The never ending K5 Build LS Swap

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

Originally Posted by C.I.Blazer

WOW! that looks amazing. I was starting to think about how to paint my TC and motor and Cerakote is a great idea. I did an old shotgun in it once and it has been incredibly durable. What all did you did you have done to the LQ9? I found an LQ4 with a 4L65E that I am hoping to try a swap with.

Started with a virgin bare block out of 2000's escalade. We used forged internals for the bottom end and JE Pistons. My engine builder milled the heads and increased the stock compression ratio to 11.4 I think. The cam is 225/234ish on a 112 Lobe Separation. He told me the cathedral port heads perform better with a smaller split duration. This combo should provide a decent idle and good usable power and better gas mileage.

Another question on your fuel system. Do you have any details anywhere on how you plumbed your tank? I assume you used the 340 pump that came with it and added an inline filter regulator? Did you keep all the original vent lines, charcoal canister, and vent lines in that connect at the back of the truck?

I ended up using all new fuel lines including adding a return line. I had SS hard lines in before but opted to stainless braided lines for an easier install. The lines I used are from Hotrod Fuel hose. https://hotrodfuelhose.com/ Very reasonably priced AN fittings and PTFE hose line. The filter is located externally along the inside of my frame rail. It's a Holley filter. (not sure what part number) I didn't have a regulator on there when I was running the Holley Sniper setup but I will be using one on the return line with the new Holley Terminator Max X ECU.

Your threads have been really great to help me learn although I am just trying to get mine driveable and will not be a restoration by any means. Thanks for posting!

You bet! Happy to help

[jaros44sr]

Truck looks great, one question though. what kind of prep work did you do before the ceracoat, do you spray or brush it on. couple parts under hood I wouls like to freshen up

[IronCanine]

Dang son! That's how you do it!

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

Originally Posted by IronCanine

Dang son! That's how you do it!

I know right! This build is getting out of hand but in a good way

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

Truck looks great, one question though. what kind of prep work did you do before the ceracoat, do you spray or brush it on. couple parts under hood I wouls like to freshen up

Thanks, Jaro. For the cerakote, I use an HLVP detail spray gun with a .8mm tip and pressure set at 20 psi. As far as the prep goes.. for all parts and especially any parts that were previously powder coated or painted, I use my engine builders blast cabinet that uses glass beads.

Cerakote recommends aluminum oxide because it creates a better surface for adhesion because aluminum oxide is more aggressive. So far, I've had luck with the glass beads, but a buddy of mine just got a new blaster and I'll be able to use the aluminum oxide in his back yard so I will begin using this and I'll also be able to blast large parts that didn't fit in the blast cabinet. I'll be doing my inner fenders and core support using aluminum oxide this week and I'll post some pics.

You want to make sure you get all the rust scale and old paint off. The most important part is having a clean surface. I Really scrub the parts down with soap and water to get most of the dirt off and then I come back with a grease and wax remover and then let is soak in acetone.

I just started using Dupli Color's grease and wax remover and this stuff works wonders. I don't even need to wash it with soap and water anymore. This stuff takes all the dirt out in just one application.


I am getting better and better each time I use this stuff and really starting to get the hang of it, as well as being comfortable making adjustments to the gun on the fly while spraying.

This is the gun I use. On Amazon for 16 bucks

[C.I.Blazer]

Thanks for the fuel and Cerakote tips. I have been wanting to give painting a try and love the way yours has turned out.

One more question on the fuel system. Did you keep any of the original vapor recovery system? The lines in the back that used to vent the tank or the lines to the charcoal canister up front?

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

Originally Posted by C.I.Blazer

Thanks for the fuel and Cerakote tips. I have been wanting to give painting a try and love the way yours has turned out.

One more question on the fuel system. Did you keep any of the original vapor recovery system? The lines in the back that used to vent the tank or the lines to the charcoal canister up front?

It's a lot of fun for me. I especially like using a spray gun and I don't think I'll ever use rattle can again.

