1985 Buick Electra - Phase 2: Upgrades

A while back, I bought a 1985 Buick Electra. Drove it some, fixed it some, details here:
http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/threads/1985-buick-electra-phase-1-repairs.50470/



Now it's time to start upgrading it.

Plan is to "LS" swap it, much like Vetteman's project:
http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/threads/fixing-up-a-71-grand-safari.19936/page-57

The "New" engine can be seen on the engine stand in the above picture. 5.3L from a 2003 Suburban with 175k ish miles.

 

First (expensive) piece showed up. 4L60E from the Suburban has been rebuilt with upgraded parts and converted from 4WD to 2WD.

 

This is going to be so awesome. I'm glad you started a thread to chronicle the process.

 

No spare cash for parts, so it's been slow going. (Damn you, COVID!)

Cleaning is cheap though! Started getting the engine cleaned up a bit:


New valve cover gaskets:
Looking better!

My little brother has done quite a few swaps like this, so he sent me a care package:


Wiring harness, aftermarket intake and throttle body (cable operated). Reprogrammed ECU will show up in a week or two.

 

That's awesome! And mega to little brother!

 

Haha, try being on SSDI.... But you're lucky, that you have such a giving brother.

 

If I were on SSDI, I'd be moving out of this state pronto...

$400 more in parts just ordered and on their way. LS swaps are "Cheap". Hah!

 

Why do you think I moved to Texas?

 

it's good BBQ?

 

Well, that, too. Joe's super lucky, because Ashley is a great cook. So yeah, smoked brisket or pork roast, chargrilled steaks and ribs, now that's what I'm talkin' about!

 

I figured that had something to do with it. Long-term, I'm moving out of this state too. (Likely Utah, but not positive)

So, next step is the oil pan. I purchased Holley 302-3 oil pan to give me the most clearance. It's $100 more than the GM Performance hot rod oil pan, and does NOT come with dipstick, dipstick tube, gasket, two oil pan bolts, and I have to modify the windage tray. The GM pan is supposedly a complete bolt on kit. If I wasn't highly concerned about clearance, I would have gone with the GM pan instead. Oh well.


Flipped the engine over to realize it had a lot more coolant than expected. Oops.




Oil Pan off, there's the windage tray to remove and modify. I'll work on trimming that up while waiting for parts.

 

Ha, that happens even to the most professional of us.

 

Are you going to replace the oil sump tube o-ring while you have it all apart?

 

Yep.

New oil pan is shorter, so the sump tube won't fit anyways. The new pan comes with a shorter sump tube and a fresh o-ring.