I'm stuck posting in this forum for a while so I figured I'd make a thread in here. I randomly decided I wanted to put myself in financial ruin so I bought a blown up, engine-less rolling shell for $500 and decided to do a swap with one of the new direct injected GM V8s that nobody had swapped yet. After scrapping the cat and selling the trans/diff I was $100 into the shell.

The shell had been sitting in a local businesses parking lot for a couple years, it turns out the owner was rebuilding the engine out of it into two single rotor engines for some plane he had designed (he was an Engineer who worked with planes his whole life). I then moved it to the local Dayton British Transportation Museum who were nice enough to let me rent warehouse space with lift access to work on it when I didn't have a garage at the time. I got fabrication help from 513 Motorsports in Oxford, OH since they had already done LS swaps but the kit had to be modified to fit the new engine setup. The full drivetrain setup is a 2016 Silverado L83 5.3 engine with Camaro manifolds for fitment, a 2001 Camaro T56 transmission, and a IRS Cobra 8.8 rear end with driveshaft shop axles (mounting/axle kit from LS1RX8.com).

My original power steering still works, along with the instrument cluster (aside from a few warning lights). I work for a company that makes CAN controllers so I have a small relay-sized CAN gateway translating the CAN messages between the two ECU's so things work as they should.

I didn't chronicle the build too in-depth but i'll include some pictures from shell to completed car below. I'm currently working on a single rear-mount turbo kit for it using a Borg Warner S366 that isn't quite done yet.

Album Link: https://imgur.com/a/z9e684r

 

That's impressive.
Are you driving it now?

 

It's not my daily driver so I'm driving it on days when the weather is nice. It's a little loud since i cut the exhaust off before the mufflers to do the fabrication for the rear mount setup (in the picture above its just slid on the exhaust pipe and hanging, not welded yet) but other than that it runs and drives fine.

 

Incredible. I wonder how the balance of the chassis is effected with the swap. Good job and you deserve to have this thread under engine swaps not new member forum.
If I didn’t live in a communist state, I would have done a swap myself already.
Thank you for this!

 

Just wondering how much did all that end up costing you?

 

kick *** build. i award you extra internets for the front plate and have beer in the shop

 

...........and I think zero trips to the junk yard?

:

 

I don't want to talk about it. I should've just bought a C6 Corvette and put a procharger on it. I'm also still in the middle of the turbo install so I'm not done burning money yet.

It's still on old 80k mile stock suspension with no weird sagging in the front and really seems to feel fine. The engine is all aluminum and is mounted as far back as the firewall will let me, and the extra weight from the new rear end and the battery relocation helps balance it a bit.

I hate that Ohio requires front plates, but by this time next year they're no longer mandatory. also gotta stay hydrated when you are working on the car all day.

Definitely still visited the junkyard a few times for various parts, I cant stay away from the pick and pulls. Interior parts for sure since random stuff was broken/missing. I also had to get a fan controller (big *** solid-state relay) from a Chrysler minivan so I could use the GM ECU to run my SPAL fans pulse width modulated since late model cars have waaay better fan control than a thermostatic switch with a relay.

 

My front plate has been on the shelf in my garage for the last 20 years and haven't had any issues. Though maybe the cops are pickier up in Dayton.

Do you ever take it to Cars & Coffee in Dayton?

 

I do take it up there when I can. I've taken it up there to Austin Landing at least once since this season started. I used to live right up by the mall but now I live in Beavercreek. I will say I've never been pulled over for a front plate and i've never had it mounted to the front bumper on my last 3 cars for probably the last 5+ years.

 

Sweet build! Would love some more pictures of that rear mount setup. Currently prepping my roller for a 2J swap and have debated doing a rear mount

 

With a 2J I'd imagine you have plenty of engine bay room to do a turbo up front. I wouldn't do a rear mount unless I absolutely had to. In my case I have absolutely no room in the engine bay and I didn't want to cut the front of my car to pieces trying to fit one up there.

Once I get time to do more of the fabrication I'll post up more pictures. I'm using a Maven oil drain to mount the turbo in the back. It bolts to the CHRA of the turbo and I'm just using 1" OD stainless tube to make a support between the subframe and the metal underneath the trunk near the rear bumper.