I have a '93 LT1 4L60 camaro but I was thinking of swapping the entire engine and tranny for a 94-97 LT1 with a T56. I know what cosmetic work will have to be done with the firewall and the shifter space for the transmission but what I was wondering was if the new motor(it being a 94+) would be an exact switch(fuel line hook-ups, harnesses, ect.) from my old motor.

~Kevin

 

The funtions for the 93 are different than any other year. For example no MAF, the injectors are batch fired instead of sequential. So therefore the harensses are different and the PCM is different. You will need the harness from the donor car or similar year as well as a working PCM. You could obtain a PCM from a few different sources like TPIS. You may also get a harness from Painless wiring.

I don't however suggest you change to a manual tranny. Because the clutch operates backwards from other vehicles, they have many problems and complications. Not to mention the pedals and the associated switches will have to be added and therefore the cross car harness would have to replaced. Unless you are good at wiring, this harness is the one that resides inside the dash and it is a bitch to change.

Dave

 

Slopok said it. The wiring harness' are similar yet different enough to cause problems. If you're talking about just throwing in a motor from the 94-97 in it, and keeping the speed density computer system, then it will be fine. There are a couple smaller things though:

If you put in a 95 or newer, you'll need the opti wiring harness and opti vaccuum harness. The non-vented harness plugs differed slightly at the opti end.

If it's a 96-97 OBDII motor, there will be nothing plugged into the crankshaft position sensor.

Should be a fairly straightforward swap though.

Stop by speeddensity.org sometime. It's a dedicated 93 F-body site.

 

I was just going to get one of those packages that I see all the time from salvage yards and ebay...motor and tranny with all wiring harnesses, accessories and the computer

I'm either going to do that or just get another LT1 car(camaro or firebird) with a 6-speed already in there. Still deciding though...I have about $6500 with more coming at a slow steady rate and i'm trying to build a Daily Driver 12 second car.

~Kevin

 

Why are you wanting to swap the entire motor?? A M6 swap would be cheaper and easier than a full motor/tranny/harness swap.

 

Because of problems that I heard when swapping a 94+ T56 into a 93 LT1 car it seemed more logical to me to just get the tranny and engine from a 94+ car(because it is easier to find) and just put that in and mate everything up...thats why I was asking those questions if everything else would hook up if I got the entire engine and tranny package with all accessories, wiring and computer.

~Kevin

 

I have a 93 T/A but I bought a 95 LT1 crate engine from genuinegm last year. At the time, I bought all of the parts necessary to change the opti from non-vented to vented. Keeping in mind I'm trying to change as little as possible, is there anything else that is NECESSARY before I drop the engine in?

Also, because the 93 PCM is not flashable, if I'm considering a FI application, would it just be better to get a wiring harness from a 95 LT1 to match the engine for tuning purposes?

 

A 95 crate engine should already have a vented Opti. You would just need to add the short Opti harness to your 93 so you could connect to the vented Opti.

Your 93 fuel lines will not match the 95 rails - connections in a different location. Additionally, the 95 rails are designed and piped for sequential injection. The 93 rails are designded for batch fire. I've always been concerned that running batch fire on the 94-97 rails might present some presssure problems, but I've never actually checked to see if it is a problem.

Your IAC motor connection will not be the same. If the 93 is an A4, the throttle body will not have the TV cable connection.

The 95 harness will match the 95 engine (with the addition of the MAF sensor), but now you have mismatches on the harness connections to the 93 body connectors. You need a 95 PCM, in addition to the harness.

The 95 PCM will be attempting to control the 4L60E or the T56, and your 93 tranny (whichever one it is - you need to tell us) does not have connections.

 

Thanks very much for the explanation (as always) Injuneer. I feel a need to "spill my guts" on my current situation. I joined the Army in Nov 2004 and my car has only been started a handful of times since that day. It sits in a rather dilapidated state, waiting for me to resurrect it. This is why I bought a crate engine, to ensure that years of sitting there wouldn't cause problems. The original motor has less than 85,000 miles on it, though. But now that you have told me that MUCH MORE needs to change besides what Sam from genuinegm told me, would it be cheaper to just have the engine that's in the car rebuilt or to go through the trouble of doing all of the mods to get the new 95 in?

