Finally an S14

[SupaDoopa]

Purple Power + Simple Green clean almost anything. Best inventions ever.

[jr_ss]

The car looks great. I can't wait to let mine see the light of day.

If you pull your wheels off again, grab some paint sealer and wipe them down with it. It helps close the pores in the wheels and a lot of the brake dust will just wash off without a degreaser of any kind.

[onehundredoctane]

I've heard of paint sealer before but assumed it was spray on. . .? Is this something clear that dries quickly?

[crash n' burn]

Originally Posted by onehundredoctane

your car is leaking matt.










nice brakes too i guess.

[onehundredoctane]

A/C

Yes, it works!

[onehundredoctane]

Took the car to the dyno now that it's thru the break-in period.

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by onehundredoctane

I've heard of paint sealer before but assumed it was spray on. . .? Is this something clear that dries quickly?

It comes in a bottle and you wipe it on. You let it haze over and wipe it off much like wax. I'll get the name of the stuff from my buddy who details boats/cars. He says it's better than wax as far as protecting your paint from the sun as well because normal wax(Carnauba) breaks down around 180* and we all know if your car is sitting in the summer sun it can reach that temp frequently. The paint sealer breaks down at a much higher temp.

Looks like you have a healthy KA, time for some boost.

[onehundredoctane]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

It comes in a bottle and you wipe it on. You let it haze over and wipe it off much like wax. I'll get the name of the stuff from my buddy who details boats/cars. He says it's better than wax as far as protecting your paint from the sun as well because normal wax(Carnauba) breaks down around 180* and we all know if your car is sitting in the summer sun it can reach that temp frequently. The paint sealer breaks down at a much higher temp.

Looks like you have a healthy KA, time for some boost.

Please do post up that info!

As far as boot, I have more displacement in mind first!

[enderr]

more than half your pictures dont work...... Nice color though. diggin the rfp1s.

[onehundredoctane]

Sorry about that, no telling where they are hosted from, I'll see about fixing that when I get a chance.


Can I make it up to you with promises that I'm putting a V8 in it?

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by onehundredoctane

Sorry about that, no telling where they are hosted from, I'll see about fixing that when I get a chance.


Can I make it up to you with promises that I'm putting a V8 in it?

Blasphemy!

[KravingAKouki]

Did you ever post the sizing on the rpf1's? 18x9? Sorry, just curious

[onehundredoctane]

Originally Posted by KravingAKouki

Did you ever post the sizing on the rpf1's? 18x9? Sorry, just curious

17x9.5 +18 front
17x10 +18 rear


Engine and trans came out in about 2.5 hours


Then I had my good friend Adam from Aquadale Speed Shop come by and pick the car up so we could start getting the new engine and trans ready to put in.


Thank God for the trailer having a winch, pushing the car inside would've been a bitch! All loaded up and ready to head out!


Next updates should include the engine being prepped to put into the car!!!!

[sleepyS14se]

its been a little over an hour since the last update..... waiting for more pics lol jk

[holemilk00]

Wait what?? When did they put a shop in Aquadale/Norwood?? Damn I've been gone too long.

Nice build. Can't wait for the V-H8

[onehundredoctane]

Adam opened the shop about 2-3 years ago, he specializes in Chevrolet V8 builds and tuning, but he'll turn a wrench on anything. Brake jobs, oil changes, timing belts on Hondas, SR20DET swaps, you name it!

[enderr]

Originally Posted by onehundredoctane

Sorry about that, no telling where they are hosted from, I'll see about fixing that when I get a chance.


Can I make it up to you with promises that I'm putting a V8 in it?

mmm v8 my body is ready.

[onehundredoctane]

Got an update from the guy I bought the engine from, he just got around to pulling it from the 2003 Tahoe. It isn't an LS1, but instead a LM7 which is a 5.3 liter. This was the last production year for this engine and it makes more power than the previous LM7 engines. 285 hp and 325 torque while only adding 60 lbs over the weight of the KA24DE due to this V8 being an iron block unlike the aluminum LS1. The 5.3 has proven itself with minimal boost to be capable of 500+hp on stock internals and in some instances hold over 15 psi. . .

I got this engine with 91k miles for $700, that's the engine, wiring harness and ecu, not bad for a gaining 135 hp, 170 tq. Pennies to horsepower, this might not have been the cheapest option, but considering all the LS1 go fast parts bolt directly to this engine, it's hard NOT justifying going this route. An LS1 stock cam ( I picked one up for $80) will bump power up a little, as well as give it a lumpy idle. I'll have to ditch the LM7 intake manifold because of clearance issues with the hood. The LS6 or FAST intake manifolds would be upgrades and introduce a little more power as well, however the LS6 intake manifold used is still $400+ and the FAST is even more.

[Big Zee]

Very nice!!!
I look forward to more updates!!

