My 65 Lemans LS1 swap.
 

Bought this 65 Lemans off CL Dec. 2015. Solid car with all new interior, new tires, new exhaust, 3:73 posi and 350 turbo. Motor was absent. I have really enjoyed my LS1 powered 64 Tempest so decided to do it again on this 65. On the 64 I used BRP Hotrods pricey motor mounts and headers. This swap I am using adapter plates with Chevy motor mounts and the stock LS1 F body exhaust manifolds to save $$. I purchased the LS1/4L60E complete with all accessories, wiring, ecm, fans and battery cables out of a 99 Trans Am with 114k miles. Price was $3400 delivered to my door. The first thing I did was remove the front clip to make installation easier. Next I removed all body mount bolts except the rear ones. Those two I just loosened. I have found it easier to raise the front of the body to make engine/tranny install easier. I will replace all body mounts before bolting body down. Next I removed the original F-body oil pan and installed a GM performance oil pan part number 19212593. Cost $194. I replaced the front seal in the transmission, reinstalled the torque convertor and bolted transmission back onto the motor. Getting it ready to drop in the car. Will update as I progress.

Cost $3400 LS1/4L60E
$194 oil pan

Nice...waiting for more updates

I forgot to mention that I also unbolted the steering shaft from the gear box to facilitate raising the body. I purchased aluminum adapter plates and 65 Chevelle frame mounts off E-bay. Sourced 65 Chevelle motor mounts locally. Bolted the frame mounts to frame and adapter plates and motor mounts to LS1. I raised the front of the body up about 6 inches on each side and secured with wood blocks. I then slid the motor and trans into place with an engine hoist and a floor jack under the trans. Everything went smoothly and the motor dropped perfectly onto the mounts. As I was checking clearance under the motor I noticed the pan was almost touching the center link. Hmm, that wasn't going to work. Since I had the 64 sitting close by I went to check how high that motor was sitting in the chassis. I measured the distance from the tow loop, on the cross member, up to the bottom of the pan. It measured approx. 3.125 inches. The motor in the 65 needed to be raised 1 inch to be the same. My solution to this problem was to cut a piece of heavy wall tubing long enough to fit inside the block mounts and weld it on top of the frame mount. I made sure the motor was level side to side and the transmission tail shaft was centered between the frame rails. That put the pan 3.250 above the tow hook. That's .125 inches higher but should be no problem and gives clearance from the cross link. I will tackle the transmission cross member next.

Adapter plates $30
Frame mounts $65
Block mounts $12

O.K. Getting the rear transmission built involved getting body bolted back down on the chassis and keeping the transmission tail shaft as high in the transmission tunnel as possible. But before I did that I removed the drivers side remaining rear body bolt and jacked the body up to remove the stock 5/16 fuel line and installed a new 3/8 fuel line from Inline Tube. At the front you will need to bend the fuel line up along the firewall near the steering column. This will put it close to the fuel inlet on the fuel rail. Reinstalled the rear body bolt with a new mount. In order to drop the front of the body back into position it is necessary to cut the transmission tunnel for clearance around the bell housing and transmission oil lines. This is somewhat trial and error. I have included a picture to show some of what I did. Once I had the clearance I needed and the body bolted back down I welded in new metal to close up the floor. The transmission cross member is made from heavy wall square tubing and a piece of 4 inch c-channel for the actual mount to set on. My transmission cross member mimics the one I got from BPR Hot rods with their mount kit. As I did with my 64 I purchased a fuel tank kit from Speedway Motors. This kit includes a larger capacity tank with built in baffles that surround the pump to prevent starving, a Bosch intank fuel pump, and a sending unit. It is necessary to assemble the pump and sending unit and install them in the tank. Follow the directions included and you will be ok.. I purchased An6 fittings and push on high pressure hose to hook everything up. I also used the WIX 33737 filter/ regulator to handle fuel flow. I mounted this unit close to the tank to minimize the length of the fuel return line needed. These filters were stock on LS powered Corvettes and provide the correct fuel pressure to the motor and return excess back to tank. I bought a 37 degree An flaring tool to flare the New 3/8 fuel line to accept An6 fittings. I have found the only way to get push on high pressure hose installed on the fittings is to soak the hose in boiling water and have the fitting in a vise. You can then force the hose on because it is soft. Once it cools no leaks. It is pretty obvious how you wire up the pump and sending unit. Make sure you have good grounds. The pictures are out of order.
More to come.

