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- #61
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Build 6.0 Vortec LQ9 - FJ60 Engine Swap - Old Blue's Heart Transplant
- Thread starter yukon721
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- #63
Thanks Manuchao!!
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- #64
Made some progress today. Transfer Case torn apart.
Cleaned up the cases a bit. Pretty sure there was about 5” of grime, oil, dirt and possibly some road kill remnants on it. Looks pretty good. Have to give it a little more elbow grease tommorrow.
Rebuild kit waiting. Hopefully I’ll get it all buttoned back up tomorrow.
Couple side notes. I didn’t end up needing a press as a few others have mentioned in other builds. I just used a big block of wood on the shaft and and hammer. I’m sure i just got lucky, but it worked. (May need one to press it back in - not sure yet)
I did have a hell of a time getting the front flange stake nut off. Eventually had to heat it up and use a air powered impact wrench. No idea why it was on there so tight.
I didnt have to use any special tools thus far. You will need a 32 and 36 mm socket if your going into this blind like I was. Make sure you have sockets that are thin walled. The thicker sockets wont fit in between the flange housing and over the flange nut. (Might save ya an extra trip back to the local parts store) if ya dont’t have em. Yep. Did that.
Cleaned up the cases a bit. Pretty sure there was about 5” of grime, oil, dirt and possibly some road kill remnants on it. Looks pretty good. Have to give it a little more elbow grease tommorrow.
Rebuild kit waiting. Hopefully I’ll get it all buttoned back up tomorrow.
Couple side notes. I didn’t end up needing a press as a few others have mentioned in other builds. I just used a big block of wood on the shaft and and hammer. I’m sure i just got lucky, but it worked. (May need one to press it back in - not sure yet)
I did have a hell of a time getting the front flange stake nut off. Eventually had to heat it up and use a air powered impact wrench. No idea why it was on there so tight.
I didnt have to use any special tools thus far. You will need a 32 and 36 mm socket if your going into this blind like I was. Make sure you have sockets that are thin walled. The thicker sockets wont fit in between the flange housing and over the flange nut. (Might save ya an extra trip back to the local parts store) if ya dont’t have em. Yep. Did that.
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- #65
Advanced adapter and Camaro Exhaust Manifolds showed up today as well. Should have GM Motor Mounts in a couple days.
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- #66
Well today wasn’t too smooth. Ended up needing a press to get everything back on.
Also had a new bearing loose all its pins once everything was pressed on. So that took a while to get back together.
After pressing everything on the snap ring wouldn’t fit back on. Not sure if it was warped or bent but upon a retry of getting it seated correctly I broke off a tooth on the shaft.
It seems like the teeth on that end are more or less to keep everything in check on the shaft rather than serve any function other than snap ring slot. So not sure if its really a big issue. But will be taking a trip to the local shop to be 100% sure. It doesn’t ride on anything or turn
And Yes the Budlight was needed today.
Sidenote: Special tools were needed today. After renting em from the local auto parts store - the conclusion is they are worthless.. Screwdriver, hammer, wood block all ya need. And a big ass press.
Also had a new bearing loose all its pins once everything was pressed on. So that took a while to get back together.
After pressing everything on the snap ring wouldn’t fit back on. Not sure if it was warped or bent but upon a retry of getting it seated correctly I broke off a tooth on the shaft.
It seems like the teeth on that end are more or less to keep everything in check on the shaft rather than serve any function other than snap ring slot. So not sure if its really a big issue. But will be taking a trip to the local shop to be 100% sure. It doesn’t ride on anything or turn
And Yes the Budlight was needed today.
Sidenote: Special tools were needed today. After renting em from the local auto parts store - the conclusion is they are worthless.. Screwdriver, hammer, wood block all ya need. And a big ass press.
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Question -
Anyone have suggestions on what gears to run. I have bone stock 3.73s at the moment. I’m running 33” tires. But one day will spring over and run 35s. So a happy medium for both tire sizes and the motor combo? 4.11s would be my guess but experience always outweighs theory.
Also I believe I read somewhere that the ECU needs to be reprogrammed/flashed to whatever gears you are running. Is this correct? Seems strange - that would mean everytime you change gearing you would need a reflashed ECU?
Nice progress so far! I say don’t fear the gear! I don’t see many folks running deeper gears with the LS engines but I am about to put 4.88’s in my 3FE FJ62 with 33’s and have convinced myself they’ll be OK if I ever do an LS. I had an LQ4 6.0 pickup with factory 4.10’s and little 245/75R16 tires. I liked how power was always on tap with that combo at any speed. It was great for hauling and towing and felt a lot livelier than my buddies 6.0 truck with 3.73’s and 265/75’s. Coincidentally 4.88’s with a 4L65 and 33’s is about the same final drive as 4.10’s with a 4L80 and 245’s - about 3000 rpm at 80.
