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LT1 swap into 86 LG4 car??

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Old 08-03-2003, 01:16 AM
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LT1 swap into 86 LG4 car??

I searched the forums and didn't see much on a carb to LT1 swap. Mostly tpi/tbi to lt1's. If I had a donor car, could I use the tank and electric fuel pump from the 96 in my 86? My 86 is LG4 5spd Iroc and the donor car is 96 T/A LT1 6spd. Do I need to swap the fuel lines, dashes etc to go with the fuel injection set up? Also is the rear in the 96 better than my 86? Both are disc? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thinking I may just put a carb on it.


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Old 08-03-2003, 06:46 AM
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Car: 1987 Trans Am
Engine: Lt1
Transmission: T56
My car was originally carbed. The rear is much better from the '96...at least brake wise. Try a search in the trans,rear,etc. forum. Very easy swap. The tank will not work from what I've read. The filler neck on a 4th gen car is longer. Basically, I just dropped my tank and added a TPI pump. My car sat for many years, so I ended up ordering new TPI fuel lines and added those to the car so I basically followed a TPI/Lt1 swap. If I did it over again, I would have ran custom braided lines. I think they look better and would have been easier to work with.

I just reread your post...You can use the pump out of the '96. It should plug right in. You should be able to keep your gauges with out much of a problem. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, the only one you'll need to play around with be the speedo.
Old 08-03-2003, 11:23 AM
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Will I need to splice into any of the wiring for the guages? How did you run the wiring for the fuel pump?
Old 08-03-2003, 11:24 AM
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Car: 86 Trans Am, 88 Formula
Engine: 95LT4, 305TPI
Transmission: T56, T5
I did the Carb to TPI to LT1 swap on my 86 Trans Am LG4 5 speed.

You will need to modify the fuel lines or get a complete fuel line setup from a V6 or TPI car since your lines go from the drivers side over to the pass side in the trans tunnel.

What is your budget on this build up? can you afford to run steel braided lines?
I can give you a run down of two fuel setups I built depending on your budget.
Old 08-03-2003, 11:58 AM
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How much would a steel braided set up be?


My real concern is the wiring. Would it be easier to use the 4th gen wiring harness or get a painless harness?
Old 08-03-2003, 12:14 PM
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Car: 86 Trans Am, 88 Formula
Engine: 95LT4, 305TPI
Transmission: T56, T5
Originally posted by Jon86
How much would a steel braided set up be?


My real concern is the wiring. Would it be easier to use the 4th gen wiring harness or get a painless harness?
Braided line is $120 for 40 feet, you only need about 32 feet, but it comes in 20' rolls.
Fittings are $6 each for the hose ends, you'll need 2 for the return and 4 for the feed.
Compression -6an fittings are $9 each and you need 4.
-6an Fuel filter is $40 with replacable inner filter.

If you use the stock lines and braided lines you'll only need about 20', but you'll need to add 4 more of the compression -6an fittings and 4 more hose ends, so it's about the same price to go all braided and less work making the hose.

Painless harness is easy to hook up as well as the Speartech harness. My friend used the Painless one in his 92 RS and we used the Speartech in my friends 82 T/A. Stock LT1 wiring is a little complicated, I'd reccomend buying a painless or Speartech one or having speartech modify your stock harness if it's in your budget. It's $700 for a speartech harness or $400 for speartech to modify your stock LT1 harness.

Last edited by Zepher; 08-03-2003 at 12:19 PM.
Old 08-03-2003, 01:24 PM
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Does speartech have a website?


Thanks for the replies
Old 08-03-2003, 01:27 PM
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Car: 86 Trans Am, 88 Formula
Engine: 95LT4, 305TPI
Transmission: T56, T5
www.speartech.com

John from Speartech comes on here once in a while.
Old 08-03-2003, 01:56 PM
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Car: 1987 Trans Am
Engine: Lt1
Transmission: T56
I used a Painless harness and had it hard wired in literally about 45 minutes(lots if research before begining). The wiring for the pump is already back there above the tank. You will be able to plug in a GM pump without a problem. I tapped into the power for the pump wire at the drivers door sill plate. If memory serves me correct, the wire is brown.
Old 08-03-2003, 02:02 PM
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Car: 86 Trans Am, 88 Formula
Engine: 95LT4, 305TPI
Transmission: T56, T5
Originally posted by Trans Am#5
You will be able to plug in a GM pump without a problem. I tapped into the power for the pump wire at the drivers door sill plate. If memory serves me correct, the wire is brown.
That may have been on 87 and up, my 86 has no power wire running towards the back for the pump. Just the two wires for the fuel level sender that exits the interior behind the back seats.
Fuel pump wire is grey if I am not mistaken.
Old 08-03-2003, 09:25 PM
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Car: 1987 Trans Am
Engine: Lt1
Transmission: T56
I couldn't remember the color....guess it was grey. Zepher, I had the same two wires and a third one on that connector for the pump itself. It shared the negative from the sending unit. Hard to believe it's not there pre-86.
Old 08-03-2003, 09:30 PM
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Car: 86 Trans Am, 88 Formula
Engine: 95LT4, 305TPI
Transmission: T56, T5
It's probably since the LG4 was phasing out in 87 and all engines afterwards ran electric pumps so all cars had the wires there.
Old 08-04-2003, 12:59 PM
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So I just splice into the negative wire for the fuel level sender? What about the power wire for the pump?
Old 08-04-2003, 01:49 PM
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Here is just another option. Not the lest expensive to be sure.
I bought this, am not done yet but I am using a Corvette wiring harness for my LT1 swap, with which the feul pump relay is inside the car so I didn't get one with my engine harness. So this was perfrect for me and will make for a clean instalation.
It has the pump, wiring from the pump to the battery, and relay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2425854094
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