for the exhaust pipes. Some folks are using mid length headers and stock LS manifolds so they may have better luck routing their exhaust.
I recently did a 5.3L into a '70C10. I used FACTORY engine mounts, and frame stands from an early 2000's Silverado. Yes, I had to cut the frame stands down at the bottom to get the engine down low enough. Using a truck oil pan as well. Once I got the stands cut down enough, I welded directly to the cross member and now everything bolts together as stock. Running a 4L60E as well. I did have to trim the pinch weld in the trans tunnel as once you push the engine back against the firewall there was not enough clearance on top of the transmission at the pinch weld. Once the lip was trimmed, and then the two panels welded back together, it looks factory. Using factory truck exhaust manifolds if you set the motor back far enough they will just fit between the frame rails with minimal trimming. NO NEED to purchase expensive aftermarket kits, or engine mounts, unless you don't like a little cutting & welding. For those of you who don't have welders, or plasma cutters, or many of the other myriad of tools needed to form metal, I understand buying a kit. For those poor folks-ME!-I have to make things work with what I have on hand.
I do happen to have a mig welder and plasma cutter but because I kind of went with the C10 web sites best advice I won't do that again. With the exception of the Speedway Engineering headers I would build my own motor mounts to lower the engine and trans and move it back to the firewall. The fbody pan would work well if the engine is moved back maybe 3/4". I would not recommend a truck oil pan. Hangs below the cross member. Again the 4L60E is so much shorter than the T56.
I heard stock mounts with Dirty Dingo sliders is a good combo to mount the engine. I do have a mig welder but have never used it. Going to practice on scrap metal and build a rotisserie, for my Datsun 280z project, before using it on the truck. I do need to fill in the holes left by the trim since I do not plan on using it.
Only reason why I was considering the T56 was because the truck was originally manual so it has the clutch pedal and no shifter on the steering column. Looking online for a shifter kit that can mount to the auto transmission and come up the tunnel since there is a huge hole there lol
What I've done in the past in regards to welding is tack stuff together and then take it to a welding shop to really burn it in. I built a rotisserie but I was concerned that my 110 volt mig had enough penetration for really solid welds. My rotisserie was designed? to come apart in pieces for easy storage. I used it on a half a dozen cars. Really works great for cleaning the bottom of a car and then repainting and undercoating.
I didn't do the dirty dingo mounts. I wish I had the cab on the frame when put the LS/T56 in. I didn't think about drive shat clearance. Live and learn.
Lokar makes a couple of different shifters for the 4L60E.
What I've done in the past in regards to welding is tack stuff together and then take it to a welding shop to really burn it in. I built a rotisserie but I was concerned that my 110 volt mig had enough penetration for really solid welds. My rotisserie was designed? to come apart in pieces for easy storage. I used it on a half a dozen cars. Really works great for cleaning the bottom of a car and then repainting and undercoating.
I didn't do the dirty dingo mounts. I wish I had the cab on the frame when put the LS/T56 in. I didn't think about drive shat clearance. Live and learn.
Lokar makes a couple of different shifters for the 4L60E.
a decent name brand 110 mig should be fine, just use .030 wire and set it up DCEP
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C10 5.3 LS Build 
