Sweet! I'm loving this! Everyone is doing LS swaps but they all assume the viewers know all the details in what it takes. I'm going through my very first LS swap this year and these episodes will be SUPER helpful. Thank you for doing this!

We're just having fun here - "If you take stuff too serious this channel may not be for you Buddy" -

The fix on those exhaust manifold bolts is 3 things: remflex gaskets (thicker and better for headers), anti-seize, and cheap grade 2 bolts that will stretch instead of snap. I run lock washers as well to add that spring action.

The Dirty Dingo mounts are KEY to saving a pile of messing around. Well worth the money. Hoses and wiring can be adjusted, engines and transmissions are just not forgiving. Dirty Dingo also makes some awesome brackets to relocate the truck accessories and change spacing to fit what you have in tight spots without buying more parts.

I enjoy the digs you and Morske share. He did a video with ol Puddin and now just waiting on y’all to do one. Then maybe getting all 3 of you together. Epic! Thanks for the content Dan!!

The main thing I love about this channel is that you do things the way the average person would do them with basic hand tools and good ole elbow grease. Your ability to make your own repairs versus sending everything out to a shop is exactly how it should be done. I have a feeling of accomplishment when I can make things happen without paying a shop to do it.

Putting a little too much faith in a ratchet strap my friend. I know how my luck goes.. Good information! Planning to ls something before i die…

Thank goodness there are so many rotted out 15 yr old GM trucks (that cost 40K+ back in the day) out there to give up their drivetrains! 😆 Have fun Dan--we'll all be watching you you crazy kid!

I've done almost a dozen LS swaps from mild to wild and the most expansive part is the fuel systems. You can bolt 'em in cheap with adaptor plates and for $14 you can use your SBC automatic but weather you're running a carb or injection that is where you will spend your money. I'm doing a 5.3 with a 700r4 in a '68 C10 right now and I used a $50 motor mount kit to mount the engine, raised it 1" and used the stock pan and it's even with the front crossmember, a 6 quart poor man's dry sump. I did cam the engine and replaced some worn rockers, replaced the pushrods and did a trunnion upgrade. I've got a lot of work arounds but the stock intake is the best for a street car under $800 for an intake. The stock PCM with a flash will support 500hp without a problem (there's not a 5.3 made that won't put out 375hp and with a mild cam you can add another 55-60hp on the top end if you think you need it). If you have time you can use a cut down stock harness also. For a fuel system a inline 255 LPH Walbro pump frame mounted with a '98 up Corvette filter/regulator ($50) will fuel the motor and provide a return line to the tank or filler neck. A 3/8" hardline dead headed up to the fuel rail completes the system, the filter/regulator will provide a steady 62 psi to the rail. Exhaust manifolds or headers can get a little pricy but sometimes the stock pieces will work with a little trimming. I love doing the work and coming up with different solutions, I think your on the right track. There is a lot of performance in an LS, even stock. A 6.0L in stock form with the Holley Terminator X or Fitech kit should get you over 400hp, quite the snappy ride in a Tri-Five and once you've done one they are not difficult.

If you let everything cool before putting a wrench on that welded nut it will come out easier. Heat expands it to break it loose, then when it cools comes right out

Like a few people mentioned, a sheet metal intake and BBC style cool covers are a relatively inexpensive way to make an LS look a lot better when swapping. But of trimming for the alternator bracket and they fit up nice.

"If Mortske can do it anyone can.." I foresaw something like this when he mentioned you during the body work segment of his last video.. 😉 Great content as always 👌

Dan needs to put a cam in a LS and hear some chop and he will think they sound cool. plus they are all Roller engines so no flat comp scams issues.

If you're building with power tour in mind you might reconsider that ac compressor, if it'll fit in the car. Options out there for putting air in a tri five.

Finally a video that told me everything I need to know about using one of these. Thanks man.

YES !! I have the local salvage yard looking for a 6 L for a build

For your kick down cable go check out what Derek on VGG did on the Hemi Half. Stupid simple! Love watching you guys.

Dan, one of your best videos. A Lot of good info and the prices.

