Builds Another LS swap? Really???

[ARJMN]

After some monkeying around, I was able to get the first cover off and get a look inside. I have not been into the original transfer case yet, but this one was surprisingly dirty inside. Nothing harmed, just years of grime that made its way past the seals. I noted that I should go ahead and replace the 3 seals while I had it apart. The 3rd pic shows the viscous coupling. That thing could take out a Sasquatch if you winged it hard enough. It is heavier than it looks.

 

[ARJMN]

The biggest task was just getting the cases split and removed. The RTV used on the case had a tenacious hold on them, and it took some effort to convince them to divorce. Once apart, I removed the 12 bolts holding the diff together, cleaned what I could, and bolted in the spool. After 2 cans of brake cleaner, wire brushing the bolts, and application of Loctite and torque, it was on its way back together. When I get the seals, I will slap them in and get it the rest of the way together. Then it will just be the task of swapping it into the 80. I have been driving the 80 here and there with just the rear prop shaft installed, and with the manual hubs unlocked, it really does drive like a completely different rig. Anyone curious about doing an LS swap or a part time kit, drive mine and you will be convinced.

 

[ARJMN]

Staged up, cleaned, and waiting on seals to arrive.

I'll post more soon. As soon as the transfer case is swapped, I will be heading up to see Brandon at Avid Offroad to install my custom rear bumper. Stay tuned.

 

[Saddletramp]

Staged up, cleaned, and waiting on seals to arrive.

I'll post more soon. As soon as the transfer case is swapped, I will be heading up to see Brandon at Avid Offroad to install my custom rear bumper. Stay tuned.

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What, no low range gear set? Perfect time to add.

How does the truck run, temperature in the normal range even in summer heat?

Great work and write up.

 

[ARJMN]

What, no low range gear set? Perfect time to add.

How does the truck run, temperature in the normal range even in summer heat?

Great work and write up.

I thought about gears, but with the 6L80 having a 4.027 1st gear, it is already an improvement over the 343 at 2.78. Also, a 6.0L V8 helps in the torque department.

On the cooling note, I am working through the final details. I was too generous with my shroud clearance on the fan, and I am really losing fan efficiency due to that. The 80 series engine bay gets pretty full with an LS in there, so it doesn't evacuate hot air well. It runs fine at speed, but the combo stated above makes the temp creep up in stop and go traffic, so I am betting it would do the same on the trail. If I keep the revs high, it pulls air, but idle or crawling will build heat. I am also looking at hood venting options.

 

[FJ60Cam]

...It runs fine at speed, but the combo stated above makes temp creep up in stop and go traffic, so I am betting it would do the same on the trail. If I keep the revs high, it pulls air, but idle or crawling will build heat...

Do you have a bypass (‘H’ pipe) in your heater loop? If not, it’s common to have higher temps at idle/low rpm.

 

[ARJMN]

Do you have a bypass (‘H’ pipe) in your heater loop? If not, it’s common to have higher temps at idle/low rpm.

I will have to research that. I do not know what it is.

 

[FJ60Cam]

You can test it by simply opening your heater valve (with the fan off, so the heater core isn’t acting like a radiator), and see if the temps drop at idle.

In factory form, the LS had the heater circuit flowing continuously and the outgoing hot water hits the back of the thermostat.

I’m my experience, this only seems to be an issue at idle or very low rpms. Higher rpms seem to get the water moving enough for the tstat to respond.

Putting an ‘H’ between the heater lines usually drops it 5-10 degrees.

 

[yotadude520]

Nice work! Glad to see you got your TC issues sorted out. Also happy to hear that scissor jack from HF works decently well. It's been on my list for a while now.

And I'm not considering a V8 swapped part time FZJ80 anytime soon but I still want to drive this monster!

 

[ARJMN]

Nice work! Glad to see you got your TC issues sorted out. Also happy to hear that scissor jack from HF works decently well. It's been on my list for a while now.

And I'm not considering a V8 swapped part time FZJ80 anytime soon but I still want to drive this monster!

Sure thing man. We can swap rigs for a drive. I was drooling over your truck at the last meeting.

 

[yotadude520]

Sure thing man. We can swap rigs for a drive. I was drooling over your truck at the last meeting.

Definitely down! I can't make it to the meeting this week but will definitely be making it to the one in August.

 

[ARJMN]

I will hopefully be driving my rig this Friday. Worst case, it will be at the August meeting.

 

[Dissent]

I thought about gears, but with the 6L80 having a 4.027 1st gear, it is already an improvement over the 343 at 2.78. Also, a 6.0L V8 helps in the torque department.

On the cooling note, I am working through the final details. I was too generous with my shroud clearance on the fan, and I am really losing fan efficiency due to that. The 80 series engine bay gets pretty full with an LS in there, so it doesn't evacuate hot air well. It runs fine at speed, but the combo stated above makes the temp creep up in stop and go traffic, so I am betting it would do the same on the trail. If I keep the revs high, it pulls air, but idle or crawling will build heat. I am also looking at hood venting options.

Reach out to @azcrackshot. He has an LS6 (?) aluminum engine running SPAL PWM electric fans. When I last spoke to him, he was working out the bugs with the fan controls and GM computer but those fans moved gobs of air.

 

[ARJMN]

Thanks @Dissent, I am running that Chevy mechanical fan, so I dont think that will help.

 

[Saddletramp]

Updates @ARJMN

 

[ARJMN]

Thanks for the prodding Steve, I actually appreciate the reminders to keep this updated. Life has been pretty busy for the past few weeks as I work to transition to a new role at work that has me traveling 25-40% of the time, but time spent in the field is always a good time. Progress has been slow on the build, mainly due to the heat. I can get out there at 6am and work until about 9am on weekends before my west facing garage turns into an oven. Cooler temps will boost my productivity by a good measure.

I was able to make it up to Avid Off-Road in Queen City to do the fit up on the bumper. Brandon has been great to work with. He is a great fabricator, and I like his approach to design in many ways. We have nailed down the layout on a single swing with center mount spare and a 2" receiver in the center of the spare to mount my bike rack up high to preserve the departure angle. After a quick trim of the rear........the cross member is gone and the frame rails are prepped to receive the bumper.

 

[ARJMN]

Up next was the test fit and layout of the swing. I wanted a single swing as it fits my plan for camp site use, supports a center spare/bike rack setup, and will hold a fold down table to aid in kitchen activity. It will serve as the boundary when I mount up the 270 awning. I admit that it is a huge swing and will be a PITA when I eventually add a tear drop camper, but it makes access from the drivers side easy. The double swings have the downside of being in the way no matter which side you approach from. Another bonus is that there is a single over center latch to access the rear hatch and tailgate. Big thanks to Brandon for his patience in making sure it is exactly the way I want it and that the fit is perfect. The LX450 has the extra cladding on the sides and it took some fine tuning to get the gaps just right.

 

[ARJMN]

I did figure out my cooling issue by one more measure. When I returned home from the bumper fit up, it kept getting hotter than I was comfortable with. I pulled off the road and checked under the hood to find that the shunt tank was full and venting to ground. One look at the radiator cap reveled a completely worn out seal. Not too bad as it was the original cap that came on the rig. A new cap allowed the system to pressurize and temps are now holding at 210. I took it up Mt. Lemmon to put it under load and test the system. It made it all the way up with the AC blowing cold, and never got over 217. I was giddy with the performance too. I can obviously punch it and go as fast as I want up the hills, but it was the calm driving that surprised me. The torque of the 6 liter LS is just awesome and it chugged up in higher gears with ease. It never seemed stressed at any point in the climb. MPG is still unknown as this is only 2nd tank of fuel I have run through it, and the first was a write off with all the testing and revving I did to validate the install close to home.

The tap shift is great on the descents, and the rev match is a cool feature. The J springs make the rig really stink bug with no weight in the rear, so I am looking forward to getting the bumper installed and my gear back in there.

 

[Funner]

I did figure out my cooling issue by one more measure. When I returned home from the bumper fit up, it kept getting hotter than I was comfortable with. I pulled off the road and checked under the hood to find that the shunt tank was full and venting to ground. One look at the radiator cap reveled a completely worn out seal. Not too bad as it was the original cap that came on the rig. A new cap allowed the system to pressurize and temps are now holding at 210. I took it up Mt. Lemmon to put it under load and test the system. It made it all the way up with the AC blowing cold, and never got over 217. I was giddy with the performance too. I can obviously punch it and go as fast as I want up the hills, but it was the calm driving that surprised me. The torque of the 6 liter LS is just awesome and it chugged up in higher gears with ease. It never seemed stressed at any point in the climb. MPG is still unknown as this is only 2nd tank of fuel I have run through it, and the first was a write off with all the testing and revving I did to validate the install close to home.

The tap shift is great on the descents, and the rev match is a cool feature. The J springs make the rig really stink bug with no weight in the rear, so I am looking forward to getting the bumper installed and my gear back in there.

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Hahaha, that looks stupid.

 

[Saddletramp]

Thanks for the update. The Casner Run is just Over a month away, hoping to see this Rad Ride by Jason in person.