LS1 SWAP DETAILS |
The LS1 Swap Progress
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Part 1: Planning
Mounting the Engine to the Transmission Mounting the engine to the transmission will be among the easiest parts of this swap, Kennedy Engineering sells a kit to do exactly that, for a pretty reasonable price. Engine and Transmission Mounts The stock engine mounts for the MR2 are completely useless for this swap, so I will be removing the remnants of them with an angle grinder, then using a tubular crossmember welded directly to the chassis near the stock firewall, and creating custom engine mounts to attach the motor to the car. I'll have to examine the stock mounts on the LS1 to decide exactly how I want this laid out. As for the transmission, again, I'll have to examine the stock mount, and where it falls in place on the MR2's chassis, but I will probably mount it to the rear crossmember. Axles I will require custom axles for this project. I don't have the tooling required to create properly balanced and strong axles, so I will have a company make them for me. If you know of a company that can do a good job at this, please let me know. Fuel System Because the stock fuel tank will be in the way of the new motor, I will be creating a new tank from scratch. The stock fuel tank doesn't fill up the entire available space, so even though the fuel tank will be several inches shorter, I should still be able to get approximately the same total capacity out of it. I will use an aftermarket in-tank fuel pump designed for the LS1 in the new fuel tank. Since the LS1 has no return line, it will only require one line to the fuel system, which should be easy to fabricate. The stock fuel system uses a ridiculously complex assortment of lines and hoses for god knows what purpose, I will feel much better having a simple design. I live for the KISS principle. That's "Keep It Simple, Stupid", for you ignorant folk out there. A new filler neck and vent hose, and she'll be ready to go. Firewall Modification The engine will intrude close to 10" into the interior, so I will have to cut a gaping hole in the firewall to fit the engine in place. I haven't decided if I will be cutting the entire firewall out or just enough for the motor. I will probably re-do the whole firewall, so I can then make some small storage compartments behind the seats, beside the motor. There is a rather important looking part of the frame at the bottom of the stock firewall, so I will have to weld in solid chassis supports under the motor near where they were to keep the chassis as stiff as possible. On the interior end, I will be using some felt or something that looks like the stock firewall carpet to cover the firewall. It remains to be seen whether or not I will be able to keep the arm rest pad over the gas tank in the interior without modifying it, we'll cross that bridge when it comes. I hope I don't have to mess with it. Rear Crossmember Modification The rear crossmember interferes with where the transaxle will be going, so I will have to either remove it completely and build a custom rear crossmember with suspension points that attach to it, or simply cut out the center portion of the stock one, and weld supports around the transaxle to keep it stiff. Trunk Modification The trunk will have to be modified slightly to fit the transmission in place. I will be removing almost the entire trunk, and welding in a new one around the transmission, and directly to the underbody diffuser, so I will actually end up with more trunk space. The body/aerodynamics section has more details on the underbody diffuser. Exhaust System I will be using headers, of currently undecided brand, with one muffler per bank and 2 1/2" or perhaps 3" exhaust out the back of the car in a center exit configuration right below the license plate. I'm placing the exhaust there for three reasons, first, because I like how it looks there, second, because its simple and lightweight, and third, because it will allow me to create a more effective underbody aerodynamics package with a good rear diffuser. Refer to the body/aerodynamics section for more details on this. Engine Management Computer For cost reasons, I will be using a MegaSquirt standalone engine management computer. The stock LS1 ECU requires a ridiculous number of sensors and whatnot for the emissions system, and it requires an emissions system for that matter, so I will not use it, as catalytic converters are evil. If the Ultra MegaSquirt computer is available by the time I need it, I will use that, as it will have upgraded electronics, full wideband support and engine timing control. If its not available yet by that time, I will use the normal MegaSquirt computer with a Ford EDIS distributerless ignition system and a MegaJolt ignition control computer. The engine computer will send data forward to the interior computer I will be installing, with the 7" LCD touch screen where the stereo used to be. I will then be able to program the ECU while driving with ease, and without the laptop sitting in the passenger seat. Refer to the Electronics/Audio section for more details on the interior computer system. Wiring For simplicity reasons, I am creating the entire wiring harness for the whole car from scratch. I've estimated that over 75% of the wiring in the car can be eliminated if you don't have power steering, air conditioning, emissions, cruise control, etc. The stock wiring harness is a ridiculous mess, and I intend to make it as simple as possible. Engine bay wiring will be easy with the standalone engine management system. I'm estimating that I'll be able to drop about 30lbs or more just from eliminating useless wiring. Refer to the Weight Reduction/Simplicity page for more details on this. Gauges Many of the stock gauges wont work with the new engine, so I will be creating a custom setup. I haven't decided exactly what will be done here as of yet, but I'm tossing around a few ideas. Use a second LCD screen where the instrument cluster used to be with a digital dash system showing all functions right on there, or perhaps use some Autometer gauges for the tach, speedo, fuel, oil pressure, water temp, etc, or use just a couple Autometer gauges and have the center console LCD screen monitor the rest of the engine functions and send out warning signals if anything is wrong. |