my 91 camaro lt1 swap

[quickkris2006]

OLD THREAD UPDATED.. GO TO PAGE 3 FOR NEW UPDATES!!


ok guys well i have finally did enough work and taken enough pics to be able to start my own rebuild thread. first let me start off with the basics my names Kris, im currently 22 years old, i live in jackson nj and ive loved third gens as long as i can remember ive own 3 myself.. first was a 84 berlinetta then was a 87 z28 and now my 91 rs vert.. i love my vert but man do i miss my ttops, im leaving for the military in april of 2011 for basic training im going in to the army and want to have my camaro up and running under its own power b4 i leave since when i get back from basic i have only about 2 to 3 weeks to pack up and leave and cant be towing around a car.. anyway here is my current rebuild of my 91 vert. i already have the motor and trans pulled, im currently working on cleaning up my engine bay and underbody. im picking up my lt1 parts car soon. its a 93 trans am i plan on using everything i can from the car..

As my car sits not it has no motor or trans or interior, im in the process of cleaning up the engine bay and preping the under body for coating. going to use a truck bed liner, makes it look brand spanking new. i figured if im ganna do it once might as well do it right the first time.. no i know everything isnt going to be 100% perfect just keep in mind im working on a VERY VERY STRICT BUDGET, and i will fix things that i missed or "mess up on" later after camp, like i said i just want it moving under its own power before i leave for basic..

so far as of 10/23/10 i have removed the engine harness, dash, ac, interior, trans, engine,

here are some pics

my work space which is a storage unit

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_0694.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_0682.jpg
as for progress i have so far completly taken out all the wiring only wires left on the car are the wires runing from door to do for the power windows locks and mirrors.. all seam sealer has been removed and seams wire wheeled down to bare metal and primed. i have started wire wheeling the k member and from frame rails.. i still need to get the rear and as tank out and finish the underbody cleaning for the coating.. im going to be picking up my donor car hopefully by the 18th of this month.. after that i get to strip that down and get the motor ready to be put in.. new gaskets from the heads up and new oil pan gasket and what not.. i wanna paint my intake blue.. since everyone is either running red,black, or stock alumi.. i wanna to stand out a lil bit.. and my car is ganna be blue to so i figured with the bay black and the intake and valve covers blue it would look good..

ok well here is where the fun starts guys. i drove out with my dad and best friend friday night to butler pa, for those of u that dont know that is right about pittsburg pa which is pretty much on the ohio boader compared to where i live on the jersey shore.. it took 8hrs to get there and 4hrs to load the car up and 9hrs to get back home, we did this 21 hr trip over night getting back saturday night.. and of course there was snow.. which is why it took 4 hrs to get it on the trailer. dads truck even got stuck in a ditch trying to turn around with the trailer.. anyway here is what this long trip got me..

its a 93 trans am LT1 4l60e disk rear.. and this car was HIT HARD.. amazingly the motor is still fine.. we got it home and pushed my camaro vert out into the cold.. the snow is comming soon and i have 1 week to get the trans am stripped down and out of my way to get the vert back in the garage seeing that it has never seen snow i dont want it to start now.. specially since its stripped down and the roof is not up and its covered in parts so there will be alot of updates comming so stay tuned im ganna try and document this swap as well as possible since there arrent that many well documented lt1 swaps on here that i have found.. this will also be printed up and saved in a photo book along with all the pics i take for me when im in my 80s and wanna feel like a kid again lol
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20101218_115708.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1090.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1092.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1094.jpg

got some work done now!!! i had a few hrs before i had to be to work on sunday and got some of the front end torn appart. got the whole car up in the air on jack stands got what was left of the front bumper off which actually was more then expected it was crushed up under the front of the car.. and some more of the no good parts off .. its alot easyier to remover body panels when there no good anymore prybars and hammers make a quick job of the fenders saved lots of time..

