LSx into my 65 Vette
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Teching In
Joined: Apr 2006
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LSx into my 65 Vette I am really interested in putting maybe a LS2 or LS6 into my 65 Vette.. I know of some obstacles ahead of me, but what about all the little things?
I really do not want an automatic from the same donor... I rather keep my 4spd to make it cost effiecient, or use a kiesler 5 speed and just use adapter plates (if they exist). If I were to use a T56 EXACTLY how much cutting is required?? And what about the wiring harness.. If I get a complete motor is it plug and play? What about motor mounts? I don't fully understand the issue with motor mounts and the LSX engines. And lastly what do I do about the throttle pedal?
DId I miss anythinng? Thanks!
Mike
I really do not want an automatic from the same donor... I rather keep my 4spd to make it cost effiecient, or use a kiesler 5 speed and just use adapter plates (if they exist). If I were to use a T56 EXACTLY how much cutting is required?? And what about the wiring harness.. If I get a complete motor is it plug and play? What about motor mounts? I don't fully understand the issue with motor mounts and the LSX engines. And lastly what do I do about the throttle pedal?
DId I miss anythinng? Thanks!
Mike
Well mines a 73 but close enough for some of the things,as far as motor mounts you need adapters that bolt to the block flat plates with holes in it then youll bolt the vette motor mounts to it then theyll bolt to the frame,several vendors sell them.
The throttle pedal depends on what youll be using electronic throttle or standard cable throttle,im using a ls1 with cable i used my stock throttle pedal and heated and bent it to take some of the slack up and worked fine.
As far as wiring harness i used a 99 fbody harness and modified it myself to work a few hot wires and grounds and thats it.You can your harness(donor car yo get motor from) and have it reworked to what you need from a vendor or buy one done already.Just need your pcm flashed for no vats and whatever else you dont need.
The throttle pedal depends on what youll be using electronic throttle or standard cable throttle,im using a ls1 with cable i used my stock throttle pedal and heated and bent it to take some of the slack up and worked fine.
As far as wiring harness i used a 99 fbody harness and modified it myself to work a few hot wires and grounds and thats it.You can your harness(donor car yo get motor from) and have it reworked to what you need from a vendor or buy one done already.Just need your pcm flashed for no vats and whatever else you dont need.
And mine is a 68 - I am in the early stages so I am dealing with a few "little things" that are fresh in mine mind. You can search on "motor mounts" and find a few discussions where I covered my issues. The short of it was that I purchased the S&P adapter plates that are made of 1/2" alum. which caused the motor mount holes to line up with the frame mounts. I used the S&P and BRP templates and made my own out of 1/4" stainless steel with both bolt patterns allowing me to use either depending on which worked better for overall clearance and placement. Also I used the energy suspension mounts without the backing plate (lower profile that way) and everything lined right up! The next issue I had is that the heater hose bibs have to be pulled out (stock are pressed in) and the holes are tapped 1/2" and 3/8" NPT. You can then either plug them or setup 90 deg. elbows if you want a operational heater. Some people have indicated that they had 1/2" or less clearance so the only option was to plug them. It looks like I will be able to use elbows but one note - I purchased the S&P elbows for $85 and they were way too long about 2" so I made up my own with some brass fittings for about $6 and they only require about 1" of clearance. Currently working on the fuel system and hope to have it completed this weekend. I purchased a drop out from an 04 GTO so I am using the stock wiring harness from that car and modifying it myself - fairly straight forward.
Let me know if you want any more specifics...
Let me know if you want any more specifics...
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2006
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The motor mount is no problem, and I would like to have a heater.. but again a little thing. What about the radiator? Radiator hoses? Accessories? Can I use the accessories right off the donor? Is that the easiest? What about mating the LSx to my 4spd? Kiesler 5spd? Any issues with the manifolds?
Radiator should be fine for stock if its in good shape im still using my original 73 radiator in mine.Upper hose im using a 99 firebird hose wihtout cooler,fit with minor trimming,bottom hose i had to go to advanced auto and try and few different ones till i got something to fit right.Also youll have to use a straight waterneck too,i got mine from csr for $40 in aluminum,uses a stock thermostat from our older motors.accessories depends on what you got the motor from,i used c5 corvettebrackets and couldnt get the power steering pump ti fit,had to modify the b racket and use just the alternator and make my own p/s bracket down low off a separate belt.It seems the vettes like the fbodys setup everything works except for the a/c youll need a upper relocation bracket to mount it off the passenger head above the tensioner.I think theres someone on here making the a/c brackets if not s&p has them but big bucks.Dont know about the t56 stuff im auto.
Thread Starter
Teching In
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Hmm.. how much difference between yours and my tunnel? Was the shifter the only issue? How about the tranny itself? Any other tight areas due to it's size? I actually have a T56 in my 57 belair and even THAT barely fit without cutting...
And how is the shifter location compared to stock? If I use a stock t56 the shifter is all the way on the tail.. seems to me like whoever is riding in the luggage area behind me would be doing the shifting.
And how is the shifter location compared to stock? If I use a stock t56 the shifter is all the way on the tail.. seems to me like whoever is riding in the luggage area behind me would be doing the shifting.
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We are in the finishing stages on my 63. I can't comment on the motor mounts because we grafted the entire front K-member from an 02' Vette on the front end. We had to cut the tunnel very similarly as Scooter did to get the T56 to fit. We also had to cut a small whole further back to create a dimple/clearance for the rubber u-joints used on the GTO's. We are going with the accessories and harness from the donor motor.
You can dig through the pics here http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/curby50/my_photos and see few pics of what was done to the tunnel.
You can dig through the pics here http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/curby50/my_photos and see few pics of what was done to the tunnel.
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I didn't have to cut as much as Scooter. Just enough the fit the shifter in from above. Didn't have to cut for the reverse lockout solenoid. I was actually able to use the stock shifter handle and have it come up throught he stock console. This is a crappy picture from before I cleaned everything up, but you get the idea.
http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/70lt1/shifter.jpg
http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/70lt1/shifter.jpg