Engine Swaps

It's your engine, transmission, driveline
Adam
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 9:50 pm

Re: Engine Swaps

Post by Adam »

So the Caprice is too fancy to make this easy?
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Engine Swaps

Post by kevm14 »

These are the kinds of issues people deal with when they put LS1s in things, too. You just don't hear as much about it because it's hard to criticize an engine that puts out a conservative 400hp N/A and fits in place of a 4 cylinder, and barely weighs more.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Engine Swaps

Post by kevm14 »

So there's this. http://www.summitracing.com/search/depa ... /year/1988

Pricey and not sure how flexible it is at being driven by the car's organic electronic signals.
Adam
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 9:50 pm

Re: Engine Swaps

Post by Adam »

That's pretty neat. As you said, though, a little pricey.
bill25
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Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 2:20 pm

Re: Engine Swaps

Post by bill25 »

Here is the adapter I was talking about. It takes the signal from the new transmission and converts to cable to the old speedo:
http://www.speartech.com/product_p/cablexbox.htm

This isn't cheap either but it is another option to keep the original gauges.
These guys have a lot of GM engine swap items.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Engine Swaps

Post by kevm14 »

I know Speartech. Forgot about those guys.

Yup, that is another option. But I don't know how great a length I would go to keep an 85mph speedometer...on the other hand, I don't know what options there are for upgrading to something that doesn't suck.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Engine Swaps

Post by kevm14 »

Can F-body gauges be made to fit? The 4th gen Camaro Z28 cluster was a common swap for 94-96 B-bodies (to get a tach mostly). Perhaps the 3rd gen F-body clusters could swap into the G-body...

Or, I guess the 4th gen! http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-h ... -body.html

LS1 + T56 swap into a G-body (he went a little nuts and adapted an entire 4th gen F-body dash and steering column, including the cluster): http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-h ... tures.html

That right there is an award winner, for sure. Wow. Anyway...

A really nice example of the 4th gen Z28 gauges in a Roadmaster:
Image

In a Caprice:
Image

The thread: http://www.impalassforum.com/vBulletin/ ... p?t=257024

Side note, I met this guy probably 10 years ago at a B-body show in CT (Mallory Billet Aluminum in Farmington). He had the first LS1 swapped B-body I had seen and it ran 12s and got 25mpg.
Adam
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 9:50 pm

Re: Engine Swaps

Post by Adam »

Looks totally factory. That is great.
kevm14
Posts: 15334
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Engine Swaps

Post by kevm14 »

Well I'll tell you...if you're swapping an entire LT1 powertrain + '8051 PCM, running 4th gen Z28 gauges makes a hell of a lot of sense.
kevm14
Posts: 15334
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Engine Swaps

Post by kevm14 »

http://www.brphotrods.com/mm5/merchant. ... _Code=CNV6

Got this from Bill a couple weeks ago.
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