LS1 swap questions

[12secondSY]

You might have read that Im trading off my typhoons engine for an LS1. Right now Im throwing around ideas and had a few questions and wanted to hear thoughts on it. Keep in mind before you give me to much crap about it that its a high mileage ty and it was bought with no intention of anything staying origional. It already has no ABS, no A/C, no cruise, basically it was already far from stock and will never be origional again. I'll buy a sy later when Im ready for that.

Any ideas what the weight difference is between an LS1 and the sy engine/turbo/intercooler?

Ive considered going 2wd (go ahead and laugh :lol: ) and have a couple questions to help me make a decision.
1. What all comes out when converting to 2wd? I'd assume trans/transfer case, front driveshaft, front diff and axles and swap in a 2wd tranny and crossmember right?
2. Whats the weight savings of going 2wd?
3. Will I need a different oil pan if the fron diff isnt in there anymore?
4. If I use a 4L80e will i need a controller or can it be controlled with an LS1 computer? Im not sure if the controls are in the ecm or in a different module.
5. Will 2wd front control arms and all that bolt right on? I'd like to get rid of the torsion bars.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts, comments, answers :tup:

 

[mattw]

Re: LS1 swap questions

5. Will 2wd front control arms and all that bolt right on? I'd like to get rid of the torsion bars.

I am only positive about the answer to this particular question...

The 2wd control arms are entirely different and will not fit.


-Matt

 

[ViciousV6]

Re: LS1 swap questions

You might have read that Im trading off my typhoons engine for an LS1. Right now Im throwing around ideas and had a few questions and wanted to hear thoughts on it. Keep in mind before you give me to much crap about it that its a high mileage ty and it was bought with no intention of anything staying origional. It already has no ABS, no A/C, no cruise, basically it was already far from stock and will never be origional again. I'll buy a sy later when Im ready for that.

Any ideas what the weight difference is between an LS1 and the sy engine/turbo/intercooler?

Ive considered going 2wd (go ahead and laugh :lol: ) and have a couple questions to help me make a decision.
1. What all comes out when converting to 2wd? I'd assume trans/transfer case, front driveshaft, front diff and axles and swap in a 2wd tranny and crossmember right?
2. Whats the weight savings of going 2wd?
3. Will I need a different oil pan if the fron diff isnt in there anymore?
4. If I use a 4L80e will i need a controller or can it be controlled with an LS1 computer? Im not sure if the controls are in the ecm or in a different module.
5. Will 2wd front control arms and all that bolt right on? I'd like to get rid of the torsion bars.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts, comments, answers :tup:

The control arms are used the same but just the hub stays attached and no axle goes through it.
Could even do a Tubular front control arm kit to elimate the torsions bars.

2wd & 4wd suspension is completely diffrent.

Ralph

 

[12secondSY]

Re: LS1 swap questions

I am only positive about the answer to this particular question...

The 2wd control arms are entirely different and will not fit.


-Matt

Thanks, I guess its coilovers if I want to do that then

 

[kentuc]

Re: LS1 swap questions

Chop up another S-10.

 

[SY1616]

Re: LS1 swap questions

Chop up another S-10.

x2!!!

 

['JustDreamin']

Re: LS1 swap questions

You might have read that Im trading off my typhoons engine for an LS1. Right now Im throwing around ideas and had a few questions and wanted to hear thoughts on it. Keep in mind before you give me to much crap about it that its a high mileage ty and it was bought with no intention of anything staying origional. It already has no ABS, no A/C, no cruise, basically it was already far from stock and will never be origional again. I'll buy a sy later when Im ready for that.

Any ideas what the weight difference is between an LS1 and the sy engine/turbo/intercooler?

Ive considered going 2wd (go ahead and laugh :lol: ) and have a couple questions to help me make a decision.
1. What all comes out when converting to 2wd? I'd assume trans/transfer case, front driveshaft, front diff and axles and swap in a 2wd tranny and crossmember right?

Tcase, front diff & axles all can come out.
You'll need a transmission set up for 2wd (tailshaft instead of tcase mount).
You will need a method for keeping the front hubs together. Either the ends of the halfshafts or some other method (I made up a set of super duty washers and used some big a$$ metric bolts when I yanked the front axle of my truck, since I will be putting it back to 4wd, someday).
I'm not sure if the trans crossmember will have to be different or not. Kinda depends upon what trans you put in, and where it sits (relative to the original location).

