[SSandman]

---Updated mod list 9/19/21--
LSX B15 376 crate engine
KDS Mounts
TSP 1 7/8th F body headers (screw TSP, had to TIG up a leak from what was clearly a sloppy weld lol)
Jokerz Performance ported LSA blower
ZL1 lid with reinforced brick
2.45 Griptech upper, stock LSA lower pulleys
Ported 90MM LS3 TB
5" Intake
Holly truck adapter on TB (to straighten intake tubing, making hood clearance easier).
LSX Concepts ZL1 Race blower drive/high mount AC setup
Aeromotive dual phantom 340 pump/pump hat/baffle setup in factory tank
8 AN PTFE feed/return
Aeroflow fuel rails
Magnafuel regulator
Racetronix 7PSI hobbs switch to activate 2nd fuel pump
Davies Craig 150 HX pump in trunk with 5 gallon Rhodes water tank
3" stainless exhaust using a CIA X pipe, custom made the rest. Vibrant mini-bullet race muffs into Magnaflow full-size bullet muffs into ETC resonators after the OTA's
CIA tubular crossmember
Performabuilt lvl 3 4l60e, Circle D 3200 stall
thedrivelineshop.com 3.5" AL driveshaft with 1350 yoke
Eaton 400# posi w/ 3.73's. Moser diff cover
Moser axles
Kore 3 325mm front brake kit
Bill Harper/Kore 3 305mm rear brake kit
Speedtech/viking coil overs front and rear
Speedtech front tubular sway bar, Speedtech rear chassis mounted sway bar on DSE brackets
Speedtech tubular A arms
Turn 1 600 series steering box
Borgeson shaft
My own custom upper trailing arms using Johnny Joints at chassis end and an offset clevis to a rubber bushing on the diff end
Currie lower trailing arms





I have a good feeling guys. I know I have been saying this for 11 years, but the plan is set and progress has begun. I think this is going to be the year that my Impala returns to the road. As mentioned in an earlier thread, I went away from the idea of making this some kind of super high hp drag/show car. Looking to build something I can practically daily drive, comfortable, reliable, fast, great handling. Basically my version of a modern muscle car with old school style.

The finalized plan:

LSX b15 376 crate engine. B15's heads flow slightly better as cast than LSA/LS3. Comes with LS7 cam which is nearly identical to the LS9 cam with just a tiny 1 point difference in LSA, so it should be a benefit over a stock LSA cam yet still maintain factory idle. Forged pistons, over kill block, boost friendly compression. Total overkill, but may want to add nitrous down the road and I'll never outgrow the block.

KDS engine mounts
CIA tubular x member
2010 camaro accessories, "truck" style denso 10s17f AC compressor
LSX innovations 6 rib LSA drive (hoping this works without slip using 2.45" pulley, it has nearly 180 degrees of belt wrap with the "HD tensioner " and they claim it will work just fine)
F body oil pan from Improved Racing with trap door baffle kit
TSP stainless 1 7/8ths 98-01 F body headers
ZL1 lid with reinforced intercooler brick, LS7 throttle body, ID1050x injectors, 2.45 grip tech pulley, flex fuel sensor, dual 340 automotive phantom fuel pump/bucket
Cahall Performance ultra pro race 4l60e
Protorque converter
BP swap harness, e67 ecu
AFCO intercooler
Varimax or Whipple intercooler pump

Things already done:
boxed chassis, rear notched for 335/35/17 ROH wheels (stockers up front). various gussets welded in
Home made rear upper trailing arms built with offset clevis to keep clevis to bushing angle square with extended arms, Curry lower
PPM auto X springs, Koni adjustable shocks
Global west upper A arms, stock lower with 5/8ths balljoints, Delrin bushings
Turn One 670 steering box with flaming river steering shaft
Kore 3 big brake kit front and rear with C6 calipers and C5 rotors
Eaton posi, 3.73's, Moser axles,

GOAL: 650whp on E85. 100 shot of nitrous sometime down the road that'll hopefully help me hit the 750whp mark.


Progress made the other day:

Oil pan fits great. KDS mounts allow 3/8ths of movement for frame to frame differences, I had to set the engine on the furthest back position to leave enough room for the oil pan on the passenger side. IT clears the K member by what I think is an acceptable margin now.

