This is my first build thread so bear with me. Also my first LSX and Turbo build too. I've been following Denmahs builds and Fairmont 2.0 is around the corner from me so I figured it was time for me to start a build. I picked up a 79 Malibu for $1200 with a 350/350 in it. Did burnouts for a few weeks while searching for a 5.3. Ended up getting a 01 5.3, complete wiring harness, computer and even gauge cluster out of a truck from CL for $600. Engines only got 60k miles on it.
My son (whos 12 years old) and I got to tearing into it. We decided we were going the "Sloppy Mechanics" route and wanted Functionality over Form so we were doing as little as possible. We pulled the motor down and regapped the top rings. We added some Chinese Ebay studs, LS9 head gaskets, PAC springs and 80lb injectors. We kept the stock 706 heads and did a mild port job on them just to clean up a little. We also are running the Truck intake also because it flows better than the LS1 so I hear and it makes a little better bottom end which will be needed for the turbo.
The turbo we went with is the Denmah Special from VSRacing. upgraded to the 88mm GT45 turbo and the 4in intercooler.
I had planned on going with a LS6 cam and even bought one from the classifieds here and had it in the motor. A few days ago a Spec'd Tick Performance cam kinda fell into my lap.

Now the fun begins. We yanked the 350/350 out of the Malibu. Got it semi cleaned up and started making custom solid mounts for the car.
Finally got the engine situated where I wanted it. The oil pan is a truck pan. Suprisingly it doesn't sit as low as I thought it would. Thankfully I have a cowl hood tho because the motor may have hit stock hood.

Problem that I ran into now is im running truck manifolds. Down and forward the passenger side is right on frame rail. Up and forward seems to be the way to go. Unfortunately the AC/Heater box is going to have to go.

That's where i'm at right now. Hopefully i'll have the box out tomorrow and I can start on the wiring of the car. My converter from PTC won't be in til end of next week for the turbo 400 so I don't want to start building my hot side yet because motor will move a little bit with tranny in.

Another problem I ran into was the PS pump pulley hits on the very edge of the steering box bolt in the corner. I yanked the pump off and gonna keep it off for right now. In the future I plan on getting a smaller pulley and hooking up the power steering. Heres a few pics of the build so far.

 

here are some more pics.

 

here are some more

 

and some more

 

and heres more

 

will be back at it tomorrow. Still a ways out but hopefully in 2 weeks i'll be driving. Gotta order the Magnafuel pump, lines and fuel cell tomorrow

 

looks clean very nice keep the pics coming please

 

Looking foward to this build!!!!!

 

Nice. Keep this up to date! I'm planning to do near the same thing once I get some fundage

 

PS pulley hitting the PS box is common. Just get a smaller pulley. I think my 6.0L had a six inch pulley. Got a five inch and it solved the problem.

 

Hey there,

I am working on a '84 Cutlass 5.3L turbo build and am in some down time right now since my first child is literally right around the corner. Anyhow here's the approach I was taking and so far is working out very nicely:



While I am a bit forward with the turbo than others it gives me great wheel well room for a physically large turbo and I am pretty happy with the overall packaging of it.

I will be working on it more this weekend making progress on the stuff that doesn't cost me money...haha.

Love me a good Gbody so I will be following yours. Let me know if I can help you out in any way...be happy to.

Take care and good luck with your build!
Dave

 

An for a smaller ps pulley get one off 2.8l v6 s10, junkyard/Pullapart is full of them

 

Looking good...keep the pics coming! I just picked up a rust free 80 malibu and plan on a same build

 

Got some more done on the Malibu. Made my custom wire harness. Got 90% of it completed. Just need to mount fuse block and ground bar under hood.
PTC converter came in today so we got the monster 400 installed. Crossmember runs directly under tranny mount so I'll either try to move it foreward/back and reweld perch on or was thinking of drilling top of crossmember and making hole big enough in bottom to get socket thru. Would also add a piece of plate to crossmember to reinforce where I pop a holy thru it.
Only other things I need now is my Magnafuel 750, fuel line, Russel adapter fittings to use stock truck rails, new throttle cable and the start welding up my hot side. Also getting custom driveshaft made tomorrow along with doing crossmember, ienstalling radiator, inter cooler, battery, fuel cell, removing fuel tank and a few other nick nacks.

Here are a few pics. Enjoy.

 

Some reason pics are only going one at a time.

 

After tape and wire loom. All connections were soldered and shrink wrapped

 

Other side. You can see my relays. 1. Microsquirt/crank sensor, 2 coils/ injectors/ alt regulator (had to solder in a 470ohm 1/2 watt resistor in line to this wire for alt), 3 C oolong fan, 4 fuel pump. All wires will run from a fuse panel I have to install still to relays then to their locations.

 

Tranny installed. You can also see the truck oil pan. It doesn't sit that low in my car. Then again it may have something to do with the custom solid motor mounts I built. I put engine as low as possible before hitting c
K member. It fit quite well. Was just a HEAVY SOB!!

 

WIRES!!! Fun Fun Fun. Actually the wiring wasn't that bad at all. It was just quite time consuming to do right. I cut all the plugs I needed off the factory harness. From there I run my microsquirt wires from in car thru firewall around front of motor and back to drivers side. I started with sensors furthest away and worked my way back. Coolant temp sensor was first then injectors, then coils then TPS (left a spot to tie in alt) then IAT (that's where evap went in intake. I reamed the hole out slightly, siliconed it up and tapped sensor from 2000ish 3.8 Camaro in) the same thing on pass side. I paid special attention to crank position sensor. After hooking up signal wire I also wrapped it with aluminum tape then electrical tape. My friend with the Fairmont was getting loss of sync issues so I traced problem back to that connection. Aluminum tape helped shield wire from interference. Since there is no cam sensor that's the most important wire to do.

 

Here's a pic of how I am going to run my manifolds. Friend runs his like that and he has no problems. I can't run them down and forward because the pass side dumps directly out on the middle of the frame rail. In order to make this work I had to buy 2 rolls of $50 thermal shield and 2 packs of 4 Accell wire "socks" at $25 a pop because the wires will be laying on the exhaust. If for some reason I do have problems them I'll either try to relocate the coils on the underside the manifold somewhere or buy longer wires and try to "loop" them out and around.

I hope y'all have enjoyed the build so far. It's my first LS build and also first Boosted build. I'm pretty much learning as I go. Stay tuned. More pics and posts coming soon. Hopefully putting some miles on it in the next week or 2.

On a side note I was going to run a LS6 cam that I bought off of the classifieds here but I had a SERIOUS custom grind cam that was specd for a 5.3/88mm basically fall into my lap. This things gonna be a Monster now and sound like a popcorn machine.