Part 4! I feel like I am finally starting to close the gap on this project! With Part 4 we are going to button up a bunch of small stuff and order a bunch of parts.

So we left off part 3 with me having just completed building the motor mounts and installing them. Next needed to clean up a bunch of little issues.

I had been meaning to install this heater core shutoff for months, possibly years. Since everything was already drained, I figured now was as good as ever. This will keep the hot coolant from circulating through the heater core in the cab during the summer.

84706 Heater Core Shut Off Valve

I also bolted the alternator and truck intake back on, there is a specific torque sequence and spec to prevent intake leaks. Below is a screenshot of the instructions I followed in a post on the www.LS1tech.com forum.

Alternator and some other misc parts went on also.

All motor mount, bell housing, and torque converter bolts installed with locktite. (I like to mark critical fasteners with white paint pen, this gives a clear visual indicator when a bolt has loosened up)

Next challenge! the LS power steering pump had some kind of electronic solenoid on the output. Not sure what it does and I didn’t really care enough to research it, all I knew is that I don’t need it and it won’t accept my current high pressure hose. I went out on a limb and assumed that Chevy hadn’t changed the basic pump and got lucky. I had an old pump in the basement that I went and stole the valve off of, and it bolted right in. Somewhere in the late 70’s early 80’s Chevy went from an inverted flare fitting to an O-ring style fitting. Turns out my steering box and lines are the flare type but the spare valve that I just put in the steering box is the newer O-ring style. So after some more Googling, I found an O-ring to inverted flare power steering adapter at Speedway Motors online.

The new-fangled pressure valve is on the right, it had a solenoid attached to it before I so rudely removed it. I replaced it with the fitting on the left. Luckily Chevy doesn’t change designs very often so it seems to have worked.

This is the fitting from Speedway Motors that allows my old 70’s style inverted flare hose attach to the newer o-ring style pump.

Got the part in the mail 910-32921

Found an o-ring out of my o-ring kit. The one I ended up using is size R-07

The more you work in your shop, the more you will want to start buying in bulk. 5 trips to the auto parts store gets old FAST. I bought this cheap Metric O-Ring Assortment a couple of years ago and it has saved my butt many times @ midnight when all the stores are closed.

Now I can get rid of the parts at the top right and just use my existing inverted flare power steering hose.

Adapter in, everything tightened up. No leaks yet!! Notice the red connector on the right zip tied to the ground wire. I no longer need this since I have bypassed/removed the variable power steering pressure solenoid.

I also got a chance to install my wiring harness.

Hmm, kinda scary looking…

Looked up some helpful wiring diagrams here: http://www.lt1swap.com/wiringharness.htm

I was starting to get concerned until I figured out where this plastic bracket bolted onto the intake. Once I figured that out, things started moving along rather quickly.

With the wire loom bracket loosely bolted to the intake, the wires “lay” down and make it easier to figure out where they are supposed to be going. Everything pretty much lined up and plugged in as planned!

Ran into an issue with the drivers side manifold hitting the frame, I needed to remove a stud so I could bolt the manifold on. Easy right?

Snapped the end of the stud off, so I had to get out the blue wrench and heat the area around the stud to bust this puppy loose. (it always takes longer than it should)

I’ll give away another one of my secrets. To get the studs out, I heat the flange up until it is good and hot but not quite glowing then spray the stud itself with this Locktite Freeze & Release. Not sure if it was the heat, this spray, or a combination of both that finally made it let go. All I care is that it worked.

I win…this time.

I also got to spend a lot of time researching all of the miscellaneous parts, bits, and pieces that I am missing to complete this project. Below is a list of what I ordered.  (disregard the PF3144 fuel filter, though this one would work with the right fittings, I ended up going with a different filter covered in Part 6)

If I was counting actual man hours in this truck, I would be way deep. Not so much in how long the actual work takes, but the amount of time spent researching, finding, and ordering parts adds up quickly.

For example, I have probably spent at least 2 hours researching how to connect exhaust to the LS truck manifolds. The drivers side has a different bolt pattern and gasket than the passenger side which is weird to me. After getting frustrated I finally decided that I have 3 exhaust options:

1. Go to the junkyard and try to find some factory exhaust stubs that are probably 10″ long before a catalytic converter.
2. Buy some exhaust flanges online ($25 each plus shipping for a piece of plate with 4 holes…)  to connect to the factory flanges then make custom exhaust for the rest
3. Cut the factory collector flanges off and replace everything with V-Band clamps (ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!!!!!)

So, having decided that started Googling until I found the cheapest ones available. Turns out somebody on eBay was selling them for ~$15 a set including shipping with no tax, so I ordered 6 sets.

I ended up going with 2.5″ v-band clamps which I have read about other people using and verified with my own measurements (approximate size observations posted below in case you need them).

I also got the passenger side manifold removed. After having broken a bolt off in the head on the drivers side, I was extra careful this time. I took a punch an hit the head of each bolt (in theory) to break it loose, then tightened each bolt ever so slightly (~1/8th turn), then soaked everything in WD40, and carefully removed them with a ratchet by hand. No more broken bolts!!

Here you can see my EGR blockoff plate.

I also removed the heat shields so I can get to the flanges when I am ready to cut/weld them.

This is the part that frustrated me to the point of just ordering v-band clamps. The drivers side collector is different and has a different gasket than the passenger side.

P-side collector measurement where donut gasket fits into, in inches.

P-side collector measurement further in beyond where the donut gasket fits, in inches.

LS truck manifold passenger side collector OD

LS truck manifold driver side collector ID

LS truck manifold driver side collector OD

Digital calipers are another handy tool to have around the shop. Let’s face it, a tape measure isn’t all that accurate. You can get a digital caliper for around $12 bucks now-a-days, so you don’t have an excuse for sloppy measurements: 6 Inch LCD Digital Caliper

So now, I wait…for a bunch of parts. Turns out my 2.5″ exhaust tubing that I ordered from Summit Racing is backordered, so it might be a couple of weeks before I make considerable progress.

Ol’ Blue LS Swap LINK INDEX:

• Part 1: Removal of the 496 BB and wire harness
• Part 2: Initial install of LS motor and adapting to TH400
• Part 3: Custom motor mounts and EGR blockoff plates
• Part 4: Power steering adapter and LS ECM installation
• Part 5: LS manifold V-band and exhaust installation
• Part 6: Coolant/fuel system installation – First Start!
• Part 7: Throttle Cable/Intake/DIY ECM mount
• Part 8: Painless wire harness install and LED conversion
• Part 9: Reconfigure the exhaust…again and finish LED’s