lq4 6.0 swap into '85 Crew Cab Shorrbed

[Ranger6202]

I believe they're the 2010 manifolds, but i don't know, when you search the SN's you get 6.2 for the description. The block they came on was supposedly a 5.3 out of a truck. My friend got the motor from a dealership that had the motor replaced on warranty. He gave it to me cause he was moving to Florida and not wanting to haul a mystery motor with him. I tore it down and found a cylinder sidewall blown open and a bent piston rod. The block has the 4.8 5.3 stamped on the outside, so i know those manifolds probably didn't come with it, since the 2010 camaro's are 6.2's right? I'm guessing the dealership threw them on there for some odd reason.

[Gordonr1973]

Very nice work, looks great!!

[Mr. 250r]

6.0 edlebrock shorty headers fit perfect on my driver side on passenger needed some slight hammer work to fit nothing im worried about they came on motor and i'm not a fan of frame notching also depends on the motor mounts had mine been set forward i would've had more of a problem

[Ranger6202]

Got a question for ya. I've just about got my wiring all done. Was wondering how the check engine light wire works coming out of the PCM? Does it constantly supply 12v or a ground and then interrupts it, or vice versa?
I found a mystery plug going into my firewall that has 2 plain yellow wires, one yellow black stripe wire and a solid black wire. When i let the black wire hang free, my check engine light comes on. But when i put it to 12v or ground, it goes out, so i'm assuming this used to be a switch or something that ran off the carb or diesel motor somewhere between the two engines that have been in this truck. I even went to the junk yard and went through about 6 old chevs/gm's and they didn't have this plug. I'll try and get pics tomorrow if i remember.

[STOCKISH]

Great build so far. Killer looking truck!

[Ranger6202]

Guess i better update whats happened the past month. 2 days ago i fired her up for the first time! It was a huge relief....started on the first crank. I was worried about the DBW working completely correct and it did!

I did have a few other issues to work through though. For one my exhaust wasn't fab'd up yet, so i just hung the O2's just under the manifolds with some fencing wire. It would start up just fine, but when it idled down and tried to smooth out, the idle would deteriorate within 40 seconds to a bad lope to where it was about to die. Since then, i finally got the exhaust fab'd in and it fixed that idling problem.

Second problem was my temperature. According to my dash gauge i was hitting 240 degrees and my thermostat wasn't opening (top and bottom rad hoses were still cold) and my electric fans weren't kicking on. I was worried it was gonna over heat. So i left it alone till i could borrow a temp gun from a friend. Turns out my dash gauge is way off. I'm guessing the gauge doesn't match my temp sender, so i'll be heading to the junk yard to find another gauge. I'd change the sender out, but i had it milled down and threaded to metric for the block. I finally just ran it around town and then let it sit in my driveway and the top hose finally got hot and then my fans kicked on, so i'm positive my gauge is not mated with my sender correctly.
Third problem, i broke my VSS. For some reason the square stock that you use to run from the transfer case into the VSS is too long and when i tightened it down, it pushed into the VSS too much and eventually broke the stem inside. So now my truck surges a little when first starting out and drops off a hair too much when i let off since it doesn't know its moving. New VSS should be here Monday though. I did drive it with the VSS working before i tightened it down more, so i know this is the drive ability issues i'm having.

The fourth issue i'm still working is that my Power Steering pump is whining. It doesn't do it when i'm idling, just when i give it some RPMs and if i apply the brakes (hydro boost).

Other than that, she runs like a champ. Definitely has A LOT of top end compared to the 350 i had in there before. And it cruises so smoothly!

[Ranger6202]

[Ranger6202]

[noonzor]

Nice progress dude!

[Ranger6202]

Been driving it for about 2 weeks now. I don't think i'll ever run a carbureted motor in an old vehicle again! The difference is substantial! Very very smooth, Tons of top end, Fires up first try everytime, Runs very cool. And although the TH400 isn't helping my mileage, its still better than the 350 i had.

[imsuchaman55]

Originally Posted by Ranger6202

Guess i better update whats happened the past month. 2 days ago i fired her up for the first time! It was a huge relief....started on the first crank. I was worried about the DBW working completely correct and it did!

I did have a few other issues to work through though. For one my exhaust wasn't fab'd up yet, so i just hung the O2's just under the manifolds with some fencing wire. It would start up just fine, but when it idled down and tried to smooth out, the idle would deteriorate within 40 seconds to a bad lope to where it was about to die. Since then, i finally got the exhaust fab'd in and it fixed that idling problem.

Second problem was my temperature. According to my dash gauge i was hitting 240 degrees and my thermostat wasn't opening (top and bottom rad hoses were still cold) and my electric fans weren't kicking on. I was worried it was gonna over heat. So i left it alone till i could borrow a temp gun from a friend. Turns out my dash gauge is way off. I'm guessing the gauge doesn't match my temp sender, so i'll be heading to the junk yard to find another gauge. I'd change the sender out, but i had it milled down and threaded to metric for the block. I finally just ran it around town and then let it sit in my driveway and the top hose finally got hot and then my fans kicked on, so i'm positive my gauge is not mated with my sender correctly.
Third problem, i broke my VSS. For some reason the square stock that you use to run from the transfer case into the VSS is too long and when i tightened it down, it pushed into the VSS too much and eventually broke the stem inside. So now my truck surges a little when first starting out and drops off a hair too much when i let off since it doesn't know its moving. New VSS should be here Monday though. I did drive it with the VSS working before i tightened it down more, so i know this is the drive ability issues i'm having.

