Converting 86 k10 to an 04 silverado

Greetings from the new Guy.

Been an active follower of the LSX stuff now for quite some time. Always a lurker, however I've taken the next step and have finally begun the process of an LSX conversion.

Have been looking at an LSX swap into a second gen camaro now for quite some time. However, there is a lot of swapping of parts required to make these fit in the low hooded cars. (special low intake, different accessories, etc). I plan on swapping the car over eventually, but since I don't have any actual experience doing any of these conversions, I thought I'd make my first one extremely easy, and convert my daily driver truck to LSX technology.

1986 GMC K10 (pictures to follow). Originally equipped with your standard 350, 4 speed setup. Rides like a brick sh*t house, but its a real work truck, and has several thousand kilo's under its belt.

What I bought - A wrecked 2004 silverado with a 5.3 (VIN T). I removed everything from it in my driveway, tank, engine, wiring, etc.

I plan on mating the 5.3 to my current 4 speed trans in the truck (since gear ratio is perfect, no OD required). I know of the .400 thicker flywheel I must purchase. I know the bellhousing bolts up less one bolt.

I have a tbi tank in the truck with the low pressure (15psi) pump that I plan on taking out, to put in place a walbro pump. The truck was also a single fuel line, so I plan on the vette regular. Still mistified on the plumbing though;really don't want to run rubber hose if I can avoid it.

Wiring will be outsourced to mod the original wiring harness. Already running electric fans, expense spared.

Plan on using holley mounts to keep the trans located in the stock location. This is important so the driveshafts will not need to be modified.

My one hurdle, which I can't find a sticky on, is the exhaust. When I removed the engine from the 04 silverado, I kept the manifolds, y pipe, and full exhaust. While I don't want to use the muffler/tailpipe, I would like to use the manifolds and Y pipe (with converter on both sides intergrated). From what I can tell, to do so would be a very tight fit. I'm a little wary if even the manifolds will fit.

Anyone with experience in the 4by's trucks done this? Does the frame require clearancing? I really don't want headers (just another added expense). Using the stock exhaust would save a lot of fitting and cost, plus it'll keep me emissions legal. I've got no crossmembers to worry about since the engine x-member is at the front of the engine, and tranny x-member is behind the trans, under the x-fer case. Any info would be great. I'll be posting pictures when I get home.

Do you even have to worry about emissions in Sioux Lookout? Nowhere even close to Ottawa or Toronto, besides it's an 86. No need for a test. And I doubt any MTO officer will even look at it. I think f-body manifolds will clear, and with the truck manifolds it's just a tiny little frame notch.

Your right, there are no emissions up here. Never has been, and no one would likely care. However I do have ambitions to eventually move farther south, where this type of thing would come into effect. I know the truck is an 86, and installing a newer engine may change the requirements, but I figure it'll be less hassle if its properly installed already, rather than arguing when it has to be done.

Glad to hear the truck manifolds fit. I don't mind frame notching. If the manifolds fit, then the y pipe should as well I'm assuming. Thanks for the input.

88 and older don't require an e-test. It just needs to have all the original powertrain's emissions equipment. Meaning your truck will never have a tailpipe sniffer test, it will have to have all the emissions equipment the donor truck came with. Which is actually probably less than the '86 came with. I try to keep up on the emissions bs and how to tip-toe around so if you got any concerns send me a PM. I'm about an hour north of T.O so I'm stuck with the smog Nazi's.

Thanks for the input. Have done some reading, and it doesn't seem to complicated in terms of emissions. What I got out of recent reading, is that if your vehicle is now equipped with an engine that was not offered from the factory for that year (or series of years), that it is considered a 'hotrod' and falls under different emission standards. That part is debateable, however the general consensus is that it has to meet 1980 standards, which any smooth running LS engine would do.

Now for pictures. I know its no fun to just 'read' a thread, so here we go.

Will be sending the wiring harness and computer out in the middle of july to have it chopped up and computer reflashed. Its also a drive by wire system, so I'll be gaining cruise control as a side benefit.

These guys will be doing my wiring work. Prices are reasonable and have seen multiple good reviews.
http://www.lsx-harness.com/

wow, that is a good deal on the harness. on the manifolds i noticed the newer ones without EGR clear the frame rails, but the flange on the passenger side needs one ear cut off

Yes, they do offer a good service. For 325, your wiring needs are taken care of, computer reflashed, and everything is plug and play, ready to go. Looking foward to it.

