Project Snow White (LM4 Swap)

[sgtskid]

Drum roll please........

[CorvallisBMW]

Wow, great project! I love the fab work for the oil filter block and front plate, very cool. Keep it up!

[sgtskid]

I did have to correct one wire. My initial power source for the +12 keyed was fed from fuse 28 RD/YL wire. Since I was no longer going to use the cigarette lighter or power antenna, I thought this was a good choice. What I failed to realize is that fuse 28 is "Hot All" and as soon as I connected the battery my gauges lit up. Instead of redoing the wiring, I cut the wire (power antenna) loose from the fuse box and pulled it to the AUX Fuse located next to the box.


A buddy stopped by and we decided to crank her over. I reconnected the ECU and pushed in the fuel pump relay to see if they came on with ignition. Once I verified they worked, I removed the relay and cranked the engine over.

https://youtu.be/X9VNw3ZaC2E

[sgtskid]

A lot has happened in the last few days. I finished the gauges and connected battery power to the car for the first time. I wanted to save the original gauges if I could but after looking into it I opted for aftermarket gauges. The gauges weren't too bad to wire and they have nine connections total:
1. Fuel level
2. Oil Pressure
3. Coolant Temp
4. Tach Signal
5. Speed Signal
6. +12 keyed
7. +12 headlight (for backlights and dimming)
8. Ground
9. Voltage

1. I purchased a VDO fuel gauge that was 10-65 ohm (full/empty) --> here I knew the gauge wouldn't read completely empty when the tank was empty so I did a little bench testing to see what it would look like.
An electrical buddy helped out with a 1000 ohm pot resistor that we used to vary the resistance to the gauge. At "0" ohms the gauge had no problem reading full and at "60" ohms the gauge was slightly above empty. If I wanted, a 5 ohm resistor wired inline would make the gauge read completely empty.





I found the BR/GN wire coming from the sending unit and cut it from the cluster harness. I then wired it to the "S" terminal on the fuel gauge.


2. & 3. Oil Pressure and Coolant Temp were fed straight from the sending units on the block.

4. & 5. Tach and Speed signals are both from the ECU

6. +12 keyed was fed from the "AUX" fuse located next to the fuse box under the hood. One fuse is "Hot All" and the other fuse is "Hot Run & Start" I used the Run and Start fuse.

7. +12 Headlight was fed from the GY/RD wire coming from the back of the light switch.

8. Ground = the giant cluster of ground wires to the left of the steering column...pick one and wire it up.

9. Voltage - Used a GN wire coming from one of the many deleted features I will no longer be using. The wires I am talking about can be found on the right side of wiring diagram page 0670-2 "power distribution." They originally powered the Fuel Delivery, ABS, Charging indicator, Central Locking, Aux Fuse (see #6 above), Coil side of relays.


I left the ECU unplugged and pulled the relay to the fuel pump. I double checked all my grounds and then connected the fuse box to the junction block. Turned the key and the gauges lit up like a Christmas tree. Even the Active Check center lit up.

I pulled on the headlight switch and the LED's dimmed like they were suppose to and the back lights lit on the other gauges. I hate wiring, so seeing everything work as it should made me extremely happy.



While everything was powered I took the opportunity to check my headlights and tailights and was surprised to find only a blown brake light. I've had the car two years and it sat in the woods for who knows how long before me. This is the first time I've ever connected power to it!

[sgtskid]

Canton already makes 90° adapter this is the one i used on my swap cuz i ran into same problem

https://www.cantonracingproducts.com...ILTER-ADAPTER/

They still use the same -12 O-ring threads.

[jon2681]

Canton already makes 90° adapter this is the one i used on my swap cuz i ran into same problem

https://www.cantonracingproducts.com/product/22-632/22-632---GM-LS1-90-DEGREE-REMOTE-OIL-FILTER-ADAPTER/

[sgtskid]

I had the same issue but found if I bolted the 90's up and then dropped the motor in they fit with the sway bar....it is close but they fit. Now I need to see if they still fit with the IE big bar

If not, I have your solution.... ;D

[sgtskid]

Garagistic more or less sells the Canton pan right? Maybe they would be interested in your design.

True, forgot about Garagistic.

[Pootis]

I had the same issue but found if I bolted the 90's up and then dropped the motor in they fit with the sway bar....it is close but they fit. Now I need to see if they still fit with the IE big bar

[jpod999]

Garagistic more or less sells the Canton pan right? Maybe they would be interested in your design.

[sgtskid]

That's an awesome solution, I wonder if others would be interested in buying those from you? Do most people doing GM V8 swaps use the same pan?

I'd be cool with offering them up if there was enough interest. The guys doing GM swaps have few options for pans.

1. Modified GTO pan which will have oil filter provisions built into it
2. Sikky Pan which I believe is already threaded. (don't quote me on that)
3. Canton Pan which requires an oil filter adapter of some kind.

[jpod999]

That's an awesome solution, I wonder if others would be interested in buying those from you? Do most people doing GM V8 swaps use the same pan?

[sgtskid]

The 3/4" lines required for the -12 AN fittings was $10/ft....

The lines and fittings from my local hydraulic shop was $30. The 3/4 fittings allowed for plenty of room to turn the fittings without them hitting each other. I used a little Loctite 545 thread sealer on each fitting for added measure.

Once everything was plumbed, I gave the ol' gal her first taste of oil.

[sgtskid]

Machine shop parts arrived!

Using an aftermarket pan on the LS engine means having to order a filter adapter as well. I am using Canton Pan 15-276 and had ordered Adapter 22-630 to connect lines to a remote oil filter adapter.

Issues:
1. The Canton adapter is threaded for -12 O-ring fittings. The two holes are so close together that it's nearly impossible to screw both fittings into the adapter because the fittings hit one another. After several different attempts I finally found a brand of AN fitting that was small enough they would clear each other. This lead to the next issue

2. I needed to come out of the housing and turn 90 degrees. The fittings that worked had such a long bend radius they hung to low and contacted the sway bar.

3. The -12 O-ring fittings were $40 EACH!!. By the time I had 4 fittings I had spent $140. Plus they wouldn't work anyway.

Solution: Make my own adapter

I started off with a design and a prototype. I test fit the prototype then sent the drawing out for machining. I turned the ports 90 degrees and changed the thread to 3/4 NPT. Now I can choose to hose barb the lines or have a hydraulic shop make the lines...either way is still way cheaper than AN.

[sgtskid]

Still waiting on some machine shop parts to come in. All the wiring needed to start the car should be complete now...knock on wood. I still need to clean the harness and bundle everything but all the connections have been made.

I bit the bullet and ordered new guages and spent some time last night mounting and wiring them up.

I also took the time to mount the fan but the wiring harness is too short.. :(