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1095.jpg
i got my first good look at her and here it is.. 89k miles =) not that u guys dont already know what it looks like lol
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1101.jpg


as for tomorrow i have off work.. and i get to put my new air compressor to work with my air tools i plan on having the motor out by tomorow afternoon.. and be working on the interior also.. would like to have the dash out so i can start to tackle my wiring on wensday.. im ganna need a new alternarter seeing that the housing is cracked found out my ps pump pully is bad so im ganna need another one of them and an ac delete pully..

i know that the 1 side motor mount on my 3rd gen vert has to be switched.. can i use the one from the trans am?

im trying to have this t/a stripped down by friday.. snow is comming then and with my vert ouside im not happy.. so this is going to be a very quick but very carefull pull..

as i was leaving my garage area i was turning my truck around and looked at my camaro and just had to take a picture
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1103.jpg

[quickkris2006]

it took me about 6 hrs to drop the motor out the bottom of the car, for my first time ever working on an ltx car i thought that was pretty good i was really carefull and labled every wire connection that i unhooked. i was able to leave the complete harness on the motor and drop it out of the car with just having to unbolt the computer and remove 3 connections from under the passenger side dash..

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1105.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1109.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1110.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1112.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1111.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1118.jpg
and i wouldnt have been able to do it with out these..
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1113.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1114.jpg
yep 375k btu will keep u very warm.. i was wearing a tee shirt taking the motor out and it was about 25* out side.. lucky me.. and i didnt even really use the air compressor.. broke the kmember bolts free with it thats about it..

[quickkris2006]

got some more stuff done today.. i was working on the interior since im waiting on my engine stand to come.. i got the dash out of the car and took a very good look at the wiring.. u can see all my lil blue painters tape lables lol .. the dash was a pain in the a** to remove. i will gladly remove a 3rd gen dash anyday then do the 4th gen one again. and all the broken glass shards on there didnt help either.. im still pulling that stuff outta my arms and hands.. when the air bags went off it broke the dash just to the left and down of the passenger side air bag.. when i talked to the guy on the phone he said it was a complete interior.. well he didnt lie he just wasnt very clear about it.. but o well i wasnt driving 8 hrs to get the car and not bring it home.. got him down from 800 to 500$ tho.. so i can deal with the broken dash for now i figure if i use the broken dash i can make my brackets and get all my wiring in place and when money is right i can buy another dash and just bolt it in..

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1117.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1116.jpg
i have off work tomorrow to and after i get a lil christmass shopping done for the wife i will be back to work on the car.. im hoping to maybe get the rest of the wireing harness out of the car and possibly into the camaro. i wanna get the seam sealer in the camaro and the new carpet down and depending on time i would like to get the brackets somewhat made for the dash to go in and then if my engine stand comes in ill be spliting the trans and engine apart and getting it on the stand. remove the ac and power steering pumps since the ac wont fit and the powersteering pump needs to be replaced. im still debating on weither or not to pull the heads??? ill get a good look at it tomorrow.. also got a nice set of 1.5 roller rockers to put on too.. should see a lil hp increase with those.. i might wait till after the motor is in and running to install those cuz i would like to feel the difference between stock aftermarket parts.. anyway guys keep tuned theres plenty more to come.. i have set my date to turn the key as febuary 16th.. so i think ill make it..

[quickkris2006]

Ok guys got some more progress.. I got the motor on to the back of my truck for now in A very redneck way lol(ull understand when I upload the pics). Got the 4thgen out of my way n got my baby back in the garage before the snow hits tomorrow.. so now the real work begins.. on the list for this week is to get my seam sealer, wires, carpet, and hopefully the dash ....if time permits. I plan on having the motor on the stand and installing my 1.5 roller rockers installed along with some new gaskets.

