Hello fellow mii enthusiasts,.....
I'm in the process of LS or Lm7-truck engine to be exact, swapping the '78 with. Its a 2003 5.3 With a th400, 3000 stall manual shift. It's been fun so far, as the engine was for free. I had to get a front sump pan for the engine to clear the crossmember and steering rack, and the th400 I got for a trade, so not a high dollar build (so far...). I love the challenge of putting things together that do not belong together....too bad i couldnt save my relationship like that
Anyways.......It's a carb 5.3 that I plan on doing a twin turbo build with, I gapped the rings, added a cam, polished crank, new bearings, etc... and got corvette heads from a buddy who was selling them, as they have much better flow and bigger valves, but offer slightly lower compression...somewhere around 9:1, great for boosted engine applications.
I have to say that the chevy engine is wider than the 302 by about a total of 2-3" (approx. estimate) so the exhaust manifolds or headers will be a challenge. The oil filter location on a LS, or any chevy V8 is in the rear, but this will be remote mounted via hoses to a filter mount somewhere in the front. Then comes the engine mounts...Those need to be fully custom as nobody makes those for this car, same with the trans mount (no surprise). The driveshaft will have to be made for this as well. I plan on doing all the mounts myself, and sending measurements between the tailshaft and the rear end to a somewhat local driveshaft shop to have them make one. It seems the spending is starting to add up when it comes to the little things, but thats expected with a build like this, i'm in no rush.
The front end has coilovers with 5 lug rotors, 5x4.5" ford pattern. The wheels are 15x5 us101 indy and skinny tires...can't remember the size off the top of my head, but look awesome like a 70's gasser or drag car. The rear (haven't gotten there yet) i'll either have to send the axles out to have them re drilled, or thinking about getting cut to fit 5 lug.
So heres the questions.....
Does anyone have any experience with the rear axles to convert to 5 lug? Thinking about 15x8 wheels, or 15x9.5 (to match the front rim style, that's the sizes offered)......but not looking to stick out too much with the tires. What rear sizes are you guys running? Tire sizes? Any luck with having the axles redrilled? I heard somewhere that there isnt enough space on the flange, but I could be wrong
also the rear is NOT tubbed, so its all stock clearances, with frame connectors and caltracs...
Overall, its a slow process, as time is limited with the work schedule and life in general, but a fun process. Here's a picture of the engine and trans mocked up so far....... thanks and cheers
I'm in the process of LS or Lm7-truck engine to be exact, swapping the '78 with. Its a 2003 5.3 With a th400, 3000 stall manual shift. It's been fun so far, as the engine was for free. I had to get a front sump pan for the engine to clear the crossmember and steering rack, and the th400 I got for a trade, so not a high dollar build (so far...). I love the challenge of putting things together that do not belong together....too bad i couldnt save my relationship like that
Anyways.......It's a carb 5.3 that I plan on doing a twin turbo build with, I gapped the rings, added a cam, polished crank, new bearings, etc... and got corvette heads from a buddy who was selling them, as they have much better flow and bigger valves, but offer slightly lower compression...somewhere around 9:1, great for boosted engine applications.
I have to say that the chevy engine is wider than the 302 by about a total of 2-3" (approx. estimate) so the exhaust manifolds or headers will be a challenge. The oil filter location on a LS, or any chevy V8 is in the rear, but this will be remote mounted via hoses to a filter mount somewhere in the front. Then comes the engine mounts...Those need to be fully custom as nobody makes those for this car, same with the trans mount (no surprise). The driveshaft will have to be made for this as well. I plan on doing all the mounts myself, and sending measurements between the tailshaft and the rear end to a somewhat local driveshaft shop to have them make one. It seems the spending is starting to add up when it comes to the little things, but thats expected with a build like this, i'm in no rush.
The front end has coilovers with 5 lug rotors, 5x4.5" ford pattern. The wheels are 15x5 us101 indy and skinny tires...can't remember the size off the top of my head, but look awesome like a 70's gasser or drag car. The rear (haven't gotten there yet) i'll either have to send the axles out to have them re drilled, or thinking about getting cut to fit 5 lug.
So heres the questions.....
Does anyone have any experience with the rear axles to convert to 5 lug? Thinking about 15x8 wheels, or 15x9.5 (to match the front rim style, that's the sizes offered)......but not looking to stick out too much with the tires. What rear sizes are you guys running? Tire sizes? Any luck with having the axles redrilled? I heard somewhere that there isnt enough space on the flange, but I could be wrong
also the rear is NOT tubbed, so its all stock clearances, with frame connectors and caltracs...
Overall, its a slow process, as time is limited with the work schedule and life in general, but a fun process. Here's a picture of the engine and trans mocked up so far....... thanks and cheers