'04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

This is my new project, 2001 3.8L/4L60E Camaro. My Suburban is going to donate it's 5.3L & 300mm 4L60E to the cause, It's a very clean Onyx Black T-top car, The intake gaskets let go (pouring coolant into the oil). I got it for $1200. The drive from Newark (Texas not New Jersey) to Ft. Worth was an experience....The gauge would not read over 210 because the lack of water over the CTS when it got hot, Had to wait for the engine to start cutting out to know it was hot & pull over, Let it cool & add water. Went through 8 gallons of water!

Bought a Spohn K-member & engine stands, F-body oil pan, LS2 intake, 5th gen F-body brackets & accessories, New Delco LS1 radiator, BBK 1-3/4 headers & Y-pipe , 3" pipe kit & a Borla muffler.

Used '98 TA "Cone style" 2-series posi carrier, New Yukon "Thick" 3:42 gears, New Moser street axles & new Koyo bearings, Thinking about a stud girdle style cover....The 7.6" diff needs all the help it can get.

Have a '05 LQ9 cam & New L92 valve springs. Changing the springs as a precaution.

Sorry for the awful pictures, Better ones to follow.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Damn, is it snowing in Dallas these days???

So, whats going back in the 'Burb?

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Cline, I would have went with you to pick her up. I have access to a trailer and your truck would have easily pulled it or I could use mine ( not the 65).

I love the plan, poor sub though! what you going to do with it??

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Should be a fun build CB!

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

In! Learn at the feet of the master!

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

When does the turbo go on??

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

cool project....I'll be following. I've often wondered how practical a LSx V8/trans swap into a V6 4th gen would be as V6 convertibles are cheap. Is the rear the same as if it were a V8 powered f-body?

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

About once a year, We don't deal with it well. The entire metroplex shuts down.

I appreciate the offer John, It was a hurry up & get it out of there type thing, I didn't think he would take my offer...He wanted $2500.

The Suburban has out lived its usefulness with the kids being older, And the little problems I have put off fixing....Heater core, Rear A/C took a dump last year, Rear gears making noise, Widow motors getting weak, Interior getting tattered, Slow radiator leak.
I'm not selling it, Going to pull the engine/trans & push it behind the garage.

Thanks guys!

For right now, The N/A 5.3L will have to do, All my fun money is going toward the swap, $274 for a pan & $500 for a K-member, New GM 5.7L motor mounts for this car are $100 a piece! LS6 valley cover...Another $100. I realize I'm preaching to the choir here;)
I will probably put a cammed L92 in it later.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Yes, Both use the same weak 7.6" corporate diff, Axles will be shot in 100K on V6 & V8 cars (Wheel bearings eat into the axle)
V6 car do have a better gear ratio though, Most came with 3:42's. Most V8/auto car have 2:73's, 3:23 was optional though. To get 3:42's in a V8 car...It had to be 6 speed.

'98 & up F-bodies all have the same brakes.

Sway bars are different between the two. Heavier on V8 cars.

Front springs are different.

The radiator is different, Fans & shroud is the same.

K-member, Engine stands, And you need LS1 motor mounts.

V6 fuel system will work, However all V6 cars have a engine mounted FPR. I'm going to run a aeromotive FPR & Aeromotive rails.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

:metal: One less thing to change when you boost it ;)

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

I get it Chris, you know if you need anything I would be happy to help. Did that guy from Ft Worth ever get in touch with you about his truck and LSx install?

Ill be watching, this wont take you long I am sure.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

I had one I bought from a guy already converted. 1994 with a LQ4/T56 installed and barely running. I parted it out after having a bit of fun with it, chassis was rusted and wrecked, and his harness was downright scary. If I remember right, you also need a 98-02 V8 steering rack as well. Otherwise looks like you are on the right track.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Thanks John, It will be a little bit, I need to do it on the lift at work....That will take some scheduling!

There is a "performance ratio" Rack, And a "standard ratio" Rack. Nothing that prevents me from installing the engine.

Clean 4th gen F-bodies that have not been wreaked are HARD to find...The only reason I bought this one.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

I'm sure you are also aware you need the tailhousing for the trans to bolt the torque arm to?

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

I have been researching how to get the Cluster to work, There is so much misinformation on the internet.

My '04 Blue/Green PCM will not control the '01 cluster, Though some mention segment swaps....No follow through on threads I have found.

'99 & up clusters use Serial Data for every gauge besides the Speedometer & Volt gauge.


'98 F-bodies have full analog gauges.

4000 ppm from the PCM for the speedo.
Tach output from the PCM for the Tach.
Oil pressure sensor wired direct to the cluster.
3-wire coolant temp sensor, Has 2 functions, Temp reading to the PCM, And a feed directly to the Cluster.
Volt gauge reads off the ignition voltage to the cluster.

The problem is...How to get the Fuel Gauge to work? The '98 fuel gauge resistor is wired to the PCM, It buffers the signal & sends it on a dedicated circuit to the Cluster.

I have a '98 Trans Am 160mph cluster, This is the research I did....

