Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Small update but feels like big progress. Finished making the brake lines up to the master cylinder. Gotta give credit to my brother, he really did well on all the bends I asked of him in my opinion.
Attachment 1658355
Just need to get some more clamps to finish tidying them up. bled the system and only had one small fitting seeping, tightened the fitting and no leaks. I got brakes!
Attachment 1658356

Onto the Parking brake cables. Ideally I would have liked to have them not run across the rear end but I wanted to use the stock mounting points for the frame to keep all the other cables on the truck factory, So we used 2 Driver side E-Brake cables from the newer silverado. They function well so this is how they will stay.
Attachment 1658357
Hooked into the stock cable and have full adjustment
Attachment 1658358
The cables have little mounting tabs which allowed us to mount the cables and keep things from flopping around.
Attachment 1658359
Next is to install the motor and start the wiring!

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Sometimes you gotta do what makes ya through some areas of the build, no worries as we all have faith that'll you find a better solution but over the rear end is no biggie. Keep truckin!

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Killer build so far. I plan to do the same to one of my C10's soon. Subscribed and taking notes

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

True that! Its gonna stay this way unless it becomes an issue with exhaust or something. fingers crossed!

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Thanks man, Ill keep it updated in hopes of helping others looking to do the same!

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Following.

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Picked up some inner fenders from a buddy and started the prep for them to get installed. Pretty solid other than a small amount of rust on the passenger side front
Attachment 1661205
Driver side is in great shape and cleaned up nicely
Attachment 1661206
used a spray on bed liner for the under side. Looks really nice in person, has a good texture to it and seems durable. we'll see how it holds up.
Attachment 1661207
Set the motor in. Fought us a bit but we got it done. Unfortunately we are planning to pull it again to do the harness. We haven't done an LS before so we figure it would be easy to miss a sensor or something if we try to wire it without the motor sitting in front of us in the garage.
Attachment 1661208

I do have a question if there is any experts. The motor seems to sit slightly higher than others i have seen. The pan is only about a 1/4" below the cross member. No clearance issues with the firewall or anything. I have a 73-87 cross member and 73-87 motor mount towers, 73-87 clams and Poly motor mounts with 3/8" thick adapter plates. Does anyone see this being an issue or just sit slightly high? Hood still closes also.

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Started on the wiring. Turned out not too be as terrible as we thought it was gonna be.
Attachment 1663104
Basically done but we are not finalizing anything until it is in the truck and we know where the PCM is gonna mount exactly.
Attachment 1663105
Also turned out that the manifolds my buddy gave me were not TBSS. They were off a F-Body. I test fitted both and the truck manifolds fit with such little adjustment and have the O2's in the down pipes already that I'm gonna run those.
Attachment 1663106
Starting to come together. Im just ready to drive this thing.
Attachment 1663107
Started work on moving the battery tray to the driver side. Ended up tacking it up in the dark and its sideways :lol: add that to the list of stuff to do. It's also a little rustier than I would like. Might get a replacement or patch it. Not sure yet.
Attachment 1663108

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Well Photobucket officially deleted most the first page pictures in this thread. if anyone needs any info or wants to see anything specific just ask and I'll repost it.

Picked up a new battery tray thanks to my buddies at Brothers trucks. Good group of guys and quality parts, fit like a glove and saves me a lot of time.
Attachment 1669230
loosely fit the fuel lines onto the motor for a test fit. looks like I can use the stock lines from the motor all the way to the frame, will adjust the bracket slightly but i will even be able to use the stock fuel filter.
Attachment 1669231
Harness is completely figured out. just need to tie up loose ends, put the plug on the leads that are going into the cab and its ready to go.
Attachment 1669232
used two of the doorman fuse blocks because I plan to run dual electric fans,power windows and a light bar and such in the future.
Attachment 1669233
Got these nice connectors from ebay so the wires that run into the cab can be easily unplugged if needed. http://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-Set-of-8-...53.m2749.l2649
Attachment 1669234
Also fabricated a bracket to mount the PCM up under the inside lip of the fender by the battery tray. Its coming together. lots of stuff still to do but one step at a time its slowly gettin done.

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Made a ton of progress on the truck since last updated this thread. Hoping to be driving it within a month.

