Red Headed Stepchild-75 Swinger LSX Swap

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Got to work yesterday on the new springs, titanium retainers, valve stem seals.
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All done!! These should flow well and can handle up to a .625 lift cam.
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It's just a junk table in my apartment. She helped me with some of the keepers on the heads. She also helped me install half the hotchkis/QA1 front suspension a couple years ago.
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Well I made the mistake of jumping the gun on my oil return bulkhead fitting in the pan. I didn't take into account that the pickup tube runs right down the passenger side of the block. Which i woukd have seen had i slowed down and not been in such a rush. So 2018 starts with having to weld a patch where I originally plumbed the fitting in, and having to relocate it up forward.
 
Made more progress so far this week. Blocked the old hole that was tapped and relocated the -10 fitting to the front, it'll be tight but a 90 fitting should clear the crank pulley just fine.
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Got the windage tray and oil pickup tube mounted. It's a camaro pickup which I bent just a little to allow for the correct depth for the pan.
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Then mounted the new oil pan gasket and oil pan. You can see thete is plenty of room all around, and give me plenty of room for the -8 fittings coming off the pan to the remote oil filter.
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Got the rear perches ordered up and the new MLS head gaskets ordered too. Both should be here this coming week and then i can get started on the rear end.
 
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Well I got the new bolt on spring perches in the mail today. Also got the car spun around in the garage and finally have the rear of the car up in the air. Pull off the 15x9 wheels with 245/60/15 bfg tires and 4.5" back space. So with that in mind I'm going to look for a set of 15x8 with a 5.5" backspace to help get the wheels tucked in there properly with the new, longer 8.8 rear end. So now I get to pull this turd 7 1/4. Hopefully get to the pulling the rear end in tomorrrow.
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mopowers said:
Bolt on spring perches? Never seen those before. Good luck with them.
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The bolt on part will be just to make it easier on me to get the rear end under it. But itll also allow me to drive it to my brothers house after and have him run a bead around where the bolt on portion meets the axle housing, and make it as solid as any other weld on perch.
 
Could you take a picture of the 8.8 in at same angle as 7 1/4. Would be great reference. I would like to see one not shortened underneath. Looking good so far. I’ve been keeping up on your progress.
 
loganscuda said:
Could you take a picture of the 8.8 in at same angle as 7 1/4. Would be great reference. I would like to see one not shortened underneath. Looking good so far. I’ve been keeping up on your progress.
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Will do. Biggest difference though, is my 8.8 is out of a Lincoln town car, it's not one of the explorer setups. I'll get them side by side on the ground and another when its under the car.
 
Is the Lincoln 8.8 wider or narrower than the explorer. Interested.

Our 8.8 was from an explorer and we did the standard shortening to make it the same width as an early a body flange to flange.

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YoungDart75 said:
I believe it's wider, but it has a centered housing not offset like the explorer.
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Explorer was 59 1/2 according to the interwebs, and my brother measured the one he got for me at 61". I'll measure it Monday night side by side with my 7 1/4 and I'll know for sure. But my 8.8 has discs in the rear where my 7 1/4 has drums. If the difference is close enough ill get wheels with the proper width/backspace to allow me not to cut this rear(that's the goal). If it's too great, then ill shorten it evenly on both sides to what it needs to be, Or give it to my brother for him to use on his 23 tbucket project.
 
We went with the explorer axle for the width (once cut down) and for the 31 spline axles. IIRC it ended up at 56.5 or there abouts. It should hold up to way more than we're going to throw at it.
 
YoungDart75 said:
Well I got the new bolt on spring perches in the mail today. Also got the car spun around in the garage and finally have the rear of the car up in the air. Pull off the 15x9 wheels with 245/60/15 bfg tires and 4.5" back space. So with that in mind I'm going to look for a set of 15x8 with a 5.5" backspace to help get the wheels tucked in there properly with the new, longer 8.8 rear end. So now I get to pull this turd 7 1/4. Hopefully get to the pulling the rear end in tomorrrow.
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Sounds like the wheel back space change should work well according to my math.

It should move the tire 1/2" outward with the new axle and 5.5 backspace wheels.

Any pics of the 245/60/15s on the car? That's the same size we're looking at running, or a 255/60/15. Along with offsetting the springs inboard.

Thanks. Enjoying following the build. Great work. Eric.
 
Actually. I have to correct my last post. I forgot your axle is 61". That would put it 1 1/2" further out per side. That could cause a problem.
 
prorac1 said:
Sounds like the wheel back space change should work well according to my math.

It should move the tire 1/2" outward with the new axle and 5.5 backspace wheels.

Any pics of the 245/60/15s on the car? That's the same size we're looking at running, or a 255/60/15. Along with offsetting the springs inboard.

Thanks. Enjoying following the build. Great work. Eric.
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Thanks alot, it def didn't get much positive comments early on, but they finally let me be.
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One of my favorite pics that I've taken of this car with those 15x9 welds and bfg 245/60/15's on it.
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Got some more goodies in the mail, but ran into an issue with the 8.8, but i may already have a solution with 3.55 sure grip a-body 8 1/4. Fingers crossed it goes through. These head gaskets are multi layer steel and a Chevy performance set of head gaskets, and cost me a whopping $38 shipped. Multiple reviews of 16-25 plus pounds of boost for extended periods with no issues.
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Enjoying the thread. I am still waiting on my machine shop to finish the short block for my 416 stroker. I definitely understand the LSX swap as I will have an easy $10,000 into my engine before it's over. Rock on, it's looking Bad ***!
 
superchargeddrt said:
Enjoying the thread. I am still waiting on my machine shop to finish the short block for my 416 stroker. I definitely understand the LSX swap as I will have an easy $10,000 into my engine before it's over. Rock on, it's looking Bad ***!
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I'll be just over $12000 including purchasing the car, the entire Hotchkis tvs suspension and shocks, qa1 control arms, wheel and tire change and the entire LSX turbo swap. Budget fun is #1 for me, just hoping it all comes together and works out in the end.
 
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