IT RUNS!! ls1 in 1964 buick wagon...

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Jun 1, 2008 | 07:27 PM

jhaas

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Teching In

Joined: Sep 2007

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From: Knoxville, TN

IT RUNS!! , but i need some help. (ls1 in 1964 buick wagon...)

hey guys, first post here.

I just got my first ls1 swap running. the engine is from a 1998 camaro I bought it off eBay, it's got 80k on it. the wagon is a 1964 Buick lesabre estate wagon. this wagon is actually Perry Como's old station wagon. he bought it new in 64 and sold it in 74. full documentation all the way back. it's got 128k, but was missing the 401 nailhead when I bought it, I am the 3rd owner.

anyway, I plan on driving the family down to the beach this Wednesday. I feel solid about the rest of the driveline, brakes, etc... the only unknown are the ls1 and 4l60e. I've done tons of FI engine swaps. but never an LS1

what do I need to know? I am running a vats defeater off eBay. I've read these may go bad? any other LS1 computer issue that could pop up in the middle of an 8 hour drive?

do I need to run all four O2 sensors? I don't have cats on it. can I just run the first O2 sensor on each bank? I am taking it for exhaust Tuesday morning, any suggestions in that area?

I don't have the steering column, ignition, or dash cluster from the donor. any issues there?

the egr was missing on this engine...the TB was already plugged. and worst of all I don't have a OBD-II port, or CEL to check codes.

what voltage should I be looking for on my oil pressure and coolant temp senders to know they are OK?

I'm sure I'll be posting here in a panic over the next couple of days.

thank you in advance,
Jon

vats defeater link...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GM-VA...spagenameZWDVW

Last edited by jhaas; Jun 1, 2008 at 09:18 PM. Reason: add to title...

Jun 1, 2008 | 08:46 PM

VintageCamaroChris

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I like it. Im lovin the frame laying on the ground.. you have any better daytime pics of it all together? I like the traditional look alot with a little bit of late model parts and some airbags thrown in...

Jun 1, 2008 | 11:41 PM

Rodder

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From: Roswell, GA

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhaas

what do I need to know? I am running a vats defeater off eBay. I've read these may go bad? any other LS1 computer issue that could pop up in the middle of an 8 hour drive?

do I need to run all four O2 sensors? I don't have cats on it. can I just run the first O2 sensor on each bank? I am taking it for exhaust Tuesday morning, any suggestions in that area?

I don't have the steering column, ignition, or dash cluster from the donor. any issues there?

the egr was missing on this engine...the TB was already plugged. and worst of all I don't have a OBD-II port, or CEL to check codes.

what voltage should I be looking for on my oil pressure and coolant temp senders to know they are OK?

I'm sure I'll be posting here in a panic over the next couple of days.

thank you in advance,
Jon

- don't know anything about VATS boxes--most people just turn off VATS in the PCM

- if you have catalytic convertors, run all 4 O2 sensors, otherwise, run only the front O2 sensors. You can't run the the rear O2 sensors unless you are running cats, and you must disable the rear O2s in the PCM if your aren't using them.

- you don't need any of that stuff ('98 column, ignition switch, or gauges)

- you need to disable EGR in the PCM.

- you need to hook up both a check engine light and an OBD-II port--any small 12V bulb or LED will work, and the OBD-II connector from any 98+ GM car should work fine. You can't troubleshoot squat on this engine without both of those.

- you should replace the oil pressure sender with one that matches your gauge or run a mechanical gauge in place of it. The oil pressure sender isn't used by the PCM.

- the coolant temperature sensor is used exclusively by the PCM. You can tell it's working by hooking up a scan tool to the OBD-II port you're installing and reading the coolant temp. There's a plug in the passenger side head that you can remove to install a temp sender for a gauge.

- You've got a bunch of stuff you need to modify in your PCM. You are going to be throwing a ton of codes and possibly going into limp-home mode until you get that done. You can either buy software to do it yourself (HPTuners or EFILive), or you can mail your PCM to someone like Wait4me Performance and get them to flash it for you. The flash software is nice to have so you can make your own small tweaks (or big ones), and the software can be used as a scan tool for troubleshooting.

- Most likely problems on first road trip are bolts you forgot to tighten and bad connections in wiring. Pretty much the same as any other swap

Jun 2, 2008 | 12:19 AM

jhaas

Thread Starter

Teching In

Joined: Sep 2007

Posts: 6

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From: Knoxville, TN

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rodder

- you must disable the rear O2s in the PCM if your aren't using them.

- you don't need any of that stuff ('98 column, ignition switch, or gauges)

- you need to disable EGR in the PCM.

-- You've got a bunch of stuff you need to modify in your PCM..

i was afraid of this... i need to drive this thing 500 miles on wednesday. what are my options for pcm tuning? can i download these programs? are there any free ones? how would i go about wiring in an OBD-II port?

anyone here in the Knoxville TN area and know how to tune LS1's?

thank you for all your answers rodder, jon

Jun 2, 2008 | 03:02 AM

chrisp3

On The Tree

Joined: Jul 2006

Posts: 167

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From: tx

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhaas

1) what are my options for pcm tuning?
2) can i download these programs?
3)are there any free ones?
4)how would i go about wiring in an OBD-II port?

1) lot's. there are quite a few guys on this forum that can take care of that for you, but I doubt you will be ready by Wednesday.
2)not sure.
3)I have never heard of any.
4)wire it per this diagram...
hope this helps some.
chrisP

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