You answer every question I've been asking myself for a month in 2 minutes and 40 seconds. I really appreciate that and I've been trying to figure out what all I needed to swap. Great video to the point no long intro and a bunch of fluff. Thanks man
i got super lucky and found a wrecked trans am and swapped everything i needed. mine entire swap took me 2yrs but it was worth the wait for how it came out
Yeah mine woulda costed less but I went all out on the things to make it look cool lol but I hope it will be done before summer. I will be making more videos once it warms up.
One thing to keep in mind. I have to cover in my next video. Do some research on the INJ1 and INJ2 in your fuse box. Those are your sets of Injectors and the 3.8 uses 1 Fuse for its set of injectors for both sides INJ1. the LS uses both INJ1- Right side Injectors. INJ2- Left side Injectors. Since INJ2 isnt hooked up you have to run a Wire from Your IGN fuse to your Left side Injectors. I forgot which color wire on the injector harness it wires up too. But that's important to remember or your car will just crank and crank.
I had to swap my ws6 from an ls1 to an lm7. I bought it knowing the engine was bad but I had no idea it destroyed the block when it threw a rod. I could’ve salvage any of the long block even both heads were destroyed when crap went into the intake through the EGR. Another reason to delete it lol.
Yeah the LM7s are better in my opinion yeah smaller bore, but even a 6.0 iron block it will live a long time. The aluminums like to Warp or crack from heat sometimes. Iron takes a beating.
If your using a V6 torque converter you will need the spacer. If your using a V8 torque converter you will not need the spacer. I just looked on eBay and found a cheap 5.3 torque converter with 27 splines. Not a 30. But if you get a 5.3 torque converter you wont need that little spacer. Good luck 👍
@EricAtkinsonMusic yeah all the 3.8 transmissions. But not all GM v6s, the blazer has a 30 spline. I'd just pick a 30 spline v8 4l60e. I accidently put a 30 spline on my 27 spline input shaft and it ate the thing up, I had to replace the 27 spline stator with a 30 spline and buy a 30 spline torque converter for it. I'd do some reading into it. If your going to re use the v6 transmission. It's really confusing to say the least. I'm just putting my transmission back in my car and hoping everything goes well. I'll update a video when the car is driving. It starts and runs, sounds nice just got to get it to move.
@@thehellbird8946 thanks for the reply man .. did you have any issues with those plugs on the passenger fender ..I have a LS1 stand alone harness do I just splice them into that harness and match them to the wires coming out my pcm ?
@@thehellbird8946 I have the 411 ecu LS1 and I’ve made my harness an LS1 I went through and check every wire an made sure they all were right .. seems to check out lol .. but I’ve been worried about having the fender plugs right .. I have to get a Lengenfelter to switch my signal from 58x to the old 24x reluctor wheel signal .. man I’m so close to having something running me and my kids all helped here and there and helped me build ..definitely going to be special.. just need to figure out this tranny .. I followed you and got the right bellhousing and the spacer .. my v6 tranny is pretty snappy and stout i wanted to put against that 5.3 till I can buy a T56 man ..
Wow this helped a lot I’m actually building a gen 3 5.3l for my 2002 camaro and I’m happy to hear that I can reuse a lot of the parts. I am concerned about wiring tho. When I bought my 5.3 it was just a short block so I don’t have the computer or any wiring. Do u know if there is a company that makes a plug in play wiring kit for a 5.3 to mate up with a 4th gen fbody ?
All you need is the wiring harness for a LS1 Fbody and you can get a Drive by cable if your going that rout. Get with VATS off 5.3 ECM on eBay for 120$ or so, just message the seller upon ordering and tell them the year and model of your car, tell them the speedo maxes @ 156 and tell them the tire size. That's what I did. You may still need a tune after but it should start and run. No problem 👍
Also if you go with DBC instead of DBW you will need to order the blue and green plastic pieces for the ECM plugs on the harness. Those are easy to swap out.
