I'm bastardizing my herbie...

quick idle video with the new exhaust

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe...p;v=ZNxB9_aoivg

 

That's not loud at all hahah

Last night I started to rip out the cooling system, conversion to LS3 water pump has begun!

 

If I may make a suggestion...

 

Have your pcm speed density (sd) tuned by someone with either HP or efiLive and ditch the Mass air flow sensor. It opens a whole world of possibilities as far as a clean intake routing. Not to mention the added benefits of power and a two step with the efiLive operating system.

 

It also gets the engine ready for boost if you add a 3 bar sensor...

 

I have no affiliation to either but as a hard core geek the efiLive seems to have more stuff to meddle with.

 

 

http://www.efilive.com/index.php?option=co...&Itemid=139

I might switch over to speed density. Not 100% sure yet.

 

The car is using HPtuners

Great and really cool project.

 

 

How do you have the know how and skills to do such a thing? Did you have mechanics at school, engineering studies?

No education for it, just taught mysel over the years.

Wow, very impressive.

Alright, time for an update.

 

So I decided to go with an LS3 water pump over the remote electric pump because I was getting fed up with the difficulties of the electric pump.

 

The LS3 pump pulley is much more narrow than the LS1 pump pulley. But the pulley is so narrow that the belt from the LS1 F-body crank pulley won’t touch it. Luckily the water pump on an LSx can be spaced out from the block. This is a great thing for me because my engine is mounted by the heads, so a flush water pump wouldn’t work.

 

I bought a .25” water pump spacer and found out this was the wrong length. So I started to do some research and it looked like a .75” spacer is what I needed. But there wasn’t much info out I started to ask vendors what they had and what they thought would work for me and I didn’t get much of a response. I went to eBay and started messaging vendors and finally was given some insight from someone (Steve) who produces spacers (yay!!!).

 

Steve, confirmed that I needed .75” spacers to make the LS3 pump fit on an LS1 F-Body and then he sent me dimensions of the spacers to ensure that they would clear my engine mount. This made life much easier than ordering, hoping it would fit, etc. I have to give some credit to Steve, it’s rare that a vendor will spend time helping a prospective customer. Not to mention he seemed generally interested in the 996 LS1 build.

 

If anyone needs some spacers for an LSx build, definitely check these out:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LSx-Billet-Water-P...=item33820ad552

 

If this works (which it should), this is a much more economical way to run a water pump on a Renegade swap (F-body LS1 crank pulley, Renegade alternator bracket, LS3 water pump & tensioner, Steve’s spacers @ $65, and 56” belt) vs. $1200 for the electric pump/mounts/f-logs/etc.

 

It’s a very tight fit getting the water pump on the back of the car and required more sheet metal cutting, but I feel it’s totally worth it. I cut the fittings on the LS3 pump to offer more clearance for the hoses. I also rotated the thermostat housing 180 degrees to clear the rear bumper bracket.

 

 

Steve’s spacer kit:

 

 

Before:

 

 

Midway:

 

 

 

 

 

After:

 

 

clearance between the engine mount and water pump:

 

 

 

Over the past few days I installed the LS3 water pump.

 

 

 

 

Steve’s mounts and gaskets placed the pump just far enough away from the engine mount and lined up the LS3 pulley with the LS1 F-Body crank pulley. I rotated the thermostat 180 degrees to clear the rear bumper.

 

 

 

 

I had to re-route the hoses to the water pump, now there is a 1.5” hose and 1.25” hose vs. two 1.25” hoses. Somehow the heater hoses are the same dimensions for the 996 and LS3 (5/8 & 3/4).

 

I mounted the upper tensioner pulley and realized there is a very tight clearance between the belt and 1.5” hose coming off the thermostat. After installing the belt, I found that the belt slightly rubs on the hose. I am going to leave this as-is for now and let the belt notch out a groove in the hose. My schedule clears up in August, so then I will work on a spacer for the thermostat housing to clear the belt, but not run into the bumper beam.

 

 

 

I read many different suggestions on belt length without power steering (usually 52.5”) and found the belt to be too short. It looks like the Renegade alternator mount moves the alternator to a different location than stock, even though to the eyes it looks the same. I ended up having to use a 56” belt.

 

 

 

Now the car runs and has heat!!!!!! Woo!!!

 

The electric water pump dilemma added months to the build. If I was ever to do this again, I would cut more out of the back of the car from the get-go and run a mechanical pump.

 

 

 

 

 

For reference of what it looked like with the electrical pump:

 

 

You're a mad man. I need to see this thing in person!

Very nice man!

 

On the thermostat housing, have you considered swapping to either a 90 degree fitting and spacing it out like 3/4", or going balls out to a swivel AN housing and directing it down?

 

Good choice on the belt driven pump. I've NEVER been a fan of electric water pumps on street cars. For whatever reason they seem to have a very short lifespan and just don't get it done. Anything mission critical would preferably be mechanically driven by the motor.

Thats awesome. If you have trouble with that belt rubbing you might try using a 4 rib on those pulleys an hope it doesn't jump around.

 

Have you been driving it much?

http://www.flowfd.com/shop/billet-gm-ls-se...mostat-housing/

 

Or this would be sweet if you have the room down below.

I swear I've read about this build elsewhere before.. we're you or a friend of yours ever on stanceworks at all?

 

Either way I'm glad to see some real updates since the last time I saw it. very awesome!

Nick,

 

Awesome job man..

The car is making the internet rounds, here are a few places it's popped up.

 

Bring a Trailer

http://bringatrailer.com/2013/10/18/a-solv...ed-porsche-911/

 

Jalopnik

http://jalopnik.com/for-25-000-see-if-eigh...-six-1448692371

 

 

Bloomberg:

http://vimeo.com/77447162

 

 

Since my last post the exhaust leak ended up being a broken AIR delete plate on one of the manifolds. I can't bring myself to just repairing it. So the LS7 manifolds are going on the car and a new exhaust is being fabricated.