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Sorry, just saw the rest of your reply to mine. That Computer is plug and play. It will get the engine running. After that you will want to get it fine tuned just like if you bought a brand new carb and stuck it on. Itll run but youd tune it for best performance. You can use HPtuners, which i've never used but will in the future so i can do my own tuning or just get a local tuner to tune it how you want it tuned.
oh gotcha, perfect. Started reading through your cuda ls swap, great stuff.
Some of it is just balancing the $$ vs potential trouble, A lot of teh potential sources for swaps these days are
pushing 15 years old, old wiring old computers, old injectors..
So some of it is minimize the BS.. Breakage, mis behavior etc..
I did mine with a Crate motor, and a built to order transmission. about $5K. with a warranty..
The HP tuners is a money pit in my opinion IF your a tinkerer building a toy. I down want to be a slave to a tuner or HP tuners,.
My Terminator still jabbed me for about 2500 , you need a couple relays a few rolls of wire, I decided for mine I wanted more telemetry than the Terminator offers so I bought the can bus expander for another 400.. I did the glass dash because nice gages would set me back more than the $745 7" dash. (A set of Autometer plus the dash insert would have been about 1200)
If you shop really well ,, you can get a deal but you have to be patient thats for sure,, Friend of mine got the whole power train+ out of a 3/4 ton van, 6.0, 4l80 and all the accessories he wanted the van had been in a fire and burned the back up.. The vans have less "stuff" if you can find a work van.. many don't even have vats for some fleet rigs.
Some of it is just balancing the $$ vs potential trouble, A lot of teh potential sources for swaps these days are
pushing 15 years old, old wiring old computers, old injectors..
So some of it is minimize the BS.. Breakage, mis behavior etc..
I did mine with a Crate motor, and a built to order transmission. about $5K. with a warranty..
The HP tuners is a money pit in my opinion IF your a tinkerer building a toy. I down want to be a slave to a tuner or HP tuners,.
My Terminator still jabbed me for about 2500 , you need a couple relays a few rolls of wire, I decided for mine I wanted more telemetry than the Terminator offers so I bought the can bus expander for another 400.. I did the glass dash because nice gages would set me back more than the $745 7" dash. (A set of Autometer plus the dash insert would have been about 1200)
If you shop really well ,, you can get a deal but you have to be patient thats for sure,, Friend of mine got the whole power train+ out of a 3/4 ton van, 6.0, 4l80 and all the accessories he wanted the van had been in a fire and burned the back up.. The vans have less "stuff" if you can find a work van.. many don't even have vats for some fleet rigs.
I think the Holley stuff is amazing and if this is a toy you plan to keep forever then I would say go that route but here's my opinion about HP tuners. Aside from the initial investment it has enabled me to do most of my stuff really budget friendly. Depin a harness (usually free with the motor) a little bit of time, some wiring, a few relays and the cost of a flash and I've got a running car. I've done a few friends cars to save them from having to take that initial hit so a win win for them. The learning curve was steep for me but I do OK with it now. Also when I sell a car which a lot of us build them and want a new project I don't have to worry about dropping $1500 - $2500 for another Holley setup on the next project. I think HP tuners is $300 as of right now and $100 for credits for your first flash. I think that's a good value for your money and can easily keep a budget on track. This just goes to show you that you can literally spend a fortune or spend very little. It really is up to the builder to pick which route they want to take.
When I did my swap I acquired a low mileage 08 5.3 and 4L60e from an insurance write off. In order to keep things from getting out of my comfort zone I kept it bone stock except for exhaust and cold air intake. I got the stock wiring harness and ecu with it. I sent the ecu to LS1swap.com for basic retuning. He recommended a guy that thinned my engine wiring harness and terminated and labelled the ends. If you start changing cams, intakes, injectors, etc. you're making it more complicated, requiring tuning and dialing in. If you can find someone who has LS swapped your model car you can get advice on oil pan and motor mounts. The guy in the video won't be of help because he changed the front end to Mustang II. Good luck, have fun and start a build thread here for further advice.