@@mr171009 yes. Try to get it for your year. I hope mine works cause the guy who sold me the car said it was a 98. I didnt look at the title until after I bought everything and it said 99. Bare with me here lol but if you have a 99-02 the clusters from any of those years are interchangable. But if you have a 98 you have to buy a 98 cluster specific because the pins were changed in 99. You can't use 93-97 either.
Hey bro I have the v8 K member and it seems like my steering rack knuckle is not allowing me to put my steering shaft into it. It's hitting on my motor mount I have the same style motor mounts as you. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I didn't have a issue with it hitting the mount, the header was sitting on top of my lower steering rack and I couldnt turn my steering wheel at all. I had to grind the lower steering shaft down where it was striking the header, then repainted the shaft so it didn't rust, then I also had to put a dent in the header where it sits. I'm using spohn k member mounts and they are a hair higher than the stock mounts and it was still striking. You don't have to mess with your upper steering shaft, leave that alone. Once you get the lower steering shaft bolt loose a large flat head will pop it up and out of the joint. Its probably the biggest obstacle with using long tube headers. I'd say if you want to avoid that just go with short tubes or the stock manifolds. I wish I could be more help.
As far as it goes for the steering rack, the steering shaft should tap right down into the steering rack with a hammer. But of course my lower steering shaft was already connected to the k member and steering rack, but I believe the shaft is the same as the V6 cause they are short and fat.
@@thehellbird8946 thanks for the reply man, I appreciate it. Do you possibly have a picture of your steering setup? I could check on insta if you have posted it there or something previously
Yes. If your using long tube headers for the F body it's gonna be some modification. I have Speed Engeneering LTHs and true dual exhaust, I paid 1400 for the entire set up. I'm using Spohn raised K member mounts and one of the driver side tube's on the header sit right on the lower steering shaft, and you can't turn your steering wheel, you don't want it touching because you'll wreck if you try to Drive it. I had to mark the spot on the header with a red marker to see where It was touching and I had to whack it with a ball peen hammer to dent it in a good bit, it was still touching so I had to grind my steering shaft down a bit. Now it doesn't touch. Of course it's probably not the safest idea but it should be okay lol but yes I'd probably go with short tube headers. I'd still look into forums on if the short tube's strike or not but I don't think they do. I do wish the best of luck to you! 👍
Hey man I’m doing the same thing to a 2002 Pontiac Firebird. I was curious on where you got the bell housing for your 4l60E and was curious if you had the part number for it. Thank you
I bought it used on Ebay. Alot of my parts were from Ebay. You can find em a dime a dozen on there. I think I spent like 75 bucks for it. It's been awhile. Lol good luck with your build man. If you have any questions I'll be glad to try to help.
Hey its me again do u know what I have to do to get my transmission to engag its firing up put it in gear nothing and I know the transmission was working b4 could it be wiring
Should do it's thing, never heard of anyone have that problem. Did you make sure your toque converter grabs anf fits the input shaft. Like same amount of splines.
When you put the converter back in, did you make sure it seated completely before installing the transmission? Best wake to make sure you did this correctly was to see if the converter spins freely when the tranny is bolted to the engine but converter isn’t bolted to flex plate. If it wasn’t seated correctly, more then likely the transmission oil pump broke either upon tightening the trans or startup of engine which would cause the exact symptoms your having.
@@Lou_sassel315 I got mine all together and in the car. It's almost ready to run. Needs exhaust, radiator and a few little nicknacks. But I do still have to tighten the torque bolts on mine lol
It will. That's what I did. But i think we crushed the tabs inside the transmission pump, don't use the spacer if you Have a v8 torque converter. I didn't think about it when putting it together and we tried to use the spacer when we didn't need to and it broke the tabs in my pump. But yes the 300 mm should have 30 spline and the V8 torque converter should have 30. Mark and Count the splines on the stator and the torque converter to be safe.
You can use the bell housing but the V6 transmission from the 3.8 has a different pump shaft. Has less splines 27 rather than 30 I believe it is. I'd recommend to just buy a torque converter for a 27 spline to be on the safe side. The flexplate spacer was not needed. I got a 2300-2500 stall converter. Maybe a little under rated but it's what I could find for a cheap price. Hope it works out for you! 👍
Yes. The 150 mph v8 instrument panel needs to be one from a 98. The pins are specific for that year. 99-02 lights and guages won't work. If you have a 99-02 you can interchange any of those years. That's the main thing I can think of off the bat, If you have any questions I'll try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.