[quickkris2006]

alright guys here are the pics of me and my buddy getting the motor out of the way and the 4th gen outta my work space. this was christmass eve.. and i was in a big rush.. but found a few seconds to grab a few pics.. i dont have an engine lift so i did some thinking and i figured out how to move the motor.. i needed to get the 4th gen out of my way to get my camaro vert back inside before the snow came and im so glad that i did since we got about 3.5 feet of snow or more.. the motor is still currently covered up in the back of my s10 and im kinda glad it is since it gives me the extra weight to help me drive around in the snow lol anyway here are the pics

this is me next to my motor about to load it in the truck
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1119.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1121.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1123.jpg
my buddy chillin on the 4thgen we had had a few beers by this point
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1126.jpg

and now us DRAGGING the 4th gen out litteraly
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1125.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1127.jpg

[quickkris2006]

got some progress done but no pics for now.. got the k member out of the camaro and got the car up on stands.. got the k member grinded down, it cleaned up pretty nice, i then primed it and painted it flat black.. finished priming and painting the engine bay got a few lil spots i wanna touch up.. also got the the seam sealer finished. the 4th gen dash and center console is mocked up inside the car need to figure out how to get it to mount straight.. hoping to get the wiring out of the 4th gen tomorrow i didnt feel like trenching threw the snow to try and get it out tonight in the dark since its dark at like 530 now.. then the carpet will be going down and plastics started to go back in..

[quickkris2006]

got some more work done today.. got the interior wire harness out of the ta and got it laid down in the camaro and got the door harness ran to each door.. ganna try and get the dash mounted up tomorrow so i can start tieing in the harness to the dash and firewall.. i still am having a hard time getting the rest of the harness out of the ta from the firewall the to the headlight harness.. the damage to the car has made it almost impossible to get the harness out.. because the fenderwell has been pushed back into the brake booster.. and i need to get it out to be able to slip the harness out from under it.. im ganna try to cut out part of the fenderwell tomorrow and see if i can get it out that way. got a question tho.. im seeing that there is a difference between the 4th gen shifter and 3rd gen shifter.. there is a cable that runs from shifter to the steering coloum and then the shifter cable and also another one that goes to the motor i believe.. do i need all those or can i use the simpler 3rd gen shifter? also im going to be removing all the air bag sensors since there wont be any in there anyway so theres no point to have them.. should i strip the wires from the harness? or just leave it? i dont want any lights on in my cluster so im ganna take the bulb out for the air bag light.. im guesing i can have that tuned out along with my air and egr and passcode crap..

[quickkris2006]

here are some pics from the yesterday.. i got there and the 4th gen had slipped off the jack stands and was laying on the ground..
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1192.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1193.jpg
snapped a quick pic of my painted k member still gatta do the the rest of it waiting to get the rear outta the 4th gen so i have the jack stands back ..

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1197.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1198.jpg

[quickkris2006]

ok well i got alot done today.. had the day off of work and got the rear end out of the t/a along with the gas tank. also got the rest of the wiring out of the t/a had to take a sledge hammer to the brake booster do to the damage of the car. and had to inlarge the hole in the fire wall a lil bit to be able to get it out.. got the interior wire harness laid down and semi shorted out.. got the 3rd gen steering coloum back into the camaro and im very pleased that it all just pluged into the 4th gen harness.. put the dash in for another test fit i need to get a cut off wheel and trim a few places to get it to sit the way i want it to..also got my new carpet in and the 4th gen center console sitting in thereit looks amazing.. i cant wait to have the dash in and mounted up with all the gauges and face plates on and have it all working.. i have found a buddy with an engine lift and another with a stand.. only problem is the motor is in the back of my truck.. and the lift wont fit with the motor in the back.. ill figure somthing out.. i really really wanna tear into that motor soo bad and its killing me that i cant.. if i can just get it out of the truck and onto the stand i could have it in the car the next day.. with all new gaskets and my roller rockers, and a fresh layer of paint.. and on the paint issue what color should i paint my block?? black? red? blue? chevy orange? silver? i cant make up my mind.. ill have some pics for u guys friday.. i have work all day tomorrow so i wont get over to work on it and of course i forgot the camera this morning.. they are also calling for more snow this weekend so idk if ill be able to get more done or not.. it depends on how much i gatta drive the wife around cuz her crustang doesnt move outta the driveway in the snow.. so we pile into the good old chevy s10

[quickkris2006]

