1987 R10 LS swap info

[dangOl'dodge]

Hey everyone

been browsing google for a few days now trying to find info on doing an ls swap in my 87 chev SWB with 4.3 ti in it right now..

i purchased a 2000 silverado 2wd with 4.8 vortec in it for this swap..

wondering what exactly should i order for it before i start the swap?
gonna be using the 4.8 motor and tranny.. looking for easiest install, have access to full running truck for parts.

heres what i think i need so far...

LS swap motor mount brackets (what are the cheapest ones that are worth using?)

gas pedal out of the 2000 chev

4.8 motor, tranny, wiring harness, ecu

the vortec has A/C now but my 87 does not and I'm not looking to keep the a/c either

the 87 is fuel injected already and has a fuel pump in the tank... can i keep this one or will the 2000 chev fuel pump work or can i get another one that will fit in the 87 gas tank?


just wondering what i need in hand before i should even attempt the swap? THANKS AGAIN

 

[foamypirate]

You will need to swap out the fuel pump for a higher pressure version. I would use the EP381 from the Vortec 5.7L trucks. It is a direct drop in, GM part. You can use your stock 87' tank. I would recommend replacing any rubber lines from the tank to the selector valve with Gates Barricade EFI hose. It will hold up to the higher pressures, and won't degrade from ethanol like regular rubber hose does.

I would keep my hands on as much from the donor as possible until the swap is complete, you never know what you will need.

There are other considerations for things like the oil pressure sender for the gauge (Autometer makes a 16mm to 1/8 NPT adapter that works perfectly at the back of the LS block). You can also use a 98' LS1 Camaro Coolant Temperature Sender. It is a 3 wire sender that can provide a signal to the ECM and to the factory temp gauge.

You'll need to decide whether to run e-fans or the mechanical fan. I plan to use E-fans on my swap for better low speed AC performance. Since you are ditching AC, the mechanical fan would work perfectly.

I would also highly recommend resealing the motor while it's out of the donor vehicle. It's a great time to do it since you have access to everything. Just be careful doing the rear main, since the rear cover has to be aligned with the crank flange or it will leak.

Feel free to ask any questions if you have them.

 

[dangOl'dodge]

Thanks so much for the reply Foamy..

I just ordered the mounts from dirty dingo!
73-87 LS1 LSX LS 2WD Chevrolet Adjustable Conversion Swap Mounts

they seem be high quality and simple!!

i will be keeping the truck until swap is done..

the 4.8 runs great and only has 119,000km (74K miles)
dont wanna tear it apart because i have future plans for a 6.0 vortec.. got this full truck for 500 bucks so i can do this swap and part the rest out to make back most of my money... then pick up a 6.0 motor and computer in the future!


can someone comment on the VATS system I've been reading about? the donor truck has no power windows/locks/ remote start or keyless entry but is this going to give me trouble? how to bypass it?

and the fuel system is the only thing I'm confused about right now.. so the ep381 is a pretty common sending unit i can get from any parts store or rock auto? and i can get a new fuel filter designed for the donor truck to use on my 87 then just run the new lines from sending unit to the engine the exact same as the donor truck?

Also, what is the cheapest way to make my spedometer work? i thought i seen an adaptor in another thread?

Sorry for all the questions.. wanna start this build asap

 

[foamypirate]

Thanks so much for the reply Foamy..

I just ordered the mounts from dirty dingo!
73-87 LS1 LSX LS 2WD Chevrolet Adjustable Conversion Swap Mounts

they seem be high quality and simple!!

i will be keeping the truck until swap is done..

the 4.8 runs great and only has 119,000km (74K miles)
dont wanna tear it apart because i have future plans for a 6.0 vortec.. got this full truck for 500 bucks so i can do this swap and part the rest out to make back most of my money... then pick up a 6.0 motor and computer in the future!

Cool, if you are only planning on running this engine for a little while and it only has 74k, you'll be fine without resealing it.

can someone comment on the VATS system I've been reading about? the donor truck has no power windows/locks/ remote start or keyless entry but is this going to give me trouble? how to bypass it?

You'll need to send your ECM out to have VATS tuned out (and other things, like rear O2s, EVAP, etc, if you like). I'd check out LT1Swap.com. Brendan over there offers Gen 3 ECM tuning for $75, which is a good deal. He also has a lot of info on modifying your harness to work stand alone and which wires you can safely remove to slim down the harness. The other option is to have a new stand alone harness built, or send out the current harness to have someone rework it. I'd recommend BP Automotive for a rework or new harness.

and the fuel system is the only thing I'm confused about right now.. so the ep381 is a pretty common sending unit i can get from any parts store or rock auto? and i can get a new fuel filter designed for the donor truck to use on my 87 then just run the new lines from sending unit to the engine the exact same as the donor truck?

The EP381 (ACDelco brand) is the fuel pump. It will work in your existing 87' sending unit and tank. I would grab it from RockAuto or Amazon, they tend to be the cheapest place for ACDelco parts.

Your truck is a 2000 model, which means it has a return style fuel system. You can try and see if you can adapt the lines from the 2000 truck from the engine right up to the selector valve. If doing it from scratch, I would recommend running hard lines (fuel feed is 3/8, return is 5/16) from after the selector until right about the bell housing, and then transition to braided stainless steel AN lines to the fuel rails. You would need an AN adapter for the fuel rail (3/8 and 5/16 quick disconnect to AN).

Also, what is the cheapest way to make my spedometer work? i thought i seen an adaptor in another thread?

Sorry for all the questions.. wanna start this build asap

For the speedometer, you have a couple of options. You can run the Abbot CableX, which will take an input from the VSS and run a mechanical output. Those run about $300.

The other option is an electronic cluster from a 90-91' Suburban or K5 Blazer. They are the same style as 73-87' clusters, but have an electronically driven speedometer. You can feed the speedo output from the ECM straight to the speedo. The downside is that you will need to repin the cluster plug to match, as GM changed the pinout. You'll need wiring diagrams from both years, (87' and the year of Burb or Blazer you pull it from).

 

[dangOl'dodge]

foamy do you know if i can use a sending unit from a newer 350 vortec too? when i search ep381 on rock auto it shows 1996 chevy 1500 5.7 vortec.. would rather change out the entire sending unit instead of just the fuel pump as I'm not sure what condition its in yet

 

[Joshua8336]

Hey everyone

been browsing google for a few days now trying to find info on doing an ls swap in my 87 chev SWB with 4.3 ti in it right now..

i purchased a 2000 silverado 2wd with 4.8 vortec in it for this swap..

wondering what exactly should i order for it before i start the swap?
gonna be using the 4.8 motor and tranny.. looking for easiest install, have access to full running truck for parts.

heres what i think i need so far...

LS swap motor mount brackets (what are the cheapest ones that are worth using?)

gas pedal out of the 2000 chev

4.8 motor, tranny, wiring harness, ecu

the vortec has A/C now but my 87 does not and I'm not looking to keep the a/c either

the 87 is fuel injected already and has a fuel pump in the tank... can i keep this one or will the 2000 chev fuel pump work or can i get another one that will fit in the 87 gas tank?


just wondering what i need in hand before i should even attempt the swap? THANKS AGAIN

shouldnt need gas pedal out of truck, it should be drive by cable if it's 2000
use the fuel pump from the truck. i can do up your harness, but it's really simple.

 

[foamypirate]

foamy do you know if i can use a sending unit from a newer 350 vortec too? when i search ep381 on rock auto it shows 1996 chevy 1500 5.7 vortec.. would rather change out the entire sending unit instead of just the fuel pump as I'm not sure what condition its in yet

Spectra Premium sells a nice direct replacement for your 87'. I would get that if you want to replace the sending unit.

 

[dangOl'dodge]

ok cool and I'm on a small island off the east coast of canada... you can only imagine what i pay for shipping... 50-100 usd for anything small.... won't get into something larger like a set of headers, brake drums ,etc so i will prob just keep the wiring harness stock..

as for the security system on these trucks... VATS, or passkey? what ever they call it... will the truck work when i do this swap or? don't really wanna get the comp reflashed to bypass that stuff... whats the easiest way to go about this swap or will it be fine without doing anything

 

[Joshua8336]

ok cool and I'm on a small island off the east coast of canada... you can only imagine what i pay for shipping... 50-100 usd for anything small.... won't get into something larger like a set of headers, brake drums ,etc so i will prob just keep the wiring harness stock..

as for the security system on these trucks... VATS, or passkey? what ever they call it... will the truck work when i do this swap or? don't really wanna get the comp reflashed to bypass that stuff... whats the easiest way to go about this swap or will it be fine without doing anything

vats will keep it from running. it's best just to have the computer flashed HOWEVER, if you have access to a gmt800 truck, you can bypass. look at the last post on the ls swap info sticky.

 

[dangOl'dodge]

Josh- donor truck is still complete and running until my motor mounts show up from dirty dingo so that trick in which removing each connector to vats while vehicle is started is exactly what i need!

Foamy- got a link to the spectra pump? Still not 100% sure if your saying they make a 60psi replacement under the 1987 1500 chev section on rock auto or if your saying to use a direct replacement for a 96? Thanks again

 

[foamypirate]

You'll use the 87' replacement sending unit made by Spectra, with the pump from the 96' (ACDelco EP381).

 

[dangOl'dodge]

ahh i gotcha now..

gonna drop the tank on 87 and see what the sending unit looks like.. i know i changed the tank a few years ago but can't remember if i did the sending unit or not.. if it looks like it can be salvaged i may just swap the pumps!

gonna try to upload a few pics of the swap as i go also!

 

[dangOl'dodge]

checked out the sending unit... looks brand new, guess i will be using that with a new pump!

also, was wondering if anyone could tell me what he's saying from 0:30 to 1:05 in this video?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYCWh6-2ufc

its the video josh was referring to in order to bypass the VATS. sounds like he's saying something about the fuse marked TBC in the fuse panel... not sure what he's saying to do with or without it?

thanks again everyone!

 

[Joshua8336]

Josh- donor truck is still complete and running until my motor mounts show up from dirty dingo so that trick in which removing each connector to vats while vehicle is started is exactly what i need!

Foamy- got a link to the spectra pump? Still not 100% sure if your saying they make a 60psi replacement under the 1987 1500 chev section on rock auto or if your saying to use a direct replacement for a 96? Thanks again

just don't clear your trouble codes until you have it tuned out. let me know how that works out.

 

[Joshua8336]

checked out the sending unit... looks brand new, guess i will be using that with a new pump!

also, was wondering if anyone could tell me what he's saying from 0:30 to 1:05 in this video?

its the video josh was referring to in order to bypass the VATS. sounds like he's saying something about the fuse marked TBC in the fuse panel... not sure what he's saying to do with or without it?

thanks again everyone!

crank the vehicle up, then remove the fuse. if that doesnt bypass it, disconnect the 3 connectorss from the bcm under the dash. vats should be bypassed. but again, it will be restored when you clear the trouble codes.