Builds LX450 "Rex" Build (4 Viewers)

[NeverFinis]

Good morning!

Located the Fuel Pressure Regulator/Filter (the usual Corvette one) above the brake booster. I placed it close to the motor so if I switch to something more sophisticated later, it will be easier to do.

To do this, I removed the cowl to check what was behind there before I put in a rivnut. Just space, plus tons of mouse bedding/s***.

Well, I broke a bolt on a wiper pivot. I then discovered that one of the pivots was seized when I pulled it out to remove the bolt. I broke it trying to unseize it. $172 later, I have a new wiper linkage assembly on its way from Japan. Supposedly 85150-60101 will substitute for the NLA North American part. Thank god for ih8mud!

Stack of oil pressure sensors. Chevy on top of a new Toyota Oil Pressure sensor.

I should have put it on when the motor was out, but it was easy to do with the motor in. I still have to locate where to put the Toyota water temp sensor.

 

[NeverFinis]

Welp...this is where I am...at least all the wiring is accessible...

Because of this:

and this:

Mice... I think they got in via the HVAC system.

I had to remove the entire dash to make sure I got it all, and cleaned everything.

My advice is to make sure that the air recirculation is selected if you park your vehicle outside for a while. There is nothing stopping them if that outside air flap is open.

 

[NeverFinis]

My fuel setup so far. Enlarged a hole in the firewall, added a rivnut to it, and then attached strain relief clamp. I connected to the engine from above, rather than the side, to allow for more fuel line flexibility for engine movement

The return line is just an Right Angle 6 AN to 4 AN Bard fitting to 1/4" SAE J30R7 low pressure fuel hose. SAE J30R7 is supposed to be rated for E85 .

I will be attempting to use the original factory hardline for the fuel feed. An M14x1.5 Female Inverted Flare/6 AN is on order.

 

[NeverFinis]

FYI: replacement wiper linkage arrived. It looks and fits exactly like the original part, which is NLA.

Replacement high pressure PS hose kit also arrived and installed.

I looped it up, and forward before it comes back to the steering box. No interference issues, but the radiator isn't in yet.

Just when I thought I was done with the Power Steering....

With the pressed on pulley in perfect belt alignment, its hub isn't flush with the face of Tuff Stuff PS pump spindle. It sits proud about 6mm, which means reduced surface contact between the two. I have no idea if this is an issue or not.

I am wondering if the Tuff Stuff PS pump needs a different style of pulley. They show one on their web site where the hub appears to be recessed compared to my pulley (from 2020 donor engine).

It is the little things that take time, especially with an older vehicle that have been sitting for years.

I will be using the original fuel line, which looks good except in one area, right under a plastic bracket. Bracket removed in the pictures.

First pass of sanding.

It then got rust converter, and painted. Everything will get a coating of Fluid Film.

 

[NeverFinis]

This weeks project, cleaning my Ron Davis radiator. The 1FZ-FE was leaking oil into the coolant...

Paint thinner did a great job, but was getting expensive.

I ended up attaching my HF steam cleaner. It worked surprisingly well. The radiator was hot!

Radiator installed. Checking for clearance for a mechanical fan and fan clutch.

I will be using a severe duty Chevy Silverado fan clutch since it longer than the van version.

But, I will be using an Chevy Express van fan since it is smaller in diameter, and thinner. It has more blades compared to the Silverado version.

Fan clutch arrived. Still waiting on the van fan.

Fan mounts on the backside of the fan clutch. If there are clearance issues, it might be with the air intake above.

Installed the 1FZ-FE water temp sensor into the passenger head using the Marks 4WD adapter.

 

[McDowra]

Thanks for the write up , I am going with a L96 and 6L80E for my swap. Looking forward to more updates on your swap

 

[White Stripe]

I believe marks 4wd has a adapter to run a tundra fan on a LS. I was never happy with the gm fan clutch.

 

[NeverFinis]

I believe marks 4wd has a adapter to run a tundra fan on a LS. I was never happy with the gm fan clutch.

That is good to know.

Welp...further into the rabbit hole of dissembling the dash ...

Why? Because I wanted the heater core out of the truck so I could inspect it and clean it.

A new one is cheap....but aluminum. I am not sure how often the OEM ones fail.

In the process of doing the above, I pulled the big horizontal metal bar and this is what I found on one end...

I think they got into it from the red circled hole seen below.

Swap stuff
Lower Radiator hose, Gates 20230. Trimmed a bit.

Upper Radiator Hose, Gates 22436. Trimmed a bit. I need to add a sleeve where is crosses the intake.

 

[NeverFinis]

This looks sus. Transmission Cooler. Tons of corrosion. Transmission Cooler is NLA. Running it for now.

No idea why I painted it, other than it didn't take too much time.

Finally got the M14-1.5 Inverted Flare to 6AN Fitting to connect the high pressure fuel line to the Corvette Filter/Regulator. I know someone welded a fitting on, but I am hoping this fitting will do the trick.

Will it leak? Probably.

 

[NeverFinis]

This is what happens when mice live in your blower assembly.... This is the metal plate above the blower motor. The blower assembly is NLA.

The rest of blower assembly cleaned up very well. I even sanded and painted this rusty plate. It would work, but I did source a used blower assembly., which should be here in a few days.

I ordered a UAC Evaporator because the Denso one was out of stock and I want to get my dash back together ASAP. The Chinese one was significantly thinner than OEM. Why? I will be ordering the Denso one when it gets in stock at Rock Auto.

I ordered a Four Seasons Heater Core and one of its tubes wasn't aligned to the factory heater assembly. Why? It says it was good for build dates up to 8/96 for the FZj80. The LX450 was built in 1/1996. Maybe there is a difference between the FZJ80 and LX450...