Truck does not have EGR luckily, since its drive by wire. Good to know the manifolds will fit. May have some issues with the hydraulic clutch slave cylinder and line, but I should be able to work something out I hope. I'll be clearancing the frame to fit the passenger side manifold then to allow proper fitment.

you dont need to cut the frame if you cut one of the exhaust flanges off, and tap a different hole to mount your own stud to thats what i did

Question for fuel pump

Since I already have a tbi tank and fuel sending unit, is swapping in a high pressure pump as simple as removing tbi pump, then attaching a short peice of rubber hose from the new pump to the old sending unit inside the tank? Haven't really looked how the tbi pumps are fashioned to be honest;assuming they are mounted via rubber hose to the hard portion of the sender. How are they attached to the sender (from factory)? Special clamps, or will hose clamps work fine?

Since I'll be running probably some high pressure rubber line, how long (lifespan) can I expect the rubber line to last? Assuming that its not chaffing or exposed to sunlight? I really don't want to pull the box to swap in new lines every 2 years. Any other solutions other than rubber?
I do have the factory fuel line from the silverado. Hope to use some/if not all of it and mounting inside my frame rails. Main reason is to keep the factory fuel connector at the end which connected to the intake manifold/fuel rail. Hoping the other end will fit the factory end of the vette filter regulator.

Did I mention I hate plumbing?

Tank Selector Unit

I know that there is a high and low pressure unit availible for these older trucks. For upgrading to intank pumps, I understand the high pressure TSU must be used.

I am however considering using an inline Walbro 255 pump mounted on the frame rail, connected directly to a vette filter/regulator. I like the idea of having the pump accessible in case of failure without having to drop a tank, and from what I read, the new inlines are almost as quite as the in tanks.

Now in doing so, the return line would be plumbed back through the TSU. Would there be any pressure whatsoever in the return line that might effect a low pressure tank selector unit? I figure there may be some, since the supply line is 3/8ths, and return is only 5/16ths. But since there is no resistance in the tank, perhaps there would be no pressure buildup in the return. I dunno, thoughts?

Have now got the destined 5.3 up and running. Click for video.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q...h_FirstRun.jpg

Runs well. Selling of remaining parts from wreck to help pay for new flywheel, pump and motor mounts. More documentation will take place when the conversion begins. I have done a lot of careful measuring. I was hoping to use the factory y-pipe, however I believe it would be extremely tight fit, if it even fit at all. Will be running factory manifolds coupled to a custom exhaust.

Still unsure of the fuel pump. Will be using the corvette regulator, however I'm not convinced where I should put the fuel pump, intake tank, or inline? I like inline, since if it failed, it would be easy to change. However intake pumps hardly fail, and I have two tanks, therefore two pumps, and it would be much quieter. Opinions?

Greetings from Thunder Bay!
I am using a tank from an '87 and an ACDELCO EP381 pump . The pump fits right in the sending unit, and the tank is baffled for a pump. I prefer in-tank pumps, they last for years because they are not out in the elements. Quieter, fewer connections.
On my '83 C-10, I would have had to notch the frame for the passenger manifold to clear, and the stock y-pipe would have interfered with the front drive shaft, even with a good sized lift. Unless you went with duals or modified the y-pipe....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kevin500

Greetings from Thunder Bay!
I am using a tank from an '87 and an ACDELCO EP381 pump . The pump fits right in the sending unit, and the tank is baffled for a pump. I prefer in-tank pumps, they last for years because they are not out in the elements. Quieter, fewer connections.
On my '83 C-10, I would have had to notch the frame for the passenger manifold to clear, and the stock y-pipe would have interfered with the front drive shaft, even with a good sized lift. Unless you went with duals or modified the y-pipe....

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Thanks. One of my tanks is already a tbi tank with matching sending unit and pump. I guess its just a matter of switching the pumps, correct? I would like to keep two tanks, since it gives me added range. I've read of a pollack switching valve that holds up to 60 psi or so. What do/did you use for the valve? Regulator?
Figured the exhaust wouldn't fit, can't have anything to easy...:P Probably purchase a manifold back system for the truck, and just make it fit.

Don't blame you for wanting 2 tanks. You have a bit of a drive if you want to travel anywhere.
Yup, the pump is just a swap, fits in the stock TBI sending unit. Saves a little hassle. I just have to run new steel fuel lines, I don't trust the aluminum ones that are in there now. They worked good for a carburetor, but I don't trust them for injection.
I am using the Hooker headers for a square body, but they will not work with a 4X4.

