pulled the trigger... LQ4/4L80 swap (6.0 vortec)

[branndon_b]

yeah, i wanted to put bigger wheels, but they had to screw into the bottom of the 4x4's i used for legs, so that was my limiting factor. need to get some shorter bolts to spin my motor over, the ones i used to mount them to the stand were too long, and they hit the stand when you try to spin it over. once i get the bolts swapped out, i'm gonna probably pull the oil pan and check my bottom end, i should get some gaskets coming i suppose huh? thanks for the interest everyone, my first big project like this compared to car audio installs or changing the carpet and dropping the headliner in my truck. i told the guys at the o'reilly auto parts store here that we'll be on a first name basis before this is over with. lol.

 

[SunlitComet]

just use them for part numbers and get the needed item cheaper online if you don't mind waiting.

 

[ezdaar]

Buy rubber, they last forever and are reuseable if needed, Preferably the blue silicone based gaskets, Orange raw rubber works just as good tho, for every gasket and silicone. just skin the gasket so it sticks to the metal surface of things sutch as valve covers, oil pans, etc... saves Alot of headache when reinstalling itels as gaskets dont move and is less likely to leak...

One trick I've learned over the years is to clean all gasket surfaces with 91% rubbing alcohol with white paper towls.. untill no more black discoloration on the towls...
Doing this method has had every engine I have built leak free indefinatly.

 

[branndon_b]

went to harbor freight today, dropped a couple bills. got 2 sets of taps and dies, a torque wrench, and a breaker bar. spent some time today cleaning out intake and exhaust bolt holes, got the 2 broken exhaust bolts out of the head (ez outs i got from sears), just kinda piddled today as well, gonna probably pull the oil pan tomorrow, and looking to change the rear seal while i have it this far down. lot easier now than later. my buddy works at a machine shop, says he'll gasket match my headers/heads, and port and polish them for me. gonna start looking into a cam, and maybe a different set of rockers and pushrods. i'll probably ride with the mild headwork/cam/rockers for now, hard to justify getting the L92 heads (i think that's right) -- $$$$. gonna leave my bottom end stock i believe for now, there's always later to start getting ridiculous with it. i just want a beefy daily driver for now, something reliable, but something that can also give the tires hell if i press on the happy pedal. anyhow, enough rambling. i'll take some more pics of the oil pan off and such as i get them done.

---------- Post added at 10:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:41 PM ----------

and thanks everyone for the nuggets of wisdom and good advice along the way

 

[foreverfalcon40]

Kudos for silicone and gaskets. Harbor frieght is the shit spend like 2-300 bucks its a steal. ANY SEARS bolt remover is worth its gold in weight. Save your reciept family and friends night is soon get an additional 10% off. Thats how it is here in NY.

Take pics!

 

[992dr]

Congrats on the purchase. Great deal to.
Its good to see someone finally diving into this swap.

 

[branndon_b]

got the oil pan off tonight, took some pics, sorry for the foggy haze in the pics, cam had been in the house and then going outside it got foggy. i'll take some better pics tomorrow in the daylight. but i'll post them up for y'all to look at.

in the pan, you can see the oil pickup tube sticking down (up)



looking towards the harmonic balancer



foggy pic previously mentioned



another one



inside the pan



more pan



some crank action







oddly enough, the oil pickup tube fits into a hole in the front of the block via an o-ring, and there are SUPPOSED to be 2 bolts there, however, mine only had one. dunno. gonna look to see about getting a second one for when i put it back together, evidently it wasn't hurting anything with only one, but i'd feel better if i replaced it. anyway, it's neat peering into the inner mechanations of these things, seeing what they're talking about with 6-bolt mains and everything. chased out some more holes with the good ol' tap, gonna see about getting some o-rings and gaskets to start closing it up. honestly, i really didn't have to take the oil pan off, but i wanted to see how it looked, and really was just curious. so i'll see about changing the rear seal while i'm this far down. hate to have to fight with it later. i'll take some better pics in the sun tomorrow probably.

 

[SunlitComet]

Lots of varnish could probably benefit from a big oil cooler and maybe some increase in oil change intervals in the future. Otherwise looking good.

 

[billowred]

Very cool swap!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AtomicHoe094]

Dont blame the foggy haze on Baking out the house man. lol