I've got an engine, wiring harness, and ECM form a 1999 corvette...looking in to seeing some build threads, and there final out comes...

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[This message has been edited by Seanpaul (edited 02-07-2006).]

http://www.ls1swap.com/

A CA person, and doing an LS1 swap! Double cool!

Anyway, I don't know how much fabricating and what not you plan to do yourself, but V8 Archie does make a kit to swap in the LS1 http://www.v8archie.com/ Bit pricey, but it takes a lot of the work out of it for you. One thing that I can't stress enough is to make the swap as clean and professional as possible, otherwise the evil CA Smog overlords will give you hell over it.

quote Originally posted by Seanpaul: I've got an engine, wiring harness, and ECM form a 1999 corvette...looking in to seeing some build threads, and there final out comes...

You dont indicate if you are manual or automatic...

Are you looking for a kit, someone to do the swap, or just information so you can do the swap yourself ?

That site http://www.ls1swap.com/forums is my site as well as http://www.fastfieros.com ... My LSx info is not posted to date, nor is completely done.

Loyde

Well what would be the auto options? Stock Fiero auto trans?
I'm thinking Stick, so would the Getrag be the best or the Isuzu?

I heard that getting a rebuilt getrag would run around $2500 is this true?
What are the other GM year/make/model options to get a hold of a salvage year donor?

I'm defiantly getting the supper master kit, and everything will be clean....the routing of the fuel lines, the wires on the harness....And I'm going to get what ever I can powder coated as budget allows...

I have a nice 30 x 60 shop in setup, just need to get the power to "Big Bertha," my huge air compressor...
I'll get pics up soon...so I guess this is the build thread, or the research thread....??

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bump anyone?

If you are even considering spending that kind of money for a rebuilt Getrag, wait for V8 Archie and the 6 speed install to be completed and buy a 6 speed from the Pontiac G6, I have already priced two a few months ago used for $1100ea. It's much stronger than the Getrag. Other wise the late 80s to around 92 front wheel drive Getrags in the 282 series are a good and probably better choice than the Fiero Getrag due to the age on them. I have one from a 92 Beretta and understand from another member that some of the Fiero tranny brackets with a little modifcation can be installed on it so that you don't have to purchase Rodney D's install kit, I haven't confirmed it but it sounds doable the exception being mounting the Slave cylinder. You want to avoid the 284 which has the hydraulic throwout bearing.

Now I have a question for you, having found a stash of 3 LS series engine cores that appear to be in excellent condition; one F-body motor, and 2 truck motors with the aluminum heads and cast iron block, Will it require custom axles? I didn't even recognize the engines were LS series having never seen one up close enough to see how weird it looks.

quote Originally posted by Seanpaul: I heard that getting a rebuilt getrag would run around $2500 is this true? What are the other GM year/make/model options to get a hold of a salvage year donor?

I've never dealt with them up their website seems to say the right things. A rebuilt FWD 282 is $1000. A 284 is $2500.

http://drivetrain.com/

Good luck getting it smogged (if you care)...especially if you use aftermarket exhaust manifolds/headers. Make sure the engine is same year or newer. Try talking to West Coast Fiero...I think they actually built one and got it passed...but it was a major PITA.

quote Originally posted by Seanpaul: I've got an engine, wiring harness, and ECM form a 1999 corvette...looking in to seeing some build threads, and there final out comes...

I would find out as much info as I could and take it all to the smog ref and they will tell you what you can or cant do. That is IF you want it legally registered in CA. For the most part buying one piece at a time from different cars and different places is the MOST EXPENSIVE way to do an engine swap like this. The "best" way to do a CA smog legal swap is to get as many parts as you can from one car (like buying a totaled car and strip it of what you want, then sell the rest) that way you can tell the smog ref exactly what you have. If you do this swap the CA smog legal way, you will be AMAZED at what it will take to get it legal.

The way I would do this swap:

KEEP IT STOCK. Do Not Modify the engine for "more power" this will make the swap imposable to pass CA certification. Do the mods AFTER you get it certified.

LS1/LS2 manual = Buy entire donor car and a 6 speed G6 tranny and "maybe" an adapter kit. (all LSx car engines came with 6 speed trannies so a 5 speed may be a sticking point? besides the G6 6 speed is stronger than any front wheel drive 5 speed) Get ALL the info you can on the donor car like pink slip, miles, state it came from, and official GM shop manuals. You will need to take out of the donor car ALL of the exhaust system up to the second O2 sensor, the fuel sending unit and pump out of the tank, the evap system, the body control module, the ignition key and lock system, the gauges, the entire wiring harness from the engine and under dash, EVERYTHING on the engine and before you sell the donor car talk to the smog ref and come up with a plan to put the swap together.

LS1/LS2 auto = same as the manual but with a 4T65EHD tranny from the same year car as the engine you are going to use. This is a more complex swap than the manual because the sensors inside the tranny may not provide the values that the V8 is looking for to run properly. THE FIERO TRANNY WILL NOT WORK in a CA smog legal swap.

There is much more to do to make it pass CA smog but I would do it myself if I did not have plans for a new car. If you don't care about smog cert in CA, the sky is the limit.

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here is a link to mine. it is a little old now, but it is archived so I can't update it. there are things I would do different the second time around that would have made it easier to complete.
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20040710-2-027739.html

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LS1 v8 T-Top 87 GT

http://www.acxunlimited.com/ls1swap.htm

All right, now this thread is flowing!