Fuel Sender OHM's

According to a GM TSB...
'98 Camaro V6 & V8 250-40 ohms
'98 Firebird V8 250-40 ohms
'98 Firebird V6 40-250 ohms

According to AllDataPro
All '99-'02 F-bodies 40-250 ohms

Great, The resistance is backwards. I decided to do a working model. Because I don't trust the info.....

'97-'98 PCM (GM racing, version 1) It has the same service number as a '98 V8 F-body, wired the grounds, Ignition hots, battery hots, & Data link connector.
Powered up the Cluster Ign., B+, & grounds
Wired the fuel gauge output to the cluster.
Used some resistors from Radio Shack to simulate a Fuel Sender.

66.9 ohms, Fuel gauge reads just above empty or 10%

147.3 ohm, Fuel gauge reads half or 45%

214 ohms, Fuel gauge reads almost full or 83%

Either the Ohm range info for a '98 T/A is wrong, Or this "GM Racing" PCM has a non-F-body base tune. I check the VIN with my Tech 2 & it read GM**RACING**VERSION**1......That was weird.
Also double checked the fuel sender that is in the car now, Gauge reads 1/4 tank & the Sender resistance is 123.3 ohms, So it does have a 40-240 sender.

If I use this set-up, The '98 PCM will only work the gas gauge.....I have to find a place to mount it, wire it, & re-pin the cluster plug. I will call it the Fuel Gauge Module:lol:

It would be great to make the Truck PCM run the "Serial Data" cluster.
I have access a '00 T/A 0411 PCM for the needed gauge segment.
Any insight on this?

Pics, I was using a 18V dewalt battery, The volt gauge is reading a little high.....

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

I am aware, My car being an '01, The 245mm 4L60E tailhousing that it has now will bolt right up to my 300mm 4L60E.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

I wouldn't go with the 98 PCM, specific to the 98 Harness and there are other reasons.

Why not use a 1220411 ECU, with an f-body harness and convert to cable throttle? 411 are easy to find in the boneyards for about any 99-02 truck/suv/van applications.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

^^As I stated, The '98 PCM will only control the fuel gauge. It's locked anyway.

Going to use the '04 "Blue/Green" truck PCM & drive by wire for now for a couple reasons....

My LS2 intake does not have provisions for a throttle cable bracket. I am not about to pay what people want for LS1/LS6 intakes.
'01 V6 Camaros are already drive by wire, No hole in the firewall for the cable.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

PLEASE leave all V6 badging and wheels on it! It will be fun for trolling.



Sooo....Cline, I see she has a 4l60e. You know when it breaks your gonna have to tell us and post pictures :)
And then you can post pics of how to fix it...since I know you know that too.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

I bet the wifey gets the Camaro!

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

It will stay 100% stock on the outside! The 300mm 4L60E will be fine;)

It's worse.....She is eyeballing my Duramax......She is not a car girl.

Some parts I got in...

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

great info and definitely have my attention. I've seen a V6 here or there with a blown motor yet the car was clean. I think I may just be doing one of these sometime in the future. I'd probably wind up trying to find one with a stick and along with the V8, swap to the t56...unless I find a really nice auto.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Got the engine/trans out of the Burb today. This was the first nice day that I've had off in a couple weeks. You guys need to keep that snow up north where it belongs;)

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Amen to the snow thing Chris.

Looks like you moving along!

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

How economical is this swap compared to just buying a V8 98-02 f body? What would be different with bolting the tailhousing and torque arm in say a 94-97 fbody?

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

It depends on how you look at it, LS1 F-bodies cost between $5,000 & $10,000. The one's in the lower price bracket have all been wreaked...More like totaled & rebuilt. The one's in the higher bracket have clean bodies & interior but have been ran HARD, Have pretty bad blow-by, Oil leaks, Rear diff's wore out. Needs shocks, Brakes, Tires & The trans is probably on it's last leg.

I have $5,637.82 in mine right now including the price of the car, TT&L & the following parts..

LS K-member
F-Body Oil pan, Pick-up tube, Windage, Dipstick & tube
LS6 valley cover & PCV hose
LS2 Intake
LQ9 cam (FREE)
L92 valve springs, New take-offs (FREE)
Hardened push rods
Motor mounts
Trans mount
Aeromotive rails (FREE)
Aeromotive regulator
Various AN fittings
4-bolt to 3-bolt throttle body adaptor
L99 brackets & accessories (2011 Camaro) (FREE)
V8 driveshaft, The V6 shaft is 2-piece with a carrier bearing (FREE)
BBK headers & Y-pipe
ARP header bolts
Flowmaster 3-inch universal muscle car exhaust (fabrication required)
Borla 3-inch muffler (FREE)
LS1 radiator
'98 F-body oil & temp senders
2 gallons of antifreeze
3 cans of Freon
Receiver drier
orifice tube
WS6 rear sway bar (FREE)
Rear Bilstein shocks (FREE)
Yukon 3:42 gear set
Diff bearing kit
Spicer rear wheel bearings
Moser axles
Posi Carrier (FREE)
Mobil 1 gear oil
LT1 front springs, For the iron block 5.3L (FREE)
Bilstein struts
Moog strut mounts
Timken front wheel bearings
GM LS1 heater hose assembly
GM brake pads
AC-Delco rotors
AC-Delco left window motor
Kee Audio/CDT speaker kit
BF-Goodrich Comp-2 245ZR-50-16 (4)
Staked plate trans cooler
P/S return line
Royal Purple P/S fluid

Still need to buy....Windshield (cracked), AC hoses (Custom, L99 Compressor), Radiator hoses (Not sure with L99 brackets), LS1 4L60E dipstick & Tube, Air Intake set-up.