I got a lil more done today not much.. mainly just organized the mess of wireing that I had.. gatta love zipties. I did some research on the dash swap on my main site of thirdgen.org. I'm going tomorrow to buy my cut off wheel and trim the metal off the firewall and should have the dash mounted tomorrow..
This swap is comming along very well and I'm suprised on how fast its going.. I'm mainly getting held up by friends for the stand and hoist.. so I'm not ganna wait anymore I'm going to go get a stand and rent a hoist. I'm hoping to have the motor in the car by next week then I'm ganna be working on freshening up the rearend with a wire wheel n some paint. Hopefully with money permiting I will be able to undercoat the underbody. There will be pics tomorrow! I have work at 4 so hopefully everything will be done that I want done by then. The car looks so good with the newwer carpet that I actually take my shoes off to get inside to work on the wiring and dash lol. For right now I'm going to use the tan t/a seats and door panels with the black t/a dash and center console and have black carpet I think the tan and black will look good for now untill I can get my racing seats and 4point belts in

[quickkris2006]

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DASH IS IN AND MOUNTED!!!!!!! MOTOR IS ON STAND and everything is still good even with damage to oil pan!!! here are the pics of the progress
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1201.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1200.jpg
i got my truck stuck trying to turn around at my garage didnt have a real shovel and the snow was basicly ice so this is what we did lol
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1207.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1208.jpg
and now the motor
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1209.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1210.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1211.jpg
AND NOW MY INTERIOR!!
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1206.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1213.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1212.jpg

[quickkris2006]

i personaly love the dash in the car it looks so good.. i prefer the firebird dash over the camaro dash i cant wait till have it all wired up and all together.. ..

[quickkris2006]

ok got a lil more done today.. got the dash finished up for the most part and then got a lil work done on the motor.. its comming along but slowly.. im pretty much at a stand still till i get my gaskets for the motor and some heat paint.. well here are the pics
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1215.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1214.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1217.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1218.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/100_1219.jpg

[LTb1ow]

Nice work man, progress looks good!

And just wondering, a hit that hard, and the air bag didn't go off? Yikes...


I think I know a guy who may have a stock LT1 pan laying around...

[quickkris2006]

no both air bags went off.. the steering wheel in the car now is the orignal one from my camaro.. and ill be interested in that oil pan if its the right price.. everybody wants like 50$ for there pans plus shipping and its not worth it to me for a stock pan.. i would take one for 20$ if not ill buy an after market one thats bigger

[sweetbmxrider]

Cool swap, looks good so far. Definitely change the head gaskets while its there. Lt1's have 1.52 rockers stock so you won't gain anything there, most do 1.6's. Would be a great time to do a small cam if you have the extra funds, if not no biggy. The 93's have a 700r4 (4l60) with a kickdown cable that goes to the throttle body, they are not the electronically controlled 4l60e.

Hope it makes it out to the Circus meet if you are still around 8-)

[quickkris2006]

thats some good info i didnt know about the trans.. thanks. and when is the Circus meet and where?

[The Fixer]

If you still have your original 305, that pan ~should~ work on your LT1. Have you dropped the motor in place? If not, I'm pretty sure your original motor mounts (the clamshells on your old block) can bolt onto the LT1 block once you remove the stock LT1 mounts.

[sweetbmxrider]

thats some good info i didnt know about the trans.. thanks. and when is the Circus meet and where?

It should be posted up within a week or two. Last year it was in May though. The Circus is in Wall off of 35, has the big clown sign.

[Tru2Chevy]

Looks like a nice project!

The 93's have a 4L60 (700r4) with a TV (Throttle Valve) cable that goes to the throttle body, they are not the electronically controlled 4l60e.

Fixed....kickdown cable != TV cable. Make sure that you adjust the TV cable properly before you take off driving it!

- Justin

[sweetbmxrider]

Can't always please the masses :)

[quickkris2006]

sounds good guys.. im ganna get over there tomorrow and try to get some more stuff done.. if anyone is feeling like lending a hand anyday they are more then welcome to ill bring the beer!!! im in need of a hoist to get the engine in.. and would only need it for the day.. so if anyone has one and wants to come over and help me drop it in let me know!!