Here's the situation. The 99 Vette C5 is sitting in my shop...the entire car!

It was paid for, and my cousin lapsed his insurance when he got divorced, and when he got T boned he decided to let the "person at fault" insurance company total the car. I'm going to buy it back form the insurance for less than 5k! It was impacted form the passenger side. The engine has only 60k on it, and the dash, and exhaust system is ok.

What I was planning on removing.

Engine
Trani
Wire harness & ECM
Evap system & all hoses
Full exhaust

Then the entire break system.
Rack and Pinion.

THE ENGINE AND TRANI WILL BE MOUNTED TO AN 88GT FRAME WITH SUSPENSION.

Now I know that the reff wants the original power train complete with the new engine, but that seems imposable because the exhaust system will be custom, and actually shorter than the C5 and the trani will be a Horizontal instead of the C5 vertical trani. So what do they do about that?

Guess I could contact the reff, and ask him these questions...but felt it better to contact others who live in CA Bay Area first to see what you can "get away with" I've heard that if you do a clean job, (using stock engine and exhaust manifolds with stock O2's you can then change the rest as needed making sure not to trip any codes in the ECM.) ..and the reff will give you a pass...if it looks stock, clean, and doesn't trip any codes....is this true? Because it would be impossible to use the original power train form the C5...

So if anyone in Bay Area Ca has any advice, or material I can review to make this acceptable for the reff, I would appreciate it very much!

Joseph Upson:

Very nice input thanks. I will wait for the 6 speed. (I will be buying Archie's Master V8 kit) and I would rather buy the brackets,
than try to make my own. My wielder is so overbooked it takes him months to do anything for me.

Snotty:

All stock C5 Engine Parts. This isn't going to be a monster build for me, I'm after the stock power of the LS1 with smog capabilities.

Rickady88GT

"... and take it all to the smog ref and they will tell you what you can or cant do."
Are they really that friendly to custom car builders? I thought they had there heads up there ass and hated us for taking up there precious time?

"The "best" way to do a CA smog legal swap is to get as many parts as you can from one car"
Yep I agree, and have the hole car.

"all LSx car engines came with 6 speed trannies so a 5 speed may be a sticking point?"
Hummm.....I believe this one is a 5 speed only..I'll double check...

"If you don't care about smog cert in CA, the sky is the limit."
I could register it in Reno ant my grandmothers....but wouldn't that make it a ***** to try to bring it in to CA later?

LS1swap

Thanks for the thread...I will do my home work daddy....

[This message has been edited by Seanpaul (edited 02-17-2006).]

The ref's are people too and are not all jerks. If one gives you a hard time just go to anther. They are car people, so cool swaps do interest them. But they have a job to do and want to be told how stupid the smog laws are (they already know) When I certified my 2000 Short Star Fiero the ref and all the kids (the ref was at a school) were all over the car. They loved it. The ref even called his boss and told me the boss wanted to see pics of the car. So he broke out a dig cam and shot a few pics. My car passed the first time. I did not even talk to a ref first, I just did the swap the way I thought they would want it? But now I know more about how they do want it.

I don't live in your area but I would love to help you with your project. Like I said, I was going to do this swap but opted for a new car instead. We are getting an 06 GTO

[This message has been edited by Rickady88GT (edited 02-18-2006).]

Seanpaul

I wish I could wave a magic wand for you, but there is no way an ls1 swap can be registered in
California because no ls1 ever came oem with a TRANSAXLE. California engine swap approval
is a topic that has been covered many times on the forum. There is just no way you can get
around it and wishing won't make it so. Sorry.

Orville

Rickady,

Thanks, I will defiantly stay in PM contact...well actually I will also start a thread, or update this one as I find more information.

Orville,

I'm not wishing...I've heard in detail how it's been done before...

I've read plenty of SBC swaps in CA smog legal areas before, but cant seem to find those threads now.
Was there a major change after Smog II came in to effect?

[This message has been edited by Seanpaul (edited 02-18-2006).]

So open a post office box in a state with more lax smog laws, register the vehicle there, close the p.o. box and do your renewal on line every year. Or register it in the state of a relative that fits the above circumstances. You'll still pay California insurance (unless you switch that to) but at least you won't have to deal with Cali registration as long as it doesn't have Cali plates. Am I wrong? That's one plus I'll give little brother Bush here in Florida. He put an end to smog inspections for good reason, it's a waste of the peoples time when cars are coming from the factory cleaner and cleaner and the older cars with lower emissions standards are becoming fewer and fewer.

Yes, I'm considering that...however if I CAN make it work in CA, so that it is smog legal that would be nice....
At the current rate, what year would a 88 become smog exempt? 2008 or is it 2018?

[This message has been edited by Seanpaul (edited 02-18-2006).]

quote Originally posted by Orville: Seanpaul I wish I could wave a magic wand for you, but there is no way an ls1 swap can be registered in California because no ls1 ever came oem with a TRANSAXLE. California engine swap approval is a topic that has been covered many times on the forum. There is just no way you can get around it and wishing won't make it so. Sorry. Orville

Orville, doesn't the corvette use a rear transaxle, so would that technically be legal to have a fiero transaxle?

quote Originally posted by Seanpaul: Yes, I'm considering that...however if I CAN make it work in CA, so that it is smog legal that would be nice.... At the current rate, what year would a 88 become smog exempt? 2008 or is it 2018?

its frozen @ 1975 or 74 right now due to the winers in sac who tryed pushing the law back so cars from 1955 to present would have had to be smoged