kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

ok perfect. im planning on removing the pilot bushing using the grease packing method. ive looked it up a few times and it sounds reliable so ill let you know how everything goes tomorrow.

thanks,
Steven

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

i was just looking through my bookmarked threads about the clutch stuff, and realized i dont have the metal bracket pictured here to go with my flywheel:


is that necessary?

84redta

iTrader: (34)

I think that's just a spacer for when you get the flywheel resurfaced, it needs to be shimmed outwards after taking material off the face. Mine didn't come with a spacer either because mine was never resurfaced.

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

thanks, i just wanted to check.

today i was doing well with a few little things, but couldnt find an expletive expletive torque wrench, so i ran out of time to bolt stuff in.
heres what i got done




new seal in and old pilot bushing out. i packed the cavity behind the bushing with wet pieces of paper, then hammered a 10mm socket on an extension into it. I periodically added more wet paper and it popped on out. the concept works the same way with grease, it forms a hydraulic press.



all done.

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

so i just snapped one of my pressure plate bolts...

after some googling apparently Im not the only one to have done so. the bolts are discontinued, so i will be ordering the closest replacements i can find that have been used by others with no problems. im off to winter park for some spring skiing so i wont be back for a while. kindof a downer but oh well.

The torque spec for the pressure plate bolts is 22 ft.lbs.
after a lot of googling this is the real number, and the 50+ numbers advertised elsewhere are bogus. wish i found that sooner...

~Steven

9014josh

iTrader: (1)

yeah i didnt torque mine down with a torque wrench..i know some people would disagree but its held up fine i just cranked them down good

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

http://www.scottklarr.com/topic/502/...s-gm-10079898/

http://www.fastenal.com/web/products...1120677&ucst=t


got my bolts from fastenal today. ill be back with the car on monday.

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

finally got the clutch squared away with my new bolts.

then the bellhousing.


then the t56 herself



ive been waiting for this for a long time




this is actually how i left it for tonight- i couldnt get the motor mounts to line up properly before I had to leave. it should be a few more minutes of wrestling before it all fits right.





so close...


~Steven

9014josh

iTrader: (1)

Thats sick ive been waiting for these pics!..ill be checking back,best part is hearing it start for the first time..
Ive already been playing around with mine in the driveway a little bit and all it wants to do is break the tires loose,you'll be happy.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Just getting the engine in there is a huge achievement. Next best feeling is when it first fires

chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

bcl3rdgen

I am kinda new to the board and just found this thread! We did a LT1/T56 swap in mine almost 2 years ago. You are going to love it once you get it finished! BTW good work so far.

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

i was just thinking... should i have installed the clutch slave on the transmission before it went down there, or can i do it afterwords like i thought... was reading something that said it is an off vehicle install only?

bcl3rdgen

You can get to it just fine.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

I dont see why you cant bolt it in later. Its not like the LS1 throwout

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

thats more like it huh?




~Steven

9014josh

iTrader: (1)

oooh pretty.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

So much room in there

Definitely needs a blower... or two

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

this engine bay makes the thing look tiny! i thought the engine was huge while it was on the stand and with the trans on it, but it looks like a spec in there.

could probably fit something really mean on top with the stock hood...

9014josh

iTrader: (1)

yeah i thought the same thing when i put mine in,thats why i want to put a strut tower brace in to fill it up a little bit.

bcl3rdgen

I built a strut tower brace for mine after the LT1 swap but can't use it now because of the N20 noids are on top of the intake. If you are interested in it let me know.

9014josh

iTrader: (1)

hmm yeah i might be..if you can get a pic PM me please!

9014josh

iTrader: (1)

updates?

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

well i got home from Mexico on monday night, and i have some sort of flu or virus so ive been at home the last two days...

i got some loc tite for my trans mount studs and a few other odds and ends, so my next step is cutting the shifter hole and getting the tranny on the xmember.
after that need to put in my fuel lines, and start working my way forwards

ill post pics as i go along, should get at least something done by the end of the week.

~Steven

sargenewk17

iTrader: (2)

sounds like Montezuma's Revenge

LT1_IROCZ_KID

Hey guys Ive been following this thread for a while now...Im finally close to putting my LT1 out of a '97 SS into my '87 IROC and Ive got a complete '96 Z28 donor car and was wondering if it might be easier to use the engine wiring harness with the fuses from the '96 and make it a complete stand alone, and then only splice in the ignition to my IROCs body harness...if that even makes sense haha

my swap is gonna be "smog legal" (i swapped the throttle body plate of a TPI and put it on the LT1 TB...so yes if you can see it, it does say "Tuned Port Injection"

kthxbai-its lookin pimpin! I cant wait to see it all in!

