GM LFX 3.6L V6 Motor Swap

[gtpvette]

What a bitch. I'm outside of Vegas at Spring Mountain hauling a$$ in a new Corvette. 1st day today just got out on the track this afternoon. Did a bunch of cool exercises earlier. Tomorrow would of been a full track day,,, under instructors guidance,, but we're moving pretty good. Awesome place and track.


I'm coming home tonight on the red eye to prep for fricking Irma. What a PITA. Currently expected to make landfall about 80 miles from me. Way too close,,, the wife is freaking out.

Originally Posted by DustinS

Assuming you got the spot weld bits from harbor freight? They suck pretty bad, I went through quite a few. Using a center punch and starting slow seemed to work best for me. I also found that they would either break early, or do well until they got dull. Pretty sure I wore two of them out.

How'd you know?? Only bought two and I tore up three bits in a matter of minutes. If the braces in the trans tunnel need to come out I may look for a little bit better bit. No pun intended

Originally Posted by all4spl

Do you have any pictures of what it looks like on the other side of the engine bay for the clutch master?

Sorry I didn't but sniped the below picture from EBAY to give you an idea. The left side (closer to the middle of the car can't be trimmed as there is a large plate forming the brace for the bolt. The MC box flushes right up against it. The right side is a bit different,, I cut the brace back to right against the bolt to get the 2" width I needed. Top to bottom is tight but didn't need to cut anything back.


The box the MC sits in is made from 1/8" x 2" stock I got at Home Depot. It's 2" across and recessed in 2" deep. About 4" (plus a little tall).

[DustinS]

Stay safe down there.

Me and the Soon-to-be-Wife had to cancel our Honeymoon reservations/plans because of Irma haha. Trying to book hotels this close, anywhere super interesting, is quite difficult.

[Capt Spaulding]

GP, Have you ever seen the film named after your place of residence? One of Bogart and Bacall's best. Sorry your drive was cut short, best of all possible luck with the storm.

[gtpvette]

Originally Posted by Capt Spaulding

GP, Have you ever seen the film named after your place of residence? One of Bogart and Bacall's best. Sorry your drive was cut short, best of all possible luck with the storm.

Thanks. We have a Bogart Film Festival here every year so I know the film. The original African Queen is here as well,, still on the water.


I'm glad I came home. Rented a 1200 SQ FT warehouse yesterday. The GTM is already there the FRS is going this AM. The shop downstairs is almost empty as the wife has moved everything upstairs. The LFX is safely upstairs in the master bedroom. LOL. That's a sight I never thought I'd see.


This is a killer storm. I'm sure we'll have major flooding and wind. My house is new so built to code and should be pretty strong. We'll see. We're leaving tomorrow not sure where we're going yet.


Something tells me my swap's on hold for a while.

[-Willis-86touge]

best wishes

[DAEMANO]

Holy crap. Hang in there man. Best of luck!

[gtpvette]

Live team update. The storm has been shifting around current track puts it a bit west of us which is a good thing. We got everything prepped and went to pull the boat. Blew the transmission in the Silverado, so we're staying. Should be fine,, house is on stilts and recently built to the most recent codes. We'll move the boat and the truck to higher ground tomorrow.


The wee hours of tomorrow night promise to be quite exciting!!!l

[Joesurf79]

Originally Posted by gtpvette

Live team update. The storm has been shifting around current track puts it a bit west of us which is a good thing. We got everything prepped and went to pull the boat. Blew the transmission in the Silverado, so we're staying. Should be fine,, house is on stilts and recently built to the most recent codes. We'll move the boat and the truck to higher ground tomorrow.


The wee hours of tomorrow night promise to be quite exciting!!!l

Having just survived Harvey in Houston, I send good vibes your way! May you have an uneventful Irma experience !

[gtpvette]

Yea Bitch!!!!! Alive and well!!! After 4 days of no power we're online again!!!

[mrk1]

awesome solution for the clutch MC.

[Williampreza]

Subbed!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gtpvette]

Well it's been two weekends to bring everything back downstairs and get the cars out of the warehouse. Three weeks total lost but we're back in business now!!!

[gtpvette]

Didn't get much done last weekend,,,,, got some done this one. Started with making 1/4" plates that bolt to both sides one the motor. I based these on the wood ones I made earlier. See pic 1 and 2. It's amazing how different the motor is side to side. The plates are bigger than they need to be,,,, I'll cut them down as I move closer.


When measuring from side to side on the plates I get 10 13/16" to the outside edge. I cut the wood to match this,, that way I can fabricate the rest.


I'm using Trans-Dat motor mounts


https://www.summitracing.com/parts/trd-9314


I opted to put a 1/4" plate below them that I'll weld into place once everything is set,,, the reason being I want to lock the position of the mounts in place as opposed to sliding side to side with the slots in the OEM cross member.


I also cut the 1/4" thick top plates that will attach to the side of the motor. These are 3" x 5" that should attach to the plates that are attached to the motor. They needed a 68 degree end to flush up to
plates on the motor

Next weekend I'll cut the plates on the motor and get it in place (high/low - front/back) ,, then tack the top plate that are on the trans-data motor mounts. From there I'll cut a couple of additional braces then send them out for welding as my 110 Miller can't do 1/4" plate.

[gtpvette]

Good news, Bad news. First the good. First two shots are the motor mounts in their current state. Overall look like they'll be fine. I did trim off a bit from bottom the plates that bolt to the motor and they're a little shorter than I'd like. I want room to weld both the top and bottom of the plate that attaches to the rubber isolator.


I've gotten then motor close to where it needs to go. I put a 1/2" wood spacer on the cross member and steering rack to space the motor up. I hope 1/2" is enough. Motor mounts locate it side to side then 1.5 degrees down toward the rear end. The back of the motor (less the HP pump area) has plenty of room and shouldn't be an issue for AC or heat. I did trim the heater tubes coming out of the firewall a little. The motor is not as tall as I was initially afraid of. I will need to modify the hood but not too much. Mostly for the front of the intake and TB.


Bad news is the clutch master cylinder. With the motor moved as far forward as I can at this point (back of oil pan right up to rack) I still don't have enough room even without the hose and banjo bolt on it. I have less than a fingers width available. I figure I need about an inch more. I'm going to trim the oil pan a bit so I can move it forward some and I may recess the clutch MC a little more. I'm pretty sure I can get what I need there. I'll order the banjo bolts/fittings today so I can see what I need.