I finally managed to fit the LS1onto the respeed R&P kit
 

Well, months of math and weeks of wondering and DAYS of moving it around by fractions of an inch and finally I got the motor in for good.

I said that I would post pictures and measurements here but decided against it and will let anyone else who wants to go this route figure out on their own. In case you think this is simple let me inform you it isn't. What most V8 guys do is get grannies kit with the stock pitman arm or they get a grannies kit for a second gen and do the second gen swap. Me? I wanted the quick ratio and the bling of respeed parts. So, I went this route. In the end the motor sits 1/2" higher than a grannies kit would and about 1" further back against the firewall. I can live with that. I also had to remove the alternator becasue it didnt like the rack. I found a f-body High mount for $150 that will put it in a better position.

The amazing thing is the hood closes with 1/4" clearance with no grinding at support structure. I know the TB will smack the hood when under load so I will figure that out later.

Anyway to the pics

First picture is of the rack welded up and ready to go in. Second picuter is of the clearance at it's tightest point. Thir picture is of the final fitment of the motor. and the third is showing off how beautiful the car is now.

Looks great under there. I hope you really enjoy it.

This part of your post:
Seems pretty selfish, especially since all we do here is help each other.
Seems like a slap in the face for anybody's who's helped you in any way along
with your swap.

My 02 cents. YMMV.

~DF

My bad! I didn't mean it that way at all. My point was the measurements part is damn near impossible to do WITHOUT trial and error. If someone were to ask me for a specific picture or measurement I would happily ablige but there is very little room to work with.


I will say this though. If you are thinking of doing this specific setup you WILL have to drop the motor through the bottom in order to align everything just right. On a normal swap you just toss the kit in and go. here you will need to fit, cut, fit, weld, fit, cut, fit weld, fit, weld. It is very hard to get right, lol.


Thanks for pointing out my error with my post

Damn fine work, are those mounts a finished part as they are now? Or are you going to redo them up cleaner/beefier? Might just be the pic but they look rather thin, are they going to hold up to what the LS1 puts out?

Looks Good!

yeah I am touching it up some later. pics can be deceiving though, they are 1/4" thick and connect in many spots. attached is another angle. Yes, I know the welds are ugly as shit. my bottom bead was really sweet then I added three more beads to each joint. I got awesome penetration with the 220 MIG so I am not worried about them. I am adding more bracing and paint in a couple weeks when I drop motor to add the sensors I removed and the while routing the exhaust.

Ahhhh its a T couldnt see the other bit in 1st set of pics, thought it was just a flat peice lol. Looks good cant wait to see it running and smokin vettes^^

Looking good! A few minutes with a flap wheel will dress those welds nicely and you'll be good to go!

This is what I would have if I put my 2 cars together lol. Looks good Shawn.

Thanks Cody! You still rockin the stang?

No, I sold it and bought a Cobalt SS/TC then traded that for an 04 GTO.

lol, nice. Maybe you should pop on down to the bbq in smyrna (other forum), I am thinking of attending this one.

Do you know the approximate difference between the weight of a 12a and trans and the LS1 with the trans you used??

My firend did a 1991 Mustang 5.0 swap with EFI and we were talking about the weight difference.

I would think this aluminum engine with aluminum heads would be lighter that an all iron 5.0 motor.

Please advise.... any help appreciated!!

all I know is the motor, tranny,, and all the wiring was 800lbs on the pallet. That includes the pallet, radiator, clutch crap, driveshaft, crossmember etc from the camaro