Thanks. Everything here is 4 hours away as you know, so range and reliability is key. I have the fuel line from the silverado that I robbed parts from. Its a little long, but it has the right connectors on either end. Hoping to use it to plug into the vette regulator, and just use a combo of rubber and steel hose to connect to the tank through the switching valve. Think it should work.

Which motor mounts did you use? I'm looking at dirty dingo, but they are quite pricey. Probably going with an advance adapters flywheel/clutch combo for the trans end.

Thunder Bay and Sioux Lookout. You guys make me feel like I'm in the sunny south. For the Texans, these guys are farther away from me than I am from you. And they're in the same province.

Thunder Bay and Sioux Lookout. You guys make me feel like I'm in the sunny south. For the Texans, these guys are farther away from me than I am from you. And they're in the same province.

Um, you ARE in the sunny south. 6 inches of snow yesterday here.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dothedew

Thanks. Everything here is 4 hours away as you know, so range and reliability is key. I have the fuel line from the silverado that I robbed parts from. Its a little long, but it has the right connectors on either end. Hoping to use it to plug into the vette regulator, and just use a combo of rubber and steel hose to connect to the tank through the switching valve. Think it should work.

Which motor mounts did you use? I'm looking at dirty dingo, but they are quite pricey. Probably going with an advance adapters flywheel/clutch combo for the trans end.

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Dirty Dingo mounts were ones I was considering. But I went the overly expensive route, bought the kit from SPS that has the motor mounts, tranny mount, and crossmember. I could/should have went the other way, but I am motivationally challenged at times, and did not want to order from various suppliers. I wanted to make sure that everything lined up and that I did not need to play with the driveshaft length. That is REALLY pricey around here. I am not far from bolting it in, so I will know if it works. Also bought the headers from them. Yup, being lazy has it's price. :)

Its done

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q...6%20GMC/39.jpg

Don't feel like repeating what I already wrote once. See thread on LS1tech @
http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversion...silverado.html

Post any questions here, and I'll answer them as they come.

That is a lot of information. I have a 1994 GMC Sierra SLE 2500 3/4 ton 4X4 pickup. This is a little newer than yours but feel as if there are some similarities, i.e. clearance issues with the exhaust and the transfer case.

I am contemplating the same switch, an LS1 for my 350 TBI. I am looking to improve the fuel economy and the reliability of my daily driver. I am really new to this idea as I just happened to park next to a truck today that was about the same year as mine and got to talking with him about the LS1 swap. There seems to be a tremendous amount of information on the web and not sure where I should start. I hear there are many companies that offer simple conversion kits, i.e. engine mounts, wiring harness, fuel issues, exhaust issues, and don't forget the ever important electronics.

So the information that I have gathered so far is that this is relatively simple given the fact that none of this is to be taken lightly, this is a major swap.

The area that concerns me most is the electrical. The match up of the speedometer, the transmission wiring, the o2 sensors, the fuel gauge, the water temp gauge, etc..... Is this all dealt with in the conversion wiring kit made for the swap? How much else do you have to change to make all this compatible with the older technology? Are the dash gauges so different that there needs to be some major changes.

Sorry for the bad organization of this post but as I said I am new to this idea. Until now I was just considering on another 350 TBI model. But have been concerned because I am wanting the better fuel mileage and the better technology of the newer engines. And don't want to shell out a lot of money for a newer truck. My current truck is somewhat sound except for the 190K on the odometer.

Thanks for any help to start the ball rolling.:hyper2:

I did the TBI swap about this time last year. It wasn't bad, but it left a lot to be desired. Compared to the LS, we'll, there is none. The LS is a whole other engine in itself. There is a lot of info out there, so its sort of hard to disect exactly whats what, I get that. Best advice I can give is to take lots of time to research and make a list. Find someone else who has done somethings similar. You mentioned somebody you met who did it; I'd get their phone number and have them over for beer. They'll likely feed you all the info you need first hand in 15 minutes, vs 7 days of internet searching.

Electrical is a bit a of speciality. Those harness I sent out come back as a standalone harness. It allows the engine to run with 3 wires, and thats it. It requires LS engine sensors (Like MAF, O2's, cam sensor, etc) that are/should be part of the engine to run it properly. However gauge info you're on you're own. The LS computers do have some outputs, like an electric speed output, tach signal, etc. You'd have to research, but I believe there isn't much to make you're stock gauge work with the LS stuff. For mine, I had to wire in a resistor for my aftermarket tach to work. My speedo is cable driven, so that didn't change. Still having issues finding a temp sensor that fits. Sort of its own little problems. But if the engine runs, other stuff is just details.