[quickkris2006]

and i dont have the old oil pan from the 305 but if i did it doesnt have the hole for the oil level sensor..

[V]

Can i have the roof of the Trans Am? lol

[greenformula92]

damn now im following this build on 2 boards lol

[quickkris2006]

Can i have the roof of the Trans Am? lol

just took the car to the scrap yard this morning!!! if u would have been able to say something sooner i would have cut it off for u! but u dont want it now cuz it was getting stuck in the snow so we actually rolled the car over on its roof and draged it out of the sno that way and up on the trailer on it roof lol sry man..

[V]

haha its ok. i have a race car thats ttops but im trying to find a roof section from a hardtop car to make a full "targa" roof to replace them and reduce weight.

[quickkris2006]

There's a junk yard here in new egypt that has a few 4th gen camaro hard tops if ur interested pm me I got no problem going over to cut it off

[sweetbmxrider]

haha its ok. i have a race car thats ttops but im trying to find a roof section from a hardtop car to make a full "targa" roof to replace them and reduce weight.

6LE has fiberglass and carbon fiber roofs. They are expensive though. 198esp has a cf roof too, pretty reasonable with pricing.

[greenformula92]

There's a junk yard here in new egypt that has a few 4th gen camaro hard tops if ur interested pm me I got no problem going over to cut it off

blaceys is good....nothing like a good ol u pick it

[quickkris2006]

Yes sure got about 5 turd gens there and a few 4th gens v6s there also

[quickkris2006]

huge change in direction.. im going to sell or scrap the camaro and go with my buddys 86 ta with an 8 point cage.. ill have pics up soon..

[maroman88]

looks like u were making good progress... a third gen camaro vert is much cooler and worth more then an 86 TA... IMO, would hate to see another vert junked

[V]

before junking it, try to sell it on here.
who knows, by then i may be looking to buy an 11th vehicle.

[quickkris2006]

yes i know the verts are worth more and all but ive owned 4 camaros all third gens since i ve had my license.. 7 years now.. thats all ive ever really driven.. beisides some beaters.. its time for a change and for a super solid 86 ta with an 8 point cage for 400$ hell yea.. now if someone wants to offer me a spot in there back yard or drive way to park the vert till i get back from basic training in september i would love to keep it believe me its my highschool car and i love it with all my heart but right now im just feeling the ta.. im ganna kick myself in the ass a few years down the road but.. so does everyone else.. and i think i found a buyer for it anyway.. so all is well.. i wouldnt have been able to take it to the jyard myself.. i would have broken down and turned around ..

[quickkris2006]

and i shouldnt have said scrap.. i never intended on scraping it.. that would have been a last resort..

[ZeroCool8891]

yea i scraped my 88 iroc vert a few months back, i had it up for 500 bucks as a rollor clean body and title but nobody wanted it, i had it up for sale for a year.

[quickkris2006]

camaro is sold!!! hope to have the ta in the garage by next week!

[quickkris2006]

IM CHANGING DIRECTIONS WITH THIS BUILD.. im going to part out the camaro vert and go with a buddys 86 trans am.. he recently picked up a 94 formula and has no more use for the shell of a ta sitting in his driveway.. the main reason im doing this is because my camaro has MAJOR body damage.. and the ta is ready for paint with a quick layer of high build primer and a good wet sanding.. it also has an 8 point cage.. here are some pics..