Stock transmission linkage worked simply by moving the frame mount back about an inch. Actually lines up perfect on the gear shift indicator on the column and I'm able to get from Park all the way to 1st without binding or issues. "Need to clean and touch up the frame"
Attachment 1673501

Chopped up the stock 2000 Tahoe pedal and used the stock 69 pedal bracket mounting holes on the firewall. lines up pretty good. will look into either changing the chrome trim pad that I have for a standard waffle pad, or upgrading to the chrome trim gas pedal once its driving.
Attachment 1673502
Attachment 1673503
cleaned up, resealed the diff and topped off the fluid.
Attachment 1673504

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Ended up abandoning my 31 gallon gas tank in favor of a 25 gallon tank out of the 87 and later EFI blazer/suburbans. Going to run the stock Silverado pump I have in this tank since it is baffled.
Attachment 1673512
It tucks up in the frame much better also. It is the same physical dimensions of the 31 gallon tank, just shallower so all we had to do was shorten the straps. Sits above the hitch now, which is also a huge plus.
Attachment 1673513
Received my Champion CC369 Radiator also. Looks too pretty for the truck its goin in haha. A plus with this radiator is it has a heater return which will work great for the steam lines on the LS.
Attachment 1673514
Test fit the Ford Windstar fans. As other members have said, they fit really well. Unfortunately these fans are junk. Got them from eBay and when received, tested them and the motors/bearings are bad. got a refund, and purchased some brand new ones from Amazon.
Attachment 1673515
Got my Rancho's installed. hopefully get a nice ride out of em.
Attachment 1673516

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

More progress
Stock fuel lines from the back of the motor down to the frame. Uses the stock fuel filter for the LS and connects right into the fuel rail on the intake.
Attachment 1676003
Hard lined using 3/8 and 5/16 line with inverted flare unions.
Attachment 1676004
Fuel injection soft line double clamped onto flared hard line.
Attachment 1676005
Stock 4l60E transmission cooler lines, routed in the stock clamps on the bottom of the motor and leads directly up to the core support where we needed em surprisingly. . used two of the same line. cut the ends, flared and clamped soft line to connect to my existing cooler.
Attachment 1676006
I really need to remake that mounting bracket for the cooler. . a shop did that if you can believe that ha. I hadn't ever looked at it til this weekend. looks pretty terrible but its working I suppose.
Attachment 1676007

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Picked up a new side post battery for the driver side to fit the ls harness and test fitted the radiator.
Attachment 1676010
Installed the new push on Dodge Dakota door seals.
Attachment 1676011
Really surprised how well these fit.
Attachment 1676012
Finished making the EGR Block off plates for the exhaust.
Attachment 1676015
Adapter for the oil pressure line installed. Almost time to fire this thing up and see how she runs.
Attachment 1676016

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Some simple brackets to mount the fan shroud to the radiator.
Attachment 1680937
Got everything put together and ready to start it for the first time and ended up having to pull the transmission again because of one little mistake! I wont do that twice. That sucked!
Attachment 1680938
Jumped the fuel pump and a few other connections to see if it would fire. We had a few things that stopped it from firing the first time and it was pretty frustrating but once we realized our little mistakes it fired up and ran perfect. Hooked up the obd2 port and scanned for codes. . All clear so far! Had roughly 30-40 psi of oil pressure on my gauge. Not bad for a junkyard find! :metal:
Heres a video of it firing up if you wanna check it out
https://youtu.be/TbCFCHbjBWQ
Attachment 1680939
Next is wheels and tires since the stockers that are on it hit the tie rods and are much too small for the lift. Gonna run Mud terrains on one of these two wheels. Just need to make up my mind.
Raceline Clutch
Attachment 1680942
Raceline Defender
Attachment 1680943

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Test fit the wheels off my Titan to see how a 33" would look on the truck. obviously not a good looking wheel on the Chevy and the front body panel isn't bolted up and aligned yet but there is plenty of room for a 33".
Attachment 1681649
My brother finished up rewiring under the hood and we got power back into the cab. . its coming together. :smoke:
Attachment 1681650

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

had to say goodbye to the white gauges in the truck this weekend.
Attachment 1683189
The gauge conversion kit from LS1Nova and the box from CaptainFab made things really easy. Literally bolts in and aligns everything.
Attachment 1683194
Speedo face cut out and fit into the cluster and the tin sprayed back to satin black like original instead of the white.
Attachment 1683191
Added a "check engine" light and a "Tow" light since the tow haul is activated on my motor swap.
Attachment 1683192
Cluster complete,the pic angle makes the speedo look off center but its actually really really close and centered nicely. .Also you can see the high beam indicator we added in the original spot as well as the colored LED's for the check engine light and tow haul light.
Attachment 1683193

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Big update!
Aligned the doors, front end and hood. I've never done that before. Much respect to the guys who get perfect gaps! Mine are not perfect but I'm okay with it until we paint it ha.
Attachment 1689318