I notched the K member for the AC compressor. Compressor bracket had to be cut up quite a bit but I was able to keep all the mounting points (thought have to reinforce the rear point a bit if I keep it). AC compressor clears the mounts. Had to take quite a bit out of the K member for the AC. If fits now, but I only have 5/16th of an inch from the lower mounting leg of the compressor to the plate (I couldn't go much lower or feared the control arm contacting the chassis in its arc of movement). I think with poly mounts that will be enough, but if not I may modify that mounting leg a bit.

TSP 1 7/8ths 98-01 F body headers (basically Kooks knockoffs but for $425 a set) look great, a little slaggy inside around the 02 bung but worth the $800 savings. On the driver's side they bolt in right off the bat but just barely touch the frame brace (stamped strap piece that runs from k member to chassis rail). Going to have to grind a bit out of the edge to make it work. Looks like plenty of clearance everywhere else, may put a slight ding in one spot by the chassis but probably doesn't need it.

Passenger side REALLY goes into the frame brace. Had to grind the L part of the brace almost flat to get the header to bolt up but it is still too close to run. Going to take a look next week, may be able to grind enough out to make it fit and then reinforce it a bit because I am anal about chassis stiffness, if not I may just cut that brace out and weld my own piece of square tube in to replace it. whichever is easier. Header clears the chassis pretty well all around though. Again, may require a slight ding here or there but looks pretty good. Had to grind a TINY casting bump off the edge of the bell housing too, might be different if an LS trans was used.


impy4 by Kris A, on Flickr


impy3 by Kris A, on Flickr

12804627_10100604564994542_7143063359408119277_n by Kris A, on Flickr

IMG_5662 by Kris A, on Flickr

IMG_5667 by Kris A, on Flickr

IMG_5668 by Kris A, on Flickr

IMG_5669 by Kris A, on Flickr

IMG_5673 by Kris A, on Flickr

IMG_5676 by Kris A, on Flickr

IMG_5688 by Kris A, on Flickr


Next step is to make a little more room for the headers where they need, test fit the blower once it arrives, pull the mockup engine out and have the trans sent to Frank Cahall to be upgraded from a "pro race" to an "ultra pro race" . Then time to wash my money go bye bye when I order the engine itself.

 

[SSandman]

Been crawling LSA boards for a while now and the more I see, the more I love the little 1.9 blower. All the parts could be had NEW from gm, including upgraded aftermarket HX and HX pump for in the $3800 range, nearly half the cost of a new procharger or whipple. They'll easily make 600+ whp on E85 with just bolt ons and when ported produce quite a bit more. They bolt on to most LS engines with no issues except for maybe adapter plates on older stuff, plenty of accessory drive kits for them. Only way you are touching forced induction for that cost is through a home built turbo kit, but this requires none of the fabrication (except for the LS swap itself).

I'd love to see someone do this on a junkyard 6.0 for a real low cost forced induction build.

 

[94SSman]

I love the LSA engines! You have a nice build going here. Please keep us updated on progress with photos!

 

[SSandman]

I love the LSA engines! You have a nice build going here. Please keep us updated on progress with photos!

And this will be like an LSA on steroids. The B15 with the LSX block, forged pistons, LS7 cam and slightly better flowing LS3-LSX heads should make a little more power than a stock LSA at same boost numbers (and will support much more). It should make for a pretty bullet proof 650-700rwhp combo. I really can't wait LOL thanks for the kind words!

 

[94SSman]

I see you are running a 4L60e. Will this bolt right up? Was any consideration given to the 6L90? I have heard these transmissions are large and don't clear the trans hump in muscle car swaps but I haven't seen this attempted in a b body yet.

 

[Blue Wail]

Do yourself a favor and get a 4L80. You are making way too much power for ANY 4L60. Every billet part made can be thrown at a 4L60, but the simple fact is 4L60 clutches don't have enough surface area to hold the power and weight that you are planning for. The swap is simple.

Nab

 

[SSandman]

94SSman, It will bolt right up, just like a TH400 swap though one bolt hole in the trans won't be used. I have never heard of a problem with this though (I mean how many sub 9 second cars out there run TH400's with LS engines).

