Glock's new project: "Fred" w/ 5.3L LS swap info

[jkade]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

Thanks man, I appreciate it! It's been pretty straight forward so far, I really thought I would have a lot of questions and have things stump me since this is the first time I've ever done something like this. But all the planning has truly paid off! I really do think just about anyone could do this. There is a LOT to be done, but it's not nearly as daunting of a task as I originally thought it would be.

The speedo, and entire gauge cluster, is sourced from a 90-91 Blazer, Suburban or dually. The one I got is out of a Blazer. The electric speedo only needs one output wire fed to it from the PCM. When I got the cluster, I followed every circuit from the pin to see where it went, and made a drawing of the connector on the cluster and noted each pin and where it went. Today when I pulled the original cluster, I did the same thing noting wire color, what is was for, and what pin # it was in. Then I made another drawing of pin numbers, and where I needed to put each wire for the new cluster. The original cluster had 3 ground wires running to it, the new one only needed one, so I cut the other 2 off. That gave me a wire/pigtail I could use to run the speedo output wire to and put it in the right hole on the connector.

How did you figure what was a ground and what was hot on the 91 cluster? That is what has me worried as I don't want to smoke the 91 cluster. You still got the drawing?


EDIT: I found this thread with a excel ss with the pinouts... he left off which one was for the speedo though.

http://www.ls1truck.com/forums/lsx-t...ge-wiring.html
Thanks!!!!

[JohnC]

Looks great Bob keep up the awesome work.

[glock35ipsc]

Few more....

[joe231]

Very nice work!!

Have you thought about converting your "LS swap info" notebook into a PDF and sharing it?

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by joe231

Very nice work!!

Have you thought about converting your "LS swap info" notebook into a PDF and sharing it?

Once I get everything done and all the bugs worked out, I am going to do a big write-up on the entire swap, kind of like a how to guide. I'm going to include part numbers and vendors for everything I used, as well as different mods I did. And a ton of pictures. When done it will go in to the FAQ section here on the board.

[joe231]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

Once I get everything done and all the bugs worked out, I am going to do a big write-up on the entire swap, kind of like a how to guide. I'm going to include part numbers and vendors for everything I used, as well as different mods I did. And a ton of pictures. When done it will go in to the FAQ section here on the board.

Very cool!
Thanks for taking the time to do that

[menace121978]

^^^^ X2... thats awesome!! i bet we hear it run in the next couple days!! and i love that pedal mod! nice and simple and looks way way way better than that anorexic pedal! i like some meat on my pedal!

[Driveway Dreams]

Bob, 7 letters for you... A W E S O M E. Fred and The Toybox are really going to throw people off on the 27th. Mine just by looks though. Yours just by being plain out HOT!

[Jonboy]

That's awesome, Bob! Looks like it came from the factory that way.

[glock35ipsc]

Here: http://www.ffie85.com/

[rongstad]

I wonder which is better/cheaper...........Diablo Sport sells a programmer which allows certain GM vehicles to use E85.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

Here: http://www.ffie85.com/

My 03 Tahoe is a flex fuel rig and I run it when ever I have the chance. With the stock GM tune it loses a little mpg but otherwise you notice no difference. I just wish it was more common around here.

We only have one station within 100 miles of here but fortunately it is only 10 miles from my house. Down side is that it is on the opposite side of town from me and I don't go that direction very often. I thought about just getting a fuel drum and fueling up at home that way I only had to make the trip over there once every couple weeks to refill the drum.

If you could run E85 all the time you could build and tune the engine to take advantage of the 105 octane and really see the benefits of it. I know people running massive amounts of boost on E85 and building some insane power numbers with it.

A friend of mine has a twin turbo 5.0 liter running E85 and the thing runs 144 mph trap speeds in the quarter.

I plan on making my 68 Camaro a dedicated E85 vehicle instead of running race gas when I convert it to EFI.

[68 TT]

Forgot the important part. With the 5.3 you can just pick up a 2001-up flex fuel version for the swap and as long as you install the fuel ratio sensor the converted rig can be flex fuel too.

The injectors are a little bigger and have a different pig tail connector.

On the early ones they used a fuel ratio sensor to tell the PCM how much ethanol was in the fuel mix so you could run any mix of gas & ethanol with no problems.

At some point (I think it was 2005) the newer versions deleted the fuel ratio sensor and it is all done in the PCM. It is probably about the time the reluctor wheel changed tooth count so it probably wouldn't be as simple as running the right injectors and the newer tune.

I will have to check into this to make sure there isn't a single year or application that used the newer tune and the older reluctor wheel tooth count.

[glock35ipsc]

I imagine that would really jack up a custom tune.

[bigbadjohn84]

man, I wish they sold the corn fuel around here.. all we can get is high priced race fuel around here. gotta keep your compression in check around here. lol trucks lookin like a super factory install

[glock35ipsc]

Got a couple things done tonight, but no camera.

I picked up a short cone filter today that fits right on the MAF. Made a bracket to hold it in place that bolts to the rad support, it's good and solid.

Also picked up a threaded brass 1/2" pipe plug and a 90* 1/4" barbed nipple. Drilled and tapped the head of the plug, then threaded in the 90* nipple. With a short piece of heater hose I attached that to the heater hose outlet on the upper right tank of the radiator. I then attached the steam hose from the driver head to that.

Picked up a bunch of different sizes of split loom from an old co-worker that owns an automotive electrical supply company and got the rest of the exposed wires covered.

Then I found a place in town that had the smaller FI hose clamps in stock, so I'll get those replaced by the end of the week. Today I returned some 3/8" FI hose that I had ordered, not knowing if the blue hose would work for connections or not. The blue hose worked just fine, so that's $45 back into the budget.

I also went ahead and ordered the tranny cooler line AN fittings so I can have those by this weekend. Then when I get the ones I have coming from the exchange of the wrong ones, I'll just send them back, another $55 back in the budget.

Ordered 2 new O2 sensors, I'd rather have two new matched ones in there.

I still need to add oil and the filter, and do the trans filter and oil too, but at least I have that stuff already. Fan, tranny cooler line fittings, and O2 sensor. That's all now!

[menace121978]

thats awesome! wish i was more edumacated so i could type lots of cool adjectives to explain my thoughts better

i cant wait for pics of the engine compartment buttoned up!! i am going to do this!

[glock35ipsc]

LOL, I can type a great line of bull s%!t, but to hear me try to speak it is absolutely maddening!

i am going to do this!

Don't need no steenking adjectives, this is all that needs said!!

[JohnC]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

LOL, I can type a great line of bull s%!t, but to hear me try to speak it is absolutely maddening!

[bigbadjohn84]

[menace121978]

you crack me up...

[nlped]

Damn it, now I have to go find an '89-91 Jimmy frontend.

[glock35ipsc]

Or Surburban or a dually. Don't limit yourself!!!

[nlped]

Yeah, I just want the GMC grill since it isn't seen as much. Did the GMC suburban's and Duallie's have the same "wide-mouth" grille?

And, I just put the Phantom grille in the truck THIS morning...Damn It!!!

[glock35ipsc]

I think the 89 crew cabs, the 89-91 Jimmy, and the 89-91 Burbs all have the same grill.