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/15727_388742179247_530609247_3732475_3356923_n.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/26062_388900534247_530609247_3735950_2546019_n.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/26062_388900834247_530609247_3735958_6294555_n.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/29174_389217829247_530609247_3741904_7409268_n.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/29174_389217904247_530609247_3741906_4323203_n.jpg

this car was being set up for an all out drag car.. and is the perfect base for what i want.. i have missed my ttop so much.. and this car has no rust what so ever and the body is perfectly straight.. only 1 problem i see is that i cant put in windshield wipers on the car again.. it was welded shut and from what the po told us is that he welded piping in from there to the subframes of the car.. the car also has fully custom subframe connections that run the complete length of the car and makes the car super stiff..



the story behind the car is kinda cool too i actually was at the scrap yard unloading some scrap and i look accross to the gate and in comes this ta on the back of a trailer.. and then they start pushing it off the trailer.. i run over to them and ask them what they are doing and they answered that they were getting rid of the car .. i asked them what the scrap yard was giving them for it and they said 250 i told them i would give them 300 if they towed it down the street to my house.. which they did.. and then my aunt flipped out and so i sold it to my best friend for the 300 and now im buying it back.. i have made my decison.. it will cost me less money in the long run for body work. and im kinda tired of the camaro look.. i love it but its time for a change.. ill be pulling everything that i can from the camaro and putting it into the trans am.. the complete 4th gen interior i have worked into my camaro will be comming back out and going into the trans am.. along with everything else..

[quickkris2006]

i plan on cutting out the side bars and put swing outs on it becuase i hate having to climb over that everyday..

[sweetbmxrider]

You should POR 15 that floor pan

[quickkris2006]

Yep already plan on it along with dynomating it n the under carriage will be coated in a truck bed liner

That rust is the rear floor pans is just surface rust I was able to wipe it away with my hand..

[quickkris2006]

finally an UPDATE !!!



got the trans am to my garage yesterday and picked up a lil camaro parting gift for myself for the ta.. got a few more comming too!!!


http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110228_120555.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110228_120649.jpg

and now for the new item i got for her..


http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110301_200957.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110301_201028.jpg

i have a few more goodies that i got for the car with the sale of the camaro.. just no pics yet!! but very very good items.. i plan on having the motor in the car this weekend and restart the wiringand interior of the car.. shouldnt be hard since i already did it all once



also im thinking of starting a new thread for the trans am transformation and if i do i will post a link here and update both threads the same..

[quickkris2006]

havent updated this thread in a while so im ganna catch it up with my orignal

BIG UPDATE ON THE CAR!!!!!

Motor,gas tank, rearend,new motor mounts, engine bay harness and interior harness are in!!!!!!

I was busy over the weekend.. I did the complete rearend and gastank swap by myself in about 3 hrs then today me and a buddy got the motor in..

But with me losing my job I don't think the car will be running before I leave for the military in april.. if I had know I was ganna lose my job I wouldn't have bought the hood or other goodies for the car and just gotten what I needed.. but they were a really really good deal that I just couldn't pass up.. so inless someone wants to donate me there old spark plug wires and opti cap, battery cables, I don't think ill be able to get her going before I leave.. I can't put anymore money into the car inless I have money comming in and I leave april. 11 for basic so it would be stupid to get another job and then have to leave.. it sucks comming this far and being so close to just watch it be pulled away from me.. anyway I plan to get what I have done like the interior and all the wiring and just see how far I can get before I leave.. I wasn't expecting to be able to drive the car since all the brake lines needs to be replaced but I would have liked to at least have had it started.. either way I come back from basic ill have a few grand saved up and ill be able to buy all new brakes for the car with braided lines and what ever else I need.. I have other project I need to worry about before I leave like puting my trans ,shocks ball joints and tie rods back in my f150 so my wife can tow her horses around while I'm gone, ill have pics of the trans am up soon.. my ranting is done lol

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110306_180305.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110306_181558.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110306_181606.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_120452.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_145601.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_145408.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_150648.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_145421.jpg

i have to trim the carpet for the roll cage and i didnt get to that today i wanna take my time and do it carefully i will probably do that tomorrow and here are some other random pics i took today it was so nice out for a change that i decided to push it outside and work on the interior where i could fully open the doors.. made it alot easier with the rollcage

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_122248.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_145444.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_153220.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_153232.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_153256.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_153319.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_153339.jpg

