lq4 6.0 swap into '85 Crew Cab Shorrbed

[Ranger6202]

I actually started this project at the beginning of this month, so i've got quite a bit of progress into it already. I'm putting a 2005 6.0 in my Crew cab that had a 350. I'll be keeping the turbo 400 for now and will eventually put a 4l80e behind her later in the year. I just barely bought this crew cab back in August for $3k as my designated hunting truck. The 350 and turbo 400 was supposedly built 38k ago. I guess the truck originally had a diesel in it, but whoever swapped the 350 did a pretty good job. And to be honest, the 350 ran great, but i've been obsessed with these LS's since my recent Ford to Chevy conversion 2 years ago (bought an '06 Vmax).




after i added bushwacker flares, replaced rear chrome bumper


the designated 6.0....unfortunately no harness or ecm

[mooseknuckles]

my 6.0 had the harness all hacked up, I talked to jon@ psi performance, he's going to send me a new harness ($525) and a reflashed pcm. ($200)

[HavinSomeFun]

Looks like a clean 6.0. I'm sure someone on here has an extra harness and computer. Looks like your setup is Drive by wire. Did you get the gas pedal to go with it?

[Ranger6202]

Here she is when i first bought her in August

[Ranger6202]

Sorry guys, i didn't explain. I have a harness now. I bought one on ebay for $200 a month ago and already have it hacked up and about installed. I still have all the pictures of my progress to post. All i have left is to get an ecm and the tune to go with it.

[HavinSomeFun]

Originally Posted by Ranger6202

Sorry guys, i didn't explain. I have a harness now. I bought one on ebay for $200 a month ago and already have it hacked up and about installed. I still have all the pictures of my progress to post. All i have left is to get an ecm and the tune to go with it.

I have an extra ECM from a 2003 5.3 and the guy that did mine charges $75 to flas them I think. Not sure what the computers are worth...

[Ranger6202]

Originally Posted by HavinSomeFun

I have an extra ECM from a 2003 5.3 and the guy that did mine charges $75 to flas them I think. Not sure what the computers are worth...

What service # is the ecm you have and how much would you want?

[Ranger6202]

[Ranger6202]

Got my fuse box today. Its made by blue sea systems, and cost me about $50.

[Ranger6202]

I do have a pedal and Tac that i paid $125 for. The only thing i'm a tad worried about is that i think it was for a slightly different year and a 5.3. I've been told you want the TAC and pedal to be compatible with the throttle body. I wish they had a list with compatible S/N's for both TB's and TAC/pedal combo's.

[Ranger6202]

i do have a slight hang up you guys might be able to help me with. I bought the adapter bung for the passenger side head, and have already installed it, i belive its a 12mmx1.5? Anyhow, i need a 1/8 npt temp sender for the stock gauge in my truck. I'm definitely not sure if i need the full sweep, or short sweep. I do know that it needs to be the shallow temp sender (doesn't have the 1/4" unthreaded end) in order to fit in the bung. I found the autometer 2254, but it doesn't specify if its the shallow one or the long one.

[Ranger6202]

Does that ECM have the blue and green or the blue and red labeled sockets?

[HavinSomeFun]

Originally Posted by Ranger6202

Does that ECM have the blue and green or the blue and red labeled sockets?

I'll have to go look....

[HavinSomeFun]

Originally Posted by Ranger6202

Does that ECM have the blue and green or the blue and red labeled sockets?

Blue/Red

[Ranger6202]

From what I just read in one of my swap books I need the green blue ecm to be compatible with the year of pedal and tac I have

[Ranger6202]

front clip detatched

front clip removed

350 removed

[noonzor]

sweet, this is gonna be a fun ride with that new lq4! cant wait to see more!

[Ranger6202]

got the 350 hangin', the 6.0 at the bottom of the pic, and a 5.3 i got for $200to the right of the pic

the stock motor mounts with the triangle dimples ground down

the stock motor mounts bolted to the adapter plate (has holes for 1" foward, stock, or 1" back)

[mooseknuckles]

looks good in there.

[72BlckButy]

Lookin' good!

[noonzor]

nice

[Ranger6202]

I've been going crazy trying to find some decent price exhaust manifolds for about a month now. In my research i found that the F-body manifolds would be the best bet to fit, but no guarantees. So after looking for the past week for some, i finally had a set turn up on ebay. I bid on them and then decided it would be wise to sell a few of my truck manifolds that i had in my parts box. As i got pulling them out, it turns out, i have had some f-body manifolds all along. I remembered i had got off a blown up motor a friend gave before he moved last summer. I just bolted 'em up on my '85 and they fit perfect....tons of room. If you need any measurements off these manifolds let me know. The SN's are: 12611640 and 12611641. I google'd them and it looks like they're about $83-$100 a piece.





I had originally started notching the passenger side frame for the truck manifolds but then stopped when i realized the driver's side was gonna be a lot worse to pipe up due to it sticking outward instead of rear-of-truck-ward. Driver's side frame is not notched in these pics (stock)

[Ranger6202]

Here's the clearance issues with the stock truck manifolds.
passenger side

driver's side, its resting right against the frame. I'm positive it would consistently hit every time you revved the motor.

driver's side underneath where it fits into the frame rail. Its turned sharp enough towards the frame that you could pipe it up, but it'd be a pain and kinda ugly.

[Ranger6202]

The other hang up i've had was trying to get my temp sender installation figured out. I initially bought the autometer adapter for a 1/8 temp sender i had sitting around, but the snout on the temp sender was too big to fit into the adapter. Not to mention, i don't even think the temp sender itself had the right ohms ratio to match my stock gauges. But i did try to drill out the inside of the autometer adapter and actually got the temp sender to fit. Problem is though, when i installed it and snugged it down, it broke the adapter threads off at the collar and so i had to use an easy out to back the brass threads out of the hole. I thought of buying the S&P adapter to fit my 1/2" stock sender, first they're spendy and second they're so freakin' long it looks ugly sticking out not to mention i was a lil worried about clearance with the A/C box. So i found where people have been Milling the stock 1/2" senders down and Dying them to 12mmx1.5. Turns out i have a friend at our church that machine's for a hobby. So I had him turn it down and dyed it for me and it fits like it belongs there. I HIGHLY recommend this approach. Looks good and is very easy to have done.

[gringoloco]

What year F-body? They look like newer Camaro or G8 manifolds. The fit is nice