The 77-90 B wagons, at least in the 80s, all had Old 307 V8 engines. The run fine, but are total dogs - and the transmission is a 200 4R, of which parts are getting hard to find. The 1994-96 B wagon could be had with a 350 Chevy V8, RPO LT1 engine- basically the same as the Corvette engine, but with iron, not aluminum heads. I plan on buying a 1996 Caprice or Roadmaster, and making the transplant to my 1988 Olds Custom Cruiser. I think it will be pretty easy - except for the fuel system (the LT1 is fuel injected and has an in-tank pump). There is also the issue of dealing with all the wiring. Has anyone ever made this powertrain swap? Any advice? Thanks
We put a LT1 in my boss,s -65 sportwagon. All the mechanic issues was a _noprobs- installation, but the wiring just didnt work out for us.. We bought a ez-wiring set from summitracing, it took about two hours to attatch, and worked right out of the bag (box).. As i remember it the in-tank sender/pump assy will fit right in your og-tank.. Will need a extra returnline for the fuel if not equipped original.
Yah Booger, When you buy the donor car, DON'T LET LOOSE OF IT 'TIL YOUR '88 IZ UP AN RUNNIN' The pump in the tank iz the easy part and your '88 might already have it. FI iz FI unless you're goin' Turbo, then the pump preasure iz way different. Not sure 'bout Air Bagz. Mopar started with 'um in '89.(harness iz way different with senserz hidden in the nose somewhere) Some transmissions have their own and seperate brain too depending upon year! Be ready for A COMPLETE WIRE HARNESS CHANGE INCLUDING ALL BRAINS UNDER HOOD AND UNDER DASH. ALL DOABLE BUT IF YAH WANNA PLAY YAH GOTTA PAY. IT'Z AH LENGHTY PROCESS BUT WORTH IT IN THE END, I THINK ASK ME HOW I KNOW THIS AND DON'T EXPECT TO HAVE IT COMPLETED IN AH COUPLE WEEKENDZ
The 96 LT1 is OBDII so you will have to transfer the wire harness, PCM, etc, etc to the box wagon (unless you dispense with the FI and go to a carb). You will also find companies that make after market harnesses and other accessories for the LT1 transplants over on impalassforums. The LT1 has been used in many applications.
Are you talking about a Gen2 engine, because that sounds way too easy? This was a 94-96 engine? Swapping over the harness is suppose to be a bitch. And not usually recommended because there are easier options. It can be done but from what I've read it's not quite so painless.
I second what BigBarney says.. Its absolutley worth it, and if you want it right, the whole harness has to be included. It takes a lot of time, but its all locgic, and with a good wiring diagram and a lot of patience anybody can do it. On my own TBI conversion i took the easy way, and put in both harnesses and changed wire by wire of the original electrical system and it works great! I know by experience that the LT,s are more complicated and requires more thinking, soldering and time.. But the benefits are way over the problems! My next car will defenitly be a LT1 conversion.
Worth it is a selective term in this case. If you are able to do this job yourself it is definitely worth it...or if you have a lot of money to pay a good performance mechanic to do it. The end result is certainly exciting and fun. The actual job is not. Here's a company that makes a transplant harness for this job and others. Even using this harness that is specifically made for specific engine transplants....it is still not easy. http://www.painlesswiring.com/faq.php?SearchCat=LT1 - LT4 Don't misunderstand...I love the transplants and would love to drop an LS into my LT1 wagon. But, I can no longer do this kind of job and the cost would be WAY too much for me to have my car builder friend do it. The end result....having an LT1 or an LS in your old wagon is awesome. Once you figure out all the PCM attached sensors etc it makes it a lot easier. It's not rocket science but it is time consuming.
Thanks to you all for your replies. I am thinking that since the frame design was carryover from the 1977-90 models to the 1991-96 models, the transplant will be easier by just removing parts-fuel tank, fuel lines, harnesses etc from the donor and moving them to the recipient. By the way, I have a set of LT4 aluminum heads for my LT1 that I expect will make the engine a little more powerful - and certainly a little lighter.
Don't forget a few things. The motor mounts and frame mounts need to be changed. The frame mounts can be a pain. You will also need the transmission crossmember from the donor car. If emmisions are strict where you are you must transfer ALL emmisions control devices from the donor car. The simplest solution is to use an Olds engine. Everything swaps over.
Just questioning the obvious here.... If you are going to buy a '94-'96 B-body wagon just to use the drivetrain and other necessary bits, to transfer into a '77-90 B-body wagon, why don't you just forget about the earlier wagon all together - just buy a better '94-'96 and ride with that?
I have been researching the snot out of this swap, as well as all options with these cars. Here is my advice.... First determine if you want to drive it everyday, cause if not. GO WITH A CARB SETUP!! Also ditch the LT1 and go to a LSX series motor!! You are going to need to do alot of wiring if ya dont, but if you want to stay fuel injected, I would still do an LSx, but an LT1 would still be an upgrade. If you run the heads you are talking about, you will want to add the other standard bolt on's. Headers, TB, Intake, Injectors...etc. I would also do a cam if you are going to swap the heads, might as well give it the power it wants. Also make sure you grab a good rear end, your non posi will not like all that power! Also what trans ya planning on running? Cause heads and a cam will really wake that car up, make sure it is fresh and ready to go! You will need a good tuner for any swap so keep that in mind.
Boxy's are good beginner cars,. very simple and easy to work on,.above and beyond plugging in your sensors, injector harness, trans control harness etc etc,.you only need hook up 5-6 wires to make an lt1 run,.just like brain surgery, easy after you,ve done it a few times,. nick
Hi Krash, Just like the Stickman said - the 91-96 models are, IMHO, just like the 1980 Cadillac Seville when compared to the 77-79 Seville - more sophisticated, but butt ugly.