[quickkris2006]

ok guys got a lil more of an update.. motor is back out.. as i said before i just had it sitting in there.. well as it was sitting in there i saw a lil oil pool up on the floor checked it out and the oil pan gasket was leaking so i pulled her back out and threw a new gasket on there. i never really had it bolted in there so it really didnt matter.. well now i cant seam to line it up on the motor mounts.. ive heard people mixing up the mounts so i droped the spindles again and this time took the springs out since i was tired of fighting them. but i still cant get it to line up right.. im tired of fighting with it in the car im ganna drop the k member, bolt the motor mounts to the motor and then hook up the trans and lower the car ontop of the motor im tired of messing with this.. also went to the junk yard with a buddy the other day looking for parts for him and came across a caprice with the lt1 in it and got a set of msd wires that had only been on the car for 1500 miles! tuned up was marked at 145k and the odo only read 146k!!! looked brand freakin new.. also got my power steering pump and a few odd bolts just in case so now the only thing i need is an alternator and a opti cap and i should be able to start her up after i hook up the wiring.. i think the only thing than can hold me back from that is the pass key since i switched steering coloums.. if thats the case ill have to wait till i get back from basic and send the computer out to be tuned.. ill have some more pics up soon.. probably doing the motor tomorrow

[quickkris2006]

ok well the motor trans and k member is back in!! finally!!! man that took longer then it needed to .. now i just gatta muscle the springs back in and get the wheels on and roll her outside to pull in my cough cough.. ford f150 to put a trans in if it was anything like taking it out im ganna be haiting life..

things left to finish up the ta..

connect all ground wires on harness.. interior and exterior..
connect the engine harness with interior harness and ecu
get an alternator
waiting on my new opti and batter cables to come inand hook them up
install headers
intall underdrive pulley
install waterpump
install seats
cut carpet around roll cage
install driveshaft
intall new hood hindges and struts
bolt hood on
install new weather stripping
rewire headlights
install dash pad
install SS brake and fuel lines
install radiator and hoses
fuel in the tank and then (im sure theres plenty more)

TURN THE KEY!!


i know it wont all happen before i leave but i would atleast like to have it started before i go

[quickkris2006]

updates for today!

the weather was really crappy today and i had court in the morning so i didnt get much done really lol i got the driver side spring back in and got the strut bolted up man what was a pita without the spring compressor! but with a long prybar 3lbs sledge and a good jack it went in with a good amount of effert.. the other side shouldnt be so hard since i did it once now..

im having 1 problem now i went threw my bucket of bolts and cant seam to find the trans cross member bolts.. so its being held up by a jackstand right now i have some bolts that go in but dont get tight so i need to go to the store and get 1 size bigger.. man do i hate buying bolts and such when i have 2 buckets full of them.. i guess the 4th gen bolts arrent the same or i have the wrong ones.. o well either way here are the pics from the motor and trans install.. i still think this way is the easyiest way just takes a lil time and u dont have to worry about scratching a nice engine bay paint job this way! mines only rattle can but still.. trying to fit a motor and trans in that things are ganna get scratched.. .. ** note to anyone thats decided to put the motor and trans in this way u dont have to take the springs out to do it.. i removed them to intall the mounts cuz i was tired of fighting them!.. **


* to u 4th gen guys thats kinda the only way to get ur motors in and out.. but it sure is nice being able to access the whole motor from the top with the 3rd gen..

anyway here are the pics from the motor install..
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110322_172703.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110322_172651.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110322_183150.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110322_183158.jpg
sry for the crappy cell pics.. my droid isnt the best with out a steady hand and it was pretty cold out.. altho not as cold as it was when i took the motor out of the 4th gen.!

[quickkris2006]

plans for tomorrow are to get the tranny bolts in and get the other spring in.. get the car back on the ground and depending on weather need to push it outside if its nice or if its nasty out ill start on the wiring and possibly the headers.. should have put the headers in before but i need gaskets so that had to weight and i wanted the motor in

thread is not up to date again .. so what do u guys think?

[quickkris2006]

Wow no love?

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

We've had some pretty cold days, doesn't seem to have slowed your progress!