When I did my swap I acquired a low mileage 08 5.3 and 4L60e from an insurance write off. In order to keep things from getting out of my comfort zone I kept it bone stock except for exhaust and cold air intake. I got the stock wiring harness and ecu with it. I sent the ecu to LS1swap.com for basic retuning. He recommended a guy that thinned my engine wiring harness and terminated and labelled the ends. If you start changing cams, intakes, injectors, etc. you're making it more complicated, requiring tuning and dialing in. If you can find someone who has LS swapped your model car you can get advice on oil pan and motor mounts. The guy in the video won't be of help because he changed the front end to Mustang II. Good luck, have fun and start a build thread here for further advice.
How'd you like the performance of that relatively stock combo? I'm hoping to not loose too much over the 390/c6. Now it's probably making 350hp maybe 400torque on a guess, then going through the c6 with a 2.42 first gear, 3.00s and 28 inch tall tires on a 4000lb car. Hoping even with the power loss the 4l60 3.06 first gear will help it get up, maybe peel out at least with stock 5.3.
How'd you like the performance of that relatively stock combo? I'm hoping to not loose too much over the 390/c6. Now it's probably making 350hp maybe 400torque on a guess, then going through the c6 with a 2.42 first gear, 3.00s and 28 inch tall tires on a 4000lb car. Hoping even with the power loss the 4l60 3.06 first gear will help it get up, maybe peel out at least with stock 5.3.
it’s supposed to be 300hp stock and it pushes my 65 c10 pretty well. I have the same motor in my 09 Sierra crew and it’s got plenty of zip.
If you follow this plan ^^^^ Don't forget how much weight your dropping, the LS/4l60 is probably a couple hundred lbs lighter, and most LS motors rev higher and make up to 300HP stock. Given your performance interest,, you may end up having have a tuner tweak it for you,, But as long as you kept it simple, basic cam, you could probably keep the tuning cost under control.
If you follow this plan ^^^^ Don't forget how much weight your dropping, the LS/4l60 is probably a couple hundred lbs lighter, and most LS motors rev higher and make up to 300HP stock. Given your performance interest,, you may end up having have a tuner tweak it for you,, But as long as you kept it simple, basic cam, you could probably keep the tuning cost under control.
Good point, totally forgot about the weight. Definitely I'd want it tuned up but I would be interested in doing something like that myself. Though seems like it's hard on the wallet for that equipment, or software if it's for just this one vehicle.
Good point, totally forgot about the weight. Definitely I'd want it tuned up but I would be interested in doing something like that myself. Though seems like it's hard on the wallet for that equipment, or software if it's for just this one vehicle.
If youre wanting to add some cheap HP, check this video out. Also, a sloppy stage 2 or BTR stage 2 cam and PAC springs is the most common cam swap in gen 3 4.8/5.3 motors. I will for sure do it sooner than later. But i want my cuda to sound like a muscle car. A truck for me, like just a 2wd single cab long bed id prefer stock but thats just me.
I just googled around, I am shocked how much lighter a FE than I thought. Seems like about 575..
Have you priced a Lq9 2wd dropout in your area?
Probably drop about 150-200 pounds with the swap I imagine, I guess not crazy but still pretty good.
Going to check out one tomorrow that's still in a vehicle so I can hear it run, 2002 5.3 truck motor, no trans. Guy has it listed for $375 plus anything else off the vehicle, like just the rad/wiring/accessories I imagine, for free if I help him pull it. Still working on finding a suitable transmission, there's on one the way to where the motor is that I might check out. 4l60e for $300 that looks fine but no firsthand guarantee on it working unfortunately.
Get the ENTIRE engine harness.. Every connector.. You won't need it all but you will need the 1 piece you don't take.. LOL
Also take a bucket, throw every bolt and nut you take off in it.. GM uses a ton of interesting bolts, its very handy when you go to put stuff in the car,
The power distribution block and cables are handy, nice long battery cable with a spot you can use to feed power to the factory wiring harness in the car.