2. Whats the weight savings of going 2wd?

Not sure of the exact weight, but the Tcase probably weighs about 70 lbs. The front diff is probably 50, and the front half-shafts are probably in the neighborhood of 10 each. Something on the order of 140lbs.

3. Will I need a different oil pan if the fron diff isnt in there anymore?

Without the front diff, you probably can get by with almost any pan. Certainly don't need a custom pan that clears the diff. I'd bet pretty much any pan would fit (it really is WIDE open). I wouldn't chose the "Batwing" C5 pan or the front sump GTO pan, and I think the truck pan would probably hang too deep. And the Trailblazer pan is just weird. But the Camaro or LS2 vette pans should work just fine. Check out the pictures on my CarDomain site.

4. If I use a 4L80e will i need a controller or can it be controlled with an LS1 computer? Im not sure if the controls are in the ecm or in a different module.

LS1 computer (I think it's got to be a '99 or later, ''97 / 98's are different) will have no trouble controlling either a 4L60E / 4L65E or a 4L80E (with minor programming and harness changes) since that's what comes behind them in auto applications.

5. Will 2wd front control arms and all that bolt right on? I'd like to get rid of the torsion bars.

As stated earlier, 2wd and 4wd are COMPLETELY different. Your only choice to get rid of torsion bars is to go to a coilover kit (either a kit with tube control arms or the stock arm coilover setup).

'JustDreamin'

 

[JSM]

Re: LS1 swap questions

I am confused, you didn't have the money to fix the 4.3, but now your doing ls1?

 

[Norm]

Re: LS1 swap questions

I would just find a s-10/s-15 jimmy/blazer 2 wheel drive chassis and swap over the body. That way you could already have the engine/tranny muonted, the chassis detailed. You are pretty much doing a s-10 swap. I havent done a ls-1 swap but I have done a lt-1 swap and it was pretty easy. I notice on another site the guy did a ls-6 swap and the exhaust was the hardest part.

 

[12secondSY]

Re: LS1 swap questions

I am confused, you didn't have the money to fix the 4.3, but now your doing ls1?

Traded my short block and some other parts for an LS1. Selling off all my 4.3L parts. The money from the 4.3L parts are catching me up on bills and a little extra then this is a winter project. Im probably going to let the bike go too but Im not for sure.

 

[JSM]

Re: LS1 swap questions

I just know from my own project, what you think is cheaper, ends up costing twice as much.

My engine started as a left over engine I had. Well, many $'s later I am finally almost to point I can make it drivable.

I just think you will find the ls1 conversion won't be any cheaper than what you had in the long run.

 

[12secondSY]

Re: LS1 swap questions

I just know from my own project, what you think is cheaper, ends up costing twice as much.

My engine started as a left over engine I had. Well, many $'s later I am finally almost to point I can make it drivable.

I just think you will find the ls1 conversion won't be any cheaper than what you had in the long run.

Probably not, and I dont expect a quick turnaround at all. I spent a year just on the V6. I wanted to go V8 shortly after finishing the V6 just because I realized that a V6 has less limits on a stock block and less reliability. Plus parts arent as available. So this is a way for me to get back on track financially first, let the vehicle sit till I'm stable again and not have to sell it, then have the engine I want. I was real close and had I not sold some parts and came out as well as I did the truck would have probably been repo'ed due to me having to pay traffic fines and having a slow 2 months straight at work all at once. Had they taken it just think what they would have auctioned it for with a cracked head :tdown: Now I'm a month ahead on my payments and work picked back up, and I still have a truck. :tup:

 

[12secondSY]

Re: LS1 swap questions

Tcase, front diff & axles all can come out.
You'll need a transmission set up for 2wd (tailshaft instead of tcase mount).
You will need a method for keeping the front hubs together. Either the ends of the halfshafts or some other method (I made up a set of super duty washers and used some big a$$ metric bolts when I yanked the front axle of my truck, since I will be putting it back to 4wd, someday).
I'm not sure if the trans crossmember will have to be different or not. Kinda depends upon what trans you put in, and where it sits (relative to the original location).

Not sure of the exact weight, but the Tcase probably weighs about 70 lbs. The front diff is probably 50, and the front half-shafts are probably in the neighborhood of 10 each. Something on the order of 140lbs.