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- #68
No real updates today. The broken tooth is fine. No big deal. However i don’t like that the bearing just fell apart like that. Yes it rides inside a race and should be fine, but I don’t want to worry about it once its all rebuilt, so ordered another. So at a standstill until it arrives.
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- #69
While I'm waiting for my bearing I went ahead and ordered some aerosol cans of my specific paint color to paint up the engine bay. For anyone who wants an exact match of their vehicle color code here is the link. Touch Up Spray Paint | AutomotiveTouchup
My specific color code is 8B4. Its a bit overpriced for spray paint, but if ya want an exact match its the price ya pay I suppose. Luckily an engine bay doesn't require all that much paint. I went with 4 cans. Should be plenty.
My specific color code is 8B4. Its a bit overpriced for spray paint, but if ya want an exact match its the price ya pay I suppose. Luckily an engine bay doesn't require all that much paint. I went with 4 cans. Should be plenty.
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- #70
Quick update:
Bearing came in. Pressed it on. Looks good! Was all excited and then remembered I still had the little Pilot bearing to replace. It was a bit of a pain. Tried the bread trick for removing it (if ya don’t know, youtube it). Anyways that didn’t work. Tried heating it, screwdriver, etc. In the end, I had to go get a pilot bearing puller and a slide hammer. Then it came out no problem. So the transfer case is now ready to be reassembled.
Also managed to get the new motor out of my trailer and into a temporary dwelling.
About 50 plastic clips later and numerous photos the old wiring harness is off.
Couldn’t bear to look at a dirty motor so decided to yank off the intake and exhaust manifolds to give it a little cleaning - which will commence tomorrow. (Also to check the knock sensors)
Took off the nose cone on the trans as well.
Its 2am and been at it all day. So may sleep in till 7am and get rolling. Tomorrow’s agenda is swap out the oil pan, bolt up the new exhaust manifolds, cut the output shaft, assemble the tranfer case / adapter and bolt it to the transmission. And as always a bit of cleaning.
Bearing came in. Pressed it on. Looks good! Was all excited and then remembered I still had the little Pilot bearing to replace. It was a bit of a pain. Tried the bread trick for removing it (if ya don’t know, youtube it). Anyways that didn’t work. Tried heating it, screwdriver, etc. In the end, I had to go get a pilot bearing puller and a slide hammer. Then it came out no problem. So the transfer case is now ready to be reassembled.
Also managed to get the new motor out of my trailer and into a temporary dwelling.
About 50 plastic clips later and numerous photos the old wiring harness is off.
Couldn’t bear to look at a dirty motor so decided to yank off the intake and exhaust manifolds to give it a little cleaning - which will commence tomorrow. (Also to check the knock sensors)
Took off the nose cone on the trans as well.
Its 2am and been at it all day. So may sleep in till 7am and get rolling. Tomorrow’s agenda is swap out the oil pan, bolt up the new exhaust manifolds, cut the output shaft, assemble the tranfer case / adapter and bolt it to the transmission. And as always a bit of cleaning.
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- #71
Started the day out with swapping the old oil pan out for the new.
Quick look at the undercarriage.
New pan looks good!
Quick look at the undercarriage.
New pan looks good!
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- #72
Moved on to cutting the transmission output shaft to the correct length to mate the advanced adapter unit. Forgot to take a before pic. But here it is cutoff with the spud shaft attached.
Proceeded to do a little clean up. Could probabaly spend a month with a toothbrush making it perfect, but realistically I’m more interested in driving this beast. So as I like to say “Good enough for the girls I date”
Moving on - painted the new Camaro exhaust manifolds.
And installed them.
Proceeded to do a little clean up. Could probabaly spend a month with a toothbrush making it perfect, but realistically I’m more interested in driving this beast. So as I like to say “Good enough for the girls I date”
Moving on - painted the new Camaro exhaust manifolds.
And installed them.
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- #73
Then I hit a snag that I Need help on comprehending. This is the bearing that comes with the Advanced adapter kit. I have seen them pressed into the transfer case front cover. But that is impossible on mine. The opening is much to small to do so. You can see below it is nowhere near getting past the lip inside to even begin to press it on.
Second option is press it into the advanced adapter.
This would mean the C-Clip would ride in that lip on the transfer case in the previous picture. (If i could compress it and get it in there?). It would also mean there is absolutley nothing riding inside that section on the transfer case which seems wierd.
So yeah I’m confused. Any ideas?
Second option is press it into the advanced adapter.
This would mean the C-Clip would ride in that lip on the transfer case in the previous picture. (If i could compress it and get it in there?). It would also mean there is absolutley nothing riding inside that section on the transfer case which seems wierd.
So yeah I’m confused. Any ideas?
