Shortchevy c1500 Sport build

[DRAGGIN95]

...and sold

That was quick!

 

[shortchevy]

That was quick!

Right! it was on craigslist for 5 hours!

 

[shortchevy]

Some may frown upon replying to a thread that’s been dead for 5 years.... but I just picked up a “new” truck that belongs on this page.

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I’ve had it for a month or so again now. It’s changed a little since I had it last but I’m floored that I got it back.

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[skylark]

Some may frown upon replying to a thread that’s been dead for 5 years.... but I just picked up a “new” truck that belongs on this page.

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I’ve had it for a month or so again now. It’s changed a little since I had it last but I’m floored that I got it back.

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So did your dad have it all of this time? (I just read though the entire thread) (love the 29!)

 

[shortchevy]

So did your dad have it all of this time? (I just read though the entire thread) (love the 29!)

Yes sir, it wasn’t meant to be this long but my wife and I ended up buying a house.... and then sold it and bought another and I got a new job a couple years ago that changed everything. Dad had the truck the whole time and I was fine with it cause I could use it whenever I wanted but when he started talking about selling it I knew I had to buy it cause I would kick myself hard if this one got away.
The nice thing is now I’m in a way better situation to do cool stuff to the truck. I have some ideas for the future but for now it’s just gonna be keeping it clean.... dad is kinda one of those super **** clean freaks when it comes to vehicles....

 

[shortchevy]

Nothing like bring up a thread from the grave... figured I would give an update.

The truck gave me a couple weird issues this summer I want to fix in spring the first being that the throw out bearing is making noice and for a while wouldn’t disengage the clutch all the way making it very hard to get into any gear, it’s still a little noisy at times but works fine, I think this was from sitting for months on end without use. The other issue it had was that a previous owner was in the intake at one time (not me or my dad so this was at least 8 years ago) and they installed the fuel line retainer on the top of the intake upside down and the return line came out of the fuel pressure regulator enough for the truck to not start. Once I figured it out I rigged it with a metal pocket clip from a pen so I could get home and flip the bracket over.
With 140k miles and the throw out bearing grumbling I’ve decided I’m going to put a clutch in it come spring.... and when I have the trans out it will be really easy to ls swap it. My dad has an ls1 68 El Camino and my first car a 73 Pontiac GTO clone got an ls1 last summer, we did both swaps, so we have some experience.

 

[shortchevy]

Acquired another piece of the puzzle. I bought an rv chassis, it has a 4.8 and a 4l80e trans. The chassis has zero miles on it. My plan at the moment is to put the 4.8 in my 97 and leave the nv3500. Unfortunately nothing can be done until spring but I plan on collecting parts over the winter. I will say thank you to everyone who has posted info about swapping these trucks, there is no way I would even attempt this without all the information that y’all have made available for free.

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[shortchevy]

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Here’s the finished product. Zero mile 4.8 installed in front of the nv 3500, full emissions swap. For the first time since I first got this truck it has quiet exhaust! It still runs great but has so much more torque in the lower rpm range which makes the manual trans so much manageable. The picture is a couple weeks old and I have since hooked up the a/c and everything works flawlessly. Big thank you to Brendan at Lt1swap.com for all of the knowledge he shares for no cost. Also thank you to Draggin95 for passing on the information about using the tbi a/c compressor and bracket. This worked perfectly and looks stock. And also I would like to make a general thank you to everyone who posts information up for everyone to use, I did this entire swap by myself from the wiring to the exhaust to the clutch setup and so much of the work was made simple by information people share throughout the internet, (disclaimers I paid to have the a/c charged and the pcm flashed) The only thing I would like to change is I want to get my hands on a 07-13 engine cover. If anyone has any questions about this truck or about the swap I would love to pass along what I learned!

 

[89GMCJOHN]

LOOKS GREAT ....regarding tbi a/c compressor and bracket....do you just use the driver side LS accessories - alt,ps pump and everything aligns with the old TBI serpentine setup and works ? OR do you need to tweak pulleys and or order a different length belt ?

What about driveshaft setup ....what changes ? Many thanks...

 

[shortchevy]

LOOKS GREAT ....regarding tbi a/c compressor and bracket....do you just use the driver side LS accessories - alt,ps pump and everything aligns with the old TBI serpentine setup and works ? OR do you need to tweak pulleys and or order a different length belt ?

What about driveshaft setup ....what changes ? Many thanks...

Thanks for the kind words!

https://www.gmt400.com/threads/how-to-use-a-stock-90-95-tbi-ac-bracket-on-an-ls-motor.16827/

This is the original write up on using that a/c setup. I used the power steering pump off of the 97 to retain the EVO (electronic variable output) other than that it is all LS accessories except for the a/c and the tensioner off of the same tbi style bracket.
I did need to get a different belt but I couldn’t say what size it is because it did take me a couple of try’s to get it just right.

As far as the driveshaft goes it is the original stock unit from the 97. I kept the manual trans that the truck came with and I used dirty dingo sliding swap mounts to position the motor so that the trans stayed in the stock location.