Another small but time consuming task taken care of tonight. I really really wanted delay wipers in the new car. It didnt come with them...and I never realized how much I loved delay until I didnt have it.

So...easy. Switch columns right? Wrong... The 87's column was loose. The tilt was sloppy. I know it can be fixed. But I figured...why not just switch the wiper switch over to the 86 column. A lot less miles on it, its nice and tight, and much cleaner.

So tonight I completely disassembled both columns, swapped the wiper switches, put them both back together, and got the column installed.

Not much for pictures. And I wanted to get more done. But it took awhile to do the columns. First time I ever took a GM column that far apart. Another thing I found out. I need to put the column flange BEHIND the sound deadner. I also need to put the clutch pedal braces BEHIND the deadner. I wasnt sure on this when I was putting it together... So thats for the next time I work on it.

Pics...

All this...





To get to this...



And what I ended up with.



More updates soon. I go on vacation starting next weekend... Unfortunetly Ill be going away. So no work on the car til after the 1st. Gonna try to knock some big stuff out this week. It kind of hit me tonight... Tonight its officially been 3 months since I started. WAAAAAAYYYYYYY longer than I wanted this to take.

J.

 

Just a thought, one of the times I was putting the motor into the car, I hit the wiper motor housing. just broke the outer plastic cover, but I got another motor just in case. Swapped over the cover (there is a circuit board inside it too), when I tested the wipers, I had lost delay. I swapped over the original circuit board, delay worked. Maybe it was a bad board, maybe not, just keep that in mind if the delay doesn't work right away even after swapping the column switch.

 

Yup...got that covered. There is a delay cover and a standard cover. Ill be stealing the delay cover off the 87 as well. Should all work as it did in the 87...hopefully.

Thanks for the advice though!!!

J.

 

Well...no pics tonight. Too hot and too busy. On the list tonight... I torqued my wheel spacers. So I can put the wheels on once I bleed the brakes.

I took my pedal braces off, and bolted them back on UNDER the sound deadner. This actually did two things. One, it made the rod line up even better. Two, it feels a LOT more positive. I guess the sound deadner was causing enough "cushion feel" to make the pedal feel alittle mushy. Feels good now.

Once that was done, I got the column bolted in all the way. Then it was time to hook the battery up and see what I had. And....EVERYTHING WORKS! Lights, horn, HVAC, cranking, windows...everything.

I found out that I put the bulbs for the turn signal/high beam indicators in the wrong sockets. haha. With my left turn signal on, the right indicator flashes, with the left turn signal on, the high beam indicator flashes, and with high beams on, the left turn signal indicator lights up. Haha... Ooops. So I gotta pull the bezel back off and re-install the bulb sockets. Ill do that after the car is mostly back together so I can sit in the seats.

Then, to cap the night off, I pulled the trans crossmember back out, and adjusted some of the holes so I could use all 6 bolts again. Had to egg one out alittle more.

So....thats the update. She cranks. It was good to hear her do something. Im going back tomorrow to do some more. Im going to do one of two things. Im either going to empty the car out, and remove the remaining interior parts to check for dead mice. Or Im going to start pulling the rear suspension apart. Havent decided yet. Ill report back tomorrow night.

J.

 

just latching on

 

Ooooooook... Now we're getting somewhere. Got alittle job done first thing. Added another ground strap. No big deal. I got ambitious and decided to do the rear of the car.

Everything is out. Rear, exhaust, springs and all associated suspension, fuel tank...all of it. Also got rid of the rest of the e-brake parts. I would have had all of those parts out of the 87...but I had to battle some wasps. They made a nest in the rear bumper of the 87. Really ticked me off. I cant see the nest, so I just kept spraying brake cleaner in between the tail light and bumper cover. That seemed to flush them out. For those of you who dont know...Autozone's "Valuecraft" brake cleaner kills bugs bees and ants almost on contact. Its great.

Anyway...by the time I felt safe, I was pooped and it was getting late.

So here are some pics to hold you guys over. My goal is to have all of the good parts back under the 86 before I leave for vacation. In fact...if I get all of them installed, and get the tank wired up, I might have to try to fire her up before I leave Its literally down to the tank, tank wiring, plug in a few things, plug in the PCM, put the coils on. It should fire at that point.

Start of today:


My intended victim:


Everything unbolted...Just need to lower the jack:


More non-rust areas :


...


Pile's getting bigger:


cont'd....