Very informative video young man. My LS experience is from a 98 Vette. Where I installed a Magnuson SC then over boosted the stock motor and cracked #7 cylinder sleeve. Ouch! the rebuild was then the LQ4 iron block my LS1 Crank and Heads with Mahle Pistons, H Beam Rods, Crane Valve Gear and cam with the Magnuson upgraded to Intercooler. That engine build was paid for as I did not want to risk my skills, We ended up about 550 HP with headers and Water Meth injection. The Engine was bullet proof and would roar like Drag Car. Pulled to 6,500 real strong but flatten out pretty quick. Then Clutch, Tranny needed beefing up. I already had 3.7 Gear so the 1-2 shaft came up real fast. As the Corvette hit 140,000 miles the engine was still quite strong but i found a 2007 Ron Fellows I wanted so we made a deal and it moved on. The LS engine is a real strong piece of kit and i appreciate all the LS swaps. The tuning is the tricky part and i had a great tuner that really pulled the power out but left it safe and sane for the long run. Good luck I understand the rationale and think you on the right track for a good utility cruiser.

Just got our DD shirts delivered in Australia,gunna wear them in my 4 Door 57.💪,love the videos,great channel

Put a set of coil covers on your ls and it looks like an old school small block also you can drill one hole in the pulley to access the 3 bolts to remove the ps pump and its still usable if you want to put it back on later it doesn't hurt the structure integrity of the pulley

LS looks great on the inside. You got the deal Dan. Good Job!

Great video. LOVE how you guys all dish on each other. Mortske just made a little dig on you the other day, and he hits on Puddin all the time. Can't wait to see this in the FiveSix!

So far so good. Everything seems to be correct. I look forward to your next episode.

If you ever put PS back in it, put a slotted pulley on it. Don't forget antisieze on everything. Now you've got me wanting to go out and LS swap something else. The aluminum brightener from napa will make the parts look good...it does etch so be ready to wash it off. I know those oil pan gaskets are nice, but where the front and rear covers meet up, i always use a tiny amount of black rtv to catch that seam. For the holley, you need to know your reluctor count...24 or 58. The pickup on the back top of the block that points back, not up. Black is the 24 tooth, Tan/grey is the 58 tooth. Gen 3 are all black, Gen 4 are all tan. Gen 3 don't have VVT and you'll see that you have no sensor in the timing cover plate.

Put a little gasket goop on those meeting surfaces under your oil pan to insure that it seals up good, great video.

Getting ready to do my 1st LS swap in a 1953 Ford Mainline coupe. Bought a complete 2001 Suburban for a donor. Wish me luck!

I started my channel doing the most budget swaps on KZfaq (to my knowledge) was doing running and driving turbo foxbody for 2k or less and never got the views for me to keep the motivation. Thankfully you're already set and this will be a epic setup!!

I Bought me a little Silverado with an extended cab , it looks to be a cherry one in which the owner was a dear grandpa using it to make his haircut trips in , I hope to keep it simply to follow the legions of old run of the mill good olde maintenanced mechanicals through its next 5 year tour , Then when it’s time, give it all the grand work . Your a good mechanic with patience, watching the head bolt removal was like watching a surgeon in mid operation go into a story of calming Cardom . Learned me something . To let you know what your audience already has gathered , Its a master class when a teacher shows his revealed flaws that you may encounter under the execution of a job , the secret to a good channel , you have that easy neighborly chat quality in similar fashion with Vise Grip Garage and Derek .Ill Keep your channel in tune , the old ways will never ever grow tyresom.

hey dd man good choice with the ls! my 83 chevy k10 is running everything from the factory except the motor the stock ecu from the 02 chevy 1500 worked great the software to flash it was free (pcm hammer) and (tuner pro) pretty easy to use depending on ur pcm but all in i have probably 1800 in my swap and it runs fantastic if you want videos of how i did it all let me know!

This is awesome brother. 👌 can not wait to see this all coming together.

Drill a decent size hole through the pulley and then you can just spin it and take the bolts off as you need to

As for mounts the ICT Billet mounts work great and are adjustable as well and use a regular BBC/SBC mount on a plate that adapts it to the LS block.

This is going to be sweet! That piece your looking at for kick down is for cruise control. I love the LS stuff but I am like you I have every shape and sized small block stuff.