As far as converter/flexplate, typically you'd just use a spacer and oval the flex plate holes, but I'm not going to reuse my old converter. A few years back I had it sent to Vigilante to have it cut/cleaned/restalled but it was setup for my big cammed/procharger setup so I don't think it'll be ideal. The LSX block also uses an 8 bolt crank flange unlike the typical LS 6 bolt stuff and i couldn't find a spacer/flexplate made to adapt the 8 bolt to an LT1 trans. It just seems easier/better to pick up a new converter that will eliminate the need for a spacer and drilling extra holes in a flex plate.

As far as electronics go, Bill from BP automotive was incredibly helpful an spent almost an hour on the phone with me going over all my options. He assures me the 96 4l60e will work no problem with the E67 ECU he recommends (same ECU that manages a factory LSA car).


Nab, I'm not going to say I don't agree with you because I spent a great deal of time 4l80e shopping before deciding to stick with the 60e. I was pretty sure it wouldn't work until I spoke to Frank Cahall and he ASSURED me his trans could handle it. I already have his "pro race" 60e with a billet output shaft and he is going to upgrade it to the "ultra pro race" for a very small price compared to purchasing an 80E. I'm putting my faith in him, for better or for worse. I know he has put a few full weight Impalas into the low 10's/high 9's with his 60e's. Alex Santacroce ran one of his pro race units for years from what I understand running high 9's with 1.4 60 foots and it held up great. Mine is no drag car, may see the track a 2-3 times a year and vast majority of time will be spend cruising on the street. I'd feel more comfortable with the 80e, but I'm putting faith in Frank and I think the .70 OD ratio and weight savings will be beneficial.

I guess we will see LOL Hopefully you won't be saying I told you so a year from now. If it goes once, I'm done...but hopefully it lasts me long enough to recoup some funds to swap to an 80E as the budget is REALLY close to edge right now.

 

[SSandman]

I looked into the 6 and 8 speeds but they're just too expensive, too heavy, and seem too bulky to fit without major cutting. I mean I don't know for sure whether or not they'd fit without major modification, but it definitely doesn't look like it. I don't mind cutting up the car but a new tunnel is further than I'd like to go. . Wish I had one just to see though. I don't trust the 6l80e at this power level in stock trim, and the going prices of built ones are way too high for my budget. I do love the idea of a double OD though.

With the 17" wheels I'm limited to relatively short tires, and with a factory cam in this car I could get away with cruising it at a very low RPM for optimal gas mileage/engine longevity but I can only get the RPM's so low with a .70 OD, 3.73 rear and short 26" tires. Mechanically speaking, 18's would be awesome for brake upgrades and tire choices, but the ROH staggered factory-on-steroids look MAKES the car for me so I can't imagine ever ditching them.

Truth be told I should have put 3.42's in the rear but I'm too tired of working on this car to go back and change things I already finished lol.


I'm ITCHING to test fit the LSA blower. It's in the mail and I'm reloading the tracking info every hour LOL The clock is running down. I'm working out of a tent so I'm praying for a late winter. With some luck and maybe a human sacrifice to the gods I may be able to get this thing running with some time to enjoy it before the first snow hits. a lot to ask getting a car that was apart for 11 years together in 2 months though.

 

[FaSSt9602]

There are already a couple people on here that have done junkyard LSA set-ups, so you should't have any fitment issues.

Did you buy a complete LSA system from GM, or are you buying take off parts?

 

[SSandman]

There are already a couple people on here that have done junkyard LSA set-ups, so you should't have any fitment issues.

Did you buy a complete LSA system from GM, or are you buying take off parts?

It did end up fitting, although very close (but my mockup was less than ideal because the mockup motor has cathedral port heads which lack the dowel pin hole for the LSA supercharger, so the blower is sitting up about 3/8ths of an inch in the front due to sitting on the dowel). I'd like to ding one corner of the firewall just a little but other than that it should be fine. Whether or not the nitrous plates will fit with their added 5/16ths deck height, I'll worry about that down the road.

I was a little worried because I was the only one I came across who used KDS mounts with the LSA blower. Others used BRP other brand adjustable mounts and most seemed to have the engine placed further forward than factory. It was a bit more risky for clearance but I am happy now as I really wanted to keep the engine in the factory location for weight distribution and maintaining driveline angles.




