2005 5.3/4l60e into 1987 GMC

[jesdude7789]

I walked into a salvage yard a few weeks ago and they had just gotten a wrecked 2005 Tahoe. I made a deal for the engine pull-out with harness, accessories, tac module, air intake with maf, etc.

My 1987 GMC R1500 truck has the dual gas tanks but I only use the driver side tank since the passenger pump has been dead for a few years now. The small block TBI engine died in it at the beginning of November and I'm really hoping to have the swap done by the end of January or early February because the truck is stuck in Austin at my brothers house (in his way) and I live in the Houston area so it's not the easiest project to make progress on since I have to drive back and forth on every weekend possible and with thanksgiving, Christmas, new years, etc. I have been juggling family stuff too.

Is there somebody with a truck just like mine that did a budget minded build that can help me figure out the right stuff for me to buy? I'm having trouble figuring out the exact fuel system components and adapters I need and do I have to replace the in-tank pump or can I leave it there and just add an inline pump to boost the fuel pressure? I only ask that because I need to get this running and anything that speeds up the process (like not dropping the tank) would be great so I can get this truck back home where it will be much easier to work out the details later.

I also need to know which exhaust manifolds will clear my frame without modifying it. I saw the cast iron hooker manifolds for 300. I would like to keep the factory stuff if possible though. I was looking at 2010 Camaro manifolds that come with the cats and I was thinking that would good since I won't have to fabricate all the exhaust piping myself and weld in o2 bungs and such?
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[Clyde65]

Clinebarger did an 85 suburban back when it wasnt cool to do this swap.

[jesdude7789]

Originally Posted by Clyde65

Clinebarger did an 85 suburban back when it wasnt cool to do this swap.

I tried searching his threads and could not find that.
Did he do a write up on it?


As of right now I have the 5.3 on a stand and I ordered the dirty dingo engine adapters. I plan to modify the harness myself and I need to find a good place in Austin to source the transmission, torque converter, and bolts from. I would like to find a really low mileage unit or a fresh rebuilt unit because I want to be sure that I won't have tranny problems for years.

[oldman3]

You can check out Glocks build, but I'm telling you now it's 76 pages long, but it should have everything covered you want. Here's the link http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=350986 ...Jim

[scottybaccus]

I did my '87 GMC a few months ago. You can look up my shop on FB for pics and some details. I can walk you through every aspect.
I am in Pflugerville, a suburb of Austin. You're welcome to come see mine. I can hook you up with anything you might need.

[homemade87]

Jesdude , I see you got the tach module . If you did not get the gas peddle I would go back and get it . All peddles are not created equal . You have to have the right one for it to work . You will have to modify it to work in your truck .

Also I have no tried them but some has said the trailblazer ss stock manifolds will work . They hug the block closer .

[Clyde65]

jesdude, he doesnt have a build thread, he did his 'Burb in 2004 I believe. Hit him up, he can tell you anything. he does these swaps for a living.

[slotard]

I'd really like to do something similar sometime, but I've got an older C20 and would be very tempted to go with a 4L80E so that I could add a snail or two sometime down the road.

Do you need to smog/inspect it?

[jesdude7789]

Originally Posted by scottybaccus

I did my '87 GMC a few months ago. You can look up my shop on FB for pics and some details. I can walk you through every aspect.
I am in Pflugerville, a suburb of Austin. You're welcome to come see mine. I can hook you up with anything you might need.

That would be great to come check it out Scotty. I can certainly do that. I'll be in Austin next weekend from Wed through Sunday.

Originally Posted by oldman3

You can check out Glocks build, but I'm telling you now it's 76 pages long, but it should have everything covered you want. Here's the link http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=350986 ...Jim

I appreciate the help. I will start reading!

Originally Posted by homemade87

Jesdude , I see you got the tach module . If you did not get the gas peddle I would go back and get it . All peddles are not created equal . You have to have the right one for it to work . You will have to modify it to work in your truck .

Also I have no tried them but some has said the trailblazer ss stock manifolds will work . They hug the block closer .

I did make sure to get the gas pedal and the harness from it to the tac module.