Transmission cross member-$0 Stuff I had
Tanks Inc. Tank Kit--$499
Wix filter/reg 33737-$47
3/8 Fuel line Inline Tube-$104
High pressure fuel hose and 6an fittings-$150 If you would like a break down PM me

Couple more pictures.

I used headers on the 64 but am using the stock F-body exhaust manifolds on this swap. They fit with no clearance issues. The cats came with the motor so I cut the mounting flanges off leaving just a short nub of pipe. I removed all the EGR mounting points from the manifolds and welded them shut. I also welded shut the O2 sensor on the drivers side manifold as it is not located where I could use it. I fabricated down pipes to hook up to the existing exhaust system that was on the car. This included adding O2 sensor bungs on both sides. There is also an opening on the intake just behind the throttle body that needs to be plugged. I purchased a block off plate for it on E-bay.
For cooling I am using the stock F-body dual fan set up and an aluminum radiator. The fans fit the radiator real nice and came with the motor. I fabricated mounting brackets to attach the fans to the core support. The plastic fan shroud had to be trimmed around the inlet and outlet. The outlet on the LS1 does not point toward the radiator so I purchased an outlet the swivels so it can be directed down to the outlet. This also allows a spot to install a small hose barb so you can attach the steam hose from the motor. This hose is normally attached to the F-Body radiator. For radiator hoses I used part of a early 70s F-body upper hose for the lower on this swap and a stock 99 F-body upper hose for the upper on this swap. I cut this in half and reversed one end and installed a coupler. It works. Heater hoses are the same as any car. There is some clearance issues between the heater core nipples and the rear of the coil mounting brackets but hoses will go on.

EGR block off plate $9
Hoses $40
Swivel outlet $57

Hey Steve! Its Steve from Los Banos. Still "working" on the 64! Replaced the passenger floor pan (broken heater core damage/rust) and redid/welded like original the radio area on the dash (previous owner had installed a pull out radio). FINALLY drilled out a 2 1/2 inch hole in the dash for the harness. Am installing the ECM in the glove box area (not gonna put in A/C). Just needs wiring all connected at this point. I'm taking my time with my work commitments and poor shop conditions(in garage nw finally) and the 65 4 door I recently restored...

Wondering if you're going to spring for those Dakota Digital Gauges again in this 1965 LS1 conversion car? Wthey "worth it" or not installing them on your 64? I'm considering black gauge set with red needles ...

Nice informative details Steve, thank you for sharing.

Tim john---

Steve...Good to hear you are still working on it. Hope you have it up and running soon. Yes, I already bought the Dakota Digital Gauges for the 65. IMO totally worth it. I bought silver with blue back light this time as the 65 has blue interior. The 65 is very close to getting paint. I bought a 67 Chevelle 300 deluxe 2 door a couple weeks ago and already have a 5.3 sitting in my shop to go in it. Going to do a Muncie 4 speed in this car. It needs a lot of work but I like projects. I am going with the Dakota Digital gauges for it also.

Steve

The F-body LS1 alternator needs to be relocated as its position interferes with the power steering box. I used a relocation kit from Speedway motors which relocates the power steering pump and alternator up and provides the clearance needed. The kit comes with a new belt also. I used the stock F-body power steering lines. I cut the metric o-ring fitting off the high pressure hose and installed the correct flare fitting and reflared the line. I had to tweek the metal tube part of the line to get it into place but it looks and works great. I used a universal cold air intake purchased on E-bay. I also purchased Corvette coil covers to dress up the engine a bit. I am using the stock wiring harness that I received with the LS1. I sent it to Ken Wolkens @StandAlone Solutions in Melborne, Fl. He reworks the harness eliminating all unneeded wiring and adding a relay panel. fuse panel, and OBD port. You can see the relay/fuse panel on the firewall in the third picture. I mounted the OBD port under the dash on the drivers side. He does great work and when the harness comes back everything is labeled and there is an instruction sheet to help figure out where everything goes. I sent the ECM to Ryan VanVels @ LS Solutions in Grand Rapids, Mi. to have it reprogramed. I mounted the ECM above the under hood heater fan cover. It is a little work getting the wiring in place and wiring the relays to the fans, fuel pump, etc. Helps if you understand automotive wiring. Gauges are next. Then we will fire it up. Oh what fun!