[onehundredoctane]

Originally Posted by Big Zee

Very nice!!!
I look forward to more updates!!

Thanks man.

Small update here, I picked up an LT1, T56, 6 speed transmission for a steal. Now, because it's not an LS1 T56 it will not bolt right up to my LS based engine.

Solution?

The web site / web store thegearbox.org has all the parts you need to rebuild or convert any T56 trans, these came in some all manual trans Camaros, Firebirds, some Corvettes, Vipers and Cobras. . .

Just for sake of those interested, I paid $500 for the transmissions, now, you might ask, "Matt, why didn't you just buy and LS1 T56? Wouldn't that have been easier?". Yes it would've been. But an LS1 T56 easily goes for north of $1,200. Any transmission I buy I would have torn apart to inspect anyway, why buy a perfectly good LS1 T56 for $1,200-2,000 and tear it apart? Instead I paid $500 for a transmission that I don't feel as bad tearing apart because I have to already to change the mid plate, input shaft and bell housing on. Any problems I find will be addressed from there. I'll have less than $1,000 in this converted LT1 trans this way. To some it may seem like more work for less benefit, but it makes sense to me.

[UnknownGuy]

^ doing a little extra work to prevent a headache later. Makes sense to me.

[sleepyS14se]

Originally Posted by onehundredoctane

Thanks man.

Small update here, I picked up an LT1, T56, 6 speed transmission for a steal. Now, because it's not an LS1 T56 it will not bolt right up to my LS based engine.

Solution?

The web site / web store thegearbox.org has all the parts you need to rebuild or convert any T56 trans, these came in some all manual trans Camaros, Firebirds, some Corvettes, Vipers and Cobras. . .

Just for sake of those interested, I paid $500 for the transmissions, now, you might ask, "Matt, why didn't you just buy and LS1 T56? Wouldn't that have been easier?". Yes it would've been. But an LS1 T56 easily goes for north of $1,200. Any transmission I buy I would have torn apart to inspect anyway, why buy a perfectly good LS1 T56 for $1,200-2,000 and tear it apart? Instead I paid $500 for a transmission that I don't feel as bad tearing apart because I have to already to change the mid plate, input shaft and bell housing on. Any problems I find will be addressed from there. I'll have less than $1,000 in this converted LT1 trans this way. To some it may seem like more work for less benefit, but it makes sense to me.

thats makes perfect sense to me..

i am doing a classic ol SBC 350 bored 30 over in my s14. I will be using a 350 trans 3 spd...mayybee a 700r4 if i can get a deal on one to have built to hold at least the 500hp i will have.

good luck and keep us posted!!

[onehundredoctane]

Finally got some time to tear into the T56, first time I've worked on one and it was ten times easier to disassemble than a Z33 trans.

Here is the trans the way I got it


First to come off is the bell housing, as I've mentioned before this transmission is from a LT1, so the bell housing has to come off to be swapped out for an LS1.


Next to be removed is the mid plate, again, it's different than the LS1, so it's gotta go!


Now you can see a little of the internals of the transmsission,


At this point you'll find out the hard way if the transmission was drained or not... yeah, in my instance it still have at least a quart and a half left... the guy I bought it from said it was empty. The picture below is after about a half a roll of shop towels, sure am glad I put down that card board now.

[onehundredoctane]

While cruising LS1tech.com I found someone had this LS1 intake manifold with throttle body, fuel rails and injectors for sale, was too good of a deal to pass on! All the ones I'm seeing on ebay and forums are going for upwards of $350-400. I managed to snag this for $250 shipped!


After unboxing it and taking a closer look it turns out it came with an EGR block off already installed, double score!


Hopefully I'll get to set the engine and trans in the car this weekend.

[ferrariowner123]

NICE DEAL!!

Cant wait to see this beast alive!

Keep the updates coming!!

-Kyle

[onehundredoctane]

Had a couple hours to tinker on Saturday so I spent that time doing a little prep work on the engine once I got it on the engine stand.


After getting the engine on the stand first priority is to remove everything that is either getting replaced or not getting used in the swap. First off would be removing the exhaust manifolds, the cast iron manifolds weight a ton! Then I moved onto removing the wiring harness.


Next to be removed was the A/C compressor. In the future someone might come up with a conversion kit to keep A/C on the S14, but for now making all that stuff is just too much work and headache.


Next was the intake manifold, the stock 5.3 intake is great for making low end torque on the trucks this engine came in. Sadly this intake manifold is too tall to work in the S chassis. I'm not sure where all the grime came from on the valley cover, but I'll be addressing the possible oil leak next time I get to work on it.


After removing the stock motor mount brackets I installed the Holley conversion brackets, these are made of very thick aluminum and came with new hardware for the install.



Next the Creative Steel motor mounts that the Holley brackets were designed to be used with.


