My 1984 K10 - LM7 swap!!

[BrandonHall10]

Ohhh dust.. wow, better clean that up. Around here we have different weather patterns that leave a lot more gunk on engines. You may have to deal with the heat, be thankful you have no moisture for rust etc.

Being a Michigan native, I know how fortunate I am not to have to deal with rust or corroded aluminum. The engines are still just as gross though. That desert dust finds any spec of oil.

Spent a little more time with it today. Just picking away at it. Got all the fluids drained. This trans had a drain plug so that was cool. Driveshaft is out. Intake is off. Fan is off. A lot of the wiring is disconnected. I think the hardest part will be removing the transfer case, being that I'm in the dirt on my back. Before I do that, I need to pull the Y-pipe. Unfortunately, I have to do it the hard way. Like unbolting it vs. cutting it. My brother in law has an '02 Yukon with a cat code. Told him he could have my Y-pipe to get him through emissions. I'll just buy a couple new high flow jobbers.

Anyhow, this is where I'm at. I'm happy considering how hot it was and there were no injuries.

 

[BillBoost37]

Er uh ... Brando have the guy who wants it take it off.... cmon buddy it's hot and you don't want to deal with exhaust if it's even half of what we deal with

 

[BrandonHall10]

Point taken. But the guy I'm dealing with is a sparky, not a wrench. I just want it done. sometimes it's easier to DIY, am I right?

 

[BrandonHall10]

Oops. I need to snag the pre-cat bank 2 O2 sensor before it goes!

 

[BrandonHall10]

So close... Just a couple nuts on the transfer case and a few bolts in the motor mounts and it should be ready to lift out!

Working in the dirt on your back sucks, but the payoff should be worth it.

 

[BillBoost37]

Try the cold with snow melting and dripping on you/down your shirt and into your eyes. Or.. take some of the humidity in the NE. You'll start liking the dirt a lot more.

I do like the nice flat garage floor personally.

Keep up the good work Brandon.. looking good.

 

[idrivejunk]

Re: My 1984 K10 - Daily driver

Cardboard creeper.

 

[BrandonHall10]

Re: My 1984 K10 - Daily driver

Try the cold with snow melting and dripping on you/down your shirt and into your eyes. Or.. take some of the humidity in the NE. You'll start liking the dirt a lot more.

I do like the nice flat garage floor personally.

Keep up the good work Brandon.. looking good.

Thanks Bill. Working in the direct sun is probably the worst part. All in all it hasn't been too bad. Just took my time. Planning and picking away at it, Also lots of water. Tons of water. Very little pee.

Cardboard creeper.

LOL. I spent most of my time on that drip tray you see in some of the pictures. Mostly just to keep from laying on a goat head pricker. One of those in your back, where you can't reach it, will really ruin your day.

Got an early start on it this morning. I waited till the last minute to remove the AC lines from the compressor to keep any junk out. Popped those off then gorilla taped the opening. Chained it up and started lifting.

Once I got the engine high enough to clear the cross member, it could come forward enough to drop the tail shaft of the T-case. Then I was able to get the 12 o'clock nut on the T-case. Gravity did the rest. 8 layers of cardboard for padding and oil absorption. Went as well as could be expected.

Then up and out the rest of the way.

Lift engine up, roll truck back. Repeat.

Pulled the torque convertor bolts while it was in a semi-safe position. Then I loaded the whole mess up to put in the garage.

The weight was not evenly distributed, and it was all that S10 was willing to handle.

Squat much?

We've come full circle. The K10 hauled the motor for the S10. Now the S10 is hauling the motor for the K10. Everyone puts in work around here!

Had to move the donor truck back up a little incline, and this guy don't push. The old K10 just idled that Yukon right up that hill.

Got everything put away just in time for lunch.

I'd like to get the motor and trans split and put the motor on the stand this afternoon, but if that's all I get done today I'm still happy.

 

[BrandonHall10]

Well I did manage to split the motor and trans. Something I found out AFTER I did the swap in my S10... They glue the transmission PRNDL plugs in. If you try to cold pry them out, you'll destroy the plug. A touch of heat and they slide apart like butter.

Maybe tomorrow I'll start stripping it down, but I'm done for today.

 

[98grand]

Got a lot done man coming along nicely. I just can’t wait to see the final product. It is going to awesome.

 

[BrandonHall10]

Thanks! Me too.

In an effort to put some cash back in my pocket, I cleaned up the transfer case for resale. I pulled the yoke off the driveshaft to plug the output and keep water and crud out.

Detail for retail then off to Craigslist.

Before:

After:

Up next is the transmission. I got some "before" shots, but it's not even close to clean enough for any "after" shots. I'm using this trans so it has to be spotless.