Last edited by pdxmotorhead; 12-05-2021 at 04:44 PM.
Yea $3000 is pretty optimistic, $5000 more realistic. The engine and trans are usually the cheap parts. Probably won’t be able to use the truck oil pan in the car but maybe, it’s pretty deep.
Wow, just realized your vehicle isn't a truck... Not sure how i miss read LTD lol... Shows my Ford knowledge ha. But yes, you won't be able to use the truck oil pan. Uncertain if you'll be able to use the accessory bracket as i previously stated given the alt sits high. You won't need the truck radiator but you can use the truck radiator hoses. You can use your stock radiator you have in the car now. You can get an ICT accessory bracket kit to better fit the alternator and power steering pump. Its $200. If you read through my thread on the Cuda it shows it except i ran all the car accessories which including the 140amp alt came out to around $550 but that was a new car ps pump, new ps pulley, new alternator, new water pump. If you just get the ICT truck accessory kit you can run the truck accessories which will save money.
Im not sure how your steering linkage is set up but youll probably need an F body oil pan which are much cheaper then they used to be. You piece them together (buy pan alone, dipstick alone, dipstick tube alone). If you cut the truck windage tray back 2 mounting holes, itll fit the fbody oil pan.
If you just get the car going the cheap way like i did and with the links i sent you to parts. It will give you a better idea of how you want to do things when you re vamp the car. I call it my phase 1, for my car. Its in, its running, and its drive able. Now i can move on to some body parts i need, interior, etc.
I paid $300 for my 4l60e too but i knew it was good or at least good enough. But 4l60s in stock form are trash. If its a big worry, i would just buy one super cheap (i got another one for $100) and take it to a trans shop and just get it re built.
Wow, just realized your vehicle isn't a truck... Not sure how i miss read LTD lol... Shows my Ford knowledge ha. But yes, you won't be able to use the truck oil pan. Uncertain if you'll be able to use the accessory bracket as i previously stated given the alt sits high. You won't need the truck radiator but you can use the truck radiator hoses. You can use your stock radiator you have in the car now. You can get an ICT accessory bracket kit to better fit the alternator and power steering pump. Its $200. If you read through my thread on the Cuda it shows it except i ran all the car accessories which including the 140amp alt came out to around $550 but that was a new car ps pump, new ps pulley, new alternator, new water pump. If you just get the ICT truck accessory kit you can run the truck accessories which will save money.
Im not sure how your steering linkage is set up but youll probably need an F body oil pan which are much cheaper then they used to be. You piece them together (buy pan alone, dipstick alone, dipstick tube alone). If you cut the truck windage tray back 2 mounting holes, itll fit the fbody oil pan.
If you just get the car going the cheap way like i did and with the links i sent you to parts. It will give you a better idea of how you want to do things when you re vamp the car. I call it my phase 1, for my car. Its in, its running, and its drive able. Now i can move on to some body parts i need, interior, etc.
I paid $300 for my 4l60e too but i knew it was good or at least good enough. But 4l60s in stock form are trash. If its a big worry, i would just buy one super cheap (i got another one for $100) and take it to a trans shop and just get it re built.
I'm looking at a gto oil pan, theres one close to me for 150 obo with the pickup. My ltd needs a front sump pan, I'll probably have to cut the crossmember though because of the lip at the back of the gto pan. I'm hoping i can use stock accessories, the engine bay is absolutely huge so i have high hopes, also hoping it'll fit the stock exhaust manifolds. Any thoughts on how to fit the ls ps pump to my steering box? Is there a pressure difference or just meteric to sae adapters needed? All i could find for my pump specs is that the minimum psi rating is 620. I'll use the ruck radiator if i can for the trans lines and steam fitting, but it's probably much wider than the ltd radiator. One of my biggest worries is how long any 4l60e will last, even though the motor is starting out stock.