Originally Posted by Clyde65

jesdude, he doesnt have a build thread, he did his 'Burb in 2004 I believe. Hit him up, he can tell you anything. he does these swaps for a living.

I will pm him shortly. Thank you.

Originally Posted by slotard

I'd really like to do something similar sometime, but I've got an older C20 and would be very tempted to go with a 4L80E so that I could add a snail or two sometime down the road.

Do you need to smog/inspect it?

I don't have to pass emissions anymore here in Galveston county.

[ls1nova71]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but this sounds like your first swap? If so, my suggestion would be to get the truck back to your place before trying to swap the engine. You're looking at driving over 175 miles one way to work on it, and you almost will never be able to do this swap in a weekend on your first try. Spend the money to get the truck towed to your house where you can actually work on it without having to worry about forgetting a part, or tool, or being rushed since that is going to add to your problems. From what I have seen and read about people who have problems with these swaps, it's generally because they skimped on something here or Micky Moused something there, thinking they would go back and fix it later, only to have it bite them in the ass before 'later' arrived. Trust me, there WILL be road blocks you just won't be prepared for, no matter how prepared you are for them. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, just trying to be the voice of reason. Sure there are a lot of internet "keyboard mechanics" that say this is a piece of cake to do, but it's relative to your skill level, and familiarity with the swap, and for a first swap, you would probably be way better off doing this at home and at your own pace. Again, I'm not trying upset you, just my $0.02.

[jesdude7789]

Originally Posted by ls1nova71

Please don't take this the wrong way, but this sounds like your first swap?

I don't mind the drive because I enjoy visiting my brother in Austin every couple of weeks anyway. I'm not going to rush anything though. I am a somewhat meticulous person and think ahead constantly with my projects. I don't have the option of towing it back to where I live because I do not own a house or any type of place to keep it while I do the work. My brother has a three car garage with matching driveway space and it's well suited for the task. My engine hoist and other tools are already there as well. I appreciate the concern. I do have an automotive education as well as electronics experience. What i don't have is extensive knowledge of this particular swap as I never planned to do this before and I'm just on a tight deadline now that I have to do it. Thanks again

[ls1nova71]

Ok, well I guess I'm just a little confused because you contradict yourself in some posts. In your first post you state that the truck is in your brother's way, and it will be easier to work on when you get it back home, so that's why I suggested just getting it back before you start.

Anyway, if you are going to try to do it there, you are REALLY going to have to do more homework than most people do, so you don't drive all the way there just to find out you cant do "this" before "that", and you can't do "that" because you don't have part "X", do you see where I'm going? I would spend A LOT of time on here reading through build threads and seeing what others have done. I would look at all different kinds, not just square body builds because a lot of info can be gained from different types of trucks, and the more options you have on doing any given task, the better off you're going to be.

That said, I'll answer your question in the first post. Swap out the intank pump. I would get a Walbro255 or something similar, and either drop the tank or slide the bed back enough to get to the sender. The reason is you CAN'T pull fuel through an intank pump with an external pump, you'll burn the pump up because of the restriction.

[scottybaccus]

Just like I promised?
You still in town?

[jesdude7789]

Originally Posted by scottybaccus

Just like I promised?
You still in town?

Oh yeah, just like you said! I was in town but I had a friend in Austin unexpectedly call me Friday morning and offer his help so we were able to knock out a lot more than I anticipated. Help is difficult to get so I needed to take advantage of that. We started the removal of the old engine and disconnected everything and started to remove the engine with my hoist whenever it had a failure and prevented us from finishing. So this weekend I will head back and I have to fix the hoist first and then my friend should be able to come back and help me finish the removal.

I hooked the starter up to my 5.3 and cranked it over a few times at least and it was nice to see and hear that. It sounds like it has good compression and I will do a comp test this weekend just for kicks.

[jesdude7789]

Got the 5.3 bolted in! I was pretty happy to see it sitting in it's new home after all the work so far
I still have a lot to do though. Working on my harness mods, need to buy a new radiator, hoses, trans lines, hook up the new fuel lines, drop the tank and swap the pump out, figure out where I'm getting vacuum for the brake booster, a/c controls, etc...