Without the front diff, you probably can get by with almost any pan. Certainly don't need a custom pan that clears the diff. I'd bet pretty much any pan would fit (it really is WIDE open). I wouldn't chose the "Batwing" C5 pan or the front sump GTO pan, and I think the truck pan would probably hang too deep. And the Trailblazer pan is just weird. But the Camaro or LS2 vette pans should work just fine. Check out the pictures on my CarDomain site.

LS1 computer (I think it's got to be a '99 or later, ''97 / 98's are different) will have no trouble controlling either a 4L60E / 4L65E or a 4L80E (with minor programming and harness changes) since that's what comes behind them in auto applications.

As stated earlier, 2wd and 4wd are COMPLETELY different. Your only choice to get rid of torsion bars is to go to a coilover kit (either a kit with tube control arms or the stock arm coilover setup).

'JustDreamin'

Thanks for the info. I'm still in the air about 2wd or awd. Im leaning awd today but thats subject to change. In case I keep the awd, what oil pan did you use on yours?

 

['JustDreamin']

Re: LS1 swap questions

Thanks for the info. I'm still in the air about 2wd or awd. Im leaning awd today but thats subject to change. In case I keep the awd, what oil pan did you use on yours?

Built my own out of 16ga cold rolled steel sheet and some 3/8" x 1.5" & 2" cold rolled barstock. Transfer punched the hole locations from my existing pan. Cardboard templated the rest of it. Probably $100 in materials (including the JIC / AN fittings for the remote filter) but I'd bet 30hrs of fiddling / hacking / chopping / welding.

'JustDreamin'

 

[12secondSY]

Re: LS1 swap questions

Built my own out of 16ga cold rolled steel sheet and some 3/8" x 1.5" & 2" cold rolled barstock. Transfer punched the hole locations from my existing pan. Cardboard templated the rest of it. Probably $100 in materials (including the JIC / AN fittings for the remote filter) but I'd bet 30hrs of fiddling / hacking / chopping / welding.

'JustDreamin'

30 hours to you would be about 100 hours for me. If it cant be fabricated with zipties and epoxy im not that good at it :rotf: I'll probably just pick up turbotimes oil pan and keep the awd, when I have a spare $600 :lol:

 

[mattw]

Re: LS1 swap questions

I vote you keep the AWD... And force feed that LS1 with a turbo..


-Matt

 

[Maaso]

Re: LS1 swap questions

Not to hijack your thread or anything, but I had a similar idea....thought you might be interested in hearing about.

I was gonna do an AWD newer body S-10. Back then I was gonna do a TBI 454, mate it to a Bravada AWD TC (because they are all over salvages here). But do it with comfort in mind, a/c, power everying, leather...you know, nice.

This was back before they had the 8.1, if I was gonna accually put my idea to reality. I would got with the 8.1 definitly.

And call it the NewClone

Hows that sound?

 

['JustDreamin']

Re: LS1 swap questions

30 hours to you would be about 100 hours for me. If it cant be fabricated with zipties and epoxy im not that good at it :rotf: I'll probably just pick up turbotimes oil pan and keep the awd, when I have a spare $600 :lol:

When I put my truck together (last summer) TurboTime's pan wasn't quite available (it came out about 6 weeks after I built mine). And I wasn't sure if it would fit in my 2nd Gen (and nobody else knew either).

But I did use TurboTime's engine mounts, and they worked pretty well. I modified them slightly (extended the mounting slots for more front to back alignment room) but they were a great starting point.

'JustDreamin'

 

['JustDreamin']

Re: LS1 swap questions

Not to hijack your thread or anything, but I had a similar idea....thought you might be interested in hearing about.

I was gonna do an AWD newer body S-10. Back then I was gonna do a TBI 454, mate it to a Bravada AWD TC (because they are all over salvages here). But do it with comfort in mind, a/c, power everying, leather...you know, nice.

This was back before they had the 8.1, if I was gonna accually put my idea to reality. I would got with the 8.1 definitly.

And call it the NewClone

Hows that sound?

Problem with the 8.1 is they're big and heavy (and use oil from what I hear).

The LSx platform has some serious advantages (over either the SBC or the BBC) when it comes to weight (alum blocks for reasonable money). The 8.1 would certainly be a better choice over the 454 TBI.

'JustDreamin'

 

[12secondSY]

Re: LS1 swap questions

I vote you keep the AWD... And force feed that LS1 with a turbo..


-Matt

Ideally this would be the way to go, but I wont have the money for forced induction yet. Maybe someday one of those big inch crate LS engines from world products or someone with a turbo.