@@99hulkhawk90 Mine still may need to be tuned but I had the guy I bought the 5.3 ECM from on eBay put the specs of the trans am on there. Vats off, no speed Governor, no torque management which I'm a little worried about that being that I'm using a stock 4l60e lol it should be okay it has 126,000 miles on the transmission.
Correct. I seen a pair only one time online, I honestly can't remember where, but I know they do exist. I just ordered the LS1 k member from eBay it was like 125+ tax and shipping so it was like 210 I believe. It was heavy the fed ex guy was mad lol
@THE HELLBIRD probably ends up being easier to just get the k member, in my case going turbo I think I will need the "turbo" k member regardless to run exhaust
Yes. If you have a 98 through 02 the 4l60e bell housing is removable just buy the bell housing from 5.3 6.0 with the top bolt hole. You can buy a higher torque converter with 27 splines. and it will work without a spacer. The spacer is only if your using a v6 torque. So just buy a new bell housing and torque converter and your good.
@@thehellbird8946 I did not know this I knew the bellhousing was different, but I also read that the input shaft was different lengths and wouldn't work cause of that.
@@travdav7775 I didn't seem to have any troubles once I put the 2500 stall on it. I figured I needed the Spacer cause the input shaft said it was shorter. So I put the spacer on and went to hook it up to the engine and the spacer was in the way. Removed the spacer and it hooked up perfectly. So I'd say just get a V8 LS torque converter with 27 splines and it will mount up.
You will have to buy the harness from a LS1 Fbody. If your changing the drive set up to Drive by cable rather than drive by wire You will have to buy the computer on ebay for whatever liter LS your dropping in it, you want one with Vats off. I got a 5.3 computer listed for a mini van on ebay for $130 I believe it was, if the seller reprograms them message them upon buying tell them the liter and specs of your car, speedo top speed, tire size, transmission and year of the car. But as I was saying if you switch it to Drive by cable. DBC computers are blue and green. The trans am uses blue and red for drive by wire. So all you have to do is buy the blue and green plastic pieces for the harness, they pop off and are interchangeable. Cause you can't use the red and blue colors on the green and blue. The guy who sent me the ecu sent me the plastic pieces cause I told him what I was doing. So that's a important thing to know if your converting your throttle set up. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask. I wish the best of luck to you and your build. I've been planning on getting back to making more content but I had to drop the transmission because I accidently put a 30 spline v8 torque converter on the v6 trans which has the 27 spline stator. If you buy a v8 torque converter make sure it's 27 splines and not 30 otherwise you will be dropping the transmission back out because it's making a loud woooo noise when you hit the throttle in park. if you go with a v6 torque converter your gonna have to use that spacer I showed in the video.
Just the steering rack, sway bar, control arms and the transmission. The bell housing is interchangeable, you will need The V8 harness the ecm for that engine, I got mine from eBay from a van, the vatts turned off. You need to get a c5 Corvette fuel filter to keep it a return set up, those v8s have returnless fuel system. Need the V8 k member. And for the engine it uses all LS1 Fbody engine accessories, truck accessories are too large.
Yes, make sure you have the right number of splines on your torque converter and the input shaft or stator. The transmission we reused is making a woo noise from the trans after the 4th start up. We think the trans pump failed but then again I could had accidently put a 30 spline torque converter on a 27 spline stator. But now we are dropping the trans to check it out, either swap the pump out or replace the transmission. If you can get a 2 wheel drive 4l60e from a LS truck or vehicle that would be better because at least you know everything is copecetic. The only difference between the v6 and v8 4l60e is the number of splines on the stator. V6 has 27 and v8 has 30 splines. I read and looked up if you can use a LT1 transmission and it said the wiring is different so it has to be one from a LS. But if you can't find a good V8 one you could reuse it. But you will have to find a 27 spline 5.3 torque converter. The only thing I can't tell you is if the v6 transmission will hold up or not with more HP.
