1 tuff z

kraymond, i found a complete car on ebay. fortunately it never hit the reserve [twice] and i was able to call the seller and make a deal. paid $5900 for the car-delivered from iowa to my home in rochester, ny. prior to purchase i checked ebay and started pricing all the parts the f-body guys were buying and made the guy an offer. got real lucky in that i sold $5770 of parts, leaving me with a 20,044 mile 2001 ls1 and t56 trans, computer, fans & some other parts i kept for $-well, you can do the math. you could always bribe someone who has an f-body to go out and total it-LOL. i think the want ad might work. i also tried to go to an insurance auction to bid on a totalled car, but without the proper credentials they won't even talk to you. if you know someone in the business, that avenue may work. also, keep checking ebay, classifieds, etc.

pulled the engine last week [3rd and hopefully last time]. tranny crossmember fitted and now off for powdercoating, rattle can'd the engine bay last night and will now begin the details prior to final install. tasks to complete prior to dropping eng/trans back in; install fuel tank & fuel lines, install brake booster & master-re-route brake lines, install proportion valve for brakes, clutch master & slave install, fabricate pcm mounting bracket & install, waiting for speartech harness-once arrives-install. i'm sure there's a bunch of other stuff i'll discover once i'm there but getting closer! david

i took the same approach and sold everything but eng/trans/pcm & fans. got almost everything back from what i laid out for the parts car. put it all on ebay, the f-body guys will gobble it up. don't forget to save the manifold gaskets & oxy sensors.

perhaps i should have waited until my z is running... however, my numbers are accurate although they do not include what i've put into my car since purchase in october 1984. 6 pt cage, fully modified suspension, recaro seats, decent sound system, paint, bodywork, air dam, spoiler, wheels, brakes, coilovers, lsd, it goes on. i'm guessing i have around [not including labor] $20 into my car-BEFORE starting my swap. again, i was very fortunate that my ls1/t56 cost was nearly $0-only because i was able to sell all the parts from the 2001 trans am 'donor' car.

i'm estimating my ls1 swap will run somewhere around $4000 when i'm finished. i've built in time for dyno tuning, some miscellaneous labor which i can't do and will pay for. not included is the z, which i've been driving for years. and before you say, no way-keep in mind that i located a totalled trans am, bought the whole car and [thanks ebay!] sold everything-including the stripped and naked shell and got the engine/tranny/computer for next to nothing. i DID NOT include any labor in the above number. the hours, as many of you know are countless but i love doing it. i also sold many of the 6 cylinder parts i pulled off the car [eng, trans, etc] to help offset the cost. once complete, i'll post a list of what i spent.

vinny, pic of what i did with mine in my gallery. enlarged the existing hole and voila, works great.

mike k, to reply to your comment about polishing a terd. everyone who's seen the movie christine knows you can't polish a terd. remember when the kid is putting the new wiper blades on the car in the indoor warehouse and the owner tells him "hey kid, you can't polish a terd". sorry, that ran thru my head and i had to share it...

throttle cables, clutch master if you plan to use that, rad hoses & heater hoses [i used them both on mine], eng mounts. i sold everything i needed to fbody ebay'rs and got almost everything back that i laid out to buy the car!

thought i should give an update on my ls1 swap. pulled the good ole supercharged six to make room for the ls1. knocked off the tranny mounts give it some paint and massaged the trans tunnel to fit the 6 speed. put in john's cars eng mounts but had been sent wrong tranny mount [should be here soon]. ordered autometer pro comp gauges-now mated to original bezels and mounting apparatus. essentially they now mount to stock tabs in dash, making the install easy. ls1 has been in 3 times now and will come out once more to clean up the eng bay. custom aluminumin rad in with stock f-body elec fans mounted-fits perfect and looks great-uses stock trans am upper & lower rad hoses, intake complete, mounted the iat in the air filter housing-based on my local f-body expert who is also tuning the car. using stock f-body throttle cable, small clevis to end of gas pedal and an adj piece that attaches to the throttle body. been identifying which wires, hoses etc. can go/stay. adapted a plastic 280z glovebox to my 240 [got rid of the old cardboard and will mount the pcm behind it. alternator/serpentine belt problem solved by machining the bolt heads flush and countersinking the alt mount and new stainless bushings. i'll post a pic soon. much more to do, clutch slave & master, tranny mount, exhaust, finish mounting gauges, order wire harness, pull engine & put in again once eng bay cleaned, replace pedal box, remount dashboard, heater control panel, console, install brake master & booster, reroute brake lines, run fuel lines, install 280z fuel tank. i'm certain there's more...[some pics posted, more as i move along].

the little stuff for the v8z swap, $5000 on the card, ls1 engine, tranny and other stuff that had to get done, $8,000 on your card, ear to ear grin when your little ole hybridz hangs with a $150,000+ exotic PRICELESS! for everything else, well-is there really anything else?!?!

nice one dave, i'd say that trip along made all the sweat and stress this summer worth it, and then some... david

love to see unique approaches to some of the challenges our z's throw at us. hate the fact that i 'got no fab'n skills'. david

dale, that would be helpful. if u wounldn't mine a pic would b e bonus! thanks

hey guys, i know i've read it somewhere and have searched but can't seem to find the answer. i have a 73 and am swapping in an 01 ls1 with t56. i'm using john's cars eng & tranny mounts. i think i remember reading that on the 240's the stock tranny mounts need to be removed and some don't. can anyone help me on to verify if this is true and if so, which. just want to be sure before i remove these things. mine appears to have a 'horse collar' looking brace that attaches to the tranny tunnel and then the tranny crossmember mounts attach to that. do i remove the entire collar or just the mounts?? l28 is out and ls1 ready for it's first test fit. strange, i tried to put it in about an hour ago and found that my cherry picker doesn't seem to extend far enough to set the engine on the mounts [yes, the arm is at the furthest hole out]. the front bumper hits the hyd ram on the hoist. still need about 8" more movement. maybe i need to go over the fender wrather than over the rad support. input always appreciated! thanks, david

forgot that i had weighed my ls1/t56 without the flywheel and clutch assy. they are 45 lbs total, added to the above stated weights. sorry for the omission. david

pulled the L28 today with zx 5 speed. here's the weight... L28, dry, with alternator, flywheel, clutch assy, zx 5 spd n/a tranny and no intake or exhaust manifold-455 pounds. add on my supercharger & intake manifold brings it up to 505 lbs, just 10 lbs lighter than the LS1 in the post above. i'm confident that the carb'd or fi intake manifolds are a bit lighter than my jcr supercharger. but this gives you pretty close weights for our inliners. david

i just weighed my 01 ls1, no a/c compressor or p/s pump, dry, no exhaust manifolds, with flywheel, clutch, pressure plate & t56 attached. used 2 old bathroom scales with a 2x8 between them. did it several times and came up with the same weight each time [within 2 pounds]. grand total... 515 pounds. i'll do the same as soon as i pull the inliner. david to satisfy my own curiosity... weighed it again this morning but a bit differently in how i positioned it on the scales. came in at 505 lbs.

more pics, more pics!!

good to know guys, since i'll be there soon enuf. love hybridz and the way i can learn from others. i can honestly say i'd never have tackled this swap without you all! david