Ive decided I am just going to pull the LT1 back out and look for a Vortec engine, because those wiring harness are like unicorns around here... I hear of them but I cant find one
Malibu LT1 swap
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Vortec engines seem to be a little on the pricey side. If you don't plan on a roller cam you can get a TBI short block for a bit less and a set of Vortecs and be ahead of buying a complete Vortec motor.
Go visit the Impala SS forum, there are guys there with what you need and who will be willing to set you up right and help guide you through this project.
http://www.impalassforum.com/vBulletin/
don't give up yet, you've gone this far.
http://www.impalassforum.com/vBulletin/
don't give up yet, you've gone this far.
I'll relate my experience of swapping to TPI with you. It may/may not pertain to you. I swapped in my new gas tank (a hybrid I had made up with a 4.3 Monte tank with baffles & a Cutlass filler neck) and ran a new 3/8" main fuel line for my pressure side. I reused the old 5/16" main line for my return. After the first few times firing the engine, it wasn't running right. Couldn't get my fuel pressure down. Almost 100 lbs of pressure! Long story short, I wasn't getting any return fuel back to the tank, that's why my press was so high. Replaced the old line with new 5/16" line and fuel press was normal and engine ran much better.
Replace ALL fuel lines! It's just as easy to run a return as well as a main. My old 3.8 V8 ran good with that old line somehow. When I used it as a return it plugged up bad and wouldn't flow anything.
Sorry to hear about your harness/ecm situation. When I swapped the TPI into my Cutlass I went with a Howell harness.
Replace ALL fuel lines! It's just as easy to run a return as well as a main. My old 3.8 V8 ran good with that old line somehow. When I used it as a return it plugged up bad and wouldn't flow anything.
Sorry to hear about your harness/ecm situation. When I swapped the TPI into my Cutlass I went with a Howell harness.
Last night was great. So I sold my 93 LT1 motor without a harness and was able to pick up my buddies 95 LT1 with the harness for $100 less than I sold mine for
Doober said:
No it sure didn't. After I pulled the old line out I cut a section about a foot long and *tried* to shine a light thru it. Keyword: tried. I couldn't even blow air thru it. How the V6 ever got enough fuel to run was beyond my explanation.
fomby206 said:
If you plan on doing anything non-stock to the engine, this might be helpful info. The 93 LT1 ecm has a removable chip like the TPI cars do. The 95 LT1 ecm has a non-removable chip and the computer has to be re-flashed like the newer LSx ecm's have. If you plan on tuning the ecm yourself there are programs for each setup. If you have it tuned by mail-order for the 95, you have to send in your ecm and then they'll send it back with the new program in it.
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