[bigdog7373]

Originally Posted by ap72

stock bellhousing will work fine
you'll have to make your own z-bar
you'll have to make a fuel system
any clutch with the right spline count will work
and you can either get a computer programer, or skip the stock route and run MS

Those are costs you need to factor in, but they're not as much as people think.

Would you happen to have a picture that explains how the z bar mounts normally? I'm still not clear on how it all goes together since i'm used to hydraulic clutch.
But that brings up another question. Could i convert it to a hydraulic clutch? or is that more work?

[ap72]

Originally Posted by bigdog7373

Would you happen to have a picture that explains how the z bar mounts normally? I'm still not clear on how it all goes together since i'm used to hydraulic clutch.
But that brings up another question. Could i convert it to a hydraulic clutch? or is that more work?

Yes its work. you're talking about an engine swap- nothing ever "drops right in". If you're afraid of work or fabrication then just put gas in the tank and forget any engine plans.

[bigdog7373]

Originally Posted by ap72

Yes its work. you're talking about an engine swap- nothing ever "drops right in". If you're afraid of work or fabrication then just put gas in the tank and forget any engine plans.

I have no problem with doing work. That's why i bought the car. i just don't want to do more than necessary because i didn't explore all my options. I built and swapped in the motor that's in there now. It was just to get it going cause i really needed a car at the time. But now that i have the time I want to improve on the car. I'm just tired of messing with the carb and timing, i just cant seem to get it right, and now i need head work cause of the non hardened seats.
So that being said, what do i do about the clutch linkage? Can i modify the pieces to work or what?

[ap72]

Originally Posted by bigdog7373

I have no problem with doing work. That's why i bought the car. i just don't want to do more than necessary because i didn't explore all my options. I built and swapped in the motor that's in there now. It was just to get it going cause i really needed a car at the time. But now that i have the time I want to improve on the car. I'm just tired of messing with the carb and timing, i just cant seem to get it right, and now i need head work cause of the non hardened seats.
So that being said, what do i do about the clutch linkage? Can i modify the pieces to work or what?

Yea, you can modify it to work fairly easily. It all bolts up together you just need to make the clutch linkage work (mechanical or hydraulic) and figure out how to mount the engine.

[bigdog7373]

The more i read about it the more it seems like putting the muncie on the ls engine is going to be a huge Pita

1. As for the clutch linkage, scoggin dickey makes a mount that bolts on to the ls to mount the z bar, so problem solved there.
Here's an article i found about it: Engine and Transmission Swap Gen III - Car Craft Magazine

[Valkyrie5.7]

Originally Posted by bigdog7373

The more i read about it the more it seems like putting the muncie on the ls engine is going to be a huge Pita

1. As for the clutch linkage, scoggin dickey makes a mount that bolts on to the ls to mount the z bar, so problem solved there.
Here's an article i found about it: Engine and Transmission Swap Gen III - Car Craft Magazine

Sounds more expensive than difficult.

[vinniekq2]

I was thinking 10k to swap in the engine?If you do it for 1/2 that,go for it.Maybe get the more powerful Ls engine?not the x,lol.(x=500 horse power)

[bigdog7373]

Originally Posted by Valkyrie5.7

Sounds more expensive than difficult.

I meant pita as in having to buy a lot of parts and stuff.

[bigdog7373]

Originally Posted by vinniekq2

I was thinking 10k to swap in the engine?If you do it for 1/2 that,go for it.Maybe get the more powerful Ls engine?not the x,lol.(x=500 horse power)

Where are you getting $10,000 from. I said i wanted to keep it around $1,000. And Lsx is a pretty widely used term for the genIII engines. I didnt just make it up.

[ap72]

Car Craft is a magazine dedicated to selling parts, keep that in mind any time they write an article.

How To Connect a LSx Series V8 to older GM 4 Speed Manual Transmission - YouTube

How To Connect a LSx Series V8 to older GM 4 Speed Manual Transmission - YouTube

Here's how to bolt a muncie onto a 5.3L using only stock parts.

For the TH 350 you'll need a spacer for the flex plate, it's like $40.

That's it.

No extra 5 bajillion dollar conversion cost.


Most "hotrodders" today can't build anything unless its been approved by a magazine editor and delivered by the UPS guy- that's not building, that's buying.