@johnnyrush5066 yes, you can buy larger ring and pinion gears for the 7.5 10 bolt. Mine still have the 3: 08 gears in it from the v6. But I bought Richmond 4: 10 gears for it, GM put 7.5 rear ends in all 4th Gen F bodies, V6 or V8. You can put a 8.5 in it or buy a aftermarket rear end. But everyone claims the 7.5s break. Honestly it's not breaking with stock set up imo. Now once you start running a bigger cam, supercharger, turbos, anything that's adding massive HP than it would possibly be a good idea, but I say, let it take it, until you break it.
I had to use the original V6 green board because they are the same, and took the face of the Trans Am speedo and put it on. That way it says the cars original miles. However I might even experience this problem but speed sensors might be off, I could be wrong but a tune should fix that the speed calibration, I believe there is a speed sensor on the transmission, I don't know for sure if its different than the V8. But all my gauges works.
You can use any LS variant you want, 4.8 5.3. 6.0 or a 5.7 LS1 they are all the same block it's just the truck LS variants are usually iron Block, the car engines are aluminum. The 5.3 LM7 is a Iron block, you will just need all the Fbody LS1 accessories, LS1 harness and a 5.3 ECM. The LS1 harness has red and blue ecm plugs and the truck ECM uses blue and Green, Its been a little while, but I believe it's the red plastic fitting take that off and replace it with a green one. You may have to look into it. You won't have to worry about running a wire from your right side fuel injectors to your fuses, because the LT1 and LS1 cars use both INJ1 and INJ2. So those are ready to go for you. But yeah use any LS or LS variant you want.
@@thehellbird8946 oh I know what all is involved I was just commenting on what I was swapping from and what I was going to be putting in was either the lm7 I have or I might try to find an LS3 because I had a 2015 SS before the 93 I have
You answer every question I've been asking myself for a month in 2 minutes and 40 seconds. I really appreciate that and I've been trying to figure out what all I needed to swap. Great video to the point no long intro and a bunch of fluff. Thanks man
Just bought a 5.3 last night, building it and putting it in my 01 firebird which currently has the 3.8
i got super lucky and found a wrecked trans am and swapped everything i needed. mine entire swap took me 2yrs but it was worth the wait for how it came out
Yeah mine woulda costed less but I went all out on the things to make it look cool lol but I hope it will be done before summer. I will be making more videos once it warms up.
You can use a exspess van ls pick up tube and oil pan,it will clear k member on f body
I always saw that come up as compatible parts. Good to know it works. So a Express Van 6.0 should drop right in 🤨
I’m try it out but what years ?
Right when I was going to buy umi performance kmember I came across your video and you saved me shit ton of money
I'll be doing my 3.8 v-6 too a 6.2 Ls soon, trying to gather all parts needed 1st. Thanks for the tips !
One thing to keep in mind. I have to cover in my next video. Do some research on the INJ1 and INJ2 in your fuse box. Those are your sets of Injectors and the 3.8 uses 1 Fuse for its set of injectors for both sides INJ1. the LS uses both INJ1- Right side Injectors. INJ2- Left side Injectors. Since INJ2 isnt hooked up you have to run a Wire from Your IGN fuse to your Left side Injectors. I forgot which color wire on the injector harness it wires up too. But that's important to remember or your car will just crank and crank.
Hell bird Would you be able to reuse the rear end bro
I had to swap my ws6 from an ls1 to an lm7. I bought it knowing the engine was bad but I had no idea it destroyed the block when it threw a rod. I could’ve salvage any of the long block even both heads were destroyed when crap went into the intake through the EGR. Another reason to delete it lol.
Yeah the LM7s are better in my opinion yeah smaller bore, but even a 6.0 iron block it will live a long time. The aluminums like to Warp or crack from heat sometimes. Iron takes a beating.