The stock LM7 oil pan won't work with the S14 sub frame and instead of getting a stock GTO oil pan I chipped in a little bit more for the Canton 6.5 quart, baffled oil pan that is designed for use in the 240sx. It's like Christmas getting to open all these boxes


Now, I'll admit I didn't order a new oil pan gasket and planned on reusing the stock one, that didn't work out so well seeing as GM uses some type of pop rivet to hold the oil pan gasket to the oil pan to speed up the assembly process. So when I went to pull it off. . . it didn't go to well. So for now the Canton oil pan is bolted on for sake of test fitting.


You'll notice the shop rag stuffed in the bung on the side of the oil pan, on the LM7 (and LS1 also) this bung is used for the oil level sensor. Since this a swap, and I won't have means of displaying any error messages due to oil level, this sensor is pointless. I'll be putting a bolt where the sensor should go.


Another baux?! With HOOKERS inside?!


Test fitted and they fit great, yes I know they will need to be removed before the engine can be installed. I think it's awesome Hooker is still around, I remember growing up and seeing Hooker Headers signs and stickers all over my dads garage.


Hopefully I'll get some more work done this Friday and have more updates for you guys!

[dat925stunna]

Sick so far same exact setup ima do on my s14


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[2muchboost]

Very nice build. I myself am jumping into my S14 LM7-turbo project. Those Holley brackets and Canton pan look great....keep up the good work bud.

FYI...ssshhhh dont tell anyone but these iron block LM7s have seen way over 500 hp & tq in stock form when force fed. Worst case scenario....if you mess that block up you can always try to find the aluminum 5.3 block in order to save some weight....which by the way some have pushed past 900 rwhp in stock form as well Hell I have a complete spare LM7 short block sitting in my garage for shits and giggle which I paid a grand total of...$250.

[ferrariowner123]

Okay, this thread has inspired me to do this to my S14 when i finally get my broke hands on one!

Plus, once the new Highway Patrol Caprice's hit the used market, were talking prime, swap-able, well maintained LS3's!! I cant wait to see this thread done with the results!!

-Kyle

[onehundredoctane]

Originally Posted by ferrariowner123

Okay, this thread has inspired me to do this to my S14 when i finally get my broke hands on one!

Plus, once the new Highway Patrol Caprice's hit the used market, were talking prime, swap-able, well maintained LS3's!! I cant wait to see this thread done with the results!!

-Kyle

Do it! Those fleet maintained cars usually have high miles, but can be had for cheap as sin, throw a couple gaskets at em for good faith and roll on!



Back to the progress, had couple parts show up shit is better than Christmas!


On the right side you'll see the LS1 input shaft, bell housing and front plate that I'll be installing on my LT1, T56, 6 speed trans. I also picked up some ARP flywheel bolts, and ARP pressure plate bolts for good measure. What I didn't order, and would l later realize I should have, are the race shims for the input shaft and 5/6th gear shaft for the transmission. Both go into the front plate, and when I installed the front plate the input shaft wouldn't spin, removed the shims and the input shaft spins freely, with much play. So shims are on order now, we'll get back to the transmission when those parts arrive. For now, the transmission is torn apart and with the LT1 input shaft and LS1 input shaft side by side you see the difference.


Do enough searching and you'll find out that the S14 clutch master cylinder doesn't work well with the T56 slave cylinder. I picked up a Wilwood clutch master cylinder and this Rigid Racing adapter. I'm SOOOOO glad I stumbled across this adapter, for less than $20 shipped I'm not having to drill holes or make my own fix for this.


After swapping over the plunger rod from the S14 to the Wilwood cmc it all went right together, easy as that!




Since I'm at a stand still with the transmission I decided to just get as much prep work done as possible on the engine. I removed the water pump, alt, p.s. pump and all related brackets. I've heard of people getting away with running these truck accessories with the LS1 intake manifold but I just don't see how it's possible. . here you can see that the intake manifold doesn't even sit properly against the heads due to contact issues. Here is the throttle body pulley against the upper water neck...


And here is the throttle body touching the accessory bracket..


So all that comes off and an LS1 water pump and accessories are ordered. The LS1 intake manifold I picked up did not come with the bolts to secure it to the heads, and of course the stock LM7 intake manifold bolts aren't even close. Add that to the parts list. . .


With the water pump and accessories off the only taddle tell signs that this isn't an LS1 are the iron block which is painted black from the factory to prevent rust, as opposed to bare aluminum of the LS1, and the tall oil cap tube. The oil cap tube being a dead give away once the engine is installed in the car. . . I decided to order a short filler tube just for aesthetics. When I removed the intake last time I noticed a lot of grime and assumed there was a valve cover gasket leak, replaced the vc gaskets and cleaned the heads up a little while I was at it.

Didn't get as much done this weekend as I had hoped. . . next time I get a chance to work on the car I hope to have some shims for the trans, and hopefully get the trans and engine bolted together.