The no budget build - manual, LSA, SS

Tell us about your new PPV, show us some pictures, let us know how you did what you did!
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CrashTestDummy
Posts: 2300
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2015 2:31 pm
Location: Pearland, Texas

Re: The no budget build - manual, LSA, SS

Post by CrashTestDummy »

LSA Pr0n!! Love it! Thanks for all the pics. More on that shifter thing, too.
Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas
2012 Caprice 9C1
1992 B4C 1LE Camaro
2018 Tahoe PPV (her car)
1995 DGGM Impala SS
1985 Firebird - 310 LS1 C Prepared autocross car.
1980 Bluebird Wanderlodge
And some others
Do YOU have my SPID?
fuzzkill
Posts: 152
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: The no budget build - manual, LSA, SS

Post by fuzzkill »

CrashTestDummy wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 10:37 pm LSA Pr0n!! Love it! Thanks for all the pics. More on that shifter thing, too.
Shifter is the S1 Sequential TR6060 unit. It is pricey but I think it will be worth it, and will further add to the uniqueness of the car. Plus it is an even more effective anti-theft than a normal manual transmission is :lol:

Got a bit done from the last update, and tripped myself up more as seems to be a running theme. Got the pilot bearing, came home, and realized the throwout bearing on the slave sounds like garbage. Nobody has one local. Ordered one for next day (today).

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Got my Holley valve covers in and tossed them on, they look great and give plenty of clearance to the fuel rail and also get rid of the coil brackets. I think I'll probably remove the wiring from the plastic retainer and loom it up so it is out of the way more.

Also picked up an LSA main belt tensioner, apparently it is different from the LS3 unit. Nobody includes it in the parts lists I've seen, and if you grind down the idler a bit you can get away with the LS3 one. But I don't think that's a great solution so I'll see how this one fits up.

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Now that the clutch pilot is in and I have a new slave cylinder, I went ahead and installed the twin disk clutch setup. Should be plenty of hold for the power I'm making and will still have great driveability. Driveability is a huge component of this build, which is also why I opted for a billet (steel) flywheel. I think a light flywheel on such a heavy car will hurt everyday driveability. But we'll see, it can always be changed later but I think I'll be happy with it.

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Clutch on, trans comes next. Couple minor things to do and then I can set this on the cradle and then back into the car!

Shops a mess again, how does this keep happening? :?:
fuzzkill
Posts: 152
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: The no budget build - manual, LSA, SS

Post by fuzzkill »

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Slid the car around a bit and got it back up on the lift. Dropped the cradle back down off the car and onto some jack stands.

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Set the new engine mounts onto the cradle

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Checked over a few things and missed some obvious things that bit me in the ass (standard procedure) and then set the motor onto the cradle.

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Pulled down my new headers, tossed them on the engine.

Then I realized what I had skipped. The main power harness that secures onto the cradle. I still had the V6 power wire on it. Connections for the alternator and starter were in the wrong place so they won't work. I pulled out my SS power cable and then had a lot of fun trying to figure the proper routing around the sway bar and engine. The main rack and pinion power connector was broken on the SS harness, so I switched it out with the connector from my PPV harness.

With the harness all situated, I saw the other thing I overlooked. The trans cooler lines. Even though it's a manual transmission, they still use a cooler, which I think it neat - although it does introduce a new failure point from possible leakage. Trying to figure the routing and clearance of the cooler lines with everything in place was difficult. Ended up having to remove the passenger side motor mount to be able to get them in place. Apparently they had gotten a little bent in shipping but nothing that couldn't be remedied. They have quick disconnects at the same point as the 6L80E lines so the rest of the system will plug right into these lines.

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Got the shifter assembled, and test fit it into the car. With the handle straight up it sits right in the middle of the shifter opening in the console. It all tucks up close to the body underneath as well so there should be no clearance issues. This particular unit is designed for the VF so I should have no issues. The rod length is adjustable about an inch out of the box, and if I need it shorter I can cut them shorter and drill/tap them. You can also adjust the resting position of the shifter forward and backward.

On my 13 I had to modify the shifter linkage and crossmember/mount to counter the longer Camaro transmission vs. the GXP trans. I don't know if the same applies to the Camaro trans vs. the SS trans. We'll find out shortly when I go to bolt it up.
fuzzkill
Posts: 152
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: The no budget build - manual, LSA, SS

Post by fuzzkill »

Today was the day. After almost 2 months working on it, I am now very close to completion.

