Page 1. Introduction
Page 2. Engine Removal
Page 3. The Swap kit
Page 4. Engine/Tranny Purchase
Page 5. Engine Install
Page 6. The Paintjob
Page 7. Cooling & Exhaust
Page 8. Wiring, Clutch Hydraulics, Misc.
Page 9. Start-up, first drive
Page 10. Photoshoot
Page 11. Performance Results & Videos
Page 12. Conclusion
LS1/T56 pullouts are a hot comodity these days... It seems everyone wants one for their hot rod/show car, I mean how could they not? After many months of searching including plenty of disappointing dead ends I decided that rather than purchasing a full pullout as I had done for m last V8 RX7 (engine, tranny, wiring harness, computer) I would buy the engine and transmission seperately. I found a low mileage T56 on craigslist for $1500 which I had to make a 4 hour round trip, including a ferry ride to pick up.
Next, I found a 2002 LS1 with a mere 27k miles for $2500 on a local salvage-yard search engine. I drove a 10 hour round trip to Salem, OR to pick it up... it far exceeded my expections. The 2002 LS1 is considered its best year; in addition to many other reasons, it has a higher horsepower rating as it has an LS6 intake which flows much better than the LS1 intake. The engine came with the wiring harness and computer. The engine and transmission were purchased around mid-January 2008.
The intake manifold needed to come off for installation... it provides additional clearance at the firewall lip. I also removed the exhaust manifolds, PS pump, starter and alternator. It was nice to have the motor at a working height.
Here are the engine mounts installed. Since the LS1 mounts further back than a traditional SBC, these adapt the LS1 to the 'normal' location. The reason for this is the cradle was originally designed for a traditional SBC!
Since neither the engine or transmission came with a clutch assembly, I had to purchase a clutch, pressure plate and flywheel from a Z06 Corvette... should be sufficient for my stock LS1 application.
Next Page: Engine Install