ALL of the mockup work is now done. I notched the control arm/chassis supports for the headers and reinforced them with halves of some DOM tube from an old roll cage. The driver's side sits close to the inside of the chassis where the control arm pocket is but I don't think it'll touch. IF it does, it should need just a slight ding. Set up my Borgeson/Flaming River steering shaft with the Turn One steering box. Getting very close to ordering the motor.


FaSSt, I ordered the blower new from GM. with the upgraded ZL1 lid/reinforced brick/12AN TIG welded fittings and the new blower, it's not the cheapest way to go LSA but I am hoping to put a ton of miles on this setup before any issues, and the one thing most rebuild blowers don't address is the rotor coating...so this was worth the peace of mind for me. I still think the entire supercharger setup is going to come in somewhere around $4000, almost half the price of any new procharger/vortech/magnacharger/kenne bell setup.

IMG_5753 by Kris A, on Flickr

 

[SSandman]

i keep flip flopping on the accessory drive, but I think I am actually leaning towards the mini compressor on a Vette spacing now. With the chassis notched, I should have room for it by my measurements.

The SD7b10 puts out 6.1cid versus the factory GM compressors on the B body which put out 10 (same as the truck compressor shown in the pics). I may have a tough time getting the mini to keep the car cool at idle on very hot days. I know Vintage Air makes them work, so it'll probably just be a game of replacing AC parts to maximize efficiency and better match the system to the compressor. From what I hear, when engine speed rises above idle the AC vent temps should be similar or the same as the larger compressor because of the SD7's efficiency curve.


I feel the issue of not having ice cold AC at idle on very hot days, although a pain, will be less of a concern than driving all the accessories on the 6 rib blower belt. Even if slip wasn't an issue, I'll be adding stress to the alternator/PS pump.

I realized that if I ran everything on the 6 rib camaro loop, I'd have the choice of using a factory camaro balancer which at 7.25" will underdrive the blower versus a factory LSA setup and force me to use smaller blower pulleys to make the same boost (which sets me up for belt slip at higher boost levels).

Option 2: I could run an LSA balancer putting the accessories/blower on 6 of the 8 outer ribs and use 4 of the middle 6 ribs to drive the AC on a truck spacing. The LSA balancer outer portion is 7.8, so I'd gain blower speed but then I'd also be overdriving the accessories since they'd be on the same loop.

Using the LSA drive, it will all be the way the factory intended. Accessories on their own 6 rib setup using the 7.25 diameter portion of the balancer, blower on it's own 8 rib drive using the 7.8" portion of the balancer. It also makes it easy to purchase larger balancers to overdrive the blower without stepping down on the blower pulley diameter. The aftermarket balancers maintain the 7.25 accessory portion and just enlarge the blower drive end.

 

[SSandman]

Just got word from Frank Cahall that the transmission is done along with the Pro Torque converter. I'd be on my way to Delaware right now to pick it up if I wasn't ruining my day off with a fever lol

Installed the windage tray, Improved Racing oil pickup tube support and F body oil pan with Improved Racing trap door baffle kit. Test fit the blower (ok, I knew it would fit...couldn't pass up a good photo op)
IMG_5898 by Kris A, on Flickr

She will be going in REALLLLLL soon.

Figured out what I'm doing with the accessory drive. Spent a bit more than I wanted to but ended up going with LSX Concept's "race" drive. It puts the blower on it's own 8 rib drive using the factory LSA balancer that came with my B15 LSX. The adjustable tensioner it uses means I can swap down to the 2.4" blower pulley I wanted to use and not have any slip issues. All the other accessories run on the 6 rib portion of the belt and it puts a full size Sanden compressor up on a high mount. Yes, that means the chassis notch was a complete waste of time..I was also trying to keep it cheap by using mostly factory accessory brackets but it just wasn't worth compromising either engine position, AC compressor size or blower belt ribs. This way there is zero compromise.

I sent the blower and snout out to Jokerz Performance for his Chaos porting package. I know I can crack the 700rwhp mark with a cam swap but I really don't want to for reasons I won't bore you guys with. Going to see what I can do with this B15 in stock trim first. I figured I'd be at about 600rwhp with the 2.4 pulley, now with the porting I am thinking maybe I can get up to 625-630whp. Whole goal is to see that car go 10.9x, so if this gets me there I could care less what the numbers are. I have seen CTS-V guys do it with less, and they weigh more than a stock B body (probably about the same as mine).