Attachment 1689319
Had my A/C lines made on Saturday. If anyone is in So Cal and needs lines made, the shop to go to is Air and Hose supply in Bloomington.
those dudes knew their stuff and had a great price. In and out in 30 minutes
Attachment 1689320
Installed. Connects into my OldAir Products (ColdAir products) system. just need to charge it and should be ready to go for the rest of summer. wiring wasnt done in this pic. its cleaned up since this.
Attachment 1689321
We finished up all the loose ends, put some fluids in her, ran it up to temp. Fans worked as they should. idled really well. and did a small test for the transmission in the back yard. not much room back there but we got a 1/10th of a mile on the odometer. real test will be after we get the wheels and tires so we can see if she shifts. fingers crossed!

she drives under her own power!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2V_...ature=youtu.be

Wheels and tires to come this week. Than an alignment and some exhaust and should be ready to go. Also got a buddy with a bed for it so probably gonna pick that up asap.

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Well, truck is up and runnin
Attachment 1691384

Attachment 1691385

Attachment 1691386

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Well doesn't seem like I have much interest from anyone but ill update this for myself to look back on. Almost 200 miles on the odometer and puttin it to work already.
Picked up a bed from a buddy
Attachment 1693400

Attachment 1693401

Attachment 1693402

Attachment 1693405

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Nice work on the truck! It looks mean with those wheels and tires on it! Great work. I have to say I love the new look of it!

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

thank you! it was a ton of work but it sure does drive nice!

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Looks great!

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

I wasn't sure I was going to like the end result but I am digging it now. Great job

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Thanks guys

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Great job! You made that look way too easy. ;)

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

I like it!

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Thanks guys! 300 miles in and only little tweaks to it so far :metal:

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Good work, it turned out great! That picture of you and your buddy sorting the harness out gives me nightmares... I hate electrical work on trucks.

Rg

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

thank you, the harness was definitively a lot of work. thankfully my brother is pretty good with wiring so he did almost all of it. I held a soldering iron pretty well lmao.

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

That is bad-a$$!
Nice work on all of it. I bet it's fun to drive.

Thank u! It really is. Drives nice and all I wanna do is run stuff over lol
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Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Got my exhaust finished up last weekend as well as some shocks on the rear end. I didn't particularly like the idea of having a tip out the side but I didn't like the drone of having a turn down under the bed. Im happy with how it looks now that it is done though.
"still has the tailpipe dumped in this photo."
Attachment 1698155
Almost cant see the exhaust tip
Attachment 1698154

finally ran out the gas tank that I filled before we put the bed on it and now I cant drive it until we put a fuel fill in. Currently have no way to put gas in it unless we take the bed off lol. . plus side is that the truck has over 300 miles on it and is running like a top! Few little adjustments and a rattle scare on the transmission but turned out it is fine!

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Figured I'd update this since I have been able to drive the truck for a while now. I have about 1300 miles on it and its still running really well. We use it every chance we get.

Hauling sticks of Rebar for a room addition we are working on.
Attachment 1737904

Hooked up to my brothers 21' toy hauler. didnt tow far but seemed to do well.
Attachment 1737905

Installed a new pioneer with blue tooth that I got for my birthday!
Attachment 1737906

Only thing I want to do in the immediate future is to spray the bed to match and get a set of lower control arms to lengthen slightly so I can get rid of the little bit of positive camber it has goin on.
Attachment 1737907

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Nice new radio and it's great to see you using it a lot!

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Thank you. It has been very useful recently. Glad it is running and driving

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Hi, that is a cool build. Do you have more details regarding the tires on your truck? Thinking of going in that direction myself.

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Thank you and welcome to the forum. The tires are Mickey Thompson Deegan 38 Mud terrains. size is 305/65/17. Wheels are Raceline defenders 17x9

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

About 2500 miles on her and still running like a champ. Used it to pick up lumber for my brothers addition. Love a truck that can handle whatever you need. Glad we stuck with the 3/4-1 ton suspension.
Attachment 1778316

Attachment 1778317

Attachment 1778318

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Amazing Truck, really enjoyed reading thru your build thread.

Really liked the fact you kept it long bed and lifted it!!!

look forward to seeing more pictures

Re: Complete build change. Lifted 2wd
 

Thank you very much. Wish the pictures didn't delete, would be a lot better read but what can you do. loving this truck though. Got to load my bike in it for the first time in a while and I have to say, i love the long bed! :metal:
Attachment 1783277