Have you tried heating the transfer case and cooling the bearing in a freezer? Also there appears to be two different adaptors made. One has the bearing placed in the adaptor and the other, in the transfer case.Cam's FJ60 is Gittin' a Heart Transplant
Post #193-199. Maybe Cam can chime in on this.
Post #193-199. Maybe Cam can chime in on this.
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- #75
I took a look at the diagram included with the Advanced Adapter kit and it mentions that they include two different sized C-Clips. I am not near the motor at the moment but I may need to use the smaller c-clip so it fits inside the transfer case side. This would mean the Bearing presses into the advanced adapter and the C-Clip side fits into that lip on the Transfer case. It still seems odd (to me at least) that nothing rides inside most of that sleeve on the transfer case as the c-Clip side of the bearing will literally only be a bout a 1/4 inch into the transfer case once seated. But it looks correct.
Maybe you could measure the OD on the bearing, compared to the ID on the transfer case with a set of micrometers or dial calipers? In any case, if your instructions say to install the bearing in the transfer case, or in the adapter, that’s what you need to do. IIR, the smaller snap ring should fit into the lip in the transfer case.
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- #77
Ok this is the proper way to seat the bearing. The majority of it goes in the adapter and bottoms out on the c-clip on the end. I did end up using the smaller c-clip provided.
Other end (short side) rides nicely in the transfer case
Next I couldnt figure out where the actual shift lever was suppose to ride on the shift fork shaft. I was confused because I thought it rode in one of the grooves in the below picture. After trying to get the rear case on to the front case numerous times unsuccesfully I finally realized that the shift lever rides underneath in a slot on the backside of the shift forkshaft below my finger. (Guess these things happen when its your first transfer case re-build)
Got the case back together and adapter all together. Final step was bolting on the rear output shaft bearing retainer cover. (Say that 5 times fast) once torqued to spec I realized it was awefully hard to turn the out put shaft. They make shims that you can place or take out underneath the race thAt is housed in that cover to alleviate tension and make it spin easier or harder. 2 problems with this.
1. My rebuild kit didnt come with shims.
2. Adding a shim makes it more difficult to spin. I already have that problem. And am running no shims.
Quick call to the local driveline shop and the solution is to run 2 gasket on the cover to let it spin more freely. It spins great with cover all the way up against the transfer case, but when you torque it down to spec it doesn’t. The extra gasket provides just a minute amount of more room to free it up. So now its good to go.
Side Note. Re-building transfer cases sucks. Haha. If I had to do it again I’d pay the money and have it done. Granted it was my first go - so probably easier 2nd time.
Other end (short side) rides nicely in the transfer case
Next I couldnt figure out where the actual shift lever was suppose to ride on the shift fork shaft. I was confused because I thought it rode in one of the grooves in the below picture. After trying to get the rear case on to the front case numerous times unsuccesfully I finally realized that the shift lever rides underneath in a slot on the backside of the shift forkshaft below my finger. (Guess these things happen when its your first transfer case re-build)
Got the case back together and adapter all together. Final step was bolting on the rear output shaft bearing retainer cover. (Say that 5 times fast) once torqued to spec I realized it was awefully hard to turn the out put shaft. They make shims that you can place or take out underneath the race thAt is housed in that cover to alleviate tension and make it spin easier or harder. 2 problems with this.
1. My rebuild kit didnt come with shims.
2. Adding a shim makes it more difficult to spin. I already have that problem. And am running no shims.
Quick call to the local driveline shop and the solution is to run 2 gasket on the cover to let it spin more freely. It spins great with cover all the way up against the transfer case, but when you torque it down to spec it doesn’t. The extra gasket provides just a minute amount of more room to free it up. So now its good to go.
Side Note. Re-building transfer cases sucks. Haha. If I had to do it again I’d pay the money and have it done. Granted it was my first go - so probably easier 2nd time.
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- #78
Installed the GM motor mounts. Absolutley no clearance issues with these camaro exhaust manifolds.
Now comes the twist - I took the valve covers off to put a new set of gaskets on. This motor has been sitting somewhere in the elements. I noticed it once the intake was off and discovered water in the knock sensor holes. While not an issue as those holes don’t go anywhere other than to house a couple sensors it made me weary. Changed the knock sensors just to be safe and figured if it had been sitting maybe valve cover gaskets are in order.
Upon taking the valve covers off I found water droplets and surface rust inside. I’m no expert but thats usually not good. I drained the oil and there is absolutley no sign of water or coolant in the oil. The oil is dirty so no one pulled the switcharoo and put clean oil in. No rust on sparkplugs either.
I did a bit of research and believe two things are the culprit.
1. If a motor sits for long periods of time especially in cold weather it forms condensation inside the valve covers - or if it only gets driven short distances it doesn’t heat up enough to burn off any condensation or water vapor out.