I will just keep using my original one, which I think is fine. It probably could be repaired if it fails.

I ordered and install a new Denso A/C Condenser. Guess what? Fits (and looks pretty)!

My dash insulator....mice did some insulation damage.

I tried to order a new one from Japan. $250..I am good with that..........plus $750 shipping I am not good with that...

Guess I will be rebuilding mine...it might look janky, but it will work..

Stripped of insulation and I attempted to mark where there was insulation. This is just heavy vinyl. One could make a template and cut out a new one...

150 mil Noico Insulation Foam.

You will never see it. I will also add the 80 mil Noico Sound Deadening Mat and 150 mil Noico Insulation Foam to the inside of the firewall.

I am currently cleaning the inside of the firewall now in preparation.

70% of what I am doing is cleaning....

 

[NeverFinis]

When mice get stuck, they eat what ever is nearby before they die. In most cases it is wire insulation. This is a relay block in the driver's kick panel.

Figuring out how to de-pin a socket is always a battle.

I needed to pull the wire so I could add heat shrink to it.

HF Marine grade heat shrink

The mouse also got the neighboring wire. You can see the bite marks in the above picture.

 

[FMC80]

This is what happens when mice live in your blower assembly.... This is the metal plate above the blower motor. The blower assembly is NLA.

The rest of blower assembly cleaned up very well. I even sanded and painted this rusty plate. It would work, but I did source a used blower assembly., which should be here in a few days.

View attachment 3386750

I ordered a UAC Evaporator because the Denso one was out of stock and I want to get my dash back together ASAP. The Chinese one was significantly thinner than OEM. Why? I will be ordering the Denso one when it gets in stock at Rock Auto.

I ordered a Four Seasons Heater Core and one of its tubes wasn't aligned to the factory heater assembly. Why? It says it was good for build dates up to 8/96 for the FZj80. The LX450 was built in 1/1996. Maybe there is a difference between the FZJ80 and LX450...

I will just keep using my original one, which I think is fine. It probably could be repaired if it fails.

View attachment 3386783

I ordered and install a new Denso A/C Condenser. Guess what? Fits (and looks pretty)!

My dash insulator....mice did some insulation damage.

I tried to order a new one from Japan. $250..I am good with that..........plus $750 shipping I am not good with that...

Guess I will be rebuilding mine...it might look janky, but it will work..

Stripped of insulation and I attempted to mark where there was insulation. This is just heavy vinyl. One could make a template and cut out a new one...

View attachment 3386787

150 mil Noico Insulation Foam.

View attachment 3386788

You will never see it. I will also add the 80 mil Noico Sound Deadening Mat and 150 mil Noico Insulation Foam to the inside of the firewall.

I am currently cleaning the inside of the firewall now in preparation.

70% of what I am doing is cleaning....

Ugh, mice.


FYI, I ordered this from partsouq and it was ~$80 and about $200 to ship. Locally was more, but it looks like you found a good solution.

 

[NeverFinis]

Ugh, mice.


FYI, I ordered this from partsouq and it was ~$80 and about $200 to ship. Locally was more, but it looks like you found a good solution.

The blower assembly? That would have been a deal! It looks to be NLA on PartSouq now and priced at $520.

 

[NeverFinis]

Fan Clearance issues...

Silverado/Sierra Fan Clutch and Express/Savana Fan. Maybe 1/4" between the fan and the 4" 90 degree elbow.

I have a Silverado/Sierra fan on order because I thinks it sits forward, but it also a larger diameter which might create additional clearance issues. I could change the intake elbow but not a ton of options in tight 90 degree 4" elbows.

Note: engine is 1.25" forward, 0.5" to the passenger side, and 0.5" higher than normal for Mark4WD''s adapters due to using a 6L90e and for clearance issues with Type II PS pump..

Before

And

Now

Clean...Clean...Clean..

I thought this was supposed to be an engine swap..lol

 

[FMC80]

The blower assembly? That would have been a deal! It looks to be NLA on PartSouq now and priced at $520.

negative. I thought you were referring to the firewall insulation. Disregard

 

[NeverFinis]

negative. I thought you were referring to the firewall insulation. Disregard

That would be a deal for the inside firewall insulator! I can find the outside firewall insulator.

I am also showing that it is not available via Partsouq now: 5521060022

McGeorge, my favorite US parts seller, shows it isn't available, but some other US shippers do but probably haven't updated.

 

[NeverFinis]

New AC condenser, and Denso Dryer mounted. Replacing all the AC hardlines as well. The one across the firewall broke while doing the LS swap.

More parts are now going on than coming off...hoping this trend continues

 

[NeverFinis]

Other than the area behind the rear wheels, this is the worst rust on the body: Driver's foot well. This is a New England truck.

Water (or mouse piss) pooled in this area while it was sitting.

Rust Converter applied.

Some grinding, primer, and top coat.

I did the same to the four door sills, which had minor surface rust.

I have to keep reminding myself that I am not doing a restoration, just a mechanical refresh.

Take care of problems, like rust, but prioritize the mechanical refresh. Worry about cosmetics later.

Passenger foot well

Rust removed, and a quick paint.

Sound deadener added.

I am hoping to reinstall most of the HVAC soon, and then connect it to the LS to finish off that part of the project.

Dash will stay off until I can finish the wiring.

 

[family80]

Looks good … going back together is the best part.

 

[NeverFinis]

Worked on my fuel lines today. Had a thought...perhaps I should clean them?

I have been watching VGG lately.

Blowing the cleaner through.

The results from cleaning the return line

6 AN line from the tank to Toyota's Hardline.

Tank with 6AN line attached.

The other end with the 6AN/M14x1.5 inverted flare fitting.

Fuel lines: