Dozer's Grey Ghost Gets a Vortec (FJ62/5.3L/4L60E)
- Thread starter Dozer18
- Start date
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Hell yeah! That is a great feeling!
PSC probally makes a p/s pump that fits your engine...... I have one on my 5.7, and its comes from PSC with a/n fitting on the rear...for return...check out their web site. THere were a few different variations for the 5.7...I assume the same for the new style engines.
Congrats Man! Exciting times when it fires for the first time.
Keep us posted.
Cheers!
-Ed
- Thread starter
- #105
Thanks guys! It was definitely an exciting day. I was picking up my a/c hoses from the hose shop around 5:45 expecting to do that work tonight, but when I got back to the shop the UPS guy had just delivered my hose splicer from Jags That Run. If you haven't seen one with the sight glass, bleeder, and steam vent, let me tell you it's one sweet piece of gear. Anyway, with that, we had everything we needed to close up the heating and cooling system and fill her up with coolant. With the rest of the fluids already in, we were able to start her up and let her run for a while.
Obviously, we resolved the fuel and power steering issues, and I didn't see a single leak in a good ten minutes of run time. We plugged a high-speed Snap-On diagnostic reader in and everything was tracking; the RPM were just under 700. Dakota got the tach interface going today and it was matching the computer pretty closely. Rest of the gauges were solid.
@JohnCapoccia was at least partly right about the Monte Carlo pedal; we didn't get any response from it. However, I wired it up based on the gouge I've read on Cam and others' threads about switching certain wires (the instructions from the Painless harness), but I'm wondering if that doesn't apply if trying to use it on a Gen III. Tomorrow I'm going to switch the wires back and see what happens, but I'm open to suggestions on a DBW pedal solution for a Gen III Vortec.
Tomorrow I expect to have the A/C complete, pedal sorted, and the crossmember finally done.
Oh, one last thing: the K&N CAI I got for it is a disaster. We're having to mod the hell out of the tube to make it fit and I'm ready to start over. Anyone have a CAI setup they love? My intake has to go on the passenger side behind the battery tray; I don't have time to put into modifying the original one right now a la @35inchoverdrive. Would love to hear a couple of recommendations; I would go back through all of the threads but we're putting in 10-12 hour days in the shop. Something that only just comes out of the throttle body before doing a hard bat-turn (like, 120 degree bat turn) back to the passenger side would be perfect.
More tomorrow!
I am using a
Spectre Performance 9900 Air Intake Kit with Red hpR Filter for GM Truck
from Amazon since I need a CARB approved unit. I found the need to trim the upper water neck and use a radiator hose with an immediate 90 degree bend. Since the intake was designed for the donor (05 Yukon) the mounts need some modification but still pretty sano and the filter ends up right by the passenger hood hinge.
I am traveling now but will try to get pictures postes soon.
David
- Thread starter
- #107
Thanks for the quick reply, David. I'll look it up but would love to see the pics.
FWIW, I do intend to re-use the stock filter assembly at some point, but right now I need a 90% solution so I can get it back to Virginia.
I would have never realized what it takes to get to this point. I have mad respect for those who have already done this. I am beyond worn out.
After the first drive the pain is forgotten, the Cruiser runs like it should have from the factory.
- Thread starter
- #111
@Dsellers is right: lots of respect to those that have done this. We've been both living this for 10+ hours a day since Sunday, and he laid all the groundwork before that - lots and lots of groundwork. I'm worn out, too, but the fact that I'm on a deadline keeps us going. Thanks to all who have helped us get to this point.
We had some small victories and minor setbacks today. The a/c hoses came back looking good, but the low pressure return line leaks at the compressor-side fitting. The pedal thing is still kicking our tail, but I think we'll have it licked tomorrow; I'll let y'all know.
Dakota did a sweet mod to the crossmember (inspired by @35inchoverdrive) and got it finished and bolted in today. I didn't get a chance to snap a pic before it went in but I'll get some when it's up on the lift next week.
Tested the transmission and it at least engages in both drive and reverse, so we have that going for us. If the pedal gets sorted tomorrow, it'll be time for a test drive. No leaks after significant idle time, so keeping fingers crossed. More to follow...
We had some small victories and minor setbacks today. The a/c hoses came back looking good, but the low pressure return line leaks at the compressor-side fitting. The pedal thing is still kicking our tail, but I think we'll have it licked tomorrow; I'll let y'all know.
Dakota did a sweet mod to the crossmember (inspired by @35inchoverdrive) and got it finished and bolted in today. I didn't get a chance to snap a pic before it went in but I'll get some when it's up on the lift next week.
Tested the transmission and it at least engages in both drive and reverse, so we have that going for us. If the pedal gets sorted tomorrow, it'll be time for a test drive. No leaks after significant idle time, so keeping fingers crossed. More to follow...