[vinniekq2]

I figured $500.oo misc parts,$500.oo headers etc. Used LS-3 low time $4k,new hot cam and kit and head clean up $1k plus.
of course the 5.3 is a very cheap alternate

[bigdog7373]

Originally Posted by ap72

Car Craft is a magazine dedicated to selling parts, keep that in mind any time they write an article.

How To Connect a LSx Series V8 to older GM 4 Speed Manual Transmission - YouTube

Here's how to bolt a muncie onto a 5.3L using only stock parts.

For the TH 350 you'll need a spacer for the flex plate, it's like $40.

That's it.

No extra 5 bajillion dollar conversion cost.


Most "hotrodders" today can't build anything unless its been approved by a magazine editor and delivered by the UPS guy- that's not building, that's buying.

Haha i was kinda getting that feeling while reading the article

I actually saw that video while i was searching! Thats what i was talking about with the 4.8 5speed truck flywheel before, but then the article said that it would cause problems. Well i guess they lied. So
So what im seeing i need is the flywheel, the pilot bearing, the bracket for the z bar, and the correct clutch and i should be good.

Only thing is that in the video he mentions not to install the pilot bearing all the way, but then in the article they mentioned a bearing made specifically for the application. So if it's no overly expensive i think it would be better to go with that one

[dsraven]

check out pirate 4x4, chevy thunder drive by wire, ls1tech, lt1swap.com, nook and tranny lsx info, gmefi.com for a bunch of info on the ls series engines. good stuff for a read-thru before spending money. don't worry about the car end of things, if you have the engine and trans etc it will fit into lots of different vehicles if you decide the old iron is too heavy or for whatever reason. a guy i work with put a 5.3 truck engine in his mustang and then threw a turbo on it and it worked out fine. you will have no problems if you have a few fab skills. I would recomend an overdrive with whatever engine you use. there is a reason most newer vehicles come with 5 gears or more, less rpm spread between gears, so you're not wringing the engine out like a wet rag before shifting, plus a good overdrive for mileage. also, there is always somebody looking for ls engine swap stuff if you get into it and then change your mind.
good luck
there is a guy on the ls1tech that has pics in the forums. it's a corvette engine in a '76 I think.

[bigdog7373]

Originally Posted by dsraven

check out pirate 4x4, chevy thunder drive by wire, ls1tech, lt1swap.com, nook and tranny lsx info, gmefi.com for a bunch of info on the ls series engines. good stuff for a read-thru before spending money. don't worry about the car end of things, if you have the engine and trans etc it will fit into lots of different vehicles if you decide the old iron is too heavy or for whatever reason. a guy i work with put a 5.3 truck engine in his mustang and then threw a turbo on it and it worked out fine. you will have no problems if you have a few fab skills. I would recomend an overdrive with whatever engine you use. there is a reason most newer vehicles come with 5 gears or more, less rpm spread between gears, so you're not wringing the engine out like a wet rag before shifting, plus a good overdrive for mileage. also, there is always somebody looking for ls engine swap stuff if you get into it and then change your mind.
good luck
there is a guy on the ls1tech that has pics in the forums. it's a corvette engine in a '76 I think.

Cool thanks man. I'll check out some of the ls specific forums tomorrow. I'm pretty set on the 4 speed though. I've always wanted one for the car and it will go perfect with trying not to show what's under the hood. I recently sold my 5 speed car and i honestly found it annoying to drive around town since 1st and 2nd gear were wound out by 30 mph.

[aisr]

Everything you can do to make a short block and valvetrain easier to roll over is going to pay dividends in fuel economy. It's a huge part of the magic used to get those amazing power/economy numbers from modern engines like the LS series.

Quick crude example...
Take two mostly identical engines, except one shortblock requires 40ft/lbs to roll over using regular oldschool piston rings, the other uses a modern low-tension ring pack and requires only 13ft/lbs to roll over. That's a constant savings of almost 8hp at 1500rpm. If your car cruises at 2500, that equals a constant savings of roughly 13hp while you are driving down the hiway.
As a bonus, WOT at 7000rpm, the low-tension shortblock would have about 36 more hp on tap.

If you decide to go old school, do yourself a favor and build it with modern hyper pistons, skinny low tension rings, and a compatible cyl wall finish using torque plates. Not only will the engine will last a lot longer, but even more important, less friction in the cylinders will pay fuel economy dividends for the entire life of the engine. Less friction in the cylinders also means less heat being put into the cooling system. Oil temps come down as well. Proper clearances and thin synthetic oil will help too.