 

More non-rust:


My one complaint about this car. This darn undercoating is such a pain. Its gooey, and ugly, and just generally a mess. It really makes the car look crappy underneith. When in reality, its perfect metal under it. I COULD clean it off. But that would take another month probably haha. And besides, its kept the rust away so far. Might as well let it do its job. No one is gonna see it...except for my pics.

An example:


Thats it ladies and gents. Now the fun part. The 86 is pretty much at the end of the disassembly phase. Its all assembly from here on out. Some wire routing, hose hook up, few odds and ends and Im in business.

J.

 

Where you guys at? This is getting good

Lots of work done tonight after work. First a disclaimer. Every picture used a flash. The flash on my pos camera makes everything look like total crap. Things really arent as dirty as the pics make them. Also...I opted to get everything together, then detail/clean everything when its done. My impatience showing again On to the pics.

First up today. I removed the seats form the 87. Just needed the room to get to shock bolts and some other things. After that, I started working on the e-brake cable bracket. You guys didnt see this on my last swap...I never took pics of it. Before, on the 87, I had the bracket bolted to the floor. It was kind of hacked. Today...I welded it. Came out ok. A tad crooked..but its ok. It will work 100% and no unsightly bolts.







That bracket was hacked off the 99 Camaro donor car... Figured it was easier than fabbing a new bracket..and I was right.

Also got the e-brake handle/cable in.



Next up, removing all the rear parts from the 87. Pics will explain.





Gas tank came out too...but I literally got it out, laid it on my chest, and pushed myself on the creeper right under the 86 and bolted it in. Figured I might as well since I was ready.

Cont'd....

 

Tank installed.



Another thing I never really got a pic of before. This is how I mounted my filler neck. I used the neck from the 4th gen, and the little mount fell right on a flat spot, and I was able to drill a hole and bolt it in.



Gave me this...



That ring around the neck is also from the 4th gen. I had to trim it alittle, but it makes it look alittle tighter.

Now its getting dark... Exhaust is in.







And finally.... 12 bolt is in. Its all bolted up, ready to go. I need to clean it up, throw on some paint, figure out if I want to clean up my rotors or just get new ones.







Im beat. Tomorrow, after work, Im heading back home to work on it again. I hope to get the tank wiring installed. Ill take pics of my install of the 4th gen tank bulkhead too. After that, Ill probably change the fuel filter, hook up the lines, throw on the coils and maybe...MAYBE try to fire it up. Not sure if Ill push it that hard.

She's gettin there!

J.

 

looking good, almost there.....

 

I'm just loving watching this, and wishing I could get my hands on a good 4th gen donor so I could do the same.

 

Man Im hurting this morning! haha. My hands have that tattered, overworked, raw feel to them this morning. Added a few scars to them last night too.

Van.....have you tossed up a wanted thread over on LS1tech? Thats how I found mine. I was able to research the seller on there, he was a MOD. Turned out to be a very good deal in hindsight. The biggest bit for me was the donor car already having the 12bolt, a built T56, and a couple motor mods

Keep looking, you'll find the deal you want. There is no shortage of them to use for donors.

J.

 

Dont worry, we're all still here, watching patiently. You make this stuff look easy thats for sure. I cant wait to do my swap!

 

hmm, i have decided to put a cap on my car mods indefinatley (aka: 2 years minimum) so i can recoup some of the $$$ ive spent. Only thing stopping me from having a near street machine is suspension.

Looking at the last round of pix, all i can think of is..... $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Lots of good stuff in there. And did i read that right??? did you say 12 (TWELVE bolt?). I didnt know u had one of those, i couldnt tell just by looking at it.

 

I would, but I'm in Australia, and there are very few LS1 4th gens here. That, and I don't have the cash atm lol

 

Yes sir. Strange 12 bolt with 3.73s. I forget what posi is in it...but I believe its an eaton. I tore it apart last summer to replace the bearings and put in a solid spacer instead of a crush sleeve. And I must say, thats a stout axle.

There is a decent amount of dough tied up in suspension. However...It was WELL worth it. I keep telling people that my brake and suspension upgrade gave me just as dramatic results as more than doubling my horsepower.

I also sold some stuff off to fund the suspsension. I went alittle overboard though. My budget was stretched thin...and probably went way over. But I kept saying...well while its apart, I might as well....

I love the simplicity of the thirdgen suspension. Its very simple, yet works very well. Compared to some other cars, the amount of parts that you can/have to upgrade are pretty limited. The things I did to my car made it handle better than I can drive it. So it was worth it I think.

J.

