my first ls swap 1996 2 door Tahoe 4wd 385 Stroker to LQ4 cam headers **pics**

got a little done today. finished cleaning up the frame and got it primered.

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0434.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0435.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0436.jpg

also cleaned up the outer wheel well. sanded..sanded then wet sanded..hung then and got ready for paint. so idiot changed the cap on the can and it was flat black. came out horrible so i didnt even take a pic. bought some gloss so hopefully tommorow i can finish those up. then its on the there inner fender.

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0437.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0438.jpg

Lookin good bud! Keep up the work

Ouch that's heavy..

got home pretty late today so i didnt get to do much. i finished painting the frame and the out wheel wells. i also had to put all my parts away because we are expecting some rain this week. it was getting dark when i finished the wheel wells so i didnt take any pics. i pretty sure they came out terrible. but the frame is done so i can drop the engine in and bolt it up this week. progress progress progress!!

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0439.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0440.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0441.jpg

so i took a little break from the truck for a few days. maily because of the weather plus i just been tired lately. but today i did a little bit of work. since the frame and everyhting was all cleaned up and painted. i figured id put it back together.

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0451.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0452.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0453.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0454.jpg

also decided to go ahead and start painting the acessories. did the water pump

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0456.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0457.jpg

also i was getting the part number off of my injectors for my pcm and this is what i found. how worried should i be? if it fell into the cylinder head/ how the hell do i get it out? and of it didnt do i have to replace it? im talking about the little black grommet missing from the injector

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0455.jpg

Is it not in the fuel injection hole? Either way, pull the intake and go get it. A piece of duct tape wadded up and taped on a stick can retrieve it.

nice always wanted a 2 door blazer/tahoe. Gonna put a 5.3 in a 91 awd olds bravada so ill keep track of how this swap goes

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RedHeartbeat

Is it not in the fuel injection hole? Either way, pull the intake and go get it. A piece of duct tape wadded up and taped on a stick can retrieve it.

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i checked but it wasnt there. ill try the sticky tape thing later today. what could go wrong if it fell down in the head?

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Originally Posted by RS/SS 4.8

nice always wanted a 2 door blazer/tahoe. Gonna put a 5.3 in a 91 awd olds bravada so ill keep track of how this swap goes

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yea ive had this one for about 2 years. been through a few transformations. went from a stock 5.7 to a stock 454 to a 385 stroker now the ls. i think this one will be the best. these trucks are fun. good lucjk with your build

Hope you're ditching the mechanical fan in this build??

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Originally Posted by Minime168

Hope you're ditching the mechanical fan in this build??

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yea i would like to but i cant get the damn thing off. i have electric fans that came from a 91 big body cadillac but looking at some other options out there they look kinda crappy. ill probably leave the clutch fan on there for now. ill probably try to find a dual fan setup from a nbs truck. im just doing the basics right now to get this thing in and get it running. oh yea i found a pedal. and i found a few threads showing the installation and it seems pretty easy. plus i was told the dbw is better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by myzterray

yea i would like to but i cant get the damn thing off. i have electric fans that came from a 91 big body cadillac but looking at some other options out there they look kinda crappy. ill probably leave the clutch fan on there for now. ill probably try to find a dual fan setup from a nbs truck. im just doing the basics right now to get this thing in and get it running. oh yea i found a pedal. and i found a few threads showing the installation and it seems pretty easy. plus i was told the dbw is better.

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Cant get it off cause of ruct or what? its not very hard to do. If its rusted on there just get a new water pump theyre not much.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Minime168

Cant get it off cause of ruct or what? its not very hard to do. If its rusted on there just get a new water pump theyre not much.

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im not worried about it right now. once i find some good fans ill remove it. ill probably do all the mods at once.
cam
stall
intake
bigger tb

ive never had an ls engine so i wanna start off stock so i can feel the difference that the mods make.

