The Black Pearls LM7 5.3 LS SWAP!

[KurtECV]

The LS/th400/np241 setup is a little longer than the factory explorer stuff but the transmission to transfer case adapter are almost spot on with the explorer trans crossmember.

I canted the drivetrain to the right to clear the fuel tank and to line up with the 9 inch so a few new holes had to be drilled and slotted. With this, it looked a little swiss cheese so I welded a section of 3/16 to the top of the crossmember

Have got the slots marked and started but that should be done this coming this weekend.

 

[KurtECV]

The front driveshaft (take off from an 80s k1500 I had at work) is mocked up to the Dana 44 and Np241. But clearances dont look good for this type of driveshaft.

That is at ride height. I am thinking I can trim some fat off the driveshaft side (right side in the picture) and some of the joint cap material. I'm expecting it not to work well, if it does cool. If not then a new high clearance shift will have to be built.

 

[KurtECV]

Screenshot of a video with the red backlighting on the gauges. They are dimmable as well

 

[KurtECV]

Whoo hoo early Christmas for me!! I have searched long and hard for a set of these. I saw a picture of them on a black 1gen almost 10 years ago and have been searching for them ever since, and a set popped up for sale so I grabbed them. These will be my favorite mod to date!

A guy had a SPARE set laying around

 

[Rick]

Updates?

 

[KurtECV]

Updates?

wow my updates apparently didn't get posted. I have been battling a driver side battery tray for a while and frankly it has been pissing me off lol. The best option i have is to put it low on the inner fender and lower core support just cant seem to get it right, I find a good configuration and something messes with it and i have to change it up somehow. I figure a damn battery tray would be easy for me compared to everything else i have done to it nut noooooo

I got the tail lights installed and they are awesome. I thought i had posted pictures of them but i guess not.

 

[KurtECV]

Heres the clear tail lights with red LEDs i had laying around.

 

[BKennedy]

I made a battery tray out of old angle and its welded to the front inner fender and core support. Its been there for at least ten years and is holding up fine. I modified the radiator/windshield washer reservoir by cutting it in half and discarding the windshield washer part. I used heat and JB weld to mount a piece of flat bar onto the back of the reservoir for mounting tab. Its bolted to the flat side of the inner fender behind the battery tray. Its hard to see in these pictures, but the inner fender has these ripples in it for strength that the tray fit into as a shelf. I welded it wherever it contacted the fender, and ran a piece of flat bar over to the core support.

 

[KurtECV]

I made a battery tray out of old angle and its welded to the front inner fender and core support. Its been there for at least ten years and is holding up fine. I modified the radiator/windshield washer reservoir by cutting it in half and discarding the windshield washer part. I used heat and JB weld to mount a piece of flat bar onto the back of the reservoir for mounting tab. Its bolted to the flat side of the inner fender behind the battery tray. Its hard to see in these pictures, but the inner fender has these ripples in it for strength that the tray fit into as a shelf. I welded it wherever it contacted the fender, and ran a piece of flat bar over to the core support.
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How did you deal with the weight of the battery in the corner closest to the engine?

 

[BKennedy]

Its supported from three of the four corners and hasn't moved in a long time over a lot of trails. Those inner fenders are sturdy. You can see in one of the pics that occasionally my tire will contact the inner fender and it hasn't caused any damage.

You could run a piece of flat bar from that corner up at an angle to the radiator cross member if you wanted.

 

[KurtECV]

Its supported from three of the four corners and hasn't moved in a long time over a lot of trails. Those inner fenders are sturdy. You can see in one of the pics that occasionally my tire will contact the inner fender and it hasn't caused any damage.

You could run a piece of flat bar from that corner up at an angle to the radiator cross member if you wanted.

That's exactly how I have mine oriented. I was worried about the one corner not being supported.

 

[Rick]

Any new progress?

 

[KurtECV]

Not really. The last half of 2020 has been real ****ty for me lol.

Me and Gman are out at an overlanding event as I write this which has (as I suspected) jump started my motivation to get back into the shop.

The trans crossmember is finished. Ending up being able to use the factory explorer crossmember (that was already modified for extended Radius arms). Shifted the mounting bolt holes a bit to the passenger side, and reinforced it with the steel plate.

 

[KurtECV]

Well i ordered the custom ECM a few weeks ago and it finally shipped but apparently got stuck somewhere between Florida and here....

The ECM is unlocked for future tuning, which i can do myself.

But for now it has the VATs system, EGR and rear O2 sensors disabled.
Speed limit set to maximum
Dual electric fans are turned on (the Gen3 trucks never had electric fans), low speed fan is set to turn on @ 195 and off @ 185, and the high speed fan is set to turn on @ 215 and off @ 205.

The ECM supplies a GROUND trigger to turn the relays on. High and Low independently.

I planned to have automatic fans so I already have the wiring from the ECM ready to go, all I need to do is install the LS fuse block terminals, and plug to relays in.

EVERYTHING in the ECM can be tuned from a tablet, labtop or smart phone via bluetooth with or without (limited to 5 tunes without) wifi or cell service.

 

[KurtECV]

One dealerships trash is another mans treasure!

That's how it goes right?
I took the exhaust system (from the y-pipe back) from a 2021 GMC Sierra and put an aftermarket (but still OEM) system on. I asked the General Manager what he wanted me to do with the old system (that had only 4 miles on it) and he said throw it away. So I took it home and started hacking it up!

Several hangers are going to get cut off, and either repositioned or eliminated entirely.

 

[KurtECV]

Changed it up!

Second picture was just a preliminary idea, the system is getting wrapped.

I dont know if I am going to just run the resonators, or put a pair of small mufflers on just yet.

 

[KurtECV]

I dont think if it was mentioned earlier but the factory manifolds are as follows:

Driver side is from a 2010-UP Camaro SS (To clear the steering shaft)

Passenger side is from a 2002-ish Silverado.

Passenger side "header" was ridiculously easy to modify. Two cuts then welded up.

Driver side took a bit more, but that is because I started out building a Y-pipe off it, but didnt like the clearances around the front diff, torque converter/flex-plate area. And of course a y-pipe union would be a pain to build.

 

[KurtECV]

This picture has a simple piece of 24" straight pipe on it (at the sticker). Each side will get a flex pipe attached at about the same place at the sticker is to account for frame, drivetrain and body flex.

The reason for the pipe attached right now, is so the o2 sensors can learn the fuel trims and not pickup any ambiance outside are between exhaust pulses.

Without 02 in, the fuel system got pretty damn rich lol, it was time to stop gassing myself out everytime I started the truck.

 

[410Fortune]

I'm just happy that you keep starting it up!

 

[KurtECV]

I'm just happy that you keep starting it up!

Right. Its ran several times without failure (except when I ran out of fuel lol)