 

[SSandman]

The hard parts are almost done. Only issues I'm wrestling with now is the heater core outlets come out right into the tall style LSX valve covers. I could ditch them for LSA covers and bend the outlets slightly, it should work. I may try to figure out a way to make it work with the pretty V/C's though. I may also have to punch some holes in the cowl to access the rear blower lid bolts.

After that, it's just bolting on accessories and getting the front end back on (in addition to brake line, fuel line plumbing etc...).

I missed out on this fall season, but it's a crazy feeling knowing that it almost seems like a certainty right now that next season may be the first season in 12 years that i'm driving it instead of just daydreaming I was. LOL


IMG_6538 by Kris A, on Flickr

IMG_6534 by Kris A, on Flickr

 

[SSandman]

IMG_6655 by Kris A, on Flickr
IMG_6656 by Kris A, on Flickr
IMG_6657 by Kris A, on Flickr
IMG_6653 by Kris A, on Flickr

Some more progress made. Made a ghetto mandrel bender and bent the heater core outlets up and over the tall LSX valve covers. Had to slot the heater core outlets in the firewall but it all cleared with no issues. Dinged one of the primary tubes a bit to clear the chassis on the drivers side. Everything fits. There are definitely a few close areas with the headers and blower to cowl area but nothing that looks like it'll hit unless the engine moves on these poly mounts a lot more than I expect. if not, I don't think any of the clearance issues are anything that a block of wood and a BFH can't fix.

Started working on putting the LSX concepts FEAD and blower drive. Beautiful kit.

Got the inner fenders and rad support back from paint so hoping to install that soon after getting a few more things done on the engine. Still so much to go, but I might just shed a tear seeing the front end all back together with a motor again for the first time in 12 years.

 

[SSandman]

Made a little more progress and hung the finders the other day just for ****s and giggles since I haven't seen the car look remotely like a car in so many years. In the lighting I took these pics the car ALMOST looks like its former self. It needs a TON of body work these days, but at least from a few feet back in these pics you'd barely know it! LOL

The lopsided stance in the rear is just the driveway, it looks level but is actually a pretty steep grade off to the right. Any car that gets parked there looks like someone jacked up the driver's side with an air spring. I want to get the car in my garage on a flat slab to see if everything settled right (I'm a little weary of the PPM springs, I wasn't thrilled with the quality of the rear coils springs).

0FE16CCD-FB61-4BE6-9A66-87DD0D1C98F1 by Kris A, on Flickr

EB6F43CB-C99F-4BFB-BCB2-2909DDAFCEF1 by Kris A, on Flickr

D3B62A64-9634-423B-83BF-20CA26A0AC90 by Kris A, on Flickr

4D724102-7997-459A-A0F5-C0AAE00916F8 by Kris A, on Flickr

5BD55312-D1AB-4191-9111-0102974B5A00 by Kris A, on Flickr

5FE9EE03-956F-470C-8ED3-0F12AC9C3A0D by Kris A, on Flickr


Haven't made a ton of progress but some. Used a torch to heat the cowl area up where the blower got close and use a pry bar and dolly to gently roll the cowl up into a concave area above the blower by prying between the blower base (with a block of wood to protect it of course) This bought me a good 1/2 inch of space between the blower and the cowl and now I'm confident I won't have any issues with blower clearance when the motor torques/body flexes.

Also had to drill holes deep in the cowl/wiper pocket for access to the rear blower lid bolts so they can be torqued down. With the motor in the car, I couldn't drill the cowl from the underside even with a 90 degree drill so this job turned out to be a major time consuming pain in the butt. It worked like a charm though, and now I'll just fill the 3 holes with grommets and call it a day.

I think the next step will be fuel system while simultaneously working on putting the body fully back together. It'll be my first time working with PTFE but I have ample experience with stainless/nylon braided so how hard can it be. It'll probably be a bit tedious. I want this thing running by the end of spring. It seems like a long ways away, but the clock is ticking and there's still a lot to do.

 

[TGO]

Who's GTO? lol

 

[Big Wagon Guy]

LSA blown LSX

Oh baby! Love the direction your going with the build. Cant wait to see how it turns out. I hope the LSA meets your expectations. When time permits Id love to see some pictures of the clearance between the back of the blower and the firewall.