2. It may have a faulty PCV valve / system.
These are two I’m praying for. I cranked the motor manually and everything looks fine. Turns, no water spitting out of cylinders, and all rocker arrms and valves functioning correctly.
The nightmare would be cracked heads, or cracked block. (Could be head gaskets). Any of these would allow coolant in to mix with oil. However, being that there was no coolant or water in the oil I am optimistic. Plan is to get it running and cycle some oil and oil changes through it and see.
This is the gamble you take with any junkyard motor i guess. Doesnt make
Me happy though.
Pic below is after they were cleaned up.
Moving on........ motor all back together minus transfer case/adapter bolted on. Still waiting for my shifter and the shifter bracket that has to be attached to the adapter before mating it to the transmission.
Goal is to have it all sitting and mounted in the truck next week. I need a beer or six.
Now comes the twist - I took the valve covers off to put a new set of gaskets on. This motor has been sitting somewhere in the elements. I noticed it once the intake was off and discovered water in the knock sensor holes. While not an issue as those holes don’t go anywhere other than to house a couple sensors it made me weary. Changed the knock sensors just to be safe and figured if it had been sitting maybe valve cover gaskets are in order.
Upon taking the valve covers off I found water droplets and surface rust inside. I’m no expert but thats usually not good. I drained the oil and there is absolutley no sign of water or coolant in the oil. The oil is dirty so no one pulled the switcharoo and put clean oil in. No rust on sparkplugs either.
I did a bit of research and believe two things are the culprit.
1. If a motor sits for long periods of time especially in cold weather it forms condensation inside the valve covers - or if it only gets driven short distances it doesn’t heat up enough to burn off any condensation or water vapor out.
2. It may have a faulty PCV valve / system.
These are two I’m praying for. I cranked the motor manually and everything looks fine. Turns, no water spitting out of cylinders, and all rocker arrms and valves functioning correctly.
The nightmare would be cracked heads, or cracked block. (Could be head gaskets). Any of these would allow coolant in to mix with oil. However, being that there was no coolant or water in the oil I am optimistic. Plan is to get it running and cycle some oil and oil changes through it and see.
This is the gamble you take with any junkyard motor i guess. Doesnt make
Me happy though.
Pic below is after they were cleaned up.
Moving on........ motor all back together minus transfer case/adapter bolted on. Still waiting for my shifter and the shifter bracket that has to be attached to the adapter before mating it to the transmission.
Goal is to have it all sitting and mounted in the truck next week. I need a beer or six.
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- #79
Thus far I'm in it 11 full days (by full I mean 8am - 12am) OF course I'm only working a couple days a week at the moment.
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- #80
OK I have a dilema or a can of worms on my hands.
I'm currently running 33s with 3.73s
Ideally the consensus is to run 4.11s with my 33s with the new motor.
The issue is I plan on a sprung over with 37s down the line.
At this point I am looking at replacing gears and shortening/lengthening drivelines just for the new motor itself. Not to mention the Computer needs to be programmed to whatever gears I run.
So instead of doing all that and then likely having to do all that again for the 37's with 4.56 gears, do I just do it all at once and not re-buy gears, re-do drivelines, re-flash computer and re-do my labor and shop labor a year down the road. It makes sense to just do it now I guess. Not that I really want more of a project on my hands than this already is.
I can get a axel already cut and turned from cruiser outfitters for $150 according to their site. I already have the old man emu lift (Just remove a leaf or two) I would need a hi steer kit. Obviously the 37s, which I am due for new tires in a bit, a few odds and ends - and then all the same things I'd have to do otherwise regardless.
If you notice I'm trying to talk myself into it. Battle of the mind.
Other issue is axel wrap gonna be a concern with large motor/larger tires and axel strain - Prob
Guess I have a little time to think it out.
I'm currently running 33s with 3.73s
Ideally the consensus is to run 4.11s with my 33s with the new motor.
The issue is I plan on a sprung over with 37s down the line.
At this point I am looking at replacing gears and shortening/lengthening drivelines just for the new motor itself. Not to mention the Computer needs to be programmed to whatever gears I run.
So instead of doing all that and then likely having to do all that again for the 37's with 4.56 gears, do I just do it all at once and not re-buy gears, re-do drivelines, re-flash computer and re-do my labor and shop labor a year down the road. It makes sense to just do it now I guess. Not that I really want more of a project on my hands than this already is.
I can get a axel already cut and turned from cruiser outfitters for $150 according to their site. I already have the old man emu lift (Just remove a leaf or two) I would need a hi steer kit. Obviously the 37s, which I am due for new tires in a bit, a few odds and ends - and then all the same things I'd have to do otherwise regardless.
If you notice I'm trying to talk myself into it. Battle of the mind.
Other issue is axel wrap gonna be a concern with large motor/larger tires and axel strain - Prob
Guess I have a little time to think it out.
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