I couldn't find any solution other than using the Gen III pedal from the donor truck. It's steel, so you can cut, weld, drill, bend, whatever you need to make it fit. After a few unsuccessful attempts to get it positioned just right, I wound up cutting and bolting it together so I could make finer adjustments. Now it's perfect. It's pretty easy to attach to the firewall, you drill one hole to make it bolt right in to the existing location.
Was looking through your thread and saw you have the same Howell fuse block that I do. You may want to consider adding a cover to protect it from moisture.
My setup is very similar to yours. I added a $9 exterior GFI outlet cover to mine from Home Depot. It works and looks great. Nobody ever realizes it's not some groovy aftermarket automotive part.
Cheers!
-Ed
- Thread starter
- #114
Love it! Thanks for the tip!
- Thread starter
- #115
Thanks John. The issue is that the pedals changed pretty much each year from '03 to '06 (roughly); not just the pedal itself but the plug that goes in it. In '05 there was a 9-pin harness; in '06 a 6-pin; in '07 (which had Gen III and Gen IV) a flat 6-pin like the Monte Carlo pedal. The pedal from my '06 donor truck is unusable in the LC. Talking privately with @MANUCHAO I think we have it sorted; he has the same TAC module from the same engine as I do but uses the 9-pin harness to the '05 pedal. I have both of those coming in today along with an '05 TAC module that matches the pedal just in case. I talked to the guys at Howell who made my harness and they're confident that a different TAC module, if necessary, will play nice with my ECU. Either way, I should be able to report back in a couple of hours...
- Thread starter
- #116
Woo hoo!!! 
Not only did we get the pedal sorted, but got the first test drive knocked out! I gave my brother the honors...
The pedal turned out to be an easy fix once we figured it out. The TAC module, jumper, and pedal from an '05 Silverado all worked perfectly. We had to cut and weld the pedal since it naturally offset to the right, but we gave it a very slight left offset and it's near perfect now.
With that plugged in and mounted, she was ready to roll. The Lokar shifter worked as advertised, and the transmission hit all of its shift points up to third (we couldn't get it fast enough on the road in front of the shop to hit fourth).
A/C got charged up and was blowing cold, though we do have to hotwire one of the electric fans to come on with the compressor.
Here's the laundry list that remains (in no particular order):
1) Bleed/fill PS system
2) Bleed/refill brake fluid
3) Install Lokar LED Indicator bezel and sensor
4) Figure out oil pressure and water temp indicators
5) Fix horns (installed new Hella horns but they aren't getting a signal)
6) Install cover for fuse block (thanks @cruiser enthuiser!)
7) Re-install center console
8) Install rear suspension
9) Install steering stabilizer
10) Front-end alignment
11) Install front driveshaft
12) Check T-case/4WD engagement
13) Install rear seat belts (lap/shoulder belts ordered from Seat Belt Planet)
After I do a cost analysis I'm going to see if I can still put on new shoes (33" BFG A/T KO2s) and install a new head unit.
Feeling good! We might make that deadline after all...
Not only did we get the pedal sorted, but got the first test drive knocked out! I gave my brother the honors...
The pedal turned out to be an easy fix once we figured it out. The TAC module, jumper, and pedal from an '05 Silverado all worked perfectly. We had to cut and weld the pedal since it naturally offset to the right, but we gave it a very slight left offset and it's near perfect now.
With that plugged in and mounted, she was ready to roll. The Lokar shifter worked as advertised, and the transmission hit all of its shift points up to third (we couldn't get it fast enough on the road in front of the shop to hit fourth).
A/C got charged up and was blowing cold, though we do have to hotwire one of the electric fans to come on with the compressor.
Here's the laundry list that remains (in no particular order):
1) Bleed/fill PS system
2) Bleed/refill brake fluid
3) Install Lokar LED Indicator bezel and sensor
4) Figure out oil pressure and water temp indicators
5) Fix horns (installed new Hella horns but they aren't getting a signal)
6) Install cover for fuse block (thanks @cruiser enthuiser!)
7) Re-install center console
8) Install rear suspension
9) Install steering stabilizer
10) Front-end alignment
11) Install front driveshaft
12) Check T-case/4WD engagement
13) Install rear seat belts (lap/shoulder belts ordered from Seat Belt Planet)
After I do a cost analysis I'm going to see if I can still put on new shoes (33" BFG A/T KO2s) and install a new head unit.
Feeling good! We might make that deadline after all...
NCFJ
Supporting Vendor
Very cool guys! Wait till the first time you jump on it while rolling and it torque steers half into the next lane. 
The swap is a game changer for sure.
The swap is a game changer for sure.
Congrats!!
- Thread starter
- #120
Can't wait! Hoping to get the exhaust on Wednesday.Very cool guys! Wait till the first time you jump on it while rolling and it torque steers half into the next lane.
I've heard a lot of guys talk about the Walker SS Quietflow mufflers; can anybody offer a specific opinion or even a model number that works well with the Vortec/FJ combo? I intend to keep it simple, using the original cats to a Y-pipe and a single muffler.