9014josh

iTrader: (1)

haha i did the same thing (put the TB plate from the TPI on my LT) although i dont think im fooling anyone..

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

well over the last few days I got the torque arm mounted to the t56, the transmission mounted and the crossmember in, and cut the shifter hole. Everything is looking good...




had a slight problem with school security today, and long story short I think I am having the car towed back to my house tomorrow. If so, I might finish sooner than expected. I'll share details when I know exactly whats happening.

~Steven

9014josh

iTrader: (1)

haha uh oh well this could be a good thing!

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

so the car will be home in my garage by the end of the week... gotta throw the hood back on and tie everything up for the tow!

thenjoshsays

iTrader: (1)

I'm waiting for the story about school security! The motor looks great sitting in there, though. Can't wait for it to run!

stoning_volcom

yea i am waiting to here this story as well lol

72vega

iTrader: (9)

lookin good! im pickin up a wrecked 97 Z LT1 w/ T56 the whole 9 yards. so my swap will be happening wayy sooner than expected.

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

got my garage cleaned up and ready to get the car in. The plan is to have her towed home on wednesday when the rain stops.

thanks for the compliments guys- sorry its been slow lately. with the car home i think ill knock alot out really quick though.

saw a sweet third gen this morning running "URLOSIN" as the plates. gotta love seeing em around.

~Steven

9014josh

iTrader: (1)

your still gonna have to explain your story to us! may wanna wake your dad up too! haha

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

home sweet home



ill start on her on saturday

maybe i will tell my story later on after its all cleared up.

9014josh

iTrader: (1)

nice! good to see her home.

LVZ2881

I cant begin to tell you how much respect I have for what you are accomplishing, especially having never done any major auto work before!!
I have built my own engines, etc, and I plan on an LTx/T56 swap myself and I honestly dont think I could do it any better. Plus I would never touch a wiring harness, the thought of wiring causes visual images of me in a mental ward.

If I may make a suggestion, when you have your exhaust done, if you go over the axle(you're planned exhaust will not work), have it made into sections and flanged so it can be removed in sections for easy fuel pump access. also for all the work you are doing, going with glasspacks is a very restricitive choice. You need a good flow thru muffler, such as a magnaflow or even flowmaster. They make "bullet" style mufflers which are similar in looks but flow 100% better.

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

i really appreciate the feedback, its been alot of work but im proud of it. The exhaust... to be honest, what ive got here is what my girlfriend bought me (aka the cheapest thing she could find that she thought would work). I was hoping I could cut and weld to make it fit, but you are probably right. Chances are I'll end up running open headers while i troubleshoot, and once everything is done take it to a shop and ask them to weld something up. I like the flange idea,
that would be really nice. So bullet mufflers huh? Ill start looking around...


as a side note, just ordered spohn panhard bar and LCAs (non adjustable, tubular mild steel)

~Steven

LVZ2881

your best bet for the exhaust will be to run a y-pipe off the headers, into a single 3" pipe, following the factory routing of the exhaust. If you dump before the axle(which I dont recommend) then run a bullet muffler. If you go over the axle then run a larger muffler. You can choose between single 3"outlet and udal 2.5" outlets. I have a single 3". I just had my exhaust done almost this exact way, but I added a cut-out. If I am able to, I'll get some pics for you.

also, I just noticed you have t-tops. I do to and I love them, but I highly recommend once you have it on the running, to get some subframe connectors. They can be welded in at the same time the exhaust is being done.

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

thanks for the insight. Quite honestly im worried about a lot of other stuff before i get to exhaust, but im sure ill read this over again when the time comes.

about subframe connectors, i would like to look at welding them in sometime this summer, but i am going to hold off ordering them until then.

my list of stuff to do soon is:
finish fuel lines
install radiator
bend/fit power steering lines
mount ps reservoir
get radiator hoses and steam T
put the brake booster back in and finalize pedals
new throttle cable
heater box install
install clutch hydraulics
get the headers in
......

still kinda daunting but i hope the worst is behind me

~Steven


*edit*
thought i would share this site they have alot of fittings and cooling pieces that may help somebody out. i ordered their LTX steam tee.

http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Pages/Par...g_LSI-tee.html

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

here are my lines from the sender- evap capped vent filtered and then return is hose clamped and feed has the fitting on it



fuel filter



finished the fuel lines
(these were made exactly per Pocket's fuel line diagram found in his additional swap info thread. 20 ft. of stainless line is perfect, I had about two feet left over. Also note that LT1 requires the return all the way to the rail so an LS1 would require significantly less)


i also bent the power steering pressure side to reach its proper threads. I was curious, how do people usually route it when they bend the lt1 fbody line? I have it leaving the pump, going out far enough to clear the serpentine belt, then straight over in front of the water pump.