The fourth issue i'm still working is that my Power Steering pump is whining. It doesn't do it when i'm idling, just when i give it some RPMs and if i apply the brakes (hydro boost).

Other than that, she runs like a champ. Definitely has A LOT of top end compared to the 350 i had in there before. And it cruises so smoothly!

Awesome build! I am thinking about doing another LS swap with a crew cab like yours. I am currently doing one in a 68 SWB and I also love the added power and drivability it has. When I got mine fired up, it was whinning like that also, and I thought it was the PS pump going bad, but I was checking the PS fluid level and noticed the fluid was really dirty. So I ran it for a little while. Shut it off, got a turkey baster, and sucked out as much of the fluid as I could. Filled it with fresh fluid and flushed again. It made all of the whining go away and now doesnt make any noise at all. I think it was from the engine sitting or the original fluid never being changed. Its worth a shot. Im very interested to see how this turns out.

[drama808]

Originally Posted by Ranger6202

Been driving it for about 2 weeks now. I don't think i'll ever run a carbureted motor in an old vehicle again! The difference is substantial! Very very smooth, Tons of top end, Fires up first try everytime, Runs very cool. And although the TH400 isn't helping my mileage, its still better than the 350 i had.

What kind of mileage are you getting with the TH400 behind it? I am about to tear my truck down for a LS engine, and like you will be running my th400 for the time being.

[mooseknuckles]

my 6.o/4l80e is better on gas than my 305/700r4 was...with double the hp/tq.

[drama808]

Yeah, I understand that. I am curious what he gets with a non od tranny though.
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[Ranger6202]

With the carbed 350 i was only getting about 10-11 mpg. With the 6.0 i've been getting a consistant 12-13, but i have had my foot into it quite a bit more than i did with the 350. Its hard to let that extra 100hp just sit there if you know what i mean. I'm currently in the process of acquiring a 700r4 that i will be putting the TCI constant pressure valve body it it. And i'm certain i'll be able to get it up to about 15-17 mpg.

[mcmlxix]

Did the exhaust manifolds have 2 or 3 bolts at the collectors? What type of gasked does it use?

[Ranger6202]

These manifolds only had 2 bolt flanges. As for the gaskets, i have a dirt track racing friend that had a machine shop convert him to using Blue RTV for exhaust gaskets. I was pretty skeptical the first time i heard this. But they've used it on multiple setups in their stock car and haven't had a leak one. In the past year i've used it on my '06 and this swap and haven't had a leak either....therefore i'm a believer now. No fabricated gaskets, just Blue RTV, equivilant or better for my exhaust gaskets from now on.

[justin 84 k20]

very cool build. i shoulda went this route from the start.

[Duramax40]

Hey man great build. I am doing an lq9 in my 89 crew cab now. I was wondering what you did about your temp sending unit to your gauge not working right together and what kind of vss you used?
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[Ranger6202]

@ Duramax40:
To be honest, it was trial and error before i found the right combo with the temp sender to gauge. I went to a junk yard and got a bunch of different sensors and gauges. You'll notice some gauges go to 240 and others go to 260. At one point i had a sensor that was over ranging my 240 gauge, so i swapped the gauge to a 260, and its pretty close now. As for the VSS, i used a Dakota Digital VSS. There was an accident there though before i got it right. The piece of square stock they send you to drive the sensor and cable was too long for my setup, so when i tightened it down, it split the sensor completely in half. The sensor should be touching the fitting on your transfer case with no gaps before you wrench it down with the nut. If there's a gap, cut the stock shorter.

[yellowGT]

so by the research i have done supposedly you dont have to buy the adapter that goes between motor and old skool tranny...is that right with using the lq4/lq9? Also what type of fuel system did you use? Part numbers would be excellent. Im about to do my crew cab dually and Im thinking about leaving my 400 in it but the mileage issue your having might have me look for a 4l80.

[Kainedogg]

Great build friend. Sent you a pm as well. I have an '84 C10 with a 6.0\TH350 combo and the only thing stopping me from firing it up...is fuel...or fuel lines to be exact.

[OutlawDrifter]

i love my jimmy, but if i found a ccsb for 3k that jimmy would be sent down the road!

[Ranger6202]

Its been quite a while since i've done any update on here of where Big Blue is at. It has successfully ran great for 3 years despite how hard i drive it. Last year i took on the challenge to learn how to rebuild a 4l80 and how to use HPtuners. I have successfully rebuilt a 4l80 for a friend and am currently building one with a custom gear set (2.9 1st) for Blue. Also, i recently purchased a turbo kit that will be implemented into Blue. So as these 2 new projects come along, i'll start posting some pics back on here.

[LSX408]

Nice swap, will be a blast with the turbo. Those 6.0s love boost!