5.7L/L31 into an 86 Regal with 307 olds

Since you got the 4wd drivetrain why not throw a Dana 44 and some leaf springs under the front and really have some fun.:Brow:

What a cool swap. Will be following.:TU:

 

I got lucky when doing a V6 to SBC swap...eyeballing where the mount should go. Note that you only use 3 of the four holes and one of them sorta hangs off the frame, too. Try looking at the pics over at this link: http://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?45089-SBC-into-Cutlass-motor-mounts hth

...also if you're going to use the 4L60E, than the stock crossmember isn't going to work without modification. I'm purdy sure you can purchase something aftermarket that will work with that trans in a g-body though.

 

Man, I just called Summit and got some guy that's never done an engine swap and that was kinda smug and seemed to wanna get me off the phone.

He gave me the part numbers for a Monte Carlo motor mount that looks exactly like the ones that I had @ first and took back. I told him this, and he says, "is there anything else you need?"

Anyway, I just called Trans-Dapt and was told they don't make a custom mount for my application and that I'd have to fabricate one. I'm lost.

---------- Post added at 03:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 PM ----------

Scott, exactly how would this apply to my application?

Would I contact www.eficonnection.com to modify the engine harness from the 97 L31?

 

Looking^^^at the pictures you posted, those seem to be the correct frame and engine mounts. One of your pics...looks like the driver side frame mount needs to move forward. Just study the pics in the link that I posted^^^.

@your comment about trans-dapt...assuming you're talking about the crossmember? I'm sure there's others out there in the market...but here's the most reputable one I know of which IIRC Summit carries these. G-force

 

Attach the frame pads to the mounts and lower the engine in place. Scribe or mark where you want the engine pads to sit on the frame, remove the engine and then drill holes to mount the frame pads where you want them. Then you can have a new driveshaft made, move your crossmember to hold the trans and you should be set.

 

Ok, I moved the frame pads forward so that one bolt hole is hanging off at the front bottom on both sides. Just have 1 more bolt to put in before I slide the engine mount bolts in.

My next question is .... what do I do w/ the speedo cable on the 4L60E???

 

For the wiring harness I would just leave the factory harness together how it is and use only what you have to from the EFI harness to make the engine and trans work properly.

Regarding the fuel line issue I would just leave the old lines in place and route new braided lines for both supply and return. I see no reason why you can not swap in a EFI regal tank, just be sure to use a fuel pump that is good for the Vortec V8 engine.

For the spedo there are a few options:

1. A 4l60E is basically a 700r4, and early 700r4s came stock with a cable driven speedomemter. THe 4l60E can be converted back to a cable driven speedometer, but a pulse generator will have to be run in-line with the cable (not a big deal, a lot of early EFI models had them). One stock model that had both the cable drive and the pulse generator on a 700r4/4l60 was the 88-91 suburban.

2. You can pay $220 for kit to convert to mechanical

http://www.shiftworks.com/tailhousing.htm

2. You can convert to an electric spedo, that is what I would do.

 

This is what I want to do.

If I went with a Dakota Digital Dash like this:


What will I need to make it work with the 4L60E?
Will it be plug-n-play?
Will I be able to delete speedo cable?

 

I would call Dakota and ask them about your questions. I can not answer them for you.

 

Any progress?

 

Yea, tons...

Got the 307 & trans out, the L31 in, then I had to move the frame pads forward because I 'em in the wrong holes and the engine mounts wouldn't line up, they were too far back.

I recently got the long mount bolts in and tightened them, Now I'm working on the trans crossmember. I had to remove it to get the engine & trans in because the trans pan was hitting it. Now I need to cut the trans crossmember center mounting plate so that it clears the trans pan.

I was able to use the 2 fuel lines from the donor truck that connected the fuel line on the frame to the fuel line on the intake, except I had to turn 'em around (the end that would connect to the fuel line on the frame of the truck is now connected to the line going into the intake) and situate them so they go towards the front passenger side frame where the fuel lines are already ran for the car. I just need to get the fuel injection rubber hose (2 diff sizes) to connect the hard lines I have connected to the intake to the hard lines coming out of the frame.

Then install the fuel pump at the rear of the car close to the tank. Not sure where exactly, tho. Haven't gotten that far yet, but I bought the pump already.

 

Great job! Like I said before this is not a swap I would normally advise but you are doing a great job! When it is done you should do a quick summary of what was needed and any tips to others who might want to do the swap....

 

Ok. I got the cross member cut and installed, then had to cut more while it was bolted in. Check pics..

 

Then I got to work on the trans lines.

I still had the lines from the donor truck and I only had to cut one line when removing the 307/TH350. So I used a combo of them all to run the lines and install the radiator and connect the aftermarket trans cooler(already installed few years ago with 307/TH350) at the same time.

This is how I have the lines ran:
Top line on the trans > top input line on the radiator > bottom line out of the trans > bottom input line on aftermarket cooler > top line from aftermarket cooler > bottom line on the trans.

Sound bout right?

 

There are 2 schools of thought on trans coolers.

1. install the trans cooler before it goes through the OEM cooler in the radiator so as to avoid over cooling the transmission fluid.

2. install it after the oem cooler in the rad. as the trans fluid "warmer" in the rad will effectively undo the cooling effect of the aux cooler.

In a hot climate with lots of hills then connect the trans cooler on after the OEM cooler in the rad. In a cold climate like me up here in -20 I will only use a trans cooler before the rad.

 

Sean is correct; been down that road a couple of times myself.

REALLY COOL SWAP.


:TU:

 

What I ended up doing is using regular chevy frame pads and using the forward-most holes on the cross member with the front bottom hole on the frame pad hanging off the cross member.... So I only used 3 holes on each side.

As you can see, I had to cut the center plate on the Trans cross member to make it fit in the same holes as before on the frame rails, but it was only like an 1.5".

I installed the clutch fan and the radiator when I ran the trans lines, so everything clears fine so far.

I'm proud of myself, and I'm getting excited as I get closer.

---------- Post added at 01:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:42 AM ----------

And thanks for the encouragement guys!!!