Putting 5.3 in my 93 z28! Thanks for the video
Do you have a link on the spacer you used for the torque converter
If your using a V6 torque converter you will need the spacer. If your using a V8 torque converter you will not need the spacer. I just looked on eBay and found a cheap 5.3 torque converter with 27 splines. Not a 30. But if you get a 5.3 torque converter you wont need that little spacer. Good luck 👍
What brackets did you use to relocate the alternator, power steering and pully ?
I can't remember the brand but I got both relocator mounts on eBay. I used a side mount alternator relocator bracket .
So what all vehicles have the V8 27 spline converter ??
@EricAtkinsonMusic yeah all the 3.8 transmissions. But not all GM v6s, the blazer has a 30 spline. I'd just pick a 30 spline v8 4l60e. I accidently put a 30 spline on my 27 spline input shaft and it ate the thing up, I had to replace the 27 spline stator with a 30 spline and buy a 30 spline torque converter for it. I'd do some reading into it. If your going to re use the v6 transmission. It's really confusing to say the least. I'm just putting my transmission back in my car and hoping everything goes well. I'll update a video when the car is driving. It starts and runs, sounds nice just got to get it to move.
@@thehellbird8946 thanks for the reply man .. did you have any issues with those plugs on the passenger fender ..I have a LS1 stand alone harness do I just splice them into that harness and match them to the wires coming out my pcm ?
@EricAtkinsonMusic everything was plug and play on my end. When I was building it I bought a used stock LS1 f body harness and a 5.3 ECU.
@@thehellbird8946 I have the 411 ecu LS1 and I’ve made my harness an LS1 I went through and check every wire an made sure they all were right .. seems to check out lol .. but I’ve been worried about having the fender plugs right .. I have to get a Lengenfelter to switch my signal from 58x to the old 24x reluctor wheel signal .. man I’m so close to having something running me and my kids all helped here and there and helped me build ..definitely going to be special.. just need to figure out this tranny .. I followed you and got the right bellhousing and the spacer .. my v6 tranny is pretty snappy and stout i wanted to put against that 5.3 till I can buy a T56 man ..
@@thehellbird8946 did that 27 spline work man .. I’m thinking about going with a 5 speed or 6 speed
So a k member from an ls1 5.7 trans am is comparable with the 5.3 also?
Yes, all the LS engines are the same, even the Truck variations, 4.8 5.3 5.7 and 6.0. they all will bolt right up to the LS1 k member.
Can you make a video explaining the wiring
What would you like to know?
Wow I had no idea you can reuse the transmission! Is that adapter the one they sell for th400? Also any 5.3 truck bell housing will work?
I didn't end up needing the spacer like I thought. It fit right up. Just make sure whatever size torque converter your using is a 27 spline deal.
Yes. As long as it has that top bolt hole. And it's from a 4l60e
Wow this helped a lot I’m actually building a gen 3 5.3l for my 2002 camaro and I’m happy to hear that I can reuse a lot of the parts. I am concerned about wiring tho. When I bought my 5.3 it was just a short block so I don’t have the computer or any wiring. Do u know if there is a company that makes a plug in play wiring kit for a 5.3 to mate up with a 4th gen fbody ?
All you need is the wiring harness for a LS1 Fbody and you can get a Drive by cable if your going that rout. Get with VATS off 5.3 ECM on eBay for 120$ or so, just message the seller upon ordering and tell them the year and model of your car, tell them the speedo maxes @ 156 and tell them the tire size. That's what I did. You may still need a tune after but it should start and run. No problem 👍
Also if you go with DBC instead of DBW you will need to order the blue and green plastic pieces for the ECM plugs on the harness. Those are easy to swap out.
@@thehellbird8946 …did you need to swap gauge cluster ? Off an LS powered fbody ?
@@mr171009 yes. Try to get it for your year. I hope mine works cause the guy who sold me the car said it was a 98. I didnt look at the title until after I bought everything and it said 99. Bare with me here lol but if you have a 99-02 the clusters from any of those years are interchangable. But if you have a 98 you have to buy a 98 cluster specific because the pins were changed in 99. You can't use 93-97 either.