You have been at it for a long time, but man you have done some nice work!

 

[SSandman]

Oh baby! Love the direction your going with the build. Cant wait to see how it turns out. I hope the LSA meets your expectations. When time permits Id love to see some pictures of the clearance between the back of the blower and the firewall.

You have been at it for a long time, but man you have done some nice work!

TGO, that's my pops's car. I was doing some charging system diag work. Nothing crazy, all stock but still an awesome car.

Big Wagon Guy, thank you! I kept worrying that I should have ponied up more for a larger displacement blower to really feed that B15, but the more I am around the LSA crowd the more I think my goals will be met. Right now I am actually tossing around the idea of a slightly larger lower pulley. Most guys I talk to think that bumping up to a 9.1" lower will bring me into the 700rwhp but my blower porter thinks I may be close to there without the pulley swap. I guess we will see. I'm not too hung up on power numbers, but I want to get the car solidly into the 10's.

With a good PD cam, I have seen guys make 800rwhp with B15's and ported LSA blowers. I just really don't want to deal with a cam swap now, maybe down the road.

I'll get pics for you this weekend! Lid still isn't bolted down, it's sitting on cardboard as I still have to tap a 1/8th NPT fitting into the rear for the fuel pressure regulator boost reference. Should have it bolted down this weekend. With the little bit of cowl work I did using the dolly It looks like I have plenty of room even with the lid sitting on 1/8th inch of cardboard though.

Using these KDS mounts, if I didn't have to slide the motor all the way back in the 3/8ths slot of the mounts I think the blower would have cleared perfect without any cowl work (and heater core outlets would have probably required less massaging as well). The mounts have 3/8ths slots designed into them for chassis to chassis variations and my oil pan was touching at one corner with the engine in the furthest forward position. I moved it to the furthest back and I had a ton of room for the pan then, but I probably could have set it somewhere in the middle for adequate pan clearance and better cowl clearance.


If I wasn't so stubborn and wanted to keep my tall valve covers, the heater core outlets probably would have cleared without any work. If I were able to use the furthest forward motor mount holes with my particular chassis then the blower likely would clear cowl with maybe just one or two dings. Along with the LSX concepts drive using the high mount AC, this whole swap would have been a bolt in affair if I had used an LT1 style 4l60e. The next guy trying to do this should take note LOL

With how cheap these LSA blowers can be had, how much power they have the potential to make and the fact that adapter plates are made to pretty much bolt them up to any LS motor, I'd love to see more guys swapping LSA blown LS motors into B bodies.

 

[lotsacars]

I'd love to see more guys swapping LSA blown LS motors into B bodies.

I’m putting together a plan to do this very thing. I picked up a 6.0 (L96) and will probably swap that in with a cam, then go after the LSA (unless a deal falls in my lap I can’t resist). Some duplicate work, but less to troubleshoot if it doesn’t run right. Mine will also be in front of a T56 and 4.10’s (already in car). Mini-tubbed the rear last fall and stockers will be widened shortly for 315’s (want 335’s, but tire selection is abysmal).

Would appreciate any useful tidbits you picked up (that you haven’t already shared) as well as sources. Reason you went with TSP headers over Speed Engineering?

Keep up the good work! Love seeing progress posted.

 

[SSandman]

I’m putting together a plan to do this very thing. I picked up a 6.0 (L96) and will probably swap that in with a cam, then go after the LSA (unless a deal falls in my lap I can’t resist). Some duplicate work, but less to troubleshoot if it doesn’t run right. Mine will also be in front of a T56 and 4.10’s (already in car). Mini-tubbed the rear last fall and stockers will be widened shortly for 315’s (want 335’s, but tire selection is abysmal).

Would appreciate any useful tidbits you picked up (that you haven’t already shared) as well as sources. Reason you went with TSP headers over Speed Engineering?

Keep up the good work! Love seeing progress posted.