I'm looking at a gto oil pan, theres one close to me for 150 obo with the pickup. My ltd needs a front sump pan, I'll probably have to cut the crossmember though because of the lip at the back of the gto pan. I'm hoping i can use stock accessories, the engine bay is absolutely huge so i have high hopes, also hoping it'll fit the stock exhaust manifolds. Any thoughts on how to fit the ls ps pump to my steering box? Is there a pressure difference or just meteric to sae adapters needed? All i could find for my pump specs is that the minimum psi rating is 620. I'll use the ruck radiator if i can for the trans lines and steam fitting, but it's probably much wider than the ltd radiator. One of my biggest worries is how long any 4l60e will last, even though the motor is starting out stock.
This is the adapter im using for my stock cuda high pressure line to the LS power steering pump-
That fitting lets you keep your stock high pressure hose PS line.
Ah, ya. I had to use a front sump oil pan to. If you can snag that one up for $150 i would get that asap. They don't make them anymore so most retail prices on them range from $600-$1000...lol. Just make sure to get the correct dipstick, tube, pick up tube and if i remember correctly the windage tray is the same as the truck windage tray but i don't remember 100% as its been a couple months since i found that out.
Im using this trans cooler. The biggest issue with 4l60e's is heat so i chose to get this. Im not running it with the fan right now because of clearance issues with my grill but if need be ill mount it somewhere else with the fan come Tx summer time.
Then youll need this to plug the dipstick tube hole in the truck block since youll be running a different oil pan that will have the hole in the pan itself.
Stock manifolds should work but im unsure of your exhaust set up so i cant say how well. I prefer long tubes as they make using the universal x pipe kit i've used a couple times much easier to put on but with the cuda i had to run shorties thanks to torsion bars being directly in the way of long tubes. But i got a set of shorties of Amazon for cheap. I wouldnt recommend the ones i got as theres 2 spark plug holes they won't let me get to with a socket. Id look at 99-06 silverado shorties if i did it again.
About your "biggest worry", how long a 4L60E will last: this is a forum populated with many high-performance guys, who go for heavy duty, or even overkill. A 4L60E is definitely not the strongest trans ever manufactured, but it was used in millions of trucks for many years, and they have worked pretty well. So stop worrying about that! Well of course, except if you buy an unknown used trans... Just do not forget the external trans cooler.
For your plan, especially since you seem to have a hard time deciding on a plan, I would think the best idea is be to buy a complete, running truck (maybe an insurance write-off or such), you will not be able to use everything, but you will get a lot of useful bits, and even small hardware/brackets/connectors... and even things you might forget. You also are sure that all the parts will indeed work together (silly little details like a DBW pedal that does not work with your ECU...). Your original idea was excellent!
Then you can also resell what you do not need (body, interior...) to help with the cost of the swap.
Look into the 6.0L engines, more torque than a 5.3... Put a 4L80E behind it ,and then you have a really strong trans.
$150 here, $50 here, oops air intake, $100 there, power steering adapter $75 in fittings , well I need high pressure fuel line$100 it all adds up quickly. That above is more expensive than the engine you were going to buy. Oops I need a starter because the engine didn’t come with one $65 and no starter bolts either $20. Damn I can’t fit that truck alternator under the hood?
Its the truck mounting stuff for the alt that sits up higher,, as mentioned before look at the bracket kits ICT billet sells, those are about as tight hugging as you can get and you likely don't need the whole front setup just the bits to high mount the PS pump and low mount the alternator. BUT,, your LTD has a relatively high hood, the truck setup might fit. The truck intake sits about even with the top of the alternator.. So if one is a fit problem so is the other. This is where the $ get unpredictable. Lots of googling of things like LS truck motor pictures..
Getting a whole short cab long bed 2500 2wd truck would be awesome, they go for about 2500 bucks around here with 1-200 k on the clock and have the 6.0/4l80 in them.
some time at a U-pullit yard with a tape measure will pay off..
Another thing you might consider, as its labor not $$ is doing a tubular cross member, you can make it so it wraps around the pan rather than just going straight across under the pan.
12-03-2021, 11:05 PM