Just go for it dude! What's the worst that can happen? Lol ��


Got rid of it all. When I swapped for the 427 SBC I couldn't tell a difference from when I had all it all on there (all brand parts) when I finished the restoration a couple years ago. The vapor smell will always be there IMO.

[jaros44sr]

Thanks for the write up on ceracoat, I ll give it a go

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

Back from body shop. Now it's time to get to work. I have quite a list of things I need to get done.

1. Finish the custom center console build
2. button up the engine and make sure I have all the right sensors
3. Install Vintage Air Evap (need to find alternate mounting locations)
4. Install Engine (make sure headers fit)
5. Start on the wiring
a. Fuse Panel
b. Relay Panel
c. Switch Panel
D. Vintage Air
E. Dakota Dash
F. Holley Terminator Max X ECU + Transmission
H. Stereo, speakers, and AMP
6. Cerakote miscellaneous parts (Inner Fenders, Core support, Battery Tray, etc..
7. Install oil cooler (Find suitable remote location)
8. Install Transmission cooler (Find suitable remote location)
9. Install PS Cooler
10. Redo some of the brake lines up front

I'm sure I'm missing some stuff but that's mostly it.

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

I got the VA installed. I had to deviate from the instructions because I didn't want to run bolts and drill holes through my freshly painted firewall. I searched the board and online as well because I know people have done it on here but I couldn't find any detailed pics of how guys actually mounted the VA system without going into the firewall like the instructions. So I had to get a little creative with it and this is what I came up with.

I went to home depot and got a few 90 degree brackets. I used two of them for the two screws up top that and one down on the bottom. The two brackets up top are screwed into the underside of the cowl and then the bolts go through a hole I made in the brackets and that screws into the backside of the VA bracket. For the bottom part of the VA bracket, I made a 45 degree bend in the bracket I used for this part and drilled a hole just below the slope of the firewall.

Here are some pics. I also had hoses made locally since I needed custom hoses for the bulkhead fittings.



Top Brackets


Bottom Bracket


Hoses

[harrisoncole4]

How did you route all the wiring through the firewall? I didn't see a fuse block mounting location after the filler kit.

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

Originally Posted by harrisoncole4

How did you route all the wiring through the firewall? I didn't see a fuse block mounting location after the filler kit.

I'm going to be using this fuse panel and relay panel from MGI Speedware. I'll have to decide where I would want to drill a hole in the firewall to feed the wiring through.

I put together this bracket to hold the fuse panel without having to drill through the firewall.



The 4 red wires going up and to the right are for my ACC, IGN, BAT, STR and the other 2 go to the battery and Alternator.



MGI is a relatively new company and I found them searching for fuse panels on the web. Reasonably priced and their customer service is exceptional. Their sales guy put me in touch with their electrical engineer and he helped me figure out all my wiring needs with everything that I'll be running. He also put together custom wiring diagrams for the fuse panel, relay panel and switch panel.

[DeadheadNM]

Any updates?

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Any updates?

Yes sir!. I have to admit I was being lazy about posting.

Here's what I have finished since last post.
1. Center console build is done
2. All Electrical done
3. Engine installed (hoses, harnesses, etc)
4. Vintage Air install completed
5. Steering column, dash, and seats are all back in

I'm sure I've left some stuff out. I'll post the details and pics up on here soon.

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

I wanted to build my own center console and I was searching the ol interwebs for some ideas to help foster the concept I came up with.

I started out with some cardboard pieces to mock up the initial design and went through 4 or 5 reiterations from there before settling on the final design.

I used PVC komatex board that I ordered through TAP Plastics. The sides are 1/2" thick and the top piece is 1/8" thick.

I traced the cardboard onto the PVC board and used a router to make my cuts.

I then used various pieces of wood in-between the two side pieces to give it structural strength and to act as the base for the top piece to lay on top.

After it was all screwed together I had an upholstery shop cover it the same vinyl wrap I used on the original console to match.