Most people run F-body LS1 efans, but 96-98 Ford Windstar efans are a great choice IMHO

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kerrige

Most people run F-body LS1 efans, but 96-98 Ford Windstar efans are a great choice IMHO

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yea i want something that looks a little more sleek and modern. heres what i currently have

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0043.jpg

box at the door...ahhh

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...rray/conne.jpg

got my fuel line fittings today. not sure how im supposed to hook these up...any tips?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by myzterray

yea i would like to but i cant get the damn thing off. i have electric fans that came from a 91 big body cadillac but looking at some other options out there they look kinda crappy. ill probably leave the clutch fan on there for now. ill probably try to find a dual fan setup from a nbs truck. im just doing the basics right now to get this thing in and get it running. oh yea i found a pedal. and i found a few threads showing the installation and it seems pretty easy. plus i was told the dbw is better.

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Hit the fan with a air chisel.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Green Machine

Hit the fan with a air chisel.

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im going to leave it on there for now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by myzterray

box at the door...ahhh

[IMG]http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h341/myzterray/conne.jpg[/I
got my fuel line fittings today. not sure how im supposed to hook these up...any tips?

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By the way nice build. I want to help,never done a swap like this. Im sure some one will. chimme in. I will be doing the same swap next year,have a low mile Lm7 in the garage,waiting for its home in a 91 rcsb. Have fun with it looks good.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Green Machine

By the way nice build. I want to help,never done a swap like this. Im sure some one will. chimme in. I will be doing the same swap next year,have a low mile Lm7 in the garage,waiting for its home in a 91 rcsb. Have fun with it looks good.

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thanks. this is my first one. im actually doing more work myself thank to this site.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by myzterray

box at the door...ahhh

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...rray/conne.jpg

got my fuel line fittings today. not sure how im supposed to hook these up...any tips?

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These are for going into the corvette fuel filter/regulator. I can take you a picture of the setup later today if you need it. Check amazon for the filter. Only like 45 bucks. I Fired mine up yesterday! Ran on the first try. Still need driveshaft and exhaust. Im thinking about doing side pipes. But anyways. Let me know

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Minime168

These are for going into the corvette fuel filter/regulator. I can take you a picture of the setup later today if you need it. Check amazon for the filter. Only like 45 bucks. I Fired mine up yesterday! Ran on the first try. Still need driveshaft and exhaust. Im thinking about doing side pipes. But anyways. Let me know

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yea i have the filter coming in the mail now. im just not sure how its hooked up. am i missing anything? a picture would be awesome the few pics that i saw didnt show much.

i saw your post thats great man. im doing 3 inch pipes from the header h pipe in the middle then dump the exhaust before the rear axle. i want it to be pretty quiet. i heard the flow master super 50's were good so i might try to find some of those.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by myzterray

yea i have the filter coming in the mail now. im just not sure how its hooked up. am i missing anything? a picture would be awesome the few pics that i saw didnt show much.

i saw your post thats great man. im doing 3 inch pipes from the header h pipe in the middle then dump the exhaust before the rear axle. i want it to be pretty quiet. i heard the flow master super 50's were good so i might try to find some of those.

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Ill try and get it today. Problem is by the time I get off work its already dark outside. But the connecors will make sense when you see the filter they literally just push in.

havent been able to do much on the truck lately because of halloween and the kids. also i been waiting on some stuff to come in the mail. i had to order new motor mounts because i forgot to take the old ones off the block when i sold my engine. also i wanted to upgrade to the polyurethane mounts. also waiting on the flywheel adapter to come in. the fedex/ups guys will get to know me well over the next week or so. i got about 8 packages coming. i decided in the downtime im going to try and clean up the interior of the truck because it is horrible. the truck sat for a year or so and i used it as storage. so i pulled out the front seats and console. i plan on taking out the carpet and pressure washing it and scrubbing it down or i might just replace it. depends on how bad it is.