This came from an 05 Tahoe with electric fans but I think I want to use a mechanical fan for simplicity right now. The water pump pulley has the threaded portion on the snout so I can just get the mechanical fan from a pick-and-pull and bolt it on??

[scottybaccus]

See if this helps.....

LS Swap Guide

[jesdude7789]

Originally Posted by scottybaccus

See if this helps.....

LS Swap Guide

There is some great information in there Scotty! Thank you for that link.

I didn't get to make as much progress as I wanted this last weekend.
Installed the Intake manifold after cleaning up the ports and gasket (still in great shape), alternator and power steering, serpentine belt, 2010 Camaro exhaust manifolds with new ac delco gaskets and the Dorman bolt kit. I didn't torque those bolts to spec just yet because I want to wait until I'm sure I don't have to remove them again for any reason. I may have to adjust the engine adapter brackets again and I would want the exhaust out of my way for that.

[mattcrp1]

Looking good.

[jesdude7789]

I'm frustrated with the dirty dingo engine mounts. Why did they make them where you CAN'T have the engine all the way forward in the slots? I have no clearance between the steering link bar and the oil pan!
I really didn't want to have to modify my trans cross-member and shorten the driveshaft....
I also was trying to figure out how to route my trans cooler lines since I definitely can't route them underneath the engine. I don't like trying to route them around the starter. I'm playing with the idea of running them along the top of the passenger frame rail but above it a couple inches and also about 2 inches from the exhaust header. I'll make a little support piece somewhere to hold them up and it's a straight shot to the cooler that way. The piece of tubing in the picture is the old one and it looks like crap since I'm just using it to get an idea of routing

[jesdude7789]

Time for an update.....
I did eventually get the engine and trans sitting correctly and reinstalled the original driveshaft. You HAVE to move the trans x-member back 1.25 inches if you are using the matching transmission from a newer truck (late 4L60e) in order for the original driveshaft to engage the proper distance into the tail of the trans. It's just that the trans mount position is different from the old 700r4.
I've been swamped with overtime at work for a couple months and I have been fortunate enough to have the use of another vehicle (while I pay all the insurance, maintenance, etc.) so I haven't been in as big of a hurry to finish the update to the fuel system on the 87. I plan to leave for Austin tomorrow afternoon for the holiday weekend and I'll be trying to knock that out as well as start laying the wiring harness in the engine bay and figure out where everything will end up.

[Hart_Rod]

In.

[jesdude7789]

Got the tank dropped over the holiday weekend! Installed the higher pressure pump and used the gates barricade hose from the local oreilly with fuel injection clamps to connect between the sending unit and the filter/regulator. I took out all the dual tank stuff, the switching valve and old hard lines running on the frame. I will have the gates hose from the driver tank(20gal) to the regulator and then the russell hose with AN fittings to the engine. I used the gates stuff to the tank for now because it is readily available at most auto stores and it may get taken in and out many times and worn out faster but I may upgrade it in the future as well. I mounted the regulator on the frame about where the old switching valve was using one of the passenger tank cradle bolts already there. I had to enlarge the regulator's mounting hole a little bit for the bolt to fit through.

I don't have pictures but I also swapped a "deep sump" trans pan on that has a drain plug along with new filter and gasket. Make sure you transfer the magnet from the old pan!!

[jesdude7789]

Picked up some vacuum/heater hose fittings to adapt the LS intake to the brake booster and I have a tee fitting in there for the a/c controls and such that will be working again some day. Installed the heater hoses that go to the water pump and there is a spot on the cylinder head just above that where I was able to attach my battery ground wire. I cut down one of the a/c bracket bolts (I'm not using the LS a/c bracket anyway) in order to have a proper metric thread bolt to use that was short enough for that hole in the head. There's a pic of the filter/regulator mounted with the dorman connectors and gates barricade hose on the fuel tank side and the AN style on the other end that feeds the fuel rail. I need to get some proper fuel hose clamps to secure that to the frame. The fuel tank vent line is just laying there with a bolt plugging it for the moment until I figure out what to do with it. I'm not sure if I need to bother hooking it up to the evap canister. You can see the new trans pan I installed with drain plug for easier servicing