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I got the car dropped back onto the engine and trans. Went about how I expected, no complications with the motor side of things.

When I did the manual swap on my 2013, I used a Camaro transmission. There was talk of the Camaro trans being longer than the GXP trans that I 'should' have used. I wasn't looking to buy a new GXP unit, and good luck finding used. So I went with the Camaro. It did indeed end up being about an inch longer - the mount and crossmember no longer lined up. I was really hoping that the same didn't apply to this swap, and that with the SS they used the same case TR6060 that the Camaro uses (even though they are definitely different part numbers).

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Long story short I ended up with the same issue I had on the 13. My solution on that worked for the 3+ years I had the car, and as far as I know it's still kicking on the same mount - so no reason not to do it again. The mounting setup consists of the mount, a mount bracket, and the crossmember. The bracket is offset, and only goes on one way. I ground down some material on the bracket, to allow it to be mounted backwards, pushing the offset in the direction needed. With the bracket flipped, the mount now hits the case of the tranny, so I also ground down some material on the mount to clearance it from the trans case. Finally, there is a gusset/tab on the back of the trans that contacts the crossmember. For this, I ground down the tab on the trans since it is all just extra metal. Now things are close enough to bolt into place.

My shifter and its rods/linkage are setup for a VF - and the shorter trans. I took some measurements and I need to cut about 1" off all 3 rods and everything should be within spec and locate the shifter in the middle of the opening, while still leaving room for me to adjust it for fine tuning. I got the rods cut down, and then drilled and tapped the new holes. Going to try and get it installed tomorrow, it is going to be interesting to say the least. Not looking forward to hooking them up but its gotta get done. Not much room to work with :cry:
Fandango
Posts: 67
Joined: Fri Jun 12, 2020 12:31 am

Re: The no budget build - manual, LSA, SS

Post by Fandango »

You aren't kidding about the price of those supercharger lids. Even the CTS-V ones are going for $900+.

The progress looks great.
fuzzkill
Posts: 152
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: The no budget build - manual, LSA, SS

Post by fuzzkill »

I had one goal today, and I got it done.

Installation and hookup of the linkages is very tedious and you don't have much room to work with. Would be much easier if you threw everything on without the boot, but it is the primary seal into the car so that's not going to work without it. Anyway, my measurements were good and I got it in.

https://imgur.com/7vCxElF

It was very satisfying finally feeling how it is going to shift on the car.

Can't wait to drive it. I'm sure it will take a little getting used to but I'm very pleased with it so far.

Need to wire up the gear indicator, and then I can close up the console.
fuzzkill
Posts: 152
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: The no budget build - manual, LSA, SS

Post by fuzzkill »

Knocked out a few more bits.

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I got lucky with my 2014 SS donor, the previous owner had done the rear brembo swap, so I have all 4 corners. Modified my rear backing plates, and tossed them on. I was about to install the fronts when I realized it would be much easier to change out the control arms now without the brakes in the way. So I installed my new arms. Got AC Delco replacements for the arms and Moog for the sway bar links. Still need to switch over the brake hoses onto the new calipers, and probably throw on some fresh pads.

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In the engine bay, I got the AC lines reinstalled, some wiring done, the main coolant hoses, and the cooler lines. This is a new radiator since the V6 unit is different, so I swapped over the condenser and external trans cooler onto the new unit.

Still need to run the heater hoses and steam vent line, as well as the plumbing for the intercooler. I went ahead and removed the washer reservoir to make room. I think I can fit the replacement in the driver fenderwell, but also need room for the IC pump, and a small IC reservoir in the engine bay. Plan A for the fuel feed didn't work, will move to plan B for it and the evap.
fuzzkill
Posts: 152
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: The no budget build - manual, LSA, SS

Post by fuzzkill »

Steam vent done, heater hoses done, and most the intercooler plumbing is completed. Interestingly enough, the steam vent hose is the same part number for the V6 since it attaches roughly in the same position as the V8, so while I was concerned that I didn't have one, it turns out that I did :lol:

Mounted the front heat exchanger, I used some flat aluminum stock bent/drilled as needed. Made one new hole into the core support on the passenger side, and was able to re-use existing trans cooler mount holes on the driver side. Drilled one hole into the lower air duct for the hose to come out the passenger side, driver side sneaks in the existing opening under the headlight.