Further complicating things is the fact that I have been stationed in Germany since May 2008, currently on TDY in Italy until May, and the timing chain on my daily driver- a 1995 Chevy K1500 4X4 snapped, spinning the bearing on my #8 cylinder two days before I left for Italy. Just to take the engine apart, I'm already sitting at just over $1,000 in labor, with another 2,100 EURO (about $3000) in LABOR for the rebuild. I also have to replace the pressure plate and throwout bearing for the tranny along with several other parts. So basically I'm buying all of the parts for an engine and transmission rebuild while everything is out. This can be done for under $4000.

Because my car is in San Antonio, I have to pay someone else for everything that needs to be done to it. And, with the engine out, it just makes sense to rebuild/replace the tranny, do heads/cam, and headers/cat-back exhaust.
I also need to do a tune-up of course. I'm also intent on ensuring that the engine runs cooler.

At this point, I tell myself- "I'll just do a stock rebuild, tires, fuel tank, battery, the things I need for it JUST TO RUN. But then I factor in that I have LPP headers and ORY, (making a STOCK rebuild pointless), doesn't make sense to use stock heads/cam with headers and engine out so might as well get a good package there, same story for the tranny- engine already out...

Bottom line to all of this is the money that I have been saving for years to give my T/A its return to glory and more is being engulfed in one swoop by by truck. Even with my income tax return and another large surplus of cash, it just seems hopeless. Everytime I feel reinvigorated and am ready to mod my car, the costs bring me back to reality.

 

How much did you pay for that LT1 from GenuineGM? I just looked it up and it said 1,650. Thinking it was just the block, or a misprint, I called them. They are indeed selling new (he says it's new, not reman) lt1's for that price. Even after talking to him I find it hard to believe, but I may very well order one up and keep the one I have as a spare or for parts (it needs a head gasket).

 

Yeah, the price is right. Since I haven't been home since 2008, I haven't PERSONALLY laid eyes on it, but he told me the same thing- that it is NEW- NOT remanufactured/rebuilt. However, he also told me it would pretty much go right in, but Fred corrected that immediately. There are cheaper places to buy them, I think I seen them as low as $1200 after buying mine. I guess I'll turn this 2nd motor into a fully forged bottom end and use it for my long term goal of having a Turbo T/A.

 

The problems of installing it are not all that great, if you do it correctly. Keep your 93 ECM and wiring harness intact. If you put your intake manifold, fuel rails and throttle body on it, those problems are solved. The Opti harnesses (vacuum and short electrical) are plug & play items.

 

Oh Thank God, finally some good news. The only problem I see now doing the swap and other upgrades is the PCM for the 93'. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the 93 PCM is not flashable- So everytime I do a series of upgrades that require tuning, I have to have another ROM chip created- Correct?

I also forgot to mention that the tranny is a 4L60E and my short-term goals for the car. I'm looking to squeeze 425 RWHP out of the car. I already have the headers and Y-pipe and a new engine. In the process of buying a new transmission. Thinking about a stage 2 transmission from Permabuilt. (Anyone vouch for them?) Also, I'm going to go with an LE2 package on the heads. and 1.6 RR's while in there. Still have to research the cam/exhaust setup a bit more- I prefer a deep, throaty, pure sound from the exhaust and don't favor a choppy idle, I don't want the car to sound like its falling apart.

I'm assuming that upgrading to a 52mm TB and having the Intake P&P'ed will only help. The question is, trying to put down that type of power to the wheels, I need to upgrade the injectors and get a tune as well, correct?
Not to mention suspension upgrades to transfer that power to the ground.

 

Yes, the 93 ECM requires a chip to be flashed for every tune. There are real-time tuner setups available though..... not sure who makes them. But most people just get a chip burned.

And yes, in order to make 425HP at the rear wheels through a 4L60, you need larger injectors than stock, and you need a tune.

If you are buying LE2 heads, tell him what you want in terms of performance, streetability and "choppy idle" (the "choppy" part never makes any sense to me, since only the first two items - performance and streetability - are what count), and he will provide a cam that achieves that, in concert with his head porting.