 

AH...I didnt even notice you were in Aus. Well in that case...keep your eyes open for Monaro's when you get the money But like I said...if you really want to do it, just keep saving, and keep your eyes open. I didnt plan on doing all this to my car. I was just looking for a stock LS1 to plop in. But a deal came along that Ic ouldnt pass up. And with a donor car, you can sometimes break even...or even make some money back if you part it out.

Ill post more updates tonight when I get done. Not gonna be a long night tonight. Going to take it easy probably.

J.

 

Looking good, can't wait to see it all together again!

 

Still here as well. In the mids of putting my tank in and taking a break for lunch It's taken me a bit longer than it took you though, ha!

 

Im on auto pilot right now with it. Its just remove/replace stuff now. I didnt do anything on Friday. Got home, cleaned up alittle, and just headed back to my new place. Just wasnt up for it.

Well...no updates for a week gents. Im going on a much needed vacation this week. Ill probably knock some more work out starting next monday.

Cant wait to get back to work on it! haha. Ill be thinking about it all vaca probably.

J.

 

Gettocruiser... I just got done putting my fourth gen tank in and mounted the filler neck where you did..Worked great! Thanks for the post. Now back to the rest of my ls1 swap...

 

Nice! Im not sure if everyone is doing that or not... But it works good. Kinda fun trying to locate the spot to make the hole...but its a really solid set up.

By the way...did you happen to notice how much easier the 4th gen tank is to remove/install??? It almost drops straight out with the neck being hose instead of a solid pipe. Very easy.

J.

 

Yeah, it's not too hard to get a Monaro or Commodore for a donor, but there is a lot more that needs to be changed, and I can't use many other parts

 

Understatement of the week there.

I didn't utilize the mounting hole on the 4th gen filler neck, and everything is pretty solid anyway. Maybe I'll take another look at it - hadn't thought of putting the head of a screw on the underside.

 

Not far now Papa Smurf looking good haha! As for the gas filler neck strap doo dad its threaded no? I know I bolted mine in there using that bracket but I think mine was threaded and all I had to do was drill the hole and use a bolt. Memory getting foggy now its been a while since I put that in but DEFINITELY a waaaaaaay better design and much easier to work with than the stock third gen tank

 

Whats up everyone! Im back from a much needed rest... Funny thing. I pulled in from the shore at 5:30 tonight. Was working on the car at 5:45 haha. Hardly got in the door. In fact, I popped the hood while I was still holding my bag.

Back at it...

Yes...the bracket for the filler neck has a threaded hole. All you have to do is locate the hole on the underside of the chassis (the hardest part), drill a hole, and bolt her down. Solid as a rock.

I got some things taken care of tonight. Another thing I never really took pictures of for you guys was how I mounted the 4th gen tank wiring bulkhead. I wanted the tank plug and play, and didnt want to mess with splicing plugs and wires. So...here are some crappy cell pics of how I did that.











It gets some RTV around it so it seals up, even though there is a foam seal already there. The wiring runs the same way the stock 3rd gen wiring did.

So I ran the wires up front, through the conduit. I also ran the fuel pump, line lock, and some sensor sender wires out into the engine bay. Put the engine belts on, started to figure out some hoses like the overflow tank and steam line etc etc.

Thats it for tonight. Tomorrow night will be finishing up the wiring for the ignition, hooking up fuel lines and wires, and if all goes well, putting the coils on and firing it up. Its down to wire hook up for it to run.

Then its a matter of putting the interior back together....no small task at this point. Ill update ya tomorrow.

J.

 

Well....got some little odds and ends finished up.

Got the brake cables hooked up, all the brake lines are hooked up, tank wiring is plugged it, new fuel filter and lines hooked up, coils installed mocked up the wiring for the fuse boxes just to test some things out and.....SHE FIRED!!!

Let me repeat.... SHE FIRED!!!!!

Not easily though... I cranked her a bunch to get the oil going, since I just put oil in her. Then I plugged in the fuel pump power wire, and wasnt getting anything from the pump. After a lot of thinking, I remember that I pulled the relay for safety during disassembly. Put the fuel pump relay in, and then I was getting a sputter. Not a VATs start up/shut off condition..just a quick stumble. LIke it wasnt getting spark or fuel. So after scratching my head for a bit, I hooked up my fuel pressure gauge real quick, and was getting zero pressure. Ok... Started looking around, grabbed the ground wire for the harness, which is under the rear seat, and she fired right up. Stupid bad ground. I have a racetronix upgrade kit to install, and I believe it eliminates the need for this ground. IF not...Ill make the ground better.

