L29 454 swap

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marauderprime

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Jun 21, 2016
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I don’t have a huge update, but all of the parts are here. I pulled the upper intake and installed my 80 lb. injectors. A cursory examination of the lower intake shows it’s really clean, which is encouraging. The entire engine seems to be well maintained.

I removed the oil cooler lines, transmission cooler, fuel hardliners off the back of of the manifold, and loaded them all up along with my radiator. At some point in time this week I am going to have to spend an hour or 2 at Napa figuring out fittings and plugs, to make sure all of the truck parts fit with the existing car parts.

my gauges are still factory (barely functioning, and appallingly innacurate) with an aftermarket coolant temp gauge, it is painfully obvious to me that another $500 is going to end up getting laid out for an aluminum radiator, and I like the way the intellitronix digital gauges look and function. It reminds me of my C4, and I can get them in a blue that matches the stereo and the interior, so it’ll look good, I’ll just have to sleep on the couch for a month.

the turbos are a tease. Haha they aren’t being installed in this phase of the project, my friend with the fox body in some of the pictures is switching from a cx racing ball bearing turbo to a genuine borg Warner s366, so we were doing a comparison on the workbench. My intent for phase 2 (Intercooled turbo install) is to run a single s480 off the passenger side.

I did some calculations with various online calculators, and when I punched in conservative numbers, it looks like the the injectors will support 780 hp at 80% duty cycle, but the 300 lph pump I bought will only support 715, so until I put some money into the tank/pump setup, I think I’d probably keep this thing limited to the low 600’s.

I’ll give an update after my napa Trip. Then hopefully the next update you see will be the Colossal new drivetrain in the SS.

a side note, I know grandprix454 mentioned a weight gain in his thread, I think mine will be worse because he eliminated a lot of weight via intake and accessories. I believe my car will be in the 3700 lb. range when I’m done. Considering the fact that I’m increasing the horsepower by 60% and the torque by 90%, it should be fine.
 

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marauderprime

Apprentice
Jun 21, 2016
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454/4l80e is in!!! And it looks like the stock hood will clear. The power steering pump and pulley currently does not. I’m going to see if the blazer 4.3 pump is a little smaller dimensionally (I suspect it is), and I need to find a smaller diameter power steering pulley.

I had a similar problem on my 5.3 swapped last Monte, I used a dirty dingo pulley to fix the issue, I should check and see if that will fit the 4.3 pump. Maybe a 5.3 pump is the answer.

Also, I had a question about a couple of items on the firewall. Can anyone tell me what these are?
 

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Gonzo1970

G-Body Guru
Sep 30, 2018
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Looking good! Kinda surprised the hood will clear.

Answer to your question: Tach filter.

-Gonz
 

Gonzo1970

G-Body Guru
Sep 30, 2018
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1,302
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Thanks man. Does anybody know what that rectangular plug bolted to the firewall in the first picture is?

Ahh... got me on that one. I would hazard a guess at it having to do with A/C or Cruise, but if no one here knows off the top of their head, I can take a look at my stock 86 GP LE after work.

-Gonz
 

Supercharged111

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Oct 25, 2019
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I don't understand why a 4.3 or a 5.3 would have a smaller PS pump, they're all Saginaw pumps. If you do get a smaller PS pulley, know that that will generate more heat in the PS system by overdriving it. I'd recommend an underdrive crank pulley if you go that route. The non-Saginaw pumps are going to be meant for a rack and pinion and the pressure won't be right for a box.
 
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marauderprime

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Jun 21, 2016
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I don't understand why a 4.3 or a 5.3 would have a smaller PS pump, they're all Saginaw pumps. If you do get a smaller PS pulley, know that that will generate more heat in the PS system by overdriving it. I'd recommend an underdrive crank pulley if you go that route. The non-Saginaw pumps are going to be meant for a rack and pinion and the pressure won't be right for a box.

they don’t, I’m going to run aGm 3.1/3.4 pulley, which is the same I’d, but 1 inch smaller putter diameter. It does overdrive thepump a little bit, but not substantially. It’s frequently done in ls swaps because depending on the mount and crossmember you pick, if you go for maximum setback, it will put the pulley right on top of the steering box, as happened in this case. See the pictures above.
 
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marauderprime

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Jun 21, 2016
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Gauges are heeeeeeah!!!

I got green ones on the advice of 2 major carrier airline captains. It was coincidentally 50% cheaper. Haha. Domo Arrigato Mr. Roboto
 

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