@@thehellbird8946 .. thank you
Those are badass tips thank you
Hey bro I have the v8 K member and it seems like my steering rack knuckle is not allowing me to put my steering shaft into it. It's hitting on my motor mount I have the same style motor mounts as you. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I didn't have a issue with it hitting the mount, the header was sitting on top of my lower steering rack and I couldnt turn my steering wheel at all. I had to grind the lower steering shaft down where it was striking the header, then repainted the shaft so it didn't rust, then I also had to put a dent in the header where it sits. I'm using spohn k member mounts and they are a hair higher than the stock mounts and it was still striking. You don't have to mess with your upper steering shaft, leave that alone. Once you get the lower steering shaft bolt loose a large flat head will pop it up and out of the joint. Its probably the biggest obstacle with using long tube headers. I'd say if you want to avoid that just go with short tubes or the stock manifolds. I wish I could be more help.
As far as it goes for the steering rack, the steering shaft should tap right down into the steering rack with a hammer. But of course my lower steering shaft was already connected to the k member and steering rack, but I believe the shaft is the same as the V6 cause they are short and fat.
It's a real pain but I'm sure you will figure it out, read lots of forums on google. That's what I did. Not much for videos out there lol
@@thehellbird8946 thanks for the reply man, I appreciate it. Do you possibly have a picture of your steering setup? I could check on insta if you have posted it there or something previously
any suggestions on headers for a 5.3 in a 1998 firebird? Having issue finding ones to install
Yes. If your using long tube headers for the F body it's gonna be some modification. I have Speed Engeneering LTHs and true dual exhaust, I paid 1400 for the entire set up. I'm using Spohn raised K member mounts and one of the driver side tube's on the header sit right on the lower steering shaft, and you can't turn your steering wheel, you don't want it touching because you'll wreck if you try to Drive it. I had to mark the spot on the header with a red marker to see where It was touching and I had to whack it with a ball peen hammer to dent it in a good bit, it was still touching so I had to grind my steering shaft down a bit. Now it doesn't touch. Of course it's probably not the safest idea but it should be okay lol but yes I'd probably go with short tube headers. I'd still look into forums on if the short tube's strike or not but I don't think they do. I do wish the best of luck to you! 👍
Hey man I’m doing the same thing to a 2002 Pontiac Firebird. I was curious on where you got the bell housing for your 4l60E and was curious if you had the part number for it. Thank you
I bought it used on Ebay. Alot of my parts were from Ebay. You can find em a dime a dozen on there. I think I spent like 75 bucks for it. It's been awhile. Lol good luck with your build man. If you have any questions I'll be glad to try to help.
@@thehellbird8946 ok thank you man. And I sure will. This is my first time doing a engine swap so it’s going to be a big learning process for me to.
Hey its me again do u know what I have to do to get my transmission to engag its firing up put it in gear nothing and I know the transmission was working b4 could it be wiring
Should do it's thing, never heard of anyone have that problem. Did you make sure your toque converter grabs anf fits the input shaft. Like same amount of splines.
When you put the converter back in, did you make sure it seated completely before installing the transmission? Best wake to make sure you did this correctly was to see if the converter spins freely when the tranny is bolted to the engine but converter isn’t bolted to flex plate. If it wasn’t seated correctly, more then likely the transmission oil pump broke either upon tightening the trans or startup of engine which would cause the exact symptoms your having.
@@Lou_sassel315 I got mine all together and in the car. It's almost ready to run. Needs exhaust, radiator and a few little nicknacks. But I do still have to tighten the torque bolts on mine lol
Where did you get the bell housing adapter? I thought the ls4 has a 60degree bell housing.
Excellent info!!
Need your input I have a 99 4l60e from the original 3.8 I have a 5.3 flexplate an a 300 mm torque converter will this work
It will. That's what I did. But i think we crushed the tabs inside the transmission pump, don't use the spacer if you Have a v8 torque converter. I didn't think about it when putting it together and we tried to use the spacer when we didn't need to and it broke the tabs in my pump. But yes the 300 mm should have 30 spline and the V8 torque converter should have 30. Mark and Count the splines on the stator and the torque converter to be safe.