Also got the intercooler pump mounted, I piggy-backed off the large steel siren bracket in the passenger fenderwell area. Still need to wire up a small relay to kick on with ignition, but it is very close to the fuse box so it should be simple.

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Here is a crude drawing of my layout

I've gotten the remaining fuel/pcv lines done, modified the intake tube to fit the LSA, and swapped to the card style MAF. Should be ready to start soon.

Inside the car, I wired in what I needed to connect to the shift position sensor on the shift box assembly, and modified a single gauge cup to fit in the front cubby without completely blocking it. Going to double check a few things but I should be able to install the console permanently now, as I shouldn't need to get back in there for anything.

Remaining on the mechanical list
Suspension - Will likely be throwing stock struts back on until I can get the shockworks coilovers.
Exhaust - Need to modify my Magnaflow exhaust. I really like the way it sounded on my 13 so I ordered it again. Of course, it's for a G8 so some modification will be required.
IC reservoir - Should be here Friday
Fuel pump - Need to drop tank to install ZL1 unit. Unsure of flow rating on V6 pump and rather not take a chance, especially since I have one here to install.
Reinstall bumper/headlights/fender liners

Remaining on the electrical list
IC pump wiring
Trace out differences between SS and Caprice front bumper wiring to make headlights and wig-wag function properly. Turn signal circuits I think are the same but there are several differences in the high/low beam circuit, in addition to the flasher module that I want to retain.
fuzzkill
Posts: 152
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: The no budget build - manual, LSA, SS

Post by fuzzkill »

Lots of good stuff!

I got back my electronics from getting flashed. Made quick work of reinstalling them. With those back in place, really I just needed to add some oil and filter and it can start. So I did what any reasonable person would do, and made a trip to grab a filter.

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Had to complete the CPP learn, BPP learn, and the steering wheel sensor learn. After that, it tried to start but just sputtered a bit. Still running a stock LS3 tune in it, I figured it might fire up but no dice. I pulled out HPTuners and copied a few basic tables from an LSA config and sent it to the ECM. Aaaaaaaand .....

https://imgur.com/Ndnvocf

She fired right up!

Super excited to get to this stage. Having the engine running also allows me to test a few of the SS features that don't work without the engine running. I was able to verify the seat HVAC functions, and when reverse is selected the camera automatically pulls up in the radio, mirrors tilt, and reverse lights come on. Sweet. Need to charge up the AC system, check for leaks, and then verify that, but otherwise it looks like all major systems are working as designed. Only odd thing is I don't get any dome lights, front or rear. The buttons backlight, but they don't do anything, doors open or closed. Will need to track that down.

https://imgur.com/rI2LH8T

Here's a little video showing my shift indicator and gear selection operation.

I was going to drop off my driveshaft this morning, but I made a discovery last night that the V6 shaft is not the same, despite the application guide showing V6 and V8. It is longer, and has a different bolt pattern front and back, and uses a slightly slimmer coupler than the V8. This also means that a differential from a V6 car will not work in a V8 car. Luckily, my brother in law still has a 2013 parts car, and I grabbed the driveshaft from that. From my measurements, I need to remove about 2.5" from the driveshaft. That should allow enough room to collapse for install, while not quite being fully extended in the installed position. The shaft extends/collapses 1.5" total. I came up with 63.75" flange to flange in the car, and the factory V8 shaft is 66.5" including the couplers. I will cut it down so that it can extend from 62.5" to 64". Only have a small window to work with, as you have to compress is enough to get the pilot installed, and then extend it back to bolt up.

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Once I drop off the driveshaft tomorrow, I will probably start working on the exhaust. Shouldn't be too difficult, but will need some modifications to work, both from the length difference and the fact that I have long tubes.
Pursuit
Administration Staff
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Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 3:39 pm
Location: Omaha, NE area

Re: The no budget build - manual, LSA, SS

Post by Pursuit »

Looking good, great job! I can relate to your satisfaction at the end of a big project.
Cheers!!

Maurice
Maurice Sheil

mhsheil@gmail.com

2011 Caprice Phantom Black 9C3
2012 Impala 9C1
1995 9C1 Caprice
1996 GMC Sierra C1500
1996 Chevrolet K2500 Extended Cab, long box, 454, 91,000 rust free miles
1974 SJ Grand Prix 455 well optioned with factory moon roof
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