Stroker's Build (5.3/4L60E in a '69)

[OneOffStroker]

Well, I decided to finally set up a full build thread. I've had the truck for almost 3 months, and it's been in the garage for 4 weeks now. I hoped to have it done already, but it was plagued with rust that I just couldn't turn away from. So...I fabbed a new firewall that ran down the floorpans and also fixed some rocker panel rust and redesigned the cowl.

I took apart the whole front clip while I was at it and freshened it all up. I replaced EVERYTHING except the crossmember and control arms. The worst part of the build so far was finding a 1 11/16 socket to tighten the new lower control arm shafts. I didn't enjoy that at all. Also new up there are 3" lowering springs, 2.5" drop spindles with 11" disc brakes, new ball joints, tie rods w/ adjusters, idler arm, as well as polyurethane sway bar bushings and bump stops.

Then I primed and painted everything with Rustoleum rusty metal primer or bare metal primer, and then it got a couple coats of gloss white enamel everywhere. The suspension and steering parts got coated in Dupli-Color Cast Iron Grey Engine enamel.

[OneOffStroker]

More pics of the rampant rust. Something not too noticeable from the previous pics is that the PO used fiberglass to patch the upper part of the firewall where it curves out about an inch. This is why I just cut it all out and started from scratch.

Also note the badass fix that the PO did to the rocker panel. Shop rags and expandable foam. Fun fun.

[OneOffStroker]

New firewall!!

More of the PO's handiwork. A half-assed patch on the inner fender. Both inner fenders were covered in some orange rubber stuff, like thick seam sealer or something.

Stripped and primed.

Also a pic of the old running gear. 350/TH400 combo.

[OneOffStroker]

Finally, some good porn!

The 5.3 & 4L60E
Motor is from a 2003 Silverado 1500 w/ 113k miles. Tranny was pulled from a '97 Astro van. It is a 3-piece 4L60E, which wasn't made until '98, so it was obviously replaced at some point, which means it should be fresh-ish...I hope.

I modded the wiring harness with Brenden's great site: LT1swap.com and I sent my ECM out to him as well to have some stuff removed/added/tweaked a bit.

For the fuel system, I'm using the Walbro 255lph pump and Vette filter/regulator. 3/8" hardline with -6AN fittings throughout. For the return line, I thought this would work. I drilled a 1/2" hole in the sender and added a bulkhead fitting with a 90* fitting. I had to grind a little bit off of the nut on the bottom of the fitting to squeeze it into the tank, but it seems like it will work OK. I also flared the outlet and added the appropriate AN fittings.

[OneOffStroker]

Got the engine and trans in, but with drama. I wanted it 3" forward so that I wouldn't have to shorten the driveshaft, but there were too many clearance issues. The accessories would have been in the radiator, and the exhaust manifolds just did not fit. So, I moved it to where it is 1" back from stock, and since I was able to get the manifolds to fit, I called it good. I'll have to take about 4" out of my driveshaft now, but it's a good excuse to get it balanced, I suppose. The mount plates I used were like 3/8" thick or more, so I had to adjust the motor mounts outward a bit to get it in there. I drilled the frame holes to 9/16" and that gave me what I needed.

I had to grind some (a lot) out of my passenger manifold. I took a moderate chunk out of the EGR part, and shaved the bottom a bit. I also had to cut a clearance out of the motor mount and shave the top a bit. For the collector part, I had to notch the frame a bit, but I made it look good.
Driver's side fit fine.

[OneOffStroker]

Wiring ran through the firewall. The ECM, TAC, fuses and relays are all mounted under the dash. This seriously cuts down on visible wires under hood. Looking at the passenger's side of the motor, all of the wiring is hooked up and you can hardly see it. I still need to loom the driver's side, obviously. I like that there is just one 6" bundle connecting the engine to the firewall.

I will also be rewiring the entire truck with an EZ-Wiring harness. I plan to run all of those wires in/under the fenders and inner fenders so that it will be minimally visible as well. Once all of the sheet metal is painted bright white, this should be one seriously clean engine bay.

[OneOffStroker]

Well...that's it for tonight. I'll post some more pics after I kick some ass on it this weekend. My plan is to have the engine bay all wrapped up and put back together so that I can move on to the wiring, gauges, and interior. I have a torque converter on order that probably won't show up until the first weekend of May, so that is my tentative deadline for having all the pertinent stuff done that I need to start this pig and drive her out of the garage.

[gcburdic]

Nice....keep us up-to-date on your progress!!!

[gumbys10]

What did you use for motor mounts, and what pan do you have on the engine?

[kev2809]

nice! that motor looks good in there...ill be keeping up with this one!

[olblue60@aol.com]

Meee toooo !