[greenformula92]

Lookin good bro keep it up she might be running before u leave

[sweetbmxrider]

Yeah man, its come a long way. Keep at it and do all you can without spending money, lots of little things should keep you occupied :)

[quickkris2006]

i need an opti cap before i can even think about having it running 2 of my plug wire connections broke off

[quickkris2006]

WOW I HAVENT UPDATED THIS THREAD IN SOOO LONG..
this will take to long if i do it by hand so copy and paste it is..


well guys ive finally bought enough lsx parts to warrant a thread.. im putting a lq4 into my 1986 trans am. i was going to make it an all out track car but have since changed my mind.. it will just be another car for me to drive to and from base/work when i feel like it.

im currently stationed overseas in south Korea:usa: so i have an amazing friend who i consider my blood brother doing most if not all of the swap for me:bang: im sure he will chime in sooner or later on here..

little back story on the car.. i was doing a lt1 swap on my 91 camaro convertible and i came across an amazing deal that i just couldnt pass up from a friend.. well i sold the camaro and put the lt1 into the trans am but had to leave for basic training before i could fully finish it.. it was so close.. just needed small stuff, fuel lines, battery, and so forth.. well the car sat inside the storage unit for the entire time i was away. then i came down on orders to Korea and that just blew any chances of finishing it anytime soon.. well i moved the car up to PA to my uncles house for long term storage.. i came home from korea in march of 2012 on mid tour leave to get married to my beautiful wife and started talking to my brother about building the car.. he said bring it to his house and it shall be done.. well needless to say its there and its getting a whole new setup because he refused to let me drop any more money on the lt1..

here are a few pics from when i was doing the lt1 swap
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/26062_388900834247_530609247_3735958_6294555_n.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/15727_388742179247_530609247_3732475_3356923_n.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/29174_389217904247_530609247_3741906_4323203_n.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/29174_389217829247_530609247_3741904_7409268_n.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/29174_389217989247_530609247_3741912_6214472_n.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110228_120649.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110303_194425.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110303_182358.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_150648.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_153232.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_153220.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_122248.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110318_175441.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_20110308_120452.jpg

[quickkris2006]

HERE it is, at its new home at my brothers house! and some nice new to me parts..
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/472055_10150918879349918_830704917_12918198_244883 950_o.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/2011-11-17170158.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/2011-11-17170132.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/tn5.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/tn3.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/tn1.jpg
228R cam kit from TSP
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/166-1.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/168-1.jpg
Monster stage 3 clutch
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/clutch1.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/clutch.jpg
tank
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/S7300688.jpg

i also have a full body harness from a 2000 camaro from head lights to tail lights.. but no need to picture that mess.. i hate wiring.. and i dont like having electrical gremlins so this whole swap will be PLUG AND PLAY!! only thing ill have to wire in is the headlights and tail lights.. everything else should plug right on in.. im also going with a custom 02 trans am dash that has been fiber glassed and painted black.. its nice but im worried about the glare so i might re prep it and fix a few smaller areas on it and do a satin black instead.. but that will come after everything is installed and she is finally running.. as i have owned this car over 3 years.. and not once have i drove it.. :bomb:

[quickkris2006]

if it wasnt for my wifes stang breaking down i would have been alot farther in this build but it is what it is.. stang got a new transmission, and oil pan gasket, cap,rotor,coil, plugs and wires, brakes, rotors, and tires, flowmaster catback and all new fluids.. that was a good 3,000$+ that i could have put toward this and probably been very close to finishing..
picture of the wifes stang
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/411165_3518997253572_1231232901_3529400_1601181824 _o.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/420929_3463912516488_1231232901_3506230_536206347_ n.jpg
figured since im posting the cars up might as well do the beauty and the beast while im at it..
my beauty 2006 6spd
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/IMG_0806.jpg
and the beast 1999 silverado 2500 (just picked this bad boy up)
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/460375_3063520703857_1138654469_32540382_127266676 8_o.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/quickkris/464484_3063471662631_1138654469_32540360_393372861 _o.jpg

[quickkris2006]

ok shes up to date now lol