BSharpe's LY6 6l90 Chevelle

[bsharpe]

I am starting the second phase of my Chevelle build and I thought I would share it with you guys.


I had swapped a stock ls1 and 4l60e into the Chevelle last winter as well as updating the brakes and suspension as well. You can find my build on ls1tech http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/conver...0e-swap-2.html
I had originally planned on upgrading the cam and heads this winter but after thinking about it I decided to redo everything. I picked up a complete 6.0 ly6 and a 2wd 6L90. I love the power and potential this motor has with l92 heads and VVT which I think is a plus. I also think the 6l90 is a huge improvement over the 4l60e but I think it is going to be difficult to fit the huge trans under the chevelle.
I plan on keeping the engine stock at first just to help simplify the wiring and tuning which I plan on doing myself this time. I will be reusing the edelbrock mounts and headers and will probably be getting a cts-v oil pan this time.



Here is how the chevelle sits now.

[pmgm]

Hello, I remember your car from the ls1 forum.. Please keep us posted on the new build process ..

Thanks

[srh3trinity]

Cool project. I like the idea of the VVT engines and was going to go the LY6 route until I scored a cheap LQ4.

[bsharpe]

The ls1 and 4l60e are out of the chevelle. I was able to compare the 6l90 and 4l60e and I am a little worried. I knew the 6l90 was huge but I did not think the ground clearance was going to be an issue. The 6l90 is 4in taller measuring from the bottom of the pan to the center of the output shaft. This means if I keep my driveline angles the same then the 6l90 will hang 4in lower. I will try and test fit everything later this week.







I have been planning the wiring and electronic part of the swap.
The plan is to modify my stock harness not only to be standalone but to be more appealing. I need reroute everything so the wires do not go over the intake and to locate the ecm and fuse box inside the car.

I plan on getting a dash wiring harness,BCM and escalade gauge cluster. The OEM gauge clusters are nice and effective especially with the newer display information center(dic). I realise it will take some customising but it is a much better option then buying Covans thunder road dash and Custom Speedhut gauges for 750 which i had originally planned.



By incorporating the BCM I have options to add a cts/g8 shifter, remote start and other features in the future. I also feel confident that hackers and others will create more options and benefits for the new systems as well.

[bsharpe]

The engine and trans are in. Fitment was not a big issue. I placed both trans at the same top height and the difference is not that noticeable. The 6l90 is much fatter in the rear.







I would think the trans would have fit with some persuasion with a hammer if on wanted but I made a H cut for extra clearance.



I removed the engine and finished modifying the engine wiring harness. It took a lot of time but was actually much simpler then I had predicted. These harnesses are basically standalone from the factory. I just had to reroute, shorten, and lengthen some wires. I also wired in electrical fans and made my own fuse relay set up.


I still have not figured out the cluster wiring and computers. It looks like adding the BCM might make things much more complicated. I have read that the pcm, bcm, and cluster need to be compatible but cant find info on which ones are. I think I also might have to have the BCM tuned and set up by a dealer for it to work properly but I currently only want a functional gauge cluster with a DIC. I do not need any of the other features yet. I have a lot more research to do.

Before I reinstall the engine I am shaving the firewall and cleaning things up a little.

I also picked up a set of Recaro seats to replace the bench in the front. Like the rest of my parts i have used, I did not buy new but rather used from a junkyard. They are from a Saturn ion redline. I do not know if I am going to modify the rear seats to work or just reupholster them to match.


They need to be cleaned but they are exactly what i have been looking for.

[ponjohn]

Nice project.

[Steve68]

That trans is a hog, saw one the other day, good cutting on the tunnel!


I like the seats too!!!

[Motown 454]

Nice project very interesting.

[L & H Kustoms]

nice build! Subscribed. keep the updates coming

[bonecrrusher]

Nice...

[bsharpe]

The engine and trans are back in the car. Firewall cover is complete. The engine side of the wiring is complete but needs to be wrapped.


I choose to use the Throttle pedal from a 07 Monte Carlo and I am very happy with the fit. Here is a pic with it mounted using one of the mounting holes from the original pedal. You can also see where the wiring harness goes through the firewall directly behind the intake.


