01 IS300 LS1 Drift Build

Kris OK said:

Are you going to use the stock GM hydraulic TOB or an aftermarket one like Tilton? I think I’m going to go twin disk clutch since I have my engine out. The Tilton looks like it’ll bolt right up to the AR5 front bearing retainer to me.

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I am using the stock GM TOB with a LS7 clutch and flywheel. I don’t see why a Tilton wouldn’t work if it in the same mounting pattern as the GM.

I haven’t really thought about an electric rack. I was thinking the electric pump because it would save me time vs mounting a belt driven one. Also I can package it better. I think the electric rack will be more work than the electric pump at this point and I want to limit scope creep on this project. I think when this motor is in and working I might start looking for a rack. It would allow me to mess with the steering geometry which might be nice.

Funny enough I helped my dad swap an electric steering box on his 28 Model A. It was a little different setup but it was super easy to install once I came up with a mount for it.

So I was unable to find a billet bearing support for my slave. After taking it apart I see why, the whole assembly is needlessly complicated. Regardless I decided to make my own.

I also reused the outer plastic retaining piece. It was way too much work for what it is but at least now it shouldn’t melt assuming all my bonds hold up. Two of the dark gray failed after an elevated cure so I added the lighter gray bond which should be a bit tougher. I’m not really sure how hot that area will get however at least there will no longer be a catastrophic failure if things get to hot, which they will. After getting the slave rebuilt I installed the lines and bell housing. I’m using a remote bleed line for the slave as I won’t have any access once I mate the trans. I am using an auto bell housing with no cutouts in it. I also had to adapt the -3 fitting on the slave to a -4 fitting on my clutch line hence the hardline.

Today I got the starter, flywheel, and clutch on, it should be ready to install tomorrow. I just need to mate the trans and drop it all in. I also got the harness on the motor earlier this week. I need to rewire it and simplify but I want to get the motor running before I tear into it.

I got the engine in today. It only took around an hour and a half with 3 friends. It fits really well, probably better than the stock motor.


As a quick reminder it's a 02 LS1 from an f-body. I am using the ar5 I already had in the car with a Fabbot ar5 to LS conversion kit. That uses an auto 4l60e bell housing. I also used xcessive LS engine adapters with their is200 poly engine mounts. The mounts are slotted so that gave me some room for adjustment. I pushed the engine back as far as I could. There is about a .25"-.5" clearance between the oil pan and sub frame, that was my driving limit.

The bell housing is 4"+ bigger than the r154 I had. I was worried I would need to clearance the trans tunnel as it isn't very big. However it ended up fitting fine. I can't quite fit my hand in the gap between the tunnel and bell housing but their is enough room everywhere. I have good access to all the bell housing bolts so hopefully clutches won't be to bad.

The trans ended up moving about 1.25" forward. I was able to rotate my trans mount 180 and all 4 holes lined up. It was not planned but I worked really well. The shifter sits a bit forward but it shouldn't be noticeable.

Instead of lengthening my driveshaft I think I will make a new tail shaft to driveshaft adapter that is a bit longer.

The last big fitment thing are headers but I am still waiting on them. I might try the stock ones I have now. I will have to move the ABS so I have more space to install them. Everything else fits really well and servicing the motor should be pretty easy. I highly recommend this swap so far. It seems like everything was meant to fit

Monday I started installing the clutch master cylinder. I got a land cruiser mc because I need a smaller bore. My previous mc had studs threaded into it where the land cruiser just has thru holes. I made some threaded inserts for it and gave the mc a spot face. With the inserts, the studs fit and I was able to get everything connected. I also ended up shortening the banjo bolt because it was too long.


Today I got the Dedicated Motorsports headers.

I am mixing and matching kits with the headers and xcessive engine mount. I was hoping to get lucky but unfortunately they don't fit. The xcessive motor mount sit the engine farther down and are biased a bit to the passenger side. The passenger side header hits the chassis at the caster arm mounting point. I think I can make enough clearance with a hammer without affecting the pickup point.

The driver's side header hits the steering rack.

I'm going to try to lift the motor a bit and put spacers under the engine mounts. I think if the motor were a 1/4" higher I could fit the steering rack. The steering shaft and joint will still need to fit through the header so hopefully there will be enough clearance. If that doesn't work I may have to get the headers modified to fit. I really like how the motor fits right now and I don't want to move it too much

I lifted the engine up a bit and was able to get the driver’s side header to fit. I added about 0.8” of washers to the drivers engine mount.

I think I will need to raise the engine a full inch to provide proper clearance. On the driver side it’s not an issue. However the passenger side is a different story. There is a rib on