Project Chimera: 1972 Chevy C10 pickup with a 4.8 LS motor

One nice thing: there's tons of info out there. I know ls1tech.com has a big "conversions and hybrids" area for this thing, and 67 to 72 Chevy trucks has a bit thread there as well.

Making some motor adapter plates:

oh yes, please.

im SOOOO close to finding a 4.8 and scrapping the 350 in my elky.....

This is relevant to my interests.

No pictures right now, but cleaned up a '99 throttle body so I'll be able to go cable operated with the throttle, and sprayed both motor mount adapter plates black.

Swapping on a cable throttle body. Found there's a PCV vent on the manifold that hits the hose barb on the throttle body. I managed to twist the vent off with a pair of pliers. Now I just need to plug it.

Test fitting a fuel pump install kit originally meant for engine swapped Miatas. It looks like I can get a pretty good in-tank pump in this truck without any more cutting than drilling a few holes to run the wires out of the stock fuel tank. Stay tuned for details.

Damn, I wish I had a drill press...

Definately want the details and prices. Looking at a solution from tanks inc that runs 225 with pump...

Got the engine and transmission out late last night. No photos yet as I was pretty tired when I was finished. Should have pics up Monday.

So, now I've got an empty engine bay...

And I think it could use some cleaning before I go any further.

A pressure washing isn't going to be enough, but it's a start.

That is a COOL truck!

Thanks, glad you like it! It's going to stay rather beater-ish, just have a cleaner engine compartment when I'm done.

In reply to MadScientistMatt:

That's exactly how I would do it too! I love the green and brown and the old wheels. Should be pretty sweet with the modern motor. Good luck!

The plates bolt up to the block.

And the old motor mounts bolt up to the plates.

But it looks like the LS manifolds aren't clearing the motor mounts. They just hit. Ack.

My buddy has a super clean example that I could have for short money but its only 2wd.

How do these things tow/hold up to the rust/salt belt?

You may be able to modify the plates to lift the motor a bit. Just enough to clear. There may also be different plates for getting the motor slightly higher. Cool swap!

peej410 wrote: My buddy has a super clean example that I could have for short money but its only 2wd. How do these things tow/hold up to the rust/salt belt?

Quick hits:

Tow: The leaf springs were a bit narrower than nearly every other automotive leaf spring on the planet which makes them a bit more prone to axle wrap and less easy to find parts for. The frames were thin, although about on par with others from that era.

Rust: They were designed terribly as far as rust goes. The A/B pillars often rot at the bottom as there is nowhere for the water drain to go. The cab corner/rocker area is similarly flawed. Sometimes the bottom of the cowl under the fender gets some, and definitely under the battery tray on the radiator support - even in dry climates, they were prone to rust, but they can still be found in relatively decent shape, just bring a magnet. I didn't, and my build thread is still on rust repair.

I think I can get it to clear with a couple spacers. This could be a good excuse to build a set of headers, but that would slow me down.

I haven't done much towing with it, but there were coil sprung versions of this truck with a two link rear suspension. That would avoid the axle wrap issue.

As for rust... mine has a good deal more rust than I'd like, and I'm not sure it was used up north. The good news is that just about every bit of steel is available new.

Wired up the MS3-Pro and started testing the sensors and wiring. When I got to coil test mode, I was surprised to find that some of the cylinders still had a functional air/fuel mix, even though the engine had been sitting for months. Didn't expect the coils to make a bang like that.

Well... throttle body/carb cleaner is a good substitute for fuel to move cars with a bad fuel pump....

Lowered the engine in to see what else might be a problem.

Looks like the manifolds are trouble everywhere - they pretty much lie on the frame rails at their outlets, as well as hitting the frame brackets. And there's no good way to get the A/C compressor fittings on there as the compressor ends up inside the frame rail.

I may be able to get the compressor to work by notching the frame rail. The manifolds, though - I'll probably need to find something that's a better fit.

Can you relocate the AC Compressor?

Seeing as you can bend that frame with a crescent wrench, I wouldn't go notching it without some good support. They are fairly flimsy.

These trucks had a crossmember that was made for a center dump ram horns - angled outlet from the manifold. It's not a normal OEM style, but some block hugger type headers will work for you there unless you want to move the engine back or make a new crossmember. It also looks like raising the rear of the engine would help, and since you're not jacking up the truck, it should work just fine.

Also, let me add one minutiae to your comment: Although every piece of steel is available new, none of it fits. I don't know if GM or the replicated part is to blame, but expect everything to be cut, welded, bashed and bent before it fits. No big deal, and I still love these trucks, but they are not quite as legoesque as everyone makes them out to be.

Perhaps something like this:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/dou-d3333/overview/make/chevrolet