Alt relocation kit 481-1004 $160
Cold air intake kit $78
Wiring rework $325
ECM reprogram $150

http://www.standaloneharness.com/ls-engine.html
http://www.ls-solutions.net/

Great Stuff. Subscribed !

I once again opted for the Dakota Digital VHX gauges. There are cheaper ways to do your gauges but I used them in the 64 and like the looks and everything they offer. They include senders for temp and oil pressure, programmable to use with many different fuel sending units. Have provisions for Hi beam indicator, turn signal indicators, CEL, digital clock, digital odometer and message center. Speedometer is compatible with different signal generators and is adjustable. Another thing I like is that all wiring goes to a central control box and from there a cat. 5 data cable runs to the instrument panel. They come with a comprehensive instruction book. Read carefully, follow them step by step. You can order them with different face colors and different back lighting. I ordered silver gauge face with blue back light because this car has blue interior. They bolt right to the stock dash bezel. Really look good at night. I fastened the control box to a hinged bracket so I could easily access it for initial wire up. When done it swings up under dash out of sight. There are two small push buttons that have to be wired to the control panel and installed somewhere where you can reach them. These are used to program the control center. I mounted them in a small bracket under the dash so they face toward the seat. Painted the bracket black and it is hardly noticeable. You can see them to the left of the control box in the first picture. I cut away all the stock under dash wiring that wouldn't be used. You need to connect the stock Hi beam indicator wire and turn signal indicator wires to the DD control box. I completed all the wiring, dumped 5 gallons of premium in the tank, cycled the fuel pump a couple of times and checked everything for leaks, I had a small drip in the rear at one fitting so I retightened it. That solved it. Hit the key and the motor fired right up!!!!!! WOW gotta love that!!. Sounds good too! Settled down to a nice idle. Tach, fuel, amp, and oil pressure gauges all working. No coolant in it so did not run it too long. Just happy it is running. Car is getting very close to having new paint. Looking forward to driving it. I had the drive shaft shortened and balanced so it is ready to go in the car. You can see the CEL on in the dash picture. Scan tool showed a couple codes related to low fluid level in transmission. Added some tranny fluid and erased the codes. No more CEL. My budget for this swap was $7000 and I spent $6544.

Dakota Digital VHX Gauges $755
Drive shaft service $110

any updates ? Dash looks great. Spent some time reading up on them. Nice. http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.c...od/prd1077.htm

No updates. Still getting it ready for paint. Did drive it out of shop so I could clean. No brakes so had to push it back in. I think I am going to have to change the front springs as the LS1 does not compress them enough. Will probably have to use SBC front springs. Should have it painted in a couple weeks then reassembly begins.

Got the paint shot on the body. Still have the hood and deck lid to do plus the grill surrounds. Then cut and buff. Love the color. Got the brakes bled so I can drive it in and out of the shop. Sits too high in front so will get the SBC front springs installed soon.

Nice Color. Fix the stance and it will be killer.

Bad As- build!!!:)

Have you had a chance to drive it yet ?

Jim...Have not driven it except around my yard. My paint work was unacceptable so I sanded it down and hired someone to paint it. He did nice work and I am sanding and buffing it. I will be reassembling it soon?? Hope to get some miles on it yet this summer. I am still enjoying putting miles on my LS1 powered 64 Tempest. Its a great driver.

Couple of update pictures. Paint sanded and buffed. Lookin good. Interior is installed as is some of the exterior trim. Working on grills and front bumper next. Put on the new rims and tires.

It's finally all back together and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Love the Fontaine Blue!! I do not have it plated but did take it for a several 6 mile jaunts down the road and it runs and drives GREAT!! I think it drives better than my 64 LS powered Tempest. Getting ready to tear into the 67 Chevelle 300 Deluxe I bought this spring. Needs a lot of work. It will be getting a LS 5.3 with a Muncie 4 speed behind it. Should be a fun car too.

Very impressive, great work!

Thanks AG!! Here is the 5.3/Muncie installed in my 67 Chevelle 300 Deluxe.

These guys are about 20 minutes from me, near Cleveland Ohio.. They have an extensive inventory of motors.. anything from a Viper motor to hemi to LS to coyote. The motors are sold on a pallet with everything needed to make it run & drive, including trans, clutch pedals, dash, gauges, steering column, etc. The motor will start & run on the pallet. They buy high end wrecked muscle cars and offer some pretty good deals. They will sell you the package or install it for you. If you are thinking about a swap these guys might be helpful. I'm not an employee or anything, just very impressed with what they have to offer..Cleveland Power & Performance. https://www.clevelandpap.com/product...gine-packages/

So, I finally plated the 65 a couple weeks ago and now have about 200 miles on it. Runs and drives excellent!! Could use a quick ratio steering gear box though. It has been a blast to drive and well worth the effort.

Looks awesome and apparently drives even better ! Congratulations on your build.

Very glad to see you're finished...are they ever REALLY finished?

Sold the 65 Lemans, finished the 67 Chevelle and now I'm doing a 69 el camino with 2004 GTO LS1/4L65E swap. Going to be awesome!!! I know it's not a Pontiac but it has a Pontiac heart.

The El Camino. Painted, sanded and buffed. Reassembly in progress. A/C, cruise control, power driver seat, and Dakota Digital gauges. Going with red factory style SS stripe. Runs and drives. Have all winter to get it done. Hope everyone is well.

build after build , clean clean clean! Excellent work Steve!

Thanks Steve... Add some pictures of your 64 to this thread.

Steve

Updated picture. The 04 GTO LS1 runs awesome!!!

So here is the 98 Pontiac Trans Am LS1/4l60E I have just installed in my 65 Buick Skylark post car. Have to finish up the wiring and installation of the Dakota Digital gauges and it will be ready to fire up. Corvette coil covers because they cover some of the ugly. Don't know why Pontiac didn't have something similar on the Trans Am??? Going to be a real sleeper. Not your grandfathers Buick!!

cool cool cool....love a post car

NICE builds! Do you ever sleep? LOL

I hate to say it, but I'm currently struggling with whether or not to build a new short block for my car or go LS. I have so many nice Pontiac engine parts. Accumulated over decades. Hard to think about selling it all. But I have a 2011 Camaro that has helped spoil me to the civility of newer engines.

JSchmitz...Thanks!! As you can tell I am a huge believer in modern drivetrains in old cars. Makes them really enjoyable to own and drive. I did the LS swap in my 64 Tempest Custom in 2015 and still own it and drive it all the time. The 65 Buick is my 5th LS swap and I have enjoyed both building them and getting to drive them when done. I think you will love your car with LS power. That being said an LS swap can be a somewhat daunting undertaking if doing it yourself and expensive if you have to farm it out. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have to help in your decision. Just PM me. And yes I get lots of sleep but it helps to be retired.

I have no problem doing the swap myself. It's the decision to abandon decades of accumulating Pontiac stuff that's hard for me to accept. It's kinda like the flathead guys eventually giving up to overhead valve engines. Technology improves and time moves on. I just have to decide what my intended purpose for the car is going to be in the future. I haven't drag raced in eight years now. But I'm nearing retirement and may want to race again. If I'm gonna drag race it, I would stay with the Pontiac engine. If I'm just gonna cruise it, I should probably go LS and back to stick shift.

That's true. Space is not a problem for me. Money is a little thin right now though. Too many projects of all kinds going on.

Do you run Dexcool or Glycol coolant?

What did you do for throttle pedal?

I have used glycol coolant and have not had any problems. For a throttle pedal I adapted a later Chevelle style pedal that bolts to inside of firewall. Just had to weld a flat plate in the proper position to mount it to. Used a Lokar universal throttle cable to run from pedal to throttle.

Dakota Digital doesn't make a gauge system to fit the 65 Buick dash so I bought a universal set that would fit. Made a panel to mount them in and moved the light and wiper switches to a new position beside the gauges. The shift position indicator was in the dash panel also so I bought a column mounted indicator from a PONTIAC. Looks factory. Had to have a drive shaft made as the stock Buick drive shaft has a rubber insert at the rear that prohibited shortening it. Installed the drive shaft yesterday and took the Buick for it's first ride. Runs and drives excellent. The LS1 provides more than enough power to be fun!! No codes and no leaks. Needs posi and more tire but is a real "sleeper"as is!!

Looks Awesome. Fantastic skills and design.

I see you moved the battery to the passenger side on your '65 Tempest. Did ya just get a Chevelle battery tray?

Hard to remember what I did on that one but that is a reasonable assumption. I may have modified the original though. I did this, primarily, so I could use the stock Trans/Am Battery cables that came with the motor.

I understand. It's either run a long starter cable or run a long feed wire to the distribution block. Better weight and balance with the battery on the passenger side I suppose.