Thanks for the compliments and comments. Keep them coming.

[bonecrrusher]

Any pics of the cut up floor pan?

[bsharpe]

I made some progress on the chevelle.
I patched the trans tunnel and started reassembling the interior. I was able to set the trans at 3 degrees without cutting the floor braces which was my goal but i will have some serious ground clearance issues.

I got 50 sq ft of fat mat and covered the floors before glueing down some black ozite carpet.



I also put in the new seats and gauges. I realize that the carpet and seats do not go with the old panels but i plan on getting some new panels in the future and would like to change the blue to black. The rear seats fit pretty good without any modifications but i think i will most likely put my stock bench back in and spend my time elsewhere. I have already modified the front seat brackets to bolt up to the chevelle floor.






I only need to finish a few more things before I can get the car on the road. I have to wire in the BCM and gauge cluster. I have to get my exhaust and driveshaft adjusted for the bigger trans. I need to adjust the truck 6l90 dip stick to fit or plug it like the cars. I think the truck one would work but it is seems impossible to install. And i need to buy an alternator

[jaeris]

Hey There,
Let me know how the gauges setup works I like that idea. did you have to use the bcm from the donor? Some more details on that would be sweet!

Thanks
Sean

[bsharpe]

I think that the gauges themselves will work fine using the BCM to control them. The problem is going to be in the DIC. It is going to be plagued with ABS and other errors where it will almost be useless. There does not seem to be an easy solution to this problem. I originally figured that the BCM tuners would be able to delete the unused components but after some emails it seems to be much more complicated and they are not willing to do it.

I was not able to get all of the electronics from a donor vehicle so i have pieced the ECM, TCM, BCM and gauge cluster from 4 different vehicle which is going to complicate things. I might have to get them reprogrammed by a dealership.

[CreepinDeth]

I'm very interested to see how you make those gauges work.
Just curious how you plan to fit the height into the dash since it's obviously higher as it sits ???

[bsharpe]

I'm very interested to see how you make those gauges work.
Just curious how you plan to fit the height into the dash since it's obviously higher as it sits ???

The dash pad actually fits with no modifications.



During the last month i have slowly tackled the small but necessary tasks and i was finally able to start the motor last weekend. Only 1 of the banks would fire. After checking all of my wiring, every injector I found that the gas tank was basically empty. Which is why you should always check the simple things first. The only problem i have is a p2138 accelerator pedal code. I have checked my wiring and everything seems fine. The pedal is new. I have read everything i can find about this problem but still cant get the dbw to work. I think my new pedal might be at fault and i will try and find another pedal to test.

I will try and wire in the BCM and start working on getting the gauges and other things working this weekend. I have tested but failed to get the Cluster to power up. I need to find the correct wiring diagram. The one i have shows a 20 pin connector but the cluster is 26 pins. I will try and go to the dealership to get the schematics and diagrams but that is always a very painful experience especially when they charge me $3 each for the tiny bcm wiring terminals which i cant find anywhere else.

[73z-6sp]

gbhnjmk

[bsharpe]

I spent most of the weekend working on the chevelle and I made some good progress. The engine is running at 100% now and I am able to rev it with a working accelerator pedal. I read that the corvette pedals were wired differently than the trucks so I switched pins d and f on the pedal connector and to match the corvette diagrams and everything worked perfectly. The Monte carlo pedal is compatible it just needs to be wired differently.
I did pull a couple of the injectors and put them in boiling water to unclog them.

I also was also able to wire up the bcm and gauge cluster I will get more information and all of the details later but everything seems to be functional like planned. I still have a lot of things to play with and add in the future. Here is a picture of everything lit up.




Unfortunately everything didn’t work perfectly. I did not drive the car yet because of transmission problems. I am getting a p0700 code and P2723 – Pressure Control Solenoid E Stuck Off. I was expecting some problems with the trans since they are new to swaps but I was not ready for mechanical problems. I bought it from a respectable Junk yard with only 20000 miles. Hopefully the problem will fix itself because I do not know where or how I could have the trans comfortably serviced.

[73z-6sp]

gtvbhnj