Did you run into anything else that you couldn’t reuse on the motor ?
When it comes to the LM7 there's nothing reusable, youl need all LS1 Fbody engine accessories Including the crank pully.
Where did you get your v8 motor mounts? I’m trying to find motor mounts that will fit a 5.3
New from Ebay
@@thehellbird8946 got link by chance?
i have a ls1 4l60e missing 3rd and 4th gear when i swap bell housing to v6 trans could i reuse v8 torque converter ?
You can use the bell housing but the V6 transmission from the 3.8 has a different pump shaft. Has less splines 27 rather than 30 I believe it is. I'd recommend to just buy a torque converter for a 27 spline to be on the safe side. The flexplate spacer was not needed. I got a 2300-2500 stall converter. Maybe a little under rated but it's what I could find for a cheap price. Hope it works out for you! 👍
I plan on doing a ls3 swap on a 98 firebird v6, anytips?
Yes. The 150 mph v8 instrument panel needs to be one from a 98. The pins are specific for that year. 99-02 lights and guages won't work. If you have a 99-02 you can interchange any of those years. That's the main thing I can think of off the bat,
If you have any questions I'll try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.
Do u have a link where to buy the motor mounts that you used ?
I don't unfortunately it's been a few years. I used Spohn mounts I bought them on ebay.
I just did my v6 to ls 5.3
Hell yeah bro, run good?
Yes gotta get a tune it’s so much I learned from it I can’t wait to help my guy with his
@@99hulkhawk90 Mine still may need to be tuned but I had the guy I bought the 5.3 ECM from on eBay put the specs of the trans am on there. Vats off, no speed Governor, no torque management which I'm a little worried about that being that I'm using a stock 4l60e lol it should be okay it has 126,000 miles on the transmission.
Yea a the transmission should hold up for some time until u start adding boost power adders but a good tune should do it
@@99hulkhawk90 .. I may need your help if you don’t mind
So you can use the v6 k member you just need the adapter plates?
Correct. I seen a pair only one time online, I honestly can't remember where, but I know they do exist. I just ordered the LS1 k member from eBay it was like 125+ tax and shipping so it was like 210 I believe. It was heavy the fed ex guy was mad lol
@THE HELLBIRD probably ends up being easier to just get the k member, in my case going turbo I think I will need the "turbo" k member regardless to run exhaust
Wait! I can use my V6 transmission? I kept reading that there was more differences then just the bellhousing?
Yes. If you have a 98 through 02 the 4l60e bell housing is removable just buy the bell housing from 5.3 6.0 with the top bolt hole. You can buy a higher torque converter with 27 splines. and it will work without a spacer. The spacer is only if your using a v6 torque. So just buy a new bell housing and torque converter and your good.
@@thehellbird8946 I did not know this I knew the bellhousing was different, but I also read that the input shaft was different lengths and wouldn't work cause of that.
@@travdav7775 I didn't seem to have any troubles once I put the 2500 stall on it. I figured I needed the Spacer cause the input shaft said it was shorter. So I put the spacer on and went to hook it up to the engine and the spacer was in the way. Removed the spacer and it hooked up perfectly. So I'd say just get a V8 LS torque converter with 27 splines and it will mount up.
What about rear axle tho can the v6 handle the v8 power?
I hear they tend to break after 400 HP but my guess is as good as yours. We will find out I guess lol 🤷♂️
What about the harness?