I recently rebuilt a '07 4L60E & put it in my 'Burb after the Sunshell broke on the original '04 trans. I sold the '07 trans to a overseas customer this past week. Going to rebuild the '04 trans......But not including that in the price list because I will actually make money.

Your questions about '93-'97 F-bodies......
All '94-'97 4L60E use a 4-bolt tailhousing. (Same on '93 700R4)
All '98-'02 F-Body 4L60E use a 6-bolt tailhousing & a different trans mount location.
Trans Crossmembers are different....

I will find out if a '93-'97 Torque Arm Mount & Torque Arm are the same as '98-'02.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Made some headway today, Tear-down, LQ9 cam, F-body pan & LS6 Valley cover installed.
Valve springs, Pushrods, Coils, Accessories, & Intake next week...I hope.

I only take Saturday to work on this project, Some after pics, To busy to take "during" pics.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

You're going to love it once you're done. My wife recently bought me a 95 Z28 convertible and it's a blast to drive. I find myself looking for errands to run.:burnout:

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Thanks for all the information! I think if I could find a cheap v6 camaro that I'd seriously consider going this route. The reason I asked about the 94-97's is because I seem to be able to find those the cheapest that are still in decent shape. Good luck with the rest of the build, I look forward to seeing the finished product!

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Got the Brackets & Accessories put on, Had to drill & tap a hole for the Alternator bracket, Only able to run 2 of the 3 bracket bolts. Done it several times installing 6.0L truck blocks in 4th Gens, It causes no issues.

I don't like the lack of a belt tensioner on the A/C belt, It will be hell to change the belt in the car. Probably a special tool to do it.

Got the steam line bent to clear the LS2 intake, And found a EVAP purge solenoid & line that works, Just need the bracket that holds it to the intake.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Ordered all the Trans parts, Going to beta test some Alto Hi-Energy-Graphite frictions to see how they hold up.

Parts List,

Sonnax Performance pack (Shift Kit)...
Pinless accumulators & springs
.490" boost valve
PWM delete valve
Servo springs
Accumulator valve shim
Pump slide spring

Sonnax smart shell, Stator bushing, & Sungear bushing
Sonnax 4th super hold Servo
GM "093" Vette 2nd Servo, Going to beta test this & "try" to tone down the 1-2 shift using the servo piston everyone & their mom INSISTS that I use in their trans, Wish me luck.
GM 5-Pinion Input planet, Cheap as a 4-pinion on Amazon!
GM 4-Pinion Reaction planet (High Speed), $100 cheaper than a 5-pinion.
Borg Warner forward sprag.
Alto HEG frictions
Alto standard width red eagle or OE Borg Warner Hi-Energy. If the OE band in the trans is in good shape I will reuse it.

Pics of the 5-pinion planet, Nice piece, Has Teflon coated thrust washers.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Tore the '04 trans down, Stripped sunshell, Broken 1-2 accumulator spring, Band clearance way loose, & Forward clutches a little distressed (Very little). Not bad since I beat on it pretty hard in a really heavy truck, The loose band clearance played a big role in the sunshell failure....The servo builds up a lot of speed before it hits the band when clearance is excessive, The broken accumulator spring finished it off.

Got it built back up to the Input Planet after work.

Need this trans built so I can bolt it back on the engine, Then I can build a harness.

Have a '00 T56 harness, Going to add the DBW, & Trans circuits.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

your moving right along there Chris! looking good, you bringing her to my house when your done??

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

When do you want it delivered John :lol:, And I get the '65?

Got the Trans finished....Finally, Had to burn midnight oil after work on that one.

Did the Intake, Fuel rails, TB adaptor, & throttle body today. Had to mod the Multec II injectors to fit the LS2 intake, Pop the plastic spacer off, Then use a regular injector O-ring, The Truck Multec use smaller O-rings on the bottom.
Mod the fuel rail hold downs because the shorter Multec injectors.

It would have been easier to buy Injectors, But I'm spent out on this project as it is.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Engine work

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Some folks have all the fun !!!

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

This fun sure is expensive! Like this $80 rail cross over.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

What computer are you going to use with all of these upgrades?

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

'04 "Blue/Green" truck PCM, Not really doing many upgrades, The LQ9 cam is the same as late LS1 cams, Springs/pushrods just for piece of mind. The Aeromotive rails I already had, The AN fittings to install them are outrageous, If I did it over I would have bought stock LS2 rails & injectors.

Re: '04 5.3L in a '01 V6 Camaro.
 

Nice work looks good man.