The stock 317 heads along with an early truck w/78mm tb or car intake are so bad on a dished piston 6.0 you wouldn't be able to tell a difference between that and a flat top 5.3 with 706s, a TBSS intake w/90-92mm TB. Either engine with a cam, headers, tuned up is going to feel the exact same on the street. The secret is using 706 heads(with thinner head gaskets 0.027"), tbss/NBS intake, 92mm TB on a dished piston 6.0. That would give you 1.9:1 more compression, better ports that make more power, the best factory Cathedral port intake, will make a big cam feel good and when you run a flex fuel sensor you'll make a good 15-20TQ in the middle.

Can't tell you how happy I am that the wagon is getting an LS!!!

Looking good, Dan!! The swap into the 58 Wagon is going to be sweet!! Cheers!!

On the older, cable throttle body, the cruise control cable also attaches to the throttle body.

Great shows keep up the good work

Looking good. Exhaust manifold bolts can put up a struggle in aluminum heads just as the second gen LT1’s. Can’t remember if you took the spark plugs out. Better do that now while it’s on the stand. Other than that it’s all good.

Great info. I'm also planning a LS swap on my 69 Chevelle.

Love what you do. You finish most all your projects. I'm done with Bad at finishing a project Chad.

Hi Dan. Man dude, you change engines more than I change my underwear! Thank goodness! And Thank You for all the videos!

If you need an upper radiator hose get one for a 2012 Chevy/GMC van with an LS (I’m sure there are several years that are the same), but I route’s the water from the upper neck to the drivers side radiator inlet.

You should put a tarp over the nomad on your shirt to be authentic

That extra lever on the throttle body is for the cruise control.

I bought a puller/installer tool for 45$ last summer. Tired of not having the tools to do the job. I am far from Rich that's for sure. Tool does Chevy/ford etc. I went from serpentine belt to the old v-groove belt in truck restoring 88 GMC half ton. Went from 305 fuel injection to 350 carved and kept getting belt squeal and removed that huge plate off of front and decided to go back to old school way with v-groove belts.

Keep the 2 halves of the power steering pulley, in case you want ps in the future. You have a welder . Craig's List overhaul, Sweet!

you can twist that extension oil fill tube out and the cap screws rt in

My next project after the Mustang is done is a 78 Monte Carlo. Currently it has no drivetrain at all so I'm hoping to find an LS to throw in it, even a 4.8 would work for me as I'm not looking for a ton of power.

by the time you buy a wideband, fuse box, hp tuners tune. youre basically the same cost as a holley

I put the motor sideways on the engine stand and drill a hole in the middle of the stud before I weld the nut to it, it seems to flow the weld down and heat the entire stud frees it up the first shot in my experience

pull that oil filler gooseneck then put the cap right on the valve cover where the gooseneck came out of

After seeing Dylan McCool's police diplomat I was thinking of doing something like this with a Hemi. Thanks for posting it up!

DD, it's so funny watching you extract a bolt that you heated up to take out. I couldn't believe you were trying to take out the bolt when it was red hot and soft. Of course it broke off because the metal molecules haven't cooled enough for strength yet. I put my hand over my eyes watching you fail with these bolts and doing a poor job extracting them out. You do decent work on the other things but this one, you need patience grasshopper.

I put a LQ9 in my 84 k 30, I love it.

Dan your becoming an LS guru! Cool stuff! 😎

Dan normally that other knob on the throttle is for a Cruise control and you need to get your angel of the dangle right for a 700R4 type TV cable. The travel of that TV cable adapter is not linear to the movement of throttle cable from what I recall. If you are up for a few dollars more check into Bowtie overdrives for the proper adapter that just attaches for that TV cable

A lot of mechanics use 4 wheel carts for each job w mag trays for different bolts they have tools for the job side mounted trays for lubes hope it helps you

Well ya goin to have some power under the Hood and they won't Know till ya hit it Ya got this keep it goin Great build

Get a bottle of liquid Maalox anti-acid, and before you thread, the steel bolts back into the aluminum heads, coat the threads with Maalox, it will keep the threads from seizing it’s an old airplane mechanic trick