I took a quick horrible vid of it running, but I figured you guys really didnt want to see that...




kidding http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYb_KWzfBbc

Its quick and the sound is terrible. Its so quick because I didnt have everything hooked up yet. Its litterally just thrown together to start. I did this, because now I know its hooked up right, and runs. SO I can finalize it all, and button it up.

Thats it for tonight. I didnt even have the energy to try the clutch to see if it was disengaging/engaging properly.

One pic..just showing the cobbled together mess to get her running.



J.

 

Nice! Question for you: what did you use to extend the harness for the relocated coil pack? What about the spark plug wire?

 

I didnt use anything to extend it. I actually used a u-joint strap that I had laying around. I think it was from a Dana 44 Jeep axle. haha. It was just a random piece that happened to work.

Moved it up, the stock plug wire still worked, and the harness was able to reach as well. I had to cut out some of the coil pack bracket, and I dont use that last hole towards the back..but it works fine. Coil covers cover up any ugliness.

J.

 

Congratulations man, I know that had to feel good after all the work you've put into it... You were probably grinning like "a raccoon eating fish guts out of a wire brush"!!

 

Hahaha... good analogy.

Actually, I was cursing up a storm and was quite aggitated. I was angry that it took me as long as it did to figure out that it was the stupid ground wire causing fuel pump issues. haha. I litterally started cleaning up tools as soon as it fired. I was so worked up from trying to figure out what was up.

One thing I will say...and it could be because i had several vaccum sources that were covered by nothing more than duct tape... But I can already notice a slower, less responsive rev characteristic from the LS7 clutch set up. Its missing that snappy feel. Upside...it didnt rasp as much. Im guessing the slower "down rev" is helping that? Either way...Im really anxious to drive it to see how the heavier clutch set up feels compared to the alum flywheel Spec set up.

I gotta get some vac caps for the deleted PCV system, and a few other odds and ends. Brought some random hoses to work with me, because I want to get some different pre-bent hoses to make things look nicer. All the hoses and wires annoy me.

I saw someone else on here that used little sections of rubber hose at the heater core, and at the water pump, then ran hard lines along the chassis to connect them. I like that idea, and if I can build a control valve into that idea, I might try it.

J.

 

Nice work! Hopefully it's all downhill from here.

 

Picked up some antifreeze today, and some hose clamps, as well as vac. caps for my PCV delete. Got all my hoses hooked up, filled her with coolant. Got my ignition wires finished up. The car now fires up without having to twist wires together

I ran her for about 10-15 minutes tonight. Sounds soooo nice. Oil pressure stayed perfect as usual, and the temp stayed nice and cool. Fans came on right about when they were supposed to. So I guess the wiring is cool.

I mounted my PCM alittle better this time. Last time, I relied on the lower paneling to hold it up... Hacky... SO I made a simple aluminum support to keep it in place. Pics will show all. I just need to make a small little relief in the lower panel to go over the thicker wire bundle.

Ummmm....thats about it really. Here are a few pics...











Gonna go work on her tomorrow. I need to fiddle with the trans mount alittle I think. Im planning a big day saturday. Im hoping to get the interior just about wrapped up all on saturday. THAT will be nice. Having seats in there again. haha. Tired of sitting on the sharp pinch seams and seat studs.

I also tried the clutch today. Was getting a slow rotation with the clutch pushed in, and the trans in gear. I still need to bleed the clutch more...but it seemed to be engaging just off the floor. It wasnt spinning hard enough with the clutch in to worry me. We'll see once its on the ground.

J.

 

Update. Today I decided to tackle interior stuff. I was tired of the bare floor.

First thing I did was pull the rest of the carpet, plastics, headliner etc out of the car. Good thing I did, I found 3 more dead mice... Darn things. Atleast now I know there arent any more.

Then I shampooed the carpets. Got them cleaner and fresher smelling. Then I started putting it back together. I also put down some dynomat. I had some that was given to me for free. It was old, and sort of dried out. I figured what the heck, and just put a few pieces down. Quick and dirty like. I know its probably the worst dynomat install in history...but whatever. haha.

Ill let the pics tell the rest of the story.





Original GM mats...still in pretty good shape.










New ebony 98-02 belts.




Cut the slot for the clutch pedal in the panel under the dash.


Cont'd...

 

Going back together...















Thats it... One thing I forgot to do... I meant to cut the fuel tank acess panel while all the interior was out. I forgot... So I think Im going to pull the rear carpet back up, and cover the rest of it and cut it in this week. I have a racetronix upgrade harness to install, and eventually will be putting in a new racetronix pump. So I figured Ide cut the hole now.

I have to do alittle more wiring, and finish up whatever I need to under the dash...then I can put seats in, and turn my attention to the console and the wiring for the console. Then its not long...