For the center section I made my cutouts for the radio, switches, and shifter. I then wrapped the center section using 3M Rosewood vinyl sheets to cover it. This is the same material I used on the door panels and side trim so it all matches.

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

more pics.. I used a special bit (forgot what it's called) to make the edges rounded on the sides. The 6x5 speakers fit nicely inside

[DeadheadNM]

Good to see an update. Console is sharp and compliments the truck.

Can you comment on fitment of the LS? For example any clearance issues against the firewall or front differential?

Do you have an OEM style dash and/or AC harness you won't be using?

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Good to see an update. Console is sharp and compliments the truck.

Can you comment on fitment of the LS? For example any clearance issues against the firewall or front differential?

Do you have an OEM style dash and/or AC harness you won't be using?

Thanks Pete. I'm really happy with how the console turned out.

Now for fitment. I did have some minor issues. Not sure if you remember, I swapped the TH350 for a 4L80E prior to the LS conversion. I had moved the Tcase back 5" in order to have the SBC remain in the stock location. After installing the LS it was a bit too close to the firewall for my setup.

If I was running stock LS valve covers I could probably get away with leaving the transmission where it was. I opted for these billet specialties valve cover adapters to give the look of a sbc. This adds additional height and the provisions for PVC are in the back of the vc adapters.

Here is a pic keeping the trans where it was. You can see I have just about 1/4"-1/2" of clearance. It's actually just touching the gas pedal threaded inserts.



I decided to move the trans/tcase fwd 3.5". Now to put that into perspective, the Tcase is still 1.5" further back from stock location but the additional 5" the 4L80e adds actually moves the engine fwd 3.5" from stock.

I now have plenty of clearance for the PVC hoses. There is one on each valve cover adapter and they run to a catch can. It simply acts as a vapor deposit. Oil wont actually flow through the hoses to catch can.

Attachment 1982701
Attachment 1982702

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

The oil pan is the stock LS that would have came with the 6.0 2500HD truck, hummer, escalade. I had just enough clearance for it.

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

Do you have an OEM style dash and/or AC harness you won't be using?[/QUOTE]

sold them both already.

[DeadheadNM]

Going to amazing when done. Thanks for sharing. If I were to build another 4wd that needed a motor I’d strongly consider this route and it was the clearance of the stock style valve covers with adapters that I was most curious about.

[Bocker85]

Your build looks great! What size are your tires and where did you find your steel wheels?

[jaros44sr]

amazing job on all the work you've, have driven it yet?Enjoying your thread

[Ol Blue K20]

Looks good, it's coming along nicely

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Going to amazing when done. Thanks for sharing. If I were to build another 4wd that needed a motor I’d strongly consider this route and it was the clearance of the stock style valve covers with adapters that I was most curious about.

Thanks Pete. I'm really happy i went the LS route. I really wanted to have a K5 I could take anywhere and get decent gas mileage.

Originally Posted by Bocker85

Your build looks great! What size are your tires and where did you find your steel wheels?

31's. I found the steel wheels on Instagram. The guy I bought them from has a lot of 67-72 chevy truck parts that he post on IG

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

amazing job on all the work you've, have driven it yet?Enjoying your thread

Thanks Jaro. Not yet. Had a tiny setback. The engine builder came over to my house and we we tried to fire the motor but had a couple issues come up. The lifters got stuck somehow and he doesn't know why or at least that's what his explanation to me was. We did get the motor fired up for about a whole 2 seconds and we heard a unusual loud noise. After hearing that, we pulled the heads off and two of the pistons surface had gotten marred up pretty good. We found a couple of tiny pieces of what looks like hardened alloy steel sitting on top of one of the pistons.. The engine builder thinks a washer ended up down the intake but I really don't see how that could have happened, plus I don't think a hardened alloy steel washer would have broken into 100 pieces and disintegrate... Anyways, I pulled the motor and dropped it back off at his shop. He's replacing the lifters and push rods and two pistons. The parts came in last week and I'll have the engine back this week.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Looks good, it's coming along nicely

Thank you!