The last 6.0 I swapped had several broken manifold bolts, I got all ready to do a vide on extracting them, but then they all spun out without even a visegrip. I was miffed at all the others I fought with, and sad I couldn't show how to do all of it on messed up parts. I do it different, buy the entire truck, pull all the parts I will need to stuff the engine in an older truck, or to put a 6.0 in a 1500 Silverado, then scrap the rest. I also use those trucks as winter beaters, so I need parts for them, so the better ones hang around for parts. If its completely stock parts, its dirt cheap considering new car parts are more expensive than old car parts. If you want reliable power and you have an sbc, the LS is a good upgrade. It cost me more to put vortec heads on a $500 sbc 400 short block than it does to rebuild a Pontiac with all new stuff. Nickle and dime you to death, and then it is a pooch. Been watching a few channels that swapped 5.3s into their old cars, like a G body Malibu, and then they take it to the track and it runs 15s to high 14s. I simply can't spend that much money to go that slow. If I spend $3k on an engine, it better run low 12s to high 11s in a stock weight car without a power adder. For daily driver late model stuff, yeah I like em. I do not consider them fast, but you can throw a lot of boost at them for a while. Thats why I like the LS for trucks, the 6.0 has decent power for a truck. The 07 1500 crew cab got one, the Escalade came with one, the 76 and 80 C10s are getting them, and so is the 88 C1500.

Great video!!! Thanks Dan

Great video, my question is why do u prefer cable drive by ? Thanks

Quick note, I don't think that is a Holley 302-# pan (I don't believe Holley comes with a gasket and the Holley pan doesn't indent at the bolts like that). I am speaking from experience because I went with the old PW pan (because it looked close enough) and ended up having to get the proper Holley pan. It may still work for your application but I know my particular setup caused issues. Loving the content BTW.

Well you taught me quite a bit. Great job.

You could run that with a TH400, people do it all the time. If you're not allergic to buying higher octane fuel, I would recommend this. Get a set of 706 heads, especially for a big heavy car that you are going to drive in the street. Those heads will increase the compression ration from 9.4:1 up to 10.6:1 on their own, then I would use a 0.027" head gasket when reassembling it, that will put you at 11.3:1 compression ratio. From there I would used an Elgin 238/242 cam, PAC 1218 or Comp 918 springs, 1.75"-3" long tube headers, a NBS/TBSS intake manifold, maybe use a flex fuel sensor for E85 if it's available and you'll be well over 500hp and you'll have TONS of TQ in the mid range and it will still be safe for 91-93 Oct gas.

Acdelco MLS stock exhaust manifold gaskets are the best header gaskets I've found. Cheap at the GM dealer and I have reused them multiple times with headers and exh manifolds on my turbo set up 👍👍lol with Dorman exh manifold bolts with Permatex ceramic extreme brake parts lubricant on the threads. Haven't broken a bolt since.

dd hello from southeast virginia, love your channel, keep the videos coming,take my friend

Hey Dan Thanks for sharing Take care

If only you'd made this video before I did my '59 Corvette / LS3-4L65E swap..oh well, trial and error is a good teacher.

Smart Way to take out that bolt good job

LQ4's with iron heads have a unique crank flange which accommodates older GM transmissions. ('99's)

I like the power the ls makes but I don’t like their problems. I’m old school I’m a big block Chevy guy

low buck DIY guys get a micro squirt, easy to do and works just to run the engine. yes there are better systems but if you are not going digital dash and all that it works. The holley stuff is great for sure, have a sniper unit on my BBC in my 78 Malibu. For my 1994 camaro and my subaru swapped VW baja I went micro squirt. I have a v6 for now in the 94 but wanted to use it as a test for tuning with the software for the micro squirt. I will go LS later in it once I have the money and find a good LS engine.

I've always found lack of oil pressure in ls engines is due to broken, plastic oil sender on the back of the block. Change it.

Hey, he has Duff to open the hoods already..maybe he could do some fabrication to make the wiring easier. Great breakdown!

You could have just drilled a hole in the ps pulley to access the pump bolts,which will allow you to reuse the pump....

PSI make a great stand alone harness that runs everything including the trans , with computer programmed to your specifications for under $700

Great video man

I tried the "weld a nut on " approach to removing a broke manifold collector stud. The stud just broke farther in every time I redid it. Maybe this works with aluminum heads but cast iron collector didn't get the job done. Use stainless steel bolts and you won't have this problem again.

Thank you brother!

LOOKING GOOD!

It's not cheap, but they sell kits to make a LS look like 57-65 fuel injected 327 or a 3x2bbl 427. They are on display at Summit Racing Tallmage OH store. Also, my turbo 6.0 4l80e with 3.73s on a 9x28 tire got 23-26mpg at 70mph on gasoline. Depending on air temperature and elevation

I find the factory computer to be better for mild non turbo builds. Reason being you can keep the drive by wire throttle body which makes setting up cruise control really easy. A/C as well.

