Weezy's Waggy - 1990 w/ 5.3/4L60E/NP261

[weezy]

Needham is about 25 minutes from me (minus the ridiculous 128 traffic).

I'm doing a similar swap, different tcase, in a 78 wag. Not going as in depth with the body/frame but I'm impressed & appreciate all the work going in.

Maybe we can compare/contrast as they get rolling.

Would be great to have someone local to share swap stories/issues with. Have you had any luck finding and retailers or garages around here that have been helpful for you? I am worried about running into wiring/ECU issues and not knowing where to find a hand (aside from the forums).

I feel so inadequate...

I have seen your dashboard in progress... I don't think you will be feeling inadequate for long.


In other news, I have found a TH400 shift linkage from a DC based member and I found an F-body drivers side exhaust manifold on LS1swap. Both are en route to my father's garage. My next items to scrounge are the drive shafts that will work with my NP261.

[nester]

Lookin good!

[oakknoll]

That looks great! I can't wait to see it in Needham this summer!

[msh227]

Nice work!

[Manimal70]

VERY NICE!

[Jeeptchr]

How is the 4dr fuel tank working out?

[weezy]

How is the 4dr fuel tank working out?

Well... I am not exactly sure how it's working out. When we cut into it, we learned that it was two layers of plastic. The inner, white layer of plastic would weld, but the outer black layer would not. We cut a few inches out of the top of the tank and welded in some new sheets of HDPE to the inner layer of the tank. Then we just just epoxied the heck out of it. When I left my father's house, the epoxy was still wet so I am not even sure of the fit yet. It's definitely not the prettiest thing. Maybe there will be someone on the forum that has more plastic welding experience that can step in with some knowledge.

[HowardT64]

i get nlight headed and excited when I see waggies getting this kind of attention...

[weezy]

Does anyone know where I can find the bushing for the pivot bracket for a TH400 shift linkage? See pic below...

[weezy]

I decided to try to tackle the wiring harness myself with the help of the LT1swap website and facebook page. So far, I would say that it's going O.K. The biggest hold up that I had was not being able to locate the a couple of the connectors. I eventually figured out that the PO had cut off the two connectors for the neutral safety switch on the 4L60E. I can't believe how much money those two little connectors cost to replace

Here's the before pic of the harness.



And I will call this the "progress" pic. HA!

[weezy]

I am looking for some drive shaft advice. When I bought the NP261, I did not get the slip yokes or the GM drive shafts with it. I am running the stock Dana axles and have already replaced the yokes and U-joints. I also still have the stock GW driveshafts. So here's my question.... Are there slip yokes that I can buy that will let me adapt the stock GW driveshafts? This stuff is all new to me so please spell it out for me as simply as possible. Just keep in mind that the NP261 has already been rebuilt so that and the Dana's are staying.

[COLORADOCRAWLER]

The junkyards are littered with slip yokes from GM products that will work for relatively cheap. If your stock DS already has a slip yoke built into it you're better off just getting the whole SY/DS from a GM and having the drive line shop shorten it and install the smaller Dana 44 joint on the axle end. For the front I had to change the CV output yoke on the xfer case and the drive line shop re-tubed it to the correct length. I bought a Spicer yoke for this and had to have 1/4" of the internal splines machined off (GM strangely enough did this as well from the factory on the OEM 241 yoke rather than have a special part made with the correct spline length). JB Conversions has the part you need that is also clearanced better than the Spicer part and despite the really expensive shipping from them its still cheaper than the route I took.

[66stepside]

Holy cow! That is looking great- nicely done!

[racerx12003r1]

Doin a beautiful job. I have a question about your motor mounts though. Are those the original frame mounts? I'd love some closeups. Im gonna try a chevy swap this spring in my J10

[DustinLangston]

weezy, your swap looks great. I just finished my 5.3/4L60E/NP208 swap into my 1982 Wagoneer. The power is amazing! If you have any questions let me know, sounds like you're making some great progress. Here's a link to my build. It is now in paint and getting the interior done. So sad, I had it for about a month and then had to hand it over.

http://fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=4400

[weezy]

Doin a beautiful job. I have a question about your motor mounts though. Are those the original frame mounts? I'd love some closeups. Im gonna try a chevy swap this spring in my J10

Like many of the swappers on the board, I used the JeepinPete mounts. They mount directly on the original frame horns. I am not near the truck right now so I can't produce any pics, but if you search for "Jeepin Pete mounts" or something similar than you are bound to find some pics.

[weezy]

Time for an update. I have been bogged down with the wiring harness for a few weeks. I told a buddy that it looked like R2D2 took a dump in my basement. As great as Lt1swap is as a resource, it's still been quite a challenge for someone with so little wiring experience. My father has been making better progress on his end. He has the new LPP shorty headers installed and he's almost finished with the gas tank brackets for the 4dr S10 blazer tank. I hope to get back there to take some pics soon.

Here are some wiring questions for the swappers....

What is the process for wiring in the TCC (torque converter) switch? Brendan has a wiring diagram on his site, but I don't even know where the heck to start!
Do I need to wire in a switch to let the PCM know when the transfer case is in low? I am using the NP261 that was original to my GM drive train. That signal had to have been getting communicated somehow in the Silverado, right?
I am also completely confused on the fuel pump and fuel gauge wiring. I have a wire from a new relay to send to the fuel pump and a wire from the PCM to send to the gas gauge but then I have two multi-wire connectors on the pump/tank . I don't even know how to ask a specific question here so just point me to any resources that might help me pull my head out of my @ss.

To close the circle on a prior question... I am going to take ColoradoCrawler's advice and look for some used drive shafts with slip yokes.

Lastly... I want to pick my tire size before sending my PCM out for programming. I was planning to stick with the 30"ers but they are looking a bit puny with my 4" lift. Are 33's too aggressive for what will be a driver with modest offroad requirements?

[ShawnQ]

I think a 33" is just right. Pick your tread type based on usage requirements.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

[msh227]

I'm in the process of finishing my harness using LT1swap.com. I have it thinned and I'm about to start wiring up the new fuse block. I'm not sure if I can answer your specific question but ask Brendan, he is good about answering your questions. Also are you planning on sending your PCM to him? I had him program mine and it well worth it for the $75. It was roughly 1 week from the time I shipped it to the time I had it back.

[weezy]

I traveled back to my parents house this weekend to spend a bit of time on the jeep with my father. The "Frankentank" is about ready to install. We are just waiting on a new hose and filter for the pump. The GM dealer told my father that you couldn't buy just the hose and a new pump was $500. Doh! I am just glad that nobody told Ebay... a new hose and filter is on it's way for $8 including shipping. Here are some pics of the tank. It's the 1999 four door blazer tank - we cut back the hump (to clear the rear cross member) and welded and epoxied in the patch. It should fit in the stock location now.