J.

 

Lookin good mate

 

Slight delay in progress due to this...







More updates... Also decided to buy a racetronix pump... Since Im making a trap door to do the fuel pump harness anyway. Figured what the heck. Its good insurance.

J.

 

Ah bloody hell, man, I hope your vehicles didn't get clobbered too badly!!

 

Nah all is well. My green Jeep in the pic got a few small dings/dents...but not enough for me to get upset about. Where my other Jeep is, and my car is it didnt even hail. So they are ok thankfully. Im always scared that my t-tops or that rear hatch will get busted. Never has though.

Weather isnt looking promising today. But we'll see how it shapes up. Maybe Ill get to work on her today yet.

J.

 

where in pa are ya man? Just curious.. didn't get any of that around here.. I'm normally in/around Philly..

 

That was in West Chester. Its funny...places not even a mile away never got any hail. A buddy of mine that works at a hospital said that there was a clear line right down the middle of the parking lot where it was hailing on one side of the property, but not on the other.

It was a really weird day. Rolling storms all day long. Pretty goofy weather. Today shaped up nice. Gonna go home and do some wiring. Trying to get the wiring finished, so I can get a seat in there. I refuse to put seats in until Im done laying on the floor wiring. haha.

J.

 

Lookin' great, Justin!!! You could publish a book with this swap documentation.

I hope you're driving it soon.

-Brendon

 

seriously, we dont get that **** here in Pittsburgh, yikes!
You're my hero Justin.

 

Haha...Thanks guys. Getting soooo close.

Monday night was a wash. Just wasnt feelin it, and it started to drizzle. So I bailed for the night.

Today however was a gorgeous day. Perfect day to sit in the car and do wiring. Wasnt sweating my butt off. I got almost all of the interior wiring taken care of. All the gauges are hooked up. I have a couple grounds to hook up. I also wired in the circuits that go under the console. Reverse lock out circuit, line lock circuit, reverse lights, spliced the neutral wires so that the hatch release works again, cut out wiring, and some other odds and ends.

The 87 is pretty much useless to me now. Nothing left on it that Ill be using. Ive gotta get the console in, then its time for the seats, and the last of the interior trim. Brake/clutch bleeding, and its on to the test drive

Some pics...

This is how the wiring sits now.




Like I said. Couple grounds, neaten things up, and Im done. I have to wire up the new diagnostic port that I got.

This is where my white/blue plugs connect. They get tucked up behind the dash when its back together.



Radio pod is back in. Gotta wire up my head unit harness. I used to use the plug and play harness, but its too bulky, so I just soldier it together now.



And finally, I put the lower shift boot in and RTV'd things to keep the noise/smell/dirt/water out.



Thats it... Gettin so close though. I was avoiding the wiring, because it tedious. Glad its done.

J.

 

Looking good Justin, I'll bet you can't wait for that test drive...

(BTW, did you get the PM I sent you a day or so ago? Thx)

 

Yeah I got it...and I typed out a very long reply. Haha. Was positive I sent it, but its not in my sent folder. I must have hit the wrong thing... Ill PM ya back now.

J.

 

Is that a stock rubber shift boot or an aftermarket? I need something just like that to go under my console. Otherwise, good progress again, and I wish I could get mine done this fast!!

 

Fast?? Im already a month or so over what it took me the first time. haha. I feel like its taking forever... But really, dont forget. Not only is all of this fresh in my mind from the last car, but all the work is done. Its basically like Im adding a bunch of bolt ons to an 86 at this point. Couple variations...

The shift boot is a stock 4th gen boot. I was going to buy a stock 3rd gen boot, but the 4th gen one fit good enough for me not to worry about it. It has a metal ring molded into the edge, and you can form it to the tunnel. Some RTV and a few sell drilling/tapping screws and you're good.

If you want to purchase a stock 3rdgen boot...or a 4th gen boot, and cant find one, let me know. Ill send ya a link.

J.

 

if you could post up the link that would be great, plus it would add an extra element to this thread as an additional resource.

I bet doing 2 swaps in fairly quick succession would help speed things up (while improving quality!!!). Though, I doubt I'll be doing another anytime soon.

 

Ive never ordered from this company, but Ive called several times, and they seem cool enough. Always pretty helpful. Ide say check ebay, and see if you can find something locally. If not... here's the site. Honestly I cant even tell you if the company is still in business. haha.

http://www.tacreationsusa.com/shift_boots.htm

Some of you probably know it already. Lots of decent parts show on the site.

J.