I follow both you guys so I heard what morski said about you this morning

Are LS's ugly? Yes. Are they boring? Also yes. But MAN they are fun to drive lol nothing like a stock motor making 330hp before you do anything to it and still be able to get something resembling mpg lol The 1980 Camaro I swapped a 5.3 in with a mild cam and exhaust was such a blast to drive. Cruised like grandmas bingo bomber, but you give it some beans and it would do hellacious burnouts. With a TH350 and 3.23's it was getting 18-20mpg. Probably could've gotten better than that if the smoke would stay in the damn tires lol

I TOTALLY AGREE. my Ls swap engine itself was cheap, only 450 cdn$ for complete running 5.3L Ls that did have double the Hp the stock 305 BUT by time i converted all the different hookups i had spent several thousand that couldve bought a new 300Hp Crate SBC and it wouldve dropped right in over a weekend instead of 2-3 months of fabbing things together.

99-02 dbc, 03-07 dbw. gen 4 07.5+ or 2005 yukon/envoy. usually the stock 99-02 cable works in most gm stuff. holley oil pan is close to the f body ls pan (98+) which i think you can get a little cheaper. MAKE SURE U HAVE THE CORRECT PICKUP TUBE O RING. Big deal if you want oil pressure. Dirty dingo is good for most mounts. Jegs has a flexplate chart per what transmission etc you want. I usually do ebay gaskets + 1 stick of rtv if its a real tight budget. cam retainer plate is a good thing to replace while youre in there. stock oil pumps fine unless youre going boosted youll starve your motor of oil with to big of a pump. double chain is not needed. you can bolt the car water pump if needed depending on your radiator routing. hope some of this info helps someone. Ive done these between $0 and $20k now. 1999 6.0s have a long crank except for manual option trucks, (you wouldnt really want this unless using the auto from the same truck). 4.8s/5.3s usually have dished plates, but i have seen them on 6.0 / vise versa. I dab the corners of the pan with rtv. make sure you align the rear timing cover with oil pan properly or there is a chance it will crack. front and real main covers with new seals can be bought for $40-50each. your holley should be 24x tooth dbc with multec 2 if stock truck. max is only needed if electric trans

Nifty set up, dependable too. Where do we stand on the ac .....lol

Good one D.

ARP exhaust manifold bolts and remflex gaskets. Been holding up well for me. I never want to have to pull those broken bolts again. Such a pain.

I know that your friend Brent just sorts out a few wires, saves everything he needs from the doner rig and bam, did done. Or your cousin Richard DeBoss spent enough money to take the queen out for dinner to make a LS engine look like a 350 old school engine. My take is if you were to paint a turn to look like a steak, it would still taste like a turd so why blow the money. Its quite overwhelming to sort all the wiring off of the engine on the ls engines but really worth the time because that computer part comes off whole and the part to the gauge section is easy enough when your only using four wires out of it using the pin remover and just remove all, use the wires you will need by the color code and in their respected holes. I know if I can do it Dan that you can... John just brought over the stuff he wanted untangled and thats just what i did. I have used cement stripper to clean up aluminum fairly nice and truck drivers love their aluminum rims..... that said, they only look new for a maybe three months and then covered in brake dust, road grime an other stuff. There is some stuff out in a can that you mix with water, use a bottle brush to just smear it around, and just hose it off. its that easy i swear on my moms grave! I seen with these two old eyes wheels that looked really bad come super clean in say ten minutes with no scrubbing

A free but small LS clean up I learned from another swap video was to remove the ugly oil fill elbow from the Pass valve cover and then just take the fill cap and screw it back on the valve cover. One little ugly piece gone. OOPS, should have known you already knew that after seeing the end of the video. Well played!

So question about the different pans... Can a truck dipstick be used on a fbody pan and report correctly? Or is the truck dipstick longer?

No Sr Mortski couldn't get er done with puddin holding his tool!!

Uses a 94-96 caprice LT1 throttle cable with its bracket.

Brent does LS swaps and makes it look easy, hopefully you can go to him for ideas and advice.

Hey Dan, What about putting studs in the heads at the exhaust ports, and then using brass nuts to secure the headers?

Great viedo sorry about getting in the way with the camera 📷 Dan lol 😆