97 Tahoe with 4/6 Belltech Drop

[LovesDunes]

Well now this is turning into a rebuild thread. The Tahoe has been down for several years. Life kind of got in the way. I lost all of my wire notes for the 5.3 swap, but found them again last month. I'll post some more as things progress. Lots of rewiring to clean up under the hood, hydroboost and no more ABS module on the fender well.

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So much fun to be had...

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I got a little carried away...

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[LovesDunes]

The oil pan on the 5.3 from the donor 2002 Tahoe hung down below the cross member that runs under the engine. After doing some research I decided to use the oil pan from Jegs. Part #50239

Unfortunately some of my pictures got lost, but there isn't much to see. The install was super easy. It didn't require any changes to the 5.3 windage tray.

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[LovesDunes]

We got most of the exhaust put together.

It's amazing how much larger in diameter the 5.3 exhaust is over the old 5.7.

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In California, when swapping a newer engine into an older vehicle, all of the smog equipment from the newer engine has to remain intact. The catalytic converters have to be mounted within 3 inches from their original location.

So far it's been pretty easy.

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We didn't want anything to hang lower than the bottom of the frame. The passenger side converter was OK, but the drivers side needed to be moved up and rotated just a little.

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The crossover tube on the 2002 exhaust ran under the transmission. For maintenance purposes I wanted to move the crossover further back. I bought a 90 degree section at Napa and along with a short piece of straight pipe, now the exhaust crosses over to the other side just under the tail section of the transmission.

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To help get the exhaust on and off we found these nice couplers at an exhaust shop here in San Diego.

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The joints are sealed with large donuts.

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I've had this Magnaflow muffler hanging out in my garage for a few years. Hopefully it sounds OK. The old exhaust I was running with the 5.7 was a true dual exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers. It sounded pretty when the 5.7 was healthy.

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I'm not sure what I am going to do about the tailpipe. With the Tahoe sitting so low it will be difficult to fit a 3" pipe up and over the axle. I will probably just go under the axle like this old Camaro.

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[Aarong23]

We got most of the exhaust put together.

It's amazing how much larger in diameter the 5.3 exhaust is over the old 5.7.

You must be registered for see images attach

In California, when swapping a newer engine into an older vehicle, all of the smog equipment from the newer engine has to remain intact. The catalytic converters have to be mounted within 3 inches from their original location.

So far it's been pretty easy.

You must be registered for see images attach

We didn't want anything to hang lower than the bottom of the frame. The passenger side converter was OK, but the drivers side needed to be moved up and rotated just a little.

You must be registered for see images attach

The crossover tube on the 2002 exhaust ran under the transmission. For maintenance purposes I wanted to move the crossover further back. I bought a 90 degree section at Napa and along with a short piece of straight pipe, now the exhaust crosses over to the other side just under the tail section of the transmission.

You must be registered for see images attach

To help get the exhaust on and off we found these nice couplers at an exhaust shop here in San Diego.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

The joints are sealed with large donuts.

You must be registered for see images attach

I've had this Magnaflow muffler hanging out in my garage for a few years. Hopefully it sounds OK. The old exhaust I was running with the 5.7 was a true dual exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers. It sounded pretty when the 5.7 was healthy.

You must be registered for see images attach

I'm not sure what I am going to do about the tailpipe. With the Tahoe sitting so low it will be difficult to fit a 3" pipe up and over the axle. I will probably just go under the axle like this old Camaro.

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Looks kick ass, buddy. Exhaust looks clean. What kinda rear setup you got going on their?

 

[LovesDunes]

Looks kick ass, buddy. Exhaust looks clean. What kinda rear setup you got going on their?

Thanks. We are trying to get this thing finished as soon as possible. Been sitting too long.

The rear axle on the Tahoe sits above the springs and there is a Belltech C Notch in the frame.

 

[LovesDunes]

I was trying to find the wiring for the Fuel Tank Pressure Sensor on the 97 Tahoe, and then discovered that the 97 does not have a Fuel Tank Pressure Sensor.

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The fuel tank was surprisingly easy to remove.

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Although the Fuel Pump on the 97 is strong enough to run the LS engine, my fuel pump had been sitting silent for years, so I wanted to replace it. That worked out nicely because the Fuel Pump assembly on the 98 and 99 Tahoe, Suburban and probably pickups have the Fuel Tank Pressure Sensor built in.

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I thought I was just going to slip that into the 97 Tahoe fuel tank and then re-install the tank. The flange on the newer fuel pump assembly is larger in diameter than the older fuel pump so it does not fit.

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And the fuel line connections are also different on the old vs new fuel pump assembly.

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We were just at the wrecking yard getting EVAP parts so I new there weren't any fuel tanks for a 2 door Tahoe. Turns out O'Reillys sells tanks for only $135.

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The tank came with a new o-ring and snap ring.

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From the old tank I took the two vent rollover valves, the hoses and the T where the hose to the EVAP canister will connect.

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The valves are pretty easy to remove. Push down slightly and rotate counter clockwise.

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[LovesDunes]

The valve might fight you a little while trying to turn counter clockwise, but it will turn.

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Once it stops turning, pull up to remove the valve.

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Installing the valves into the new tank is just reversing the removal process.

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Install the valve into the hole and turn it clockwise until it stops.

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Installing the fuel pump assembly was easy after I sprayed WD40 on the o-ring. Install the o-ring into the tank, and then push the fuel pump into the hole.

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Make sure to get this tab on the fuel pump assembly in the right spot.

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As long as the fuel pump is pushed down all of the way, the snap ring is easy enough to install without any tools.


Before installing the tank back into the Tahoe I wanted to install these rubber sheets onto the new tank.

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While removing the rubber we found years of rocks and mud stuck between the rubber and the tank.

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I don't want that to happen again so instead of installing one large sheet of rubber on the front and back of the tank, I will cut the rubber into pieces so debris can't collect in the areas where the rubber can't contact the metal.

Hopefully I'll get the tank back in tomorrow. I need to go get the correct hose ends so I can connect the fuel line to the new fuel pump.

 

[LovesDunes]

Applied the rubber / foam stuff in strips on the tank. Hopefully that will keep stuff from building up on the tank again.

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New fuel fittings for the newer style pump.

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Picked up this harness at the wrecking yard from a 2002 Suburban to use with the new pump and Fuel Tank Pressure Sensor.

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Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the stripped down and modified harness before installing the tank. I'll get some tomorrow instead of trying to explain what I did.


It was difficult to get the plugs at the back of the Tahoe so I removed the roll pan.

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New tank finally back in it's place.

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I'm going to extend the wires for the lights a little bit more so they can be unplugged through the hole behind the license plate.

 

[LovesDunes]

Now I need to install the charcoal canister and EVAP Canister Vent Solenoid under the Tahoe. Got these parts off of the same 2002 Suburban we got the harness from.

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[LovesDunes]

Felt weird taking parts off a Suburban that came into the yard shrink wrapped with bio-hazard stickers on it.

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But this is California so who knows.

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