You will have to buy the harness from a LS1 Fbody. If your changing the drive set up to Drive by cable rather than drive by wire You will have to buy the computer on ebay for whatever liter LS your dropping in it, you want one with Vats off. I got a 5.3 computer listed for a mini van on ebay for $130 I believe it was, if the seller reprograms them message them upon buying tell them the liter and specs of your car, speedo top speed, tire size, transmission and year of the car. But as I was saying if you switch it to Drive by cable. DBC computers are blue and green. The trans am uses blue and red for drive by wire. So all you have to do is buy the blue and green plastic pieces for the harness, they pop off and are interchangeable. Cause you can't use the red and blue colors on the green and blue. The guy who sent me the ecu sent me the plastic pieces cause I told him what I was doing. So that's a important thing to know if your converting your throttle set up. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask. I wish the best of luck to you and your build. I've been planning on getting back to making more content but I had to drop the transmission because I accidently put a 30 spline v8 torque converter on the v6 trans which has the 27 spline stator. If you buy a v8 torque converter make sure it's 27 splines and not 30 otherwise you will be dropping the transmission back out because it's making a loud woooo noise when you hit the throttle in park. if you go with a v6 torque converter your gonna have to use that spacer I showed in the video.
@@thehellbird8946 hell yea thanks a lot for the info Mann
Are you able to reuse any of the v6 accessories?
Just the steering rack, sway bar, control arms and the transmission. The bell housing is interchangeable, you will need The V8 harness the ecm for that engine, I got mine from eBay from a van, the vatts turned off. You need to get a c5 Corvette fuel filter to keep it a return set up, those v8s have returnless fuel system. Need the V8 k member. And for the engine it uses all LS1 Fbody engine accessories, truck accessories are too large.
Can you use the v6 trans mount???
Yes, make sure you have the right number of splines on your torque converter and the input shaft or stator. The transmission we reused is making a woo noise from the trans after the 4th start up. We think the trans pump failed but then again I could had accidently put a 30 spline torque converter on a 27 spline stator. But now we are dropping the trans to check it out, either swap the pump out or replace the transmission. If you can get a 2 wheel drive 4l60e from a LS truck or vehicle that would be better because at least you know everything is copecetic. The only difference between the v6 and v8 4l60e is the number of splines on the stator. V6 has 27 and v8 has 30 splines. I read and looked up if you can use a LT1 transmission and it said the wiring is different so it has to be one from a LS. But if you can't find a good V8 one you could reuse it. But you will have to find a 27 spline 5.3 torque converter. The only thing I can't tell you is if the v6 transmission will hold up or not with more HP.
@@thehellbird8946 I have a 350 transmission that I am putting with the 5.3? Will tht be good?
Would you be able to re use the v6 rear end bro?
For a LS1 5.7
@johnnyrush5066 yes, you can buy larger ring and pinion gears for the 7.5 10 bolt. Mine still have the 3: 08 gears in it from the v6. But I bought Richmond 4: 10 gears for it, GM put 7.5 rear ends in all 4th Gen F bodies, V6 or V8. You can put a 8.5 in it or buy a aftermarket rear end. But everyone claims the 7.5s break. Honestly it's not breaking with stock set up imo. Now once you start running a bigger cam, supercharger, turbos, anything that's adding massive HP than it would possibly be a good idea, but I say, let it take it, until you break it.
What about cluster
I had to use the original V6 green board because they are the same, and took the face of the Trans Am speedo and put it on. That way it says the cars original miles. However I might even experience this problem but speed sensors might be off, I could be wrong but a tune should fix that the speed calibration, I believe there is a speed sensor on the transmission, I don't know for sure if its different than the V8. But all my gauges works.
Swapping electric steering when I do mine 93lt1 to lm7 or LS?
You can use any LS variant you want, 4.8 5.3. 6.0 or a 5.7 LS1 they are all the same block it's just the truck LS variants are usually iron Block, the car engines are aluminum. The 5.3 LM7 is a Iron block, you will just need all the Fbody LS1 accessories, LS1 harness and a 5.3 ECM. The LS1 harness has red and blue ecm plugs and the truck ECM uses blue and Green, Its been a little while, but I believe it's the red plastic fitting take that off and replace it with a green one. You may have to look into it. You won't have to worry about running a wire from your right side fuel injectors to your fuses, because the LT1 and LS1 cars use both INJ1 and INJ2. So those are ready to go for you. But yeah use any LS or LS variant you want.
@@thehellbird8946 oh I know what all is involved I was just commenting on what I was swapping from and what I was going to be putting in was either the lm7 I have or I might try to find an LS3 because I had a 2015 SS before the 93 I have