 

[BillBoost37]

oh the infamous glue.. a heat gun is awesome right?

That transfer case didn't clean up, it became new in New England terms. Looks like youve been super busy.

 

[BrandonHall10]

oh the infamous glue.. a heat gun is awesome right?

Heat gun was perfect. I wish I knew 2 years ago what I know now...

That transfer case didn't clean up, it became new in New England terms. Looks like youve been super busy.

Yeah, it came out real nice. It's amazing what a little "SuperClean" and a small pressure washer can do.

I stay busy. Just an hour or two each day after work now that the hard part is done. Steady forward progress. No matter how big the project, if you keep moving forward eventually it will get done.


I finished cleaning the trans. Still a little crust in the nooks and crannies, but at least now I won't get dirty just from moving it around. I'll get it spotless if/when I have to pull it to do a rebuild.

I ordered a new dipstick seal, torque converter seal, turbine shaft seal, transfer case adapter gasket and filter. Cheap insurance to do that stuff while it's out.

 

[Scottydoggs]

the tranny i bought from brandon came so clean it looked new almost.

i feel this swap is gonna be much like the other, but with all the extra room and no notching of the frame. aka much easier.

no cam for this one?

 

[BrandonHall10]

the tranny i bought from brandon came so clean it looked new almost.

Yeah, aluminum corrosion isn't a big issue for us. I love it.

i feel this swap is gonna be much like the other, but with all the extra room and no notching of the frame. aka much easier.

Should be MUCH easier. Cheaper too. I'm really looking forward to the extra real estate.

no cam for this one?

I am not making the same mistake twice. I've said it many times; My only regret on the S10 build was not camming it. Even if it pushes this build back a couple weeks, I will find the $400 for a cam and springs. I'm really hoping Ebay does another one of those 20% off everything sales again soon.

Waiting on the trans maintenance parts, so I started in on the engine. Stripped the harness off.

This one's pretty gross. Going to take a couple passes with the SuperClean and pressure washer.

My plan for the engine is just regasket, cam, springs and slide it in.

 

[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

Stay smallish on the cam size depending on your converter stall.

For sure at or under a 212/218 on like a 114 or so LSA.

Most of those small camshafts can get away with standard LS6 springs that may be had for cheaper than other ones.

 

[ItHurtz]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOST YOU SISSY!

I envy your projects you make me want to kill myself.

 

[BrandonHall10]

Stay smallish on the cam size depending on your converter stall.


For sure at or under a 212/218 on like a 114 or so LSA.


Most of those small camshafts can get away with standard LS6 springs that may be had for cheaper than other ones.

I was looking at the Elgin E-1840-P.


Intake Valve Lift: .585"
Exhaust Valve Lift: .585"
Advertised Intake Duration: 283°
Advertised Exhaust Duration: 286°
Intake Duration @ .050": 228°
Exhaust Duration @ .050": 230°
Lobe Separation: 112°
Intake Centerline: 108°


With a set of PAC 1218 springs. That should still be streetable, right? I'm willing to give up a little drivability for some extra torque and that chop chop.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOST YOU SISSY!

Probably not on this one. I just want a reliable driver that can pull a trailer or dolly to Phoenix and back if need be. My 3rd build will likely be a "Sloppy" style boosted build. Thinking G body wagon or fox body. Maybe even an old Volvo.... I already have that engine lined up.

I envy your projects you make me want to kill myself.

Get off your butt and make it happen. Gen 3 motors should be dirt cheap for you there in the rust belt.


I got the engine stripped and prepped for a date with the pressure washer.

I'm really looking forward to the "after" photos on this.

 

[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

That cam is way to big for a 5.3 with like a factory stall. It'll shift your power band up to far instead of keeping torque down low.

I think I max I'd go is a 214-216/224 or similar. I think texas speed or brian tooley racing has camshafts that size. You can achieve some chop with a smaller cam if you know how to edit the underspeed/overspeed idle spark correction tables a little bit.

 

[BrandonHall10]

That cam is way to big for a 5.3 with like a factory stall. It'll shift your power band up to far instead of keeping torque down low.

So, maybe something like the Elgin E-1838-P?


Intake Valve Lift: .560"
Exhaust Valve Lift: .560"
Advertised Intake Duration: 285°
Advertised Exhaust Duration: 292°
Intake Duration @ .050": 216°
Exhaust Duration @ .050": 220°
Lobe Separation: 114°
Intake Centerline: 110°

I keep going back to Elgin because they seem to have the best price. Also, I remember reading somewhere that Jegs and Summit house brand cams are made by Elgin.

You can achieve some chop with a smaller cam if you know how to edit the underspeed/overspeed idle spark correction tables a little bit.

Expect an email when I get to that point.