~Steven

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

the first of my packages arrived today.

and so i spent the afternoon replacing my heat shielding in the back and installing my new Spohn stuff



still need to torque everything but that about does it for my work in the back on this project.

~Steven

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

torqued the LCAs and phb in today...


pulled the hood again for wiring and such around the firewall, makes everything easier


started on the clutch hydraulics...
gotta get the nuts on the u-bolt i know, but im a little unsure of how the slave mounts to the T56. Anybody have a diagram, pics, or can explain which way everything should be?



finally the steam vent line Tee i ordered arrived, its a very nice piece.

~Steven

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

running into a bit of trouble here...

clutch fork. was i supposed to have aligned it in a specific way when i slid the tranny into the bellhousing? I am now reading all kinds of it needs to be slid in a specific way to make it onto the throwout bearing. it jiggles as it is right now, i was hoping to put the slave in soon. do i need to pull the transmission to re-align it or can i get it onto the throwout from just the slave opening?

any help is appreciated. i remember sliding the transmission in effortlessly when i was bolting everything together, but i never gave the fork so much as a second thought....

~Steven

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

so after playing with it looks like i need to slide the transmission out a few inches to get the fork over the bearing....

ill try to borrow another jack and do that tomorrow *Sigh*

tonight my friend and I sealed up the AC delete box:



and i took out the old carb throttle cable for the new one. looks like i need to make a bracket for it on the firewall:




the other thing i ran into is the radiator. it is much thicker than the stock third gen core (summit "direct fit"), and it does not sit low enough for my old shroud to fit over it. plus, my old shroud is for a mechanical fan and is old and cracked...

would it be a problem to just build brackets that will hold the top of the core and screw into the original spots? i read up on the problems with these today and ill try to modify the lower support to sit it down some and use the 4th gen cover.

i am hoping to get the O2 sensor bungs welded onto my headers tomorrow and Ill keep working.

~Steven

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

tonight was rather productive.

pulled the transmission last night bellhousing and all. got the bellhousing back on during the day, then got the trans back in with the clutch fork properly torqued to the t-stud and happily around the throwout bearing. I didnt see that it slipped backwards allowing it to be easily slipped over the TO bearing. Got it slipped back in and torqued in about 30 minutes

made me feel really talented since people seem to love to moan about installing the t56 taking hours. anyways went on to get the snapped bolt out of the yoke on the rearend, bolt in the torque arm, install the driveshaft, and tie up the fuel lines under the frame.

installed the slave/master combo, hooked it up to the pedal, and I HAVE A CLUTCH NOW.

i will get some good pictures of the transmission and DS and such with the sun up tomorrow. for now:



moved to the front for new sway bar endlinks, and started working in the bay a bit mounting the battery tray/reservoir (fourth gen). drilled a hole for it but couldnt find the right nut...

just need to get the damn wiring in and then it might actually be smooth sailing


~Steven

ericjon262

Hey man, glad to see you're making progress. Keep up the good work!

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

People cry about any sort of repair/maintenance not classified under modding. Just look at the people whining about 3rd gen fuel pumps

Check out my swap thread near the end and youll see the bracket I made to secure the throttle cable. Its very simple

That heater box is dead sexy. Makes me want to pull my steel one out and order a glass one

Try spark plug antifoulers from a parts store for O2 bungs. They have a neck that needs to be cut off to get the sensor probe through, but if you leave some left itll act like a collar to keep the bung centered in the hole you drilled so you cant accidentally weld it crooked

kthxbai

iTrader: (5)

made a similar throttle cable set up today and RTV-ed it to the firewall. Looks good for now at the very least, easily changed.

decided after much deliberation to go with the fourth gen radiator over the nice aluminum summit one due to fitment. I would rather clean up the fourth gen and fit it with the fourth gen shroud than hack and cut and fab a new shroud for the summit one. same end result just less effort.




im going to cut some of the shroud out so that the VIN and info plate is still visible, and then make some spacers to screw it in flush.



also cleaned out the shifter and related stuff so that i can fill up the trans and seal the shifter tomorrow. looks good though, i cant wait

~Steven