1979 K20 5.3 Swap

[rpcraft]

Seafoam is basically just water... You'd be better off using something that is a solvent based cleaner

 

[smurfasaur]

Seafoam is basically just water... You'd be better off using something that is a solvent based cleaner

I used sea foam and carb cleaner and it worked really well. Ended up having just one injector that was bad, wouldn’t open at all and then I saw bubbles coming from where it plugs into the harness. Luckily I have an extra intake fuel rails and injectors I was able to steal one from.

I highly recommend a thorough cleaning to anyone doing a swap with a junkyard motor... I didn’t take pics but the **** that came out of them was nasty and one actually ended up getting stuck open and hydro locked the damn engine. Took it off again and soaked and cleaned again and it seems to work fine.

Still not starting though. Had to quit for the day so the goal tomorrow is to get the SOB fired at all costs. I need some motivation this thing is started to be depressing


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[smurfasaur]

She runs

First start, lots of backfires from the MAF not being on the intake.

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Put the MAF on the intake like a normal person and it’s much happier. Ticking sound is a header hitting something

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[rpcraft]

Nice headers, long tubes or shorty style?

 

[smurfasaur]

Nice headers, long tubes or shorty style?

eBay Long tubes for a 2010 camaro. I don’t recommend them, they don’t fit great.

 

[smurfasaur]

Also got most of the front end back together and my LED JK headlights installed. Just have to wire them up.

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[HotRodPC]

Man, I love these LS Swaps. Someday I'll get to do it. I hope. Great Job !!! Looks like you're learning alot along the way. Hopefully others will learn from your mistakes too. Starting off as you said, take the advice and find a good used lower mileage set up with everything. These LS engines go for a long time and with the tighter tolerances and stronger bottom ends, if you found one with 150,000 miles or less, it would likely outlast a brand new crate 350 or remanufactured 350.

 

[smurfasaur]

Man, I love these LS Swaps. Someday I'll get to do it. I hope. Great Job !!! Looks like you're learning alot along the way. Hopefully others will learn from your mistakes too. Starting off as you said, take the advice and find a good used lower mileage set up with everything. These LS engines go for a long time and with the tighter tolerances and stronger bottom ends, if you found one with 150,000 miles or less, it would likely outlast a brand new crate 350 or remanufactured 350.

Thanks man, I appreciate it!! I agree 200% with finding a good running complete setup of you’re doing a swap... so many things that you don’t think about and it really adds up in trips to the pick and pull, Napa, and amazon.

This has kind of turned into a build thread but I really hope I can help other people avoid making my mistakes.


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[smurfasaur]

Intake, water pump, and power steering pump and alternator all installed.

The belt I ordered didn’t fit and neither did the pressure ps hose. The stock 5.3 rad hoses will fit so I ordered some of those and a longer belt. Almost didn’t get the steam line tapped into the WP because I lost the fitting I ordered, but then happened to have a brass 1/4” barbed fitting same thread pitch as my tap laying around. Junk is coming together!!

Next big projects are still looming: tranny crossmember and exhaust but things seem to be going well.

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[rpcraft]

If you want a nice mount for your PCM contact Scotty Baccus at Tejas Steelworks. It mounts it on your drivers side fender.

It also can have a spot to mount your Fuse/relay setup if you want.

https://squareup.com/market/tejassteelworks

He also has a great price on a trans crossmember that allows for dual exhaust if you are going that route.

 

[smurfasaur]

If you want a nice mount for your PCM contact Scotty Baccus at Tejas Steelworks. It mounts it on your drivers side fender.

It also can have a spot to mount your Fuse/relay setup if you want.

https://squareup.com/market/tejassteelworks

He also has a great price on a trans crossmember that allows for dual exhaust if you are going that route.

For some reason that name is super familiar. He has some nice stuff. Looks like he doesn’t do 4x4 crossmembers though and I already bought steel to fab one. Pretty happy with how I’ve got my pcm and relay/fuse box mounted too, at least happy enough not to buy someone else’s mounts lol

Trying to keep costs for nonessential things down - already over budget (don’t ask by how much) and I still have to buy tires cause the BFGs it has are dryrotted to ****.


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[rpcraft]

Yeah, no 4 x 4 crossmember yet. Sorry but I forgot you are 4 x 4. We're collaborating on one while my truck is apart but we just have not had the time yet. The problem is there are about 4 different types from 73 throug 91 and so far I have only collected two so we can measure for fitment. I am thinking that as long as we have the later 2 we'll be ok but it's tough to cross check with 6 different transmission and 4 different transfer case combos, lol. Scotty runs the facebook group "LS Swapped Square Body GM Trucks ('73-'86 C/K & '87-'91 R/V)" so if you have been on there then that is where you probably have seen his name. I understand all too well about the budget. I started with a 750 $ Jimmy and a 1500 running motor and I'm at about 9K in and still climbing. A fair portion of that is tools I would have bought anyways so no harm, lol.

 

[smurfasaur]

Yeah, no 4 x 4 crossmember yet. Sorry but I forgot you are 4 x 4. We're collaborating on one while my truck is apart but we just have not had the time yet. The problem is there are about 4 different types from 73 throug 91 and so far I have only collected two so we can measure for fitment. I am thinking that as long as we have the later 2 we'll be ok but it's tough to cross check with 6 different transmission and 4 different transfer case combos, lol. Scotty runs the facebook group "LS Swapped Square Body GM Trucks ('73-'86 C/K & '87-'91 R/V)" so if you have been on there then that is where you probably have seen his name. I understand all too well about the budget. I started with a 750 $ Jimmy and a 1500 running motor and I'm at about 9K in and still climbing. A fair portion of that is tools I would have bought anyways so no harm, lol.

Lol - similar story with me on the budget... started with a $1k truck and $500 motor/trans and now I “think” I’m about $6k deep. Don’t want to add stuff up to know for sure. I did get a new welder out of the deal though so that was nice and a few new tools like you say.

I have an unknown type crossmember that I’d be willing to give you if it’s one you don’t have. It was used in the truck previously for a sm465 but I think it may be for something else because it was sitting on 6” spacers (sketchy af).




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[rpcraft]

Maybe you can send me a picture. If it is the one I think it is probably one of the two I already have.

 

[4WDKC]

Lol - similar story with me on the budget... started with a $1k truck and $500 motor/trans and now I “think” I’m about $6k deep. Don’t want to add stuff up to know for sure.

This is what concerns me about swapping an LS in, very rarely do you read/hear about someone completing the swap with it still being a cheap swap.