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5.3 install???


vince

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   Vincent,  I'm sure that you have probably seen the write-up on this swap by SS4ever and MCno1.

 

     http://www.firstgenmc.com/forums/index.php?/topic/10746-my-ls14l60e-swap/

 

     http://www.firstgenmc.com/forums/index.php?/topic/10720-lslsx-swaps-you-have-done/

 

For a lot more information, Chevelles.com has a large library on this swap:

 

   http://www.chevelles.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&f=141&page=1&pp=25&sort=lastpost&order=desc&daysprune=365

 

As does the LS1 forum:                                

 

    http://www.ls1.com/forums/f124/

 

Stay clear of donor cars that utilize the AFM (Active Fuel Management) system in 2007-2015 trucks.  They are plagued with chronic lifter collapse, high oil consumption, and stuck rings.  

 

                                                                         Doug

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Hey doug thanks for the info, Yes I have read the two post from the club, the others are new to me I'll read up on them.

 Thanks for the info on the AFM motors good stuff to know.

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Well I decided to move forward with the engine swap.

I just bought a 5.3l motor out of a 2002 1500 Silverado, 110k miles it is complete with all the wiring and accessories.

Next on the list is a transmission, I have my eye on a 4L60E. what do you think of this tranny?

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Will a 4L80E work without tunnel modification? I was told that the tunnel had to be modified for the 80. I hope I have been wrongly informed. 

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Will a 4L80E work without tunnel modification? I was told that the tunnel had to be modified for the 80. I hope I have been wrongly informed. 

You are right, it wont fit without some trans tunnel modification. 4L80E is definitely a huge trans. It would be some extra work to get it in there

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I want to keep things simple, This project alone has plenty of modifications.  I don’t intend to race just cruse and open it up a time or two.

Now what year of 4L60E would work best?

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I just finished a 4l80 install in my 72. Only mods I had to make was take the x pipe out of the exhaust, aftermarket crossmember and extend my column shift linkage about 2 inches. no tunnel mods needed. readjust pinion angle.

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Larry,  I just completed the 4L80 swap as well.  No tunnel work is required.  ( I did give it a couple of bumps at the location of the speed sensor, just to add a little clearance for peace of mind.  The install goes much easier by replacing the cooler ports with banjo fittings. )

 

Jason,  I kept my cross-over by using a small pipe inserted between the collectors and the X.  It now crosses just aft of the tail-shaft.  The thing that concerned me was the wide body of this tranny.   The exhaust is only a breath away from the pan.  Because of this, I fabricated a heat shield that runs from the collector to the X-pipe.

 

Vincent,  if you really want to keep it simple, then use a 700R4 or 200-4R instead of the 4L60E.  Neither needs a stand-alone controller.       Doug

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Well the tear down has started, I removed the old 350 and tranny and sold them as a set. The new/ used 5.3 will show up at the house this week.

Right now Ebay, Summit and Jegs are loving me, as I'm gathering all the parts needed for this project. 

If I can shake the cobwebs from my old brain I'll post some pics soon. As for the transmission I think I'll wait and look for a 4l60E

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Way to jump right in Vince! There are so many options nowadays with drive lines, it would definitely be nice to go with an update!

I like the route your going

Every time I take a drive in my XL Denali I think what a blast it would be to put that setup in the Monte, it has the 400+ HP 6.2 with a 6spd auto. Moves that big beast down the road nicely

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  For me alone this project is a big one; that’s why I’m thankful I have a few buddies that have done several of these conversions. They will be my go to men if I get in a bind.

 

Right now the plan for the 5.3 is to change the cam, springs and water pump hopefully making a little more HP. Later on down the road I will change the intake and injectors and maybe the belt assembly making it look more like a LS1, But for now the Truck look will suite me just fine.

 

Doug,

Connection wise  electrical & physical  is there any difference between the 4l60e and the 4l80e?  will the 4L80E connect to a 5.3?

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  Yes, the 4L80E will bolt right up to the rear of the 5.3  and the ECM controller will operate it as well,  ...just use a 4L60 to 4L80 adapter harness.

 

   To support the other end, G-Force has a crossmember that's been fabricated for A-body 4L80 swaps.   I used it on my conversion, and it is truly a piece of automotive art.

 

http://www.crossmembers.com/shop/crossmembers-general-motors-body-chevelle-gto-cutlass-1968-1972-chevelle-malibu-monte-carlo-camino-skylark-cutlass-442-f85-lemans-tempest-gto-crossmember-4l80-hardtops-p-377.html?osCsid=jfss6b9lvgkvhs3mhibeng5m27

 

The slip-yoke is easily three times thicker on the 4L80, as it was designed to handle 440 lb ft of torque without complaint, vs the 4L60's 265 lb ft.  They make a U-joint that adapts the larger yoke to our smaller 1310 bearings on stock drive shafts.  It is the #448 adapter.   I chose to go the other way, and used 1330 U-joints on both ends of the new chromoly shaft that I built. (You'll need a different length drive shaft than your stock one.)  Either way that you go, be sure to use solid U-joints, not grease-able ones; they're twice as strong.

 

And likewise, you'll need a new torque converter to marry up the 5.3 flex-plate to the 4L80E.  I found that replacing the cooling line ports with banjo fittings allowed a much easier installation of the lines.

 

In a previous post, I discussed some costs of the conversion:  http://www.firstgenmc.com/forums/index.php?/topic/13497-smoked-the-trans-last-weekend/

 

                Doug 

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Well my E-bay drop out, 5.3 came in this week, I was a little surprised how dirty it was. So I started to take off the accessories and clean it up. With a little paint she will look like new, but first I need to pull the harmonic balancer and change the cam and springs.

 

20150610_192603_zpsbbmz7msh.jpg

 

20150612_155947_zpsmvdq4gkq.jpg

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Looking good Vince...........I have that 5.3 Vortec in my Avalanche, several months ago I was getting KNOCK sensor errors so had to tear it down similar to the picture above. I replaced both knock sensors and harness and the cam sensor since it was easily accessible. The knock sensors are under the 2 round plugs in the valley pan in your photo. Good Luck! 

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Murphy Thanks for the info It's always good to know where all the sensors are.

 

Ian your son is going to love it I have a buddy who installed one in his 68 C-10 4x4 and that truck hauls.

 

If anyone has info on what type of oil pan ill need please pass it on, from my research the truck pan will not work in the Monte.

 

Stand by for more updated pics.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

My buddy and I rebuilt the 4L60E, I have to say that was a learning experance I never knew the detail to a transmission.

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New starter and CTV-S oil pan for clearance.

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The Motor and Tranny are in  I just placed the intake on top for the pic. I'm running into a problems with the steering shaft hitting the exhaust manifold, The stock truck manifold is way too big so I tried a 04 GTO LS1 manifold and it still hits. If you have any ideas what works Please let me know.

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