New from Cali

[rsbad454]

New guy from California, I've been lurking around since I decided to research information on my LS swap for my 81 Silverado. My truck has been sitting around for 15 years since I sold the 427 Big Block and TH400 from it. I've owned this truck since high school and was my grandfathers truck. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I found a 2002 Silverado 2500 with 72k miles on. 6.0L LQ4/4L80E combo. Just a basic no frills truck with everything in tac.

 

[rsbad454]

Some more pics.

 

[ali_c20]

Welcome from Austria. Great history and nice truck.

 

[rsbad454]

Welcome from Austria. Great history and nice truck.

Thanks, I was close to your country back in September. I visited Switzerland and Italy.

 

[legopnuematic]

Welcome from Missouri.

 

[WFO]

Welcome from the Texas Panhandle.

 

[bruisedbanana79]

Welcome from Cali as well! I am sure you have read this in every LS swap forum but if you can hold onto the donor vehicle it will help to grab those last little brackets during your swap. I just got mine up and running and man what a difference it makes in the drivability of these squares. I used the dirty dingo slider mounts and found those to work really well at placing the motor right where it needed to go. I was also able to use the factory airbox off the Silverado by modifying the second battery tray on the passenger side, the expandable hose is stretched pretty far but it reaches and keeps that factory look. Your column shifter should mate up and function that trans perfectly. "ugly truck experience" on youtube has a great collection of square swaps. I just hope that you do not have to smog it where you are at, I am able to avoid smog by the square being a factory diesel.

 

[Strick]

Welcome from the other side of the country here in NC.

HS

 

[Catbox]

Welcome from Oregon.

 

[CalSgt]

Welcome, from California too

 

[dd1990]

Welcome fellow Californian, good luck on your project, hopefully its a diesel vin or you live in a special county, if not you might have to abide by smog laws

 

[rsbad454]

Welcome from Cali as well! I am sure you have read this in every LS swap forum but if you can hold onto the donor vehicle it will help to grab those last little brackets during your swap. I just got mine up and running and man what a difference it makes in the drivability of these squares. I used the dirty dingo slider mounts and found those to work really well at placing the motor right where it needed to go. I was also able to use the factory airbox off the Silverado by modifying the second battery tray on the passenger side, the expandable hose is stretched pretty far but it reaches and keeps that factory look. Your column shifter should mate up and function that trans perfectly. "ugly truck experience" on youtube has a great collection of square swaps. I just hope that you do not have to smog it where you are at, I am able to avoid smog by the square being a factory diesel.

Oh yeah I plan on keeping the donor vehicle around for reference and all parts I'll need. I have mostly everything I need, but I still need to pull the engine and tranny out and get engine on the stand to reseal, new oil pump, oil pan etc. I have the engines mounts as well, but I'll get the tranny in first then drop engine in and see if it's where I want it. I have the stock tranny crossmember and an after market one, but not sure which one I'll use yet because I need to add E Brake cables and they may interfere with aftermarket crossmember. I plan on using as much as I can from the donor and also have 2 battery trays; one for airbox and the other for the battery being located to the drivers side. I have seen a lot of the UG Experience videos and scrolled through quite a few forum threads and pics here and other forums. Dakota Digital gauges are going to be used as well. I am planning on trying to smog and I'll utilize the entire evap system. It'll be a challenge and I want to see if I'll have any issues. If it becomes a pita, I'll just register somewhere else, but I can at least try.

 

[rsbad454]

Welcome fellow Californian, good luck on your project, hopefully its a diesel vin or you live in a special county, if not you might have to abide by smog laws

I'm aware and this is not a diesel. I have all the emissions from this donor truck being a California truck anyways. I'm up for the challenge and we'll see how it goes.

 

[fofiddyfo]

Welcome from Wisco!

 

[bruisedbanana79]

I'm aware and this is not a diesel. I have all the emissions from this donor truck being a California truck anyways. I'm up for the challenge and we'll see how it goes.

I have not done it yet with any of my classics that are over 1975 yet but there is a minor "loophole" here in Cali where you can insure it as a classic as long as it is over 35 years old and then go to the ref station and supposedly all they check for is fluid leaks and then do a tailpipe sniff test no visual inspections. Not sure how much I trust a ref station to not hang us but either way you will have to visit them to get the BAR sticker for the engine swap. Good luck on your swap I will be watching mostly for how you get through smog. Some motivation for you, I drove my swapped square into work yesterday for the first long drive and I was cruising along at 75mph with the rest of traffic like it was no big deal and I only have the 4.8 in a 3/4 ton 4x4 burb!