Heres my mess of an interior
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0464.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0465.jpg

i also ordered a MAF and dbw predal from a member here $100 for both shipped to my door!

went to autozone yesterday and picked up some stuff to keep the build going. decided to change out those old ugly rubber motor mounts to the new polyurethane mounts

old mount:
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0467.jpg

getting that old mount was a PITA. once you remove it theres 3 rivets you gotta drill out. but i used a grinder, flat head screwdriver and a hammer
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0466.jpg

old mount vs new mount
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0470.jpg

first mount installed:
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0472.jpg

was getting pretty late so i didnt have time to start on the second one. hopefully later today i can finish the motor mounts and get started on installing this:

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0476.jpg

so today i finially finished up the other mount. it was a pain because i had to lower the front diff to acess the nut on the other side. also i removed he flywheel and realized it doesnt line up with my torque converter. i was told i could use the 5.3 flywheel with the spacer on the tranmission side but when i removed the flywheel and lined it up with the adapter the holes didnt line up.

heres the flywheel i have..
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0489.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0488.jpg

the torque converter is stock. any idea which one i should use?

i also decided to paint the bow tie on the grill. i scuffed it with 320 grit first then primered
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0490.jpg

then i wet sanded with 600 and sprayed a coat of red, wet sanded with 1000 grit and sprayed a second coat. came out pretty good. but the wind blew it on the floor and it was still wet in some spots so looks like ill have to repaint it again but it didnt come out too bad at all
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0492.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0491.jpg

my next project ill be working on tommorow...heres a teaser
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0483.jpg

You mean the crank holes don't line up? or the TQ converter holes don't line up?

Some people say they have to slot the TQ converter holes, but the crank pattern should be the same.

Yeah dude replacing to black carpet completely transforms the truck. I think its the best thing you can do. It all feels so clean after that :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PitchBlackC3

You mean the crank holes don't line up? or the TQ converter holes don't line up?

Some people say they have to slot the TQ converter holes, but the crank pattern should be the same.

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no the spacer and everything line up fine but the tq converter holes dont. how exactly would i go about slotting them?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Minime168

Yeah dude replacing to black carpet completely transforms the truck. I think its the best thing you can do. It all feels so clean after that :)

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yea i cant wait. im going to do the interior black and red as well. i picked the entire carpet up from a guy on craigslist for $50. he had orderd it but never installed it. even came with some heat and sound insulation stuff. my truck for sure will feel clean because my interior is trashed.

http://hotrodlane.cc/PDFFILES/Lisa%20Tahoe.pdf

Page 2 of that pdf. I'd use a die grinder and just elongate the holes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PitchBlackC3

http://hotrodlane.cc/PDFFILES/Lisa%20Tahoe.pdf

Page 2 of that pdf. I'd use a die grinder and just elongate the holes.

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oh ok cool...looks easy enough. ill pick to dremel and go to work

Subbed

got some more work done today. engine is pretty much ready to be dropped in. I just have to modify the flywheel and borrow a hoist. today i decided to finish putting int he new carpet. i must say this was alot harder than i thought it was going to be. once i go tthe old carpet out i realized how bad it really was,

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0495.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0496.jpg

heres the interior gutted out.
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0501.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0501.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0497.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0498.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0500.jpg

also finally recived to important peices to the puzzle! picked these up for $100 shipped from a member here
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0505.jpg

heres my workshop too lol..
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0503.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...y/IMAG0504.jpg

so once i put the interior back in then ill do the flywheel i need to find the right piece for the dremel to grind it down. so hopefully once it get it all done ill be able to finally drop in the engine.

My gawd man that carpet was narsty!

Carpet will def improve the looks inside. Looking good, keep it up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by silverado_lover

My gawd man that carpet was narsty!

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yea man it was pretty rough. the truck was used as storage for like ayear. new carpet looks awesome tho. cant wait to do the rest of the interior

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PitchBlackC3

Carpet will def improve the looks inside. Looking good, keep it up.

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yea even when mocked it up it looked really good. once i get the harness done ill def be giving you a call for the pcm. i decided to keep it dbw as well

Lookin good man! Can't wait to see the finished product. BTW, very nice job cleaning up and painting the engine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jetmech

Lookin good man! Can't wait to see the finished product. BTW, very nice job cleaning up and painting the engine.

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thanks! this is my first time doing alot of the stuff im doing on this truck. thanks again for the parts!