[OneOffStroker]

Originally Posted by gumbys10

What did you use for motor mounts, and what pan do you have on the engine?

I got some mounts from ebay seller !!tj!! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=260973734885

I drilled and tapped 2 additional holes so that I could use them as 3" forward mounts, but that didn't pan out too well for me. So I used them as designed, and am pretty happy with them. They are 3/8" thick, so I had to widen the frame motor mounts so that it would fit all the way in place. Easy fix.

I'm using the stock 5.3 truck oil pan. It fits with loads of room, but hangs down past the crossmember a bit (~2"). I'm probably going to make a skidplate to protect it, since the truck is lowered 5.5" up front.

[gumbys10]

Thank you for the info, have a rad picked out yet? What are you doing for gauges?

[OneOffStroker]

Originally Posted by gumbys10

Thank you for the info, have a rad picked out yet? What are you doing for gauges?

I'm going to push my luck with the stock radiator for now. If it lets me down, I'll throw in a universal aluminum dual row 1" tube rad from Summit or Griffin. Those seem to be the lowest priced, and since I have an external tranny cooler and won't break 400HP, it will suffice. BUT, I think the stocker will be fine. I'm using an electric fan from a '96 Ford Thunderbird. This is nearly identical to the famed Mark VIII fan. It has the Mark's blades, but a 2-speed motor from a Taurus. It's sort of a hybrid, but still moves mountains of air...and at less than $30 from pick-n-pull, you just can't beat it. I'm wiring them up with Volvo fan relays. If you haven't seen these little beauties, you should jump on this train. I like them so much, I got 5 of them my last trip to the pick-n-pull. I'll post some pics of that when I get to that part of my build.

Oh, and I'm glad you asked about gauges...this is going to be a fun migraine of a project. I'm using a cluster from a '89 Trans-Am GTA. They are all electric gauges, so will be compatible with the LM7 ECM (I hope). I hacked the GTA cluster into 3 pieces and with enough cutting and trimming, I'll be able to orient them neatly into a spare glovebox door. Half of the wiring goes through a PCB that I have also cut and trimmed, and the other half I can connect directly to the gauges via their mounting screws. Sounds complex, and it is. I'll post a couple preliminary pics of this later tonight after I get home.

[OneOffStroker]

As promised, here's a few shots of the gauges. It's still in the R&D stages, but I'll make it work...trust me.

[JRANGER]

nice

[OneOffStroker]

With the 1" back adapter plates, the A/C doesn't fit, but that isn't news to anyone. So...I chopped it all to hell, and hey, it fits.

[OneOffStroker]

I tapped the water pump for the steam return. Seemed like a quick, easy, clean way to do it.
I used the EQUUS adapters for Auto-Meter senders that should work with my GTA gauges.
Wiring on the motor itself is 99% done. (only need to hook up starter solenoid wire) With it all loomed up and tucked away, it's a pretty neat setup.

[OneOffStroker]

I finally found some good use for those German 'Driving Machines'

Which do you prefer? The one that is all connected, or separate? I'm thinking the separate one, because I'm going to use emblems from a new Burb on the tailgate as well.

[OneOffStroker]

Yipes!

It's a good thing I'm an electrician in my normal life, so this is actually fun & easy for me.

[Hart_Rod]

Nice progress!

[gcburdic]

Originally Posted by OneOffStroker

Yipes!
It's a good thing I'm an electrician in my normal life, so this is actually fun & easy for me.

Your just sick!!! Things are moving along....nice work!

[OneOffStroker]

I got some good stuff done in the last 2 days. I made some brackets to mount the PCM under the dash as well as my fuse block, TAC, and other wiring goodies. I either welded the mounts to the firewall or found a way to mount it on the brake pedal bracket. Doing it this way meant that I did't have to drill any holes in the firewall. Well...I did drill 2 holes to mount the gas pedal, but that had to be as secure as possible.

I also worked on my gauges as well. I didn't know how well things would work out if I tried to solder wire to the PCB, but it worked flawlessly. I must admit I was surprised. So I continued to do that and heat shrink what I soldered. Easy day.
I also cut the inner half of the spare glove box door out and then lined things up and cut out the holes for gauges. The pic is a very rough look at how they will be. I'm going to pretty it up a bit, but you get the idea.

[gcburdic]

Dang that glovebox turned dash cluster is gonna turn out really nice....may need you to write up a "how-to" so i can post it over in the FAQ section!!!

[OneOffStroker]

Originally Posted by gcburdic

Dang that glovebox turned dash cluster is gonna turn out really nice....may need you to write up a "how-to" so i can post it over in the FAQ section!!!

I might do that. I guess that means I'll have to take more pics of that as it comes together.