First advice I could give is check out the LSA swap Facebook page, there is a TON of good info there as far as cam choices, heat exchanger info, all sorts of great swap info. There is a guy on there by the name of Lance Draeger of R&D Performance Fabrications who is pretty much a one man encyclopedia of knowledge about the LSA platform. He also designs/sells accessory drives, heat exchangers, ice tanks and has contacts for just about any other part you would need. Can't say enough good things about him.

as far as the TSP headers, i've just heard better things about them on the F body forums, but I do believe Speed Engineering redesigned their product to include spike merge collectors and are supposedly closer to the quality of TSP. Honestly, I would have went with ARH or Kooks in a heartbeat but my budget was too tight. In the F body world, the fitment is well worth the extra money but what makes a header fit well in an F body may not necessarily make it fit well in a b body. I'd love to try a pair of ARH/Kooks though, I wonder if maybe I'd have better fitment around the chassis and by the chassis support straps with them. Certain things about both TSP and Speed Engineering headers are sub par to cooks, most notably the welds around the 02 sensors which seem to be pretty snotty on the cheaper China made headers versus Kooks/ARH which every detail is a work of art.



The swap overall is going very smoothly, but I'll write a quick list of things I can think of off the top of my head that created a little bit of an issue.

1) KDS mounts work great, I'm sure other mounts may have provided more cowl clearance but the trade off of being able to use F body headers, F body oil pan, and maintain factory driveline locations to me was well worth the minor clearancing I had to do to the cowl (which really just consisted of denting the cowl). With the denting, it's still TIGHT but I think it should be enough to not ever touch.

2) Doesn't apply to you, but anyone out there just note the very different mount location on an LS 4l60e, it will prevent you from using any B body crossmember without significant modification, not just talking slotting of holes. I would have went with an LT 60e if I could do it over, but with the 8 bolt LSX crank flange this presents a new set of problems. Very easy if you are just using a standard 6 bolt LS crank.

3) You WILL have to drill holes in the cowl to access the rear supercharger lid bolts unless you somehow shoehorn the entire engine in there fully assembled with the blower lid on. Drilling the holes was a major pain in the ass as I really couldn't fit a drill into the cowl area, Lining the holes up with the bolt locations, die grinding out the holes big enough to fit a socket through etc.. was annoying, but I just bolted the lid on for the final time last night and the peace of mind of being able to get a torque wrench on every bolt was worth it. I know service/maintenance will never be a problem now and the 3 holes I had to drill can be filled with grommets.

4) I was told be more than a few people to tap a 1/8th NPT fitting into the rear of the blower lid for my fuel pressure regulator boost reference line. There is a boost reference port at the front of the blower, but that gets Y'd off to so many other things that guys often see drivability issues when trying to run the FPR from that port as well. For something as sensitive as fuel pressure, it can't hurt to run it off it's own port.

5) Do yourself a favor and get the LS Concepts "Race Drive" setup out of the gate. I messed around with trying to fit a full-size compressor on a low mount; no dice without moving the engine mount. I messed around with going to a 6 rib serpentine drive and then I read all the horror stories. LS concepts race drive was super easy to install, fits awesome, looks awesome, puts the blower on a dedicated 8 rib drive that is adjustable for ANY upper or lower pulley combo, is known to work great with zero slip issues and allows you to run a nice full-size compressor up top. I was really disappointed when I had to spend the money on it instead of using what I wanted to use (a factory style drive) but after I installed it I realized it was worth every penny.

6) Use an LS9 fuel rail if you want to keep the wiper motor. The LSA/ZL1 fuel rail ports feed portion of the rail goes right into the wiper motor and there is really no way you could bend it far enough to not be a problem. The LS9 rail places that whole feed section of the rail and inlet port on the driver's side and completely out of the way of the wiper motor.

7) With std LS valve covers there shouldn't be much of a fitment issues with the heater core inlet/outlet using KDS mounts. If there is any, it would likely be minor and just require slight bending or cutting of the outlets. With tall valve covers, they must be bent, but it's not all that hard to do. Most guys would probably just use std covers anyway. Coil pack fitment I can't comment about. I'll probably end up relocating mine due to the tall valve covers.


Any other tips I come across I'll let you know! Biggest advice I can give is when you are ready to put together a good LSA powered setup, talk to Lance and check out the LSA swap Facebook page. The swap itself has been pretty easy, the place where I would have ran into trouble was trying to figure out what works/doesn't work with this platform I knew nothing about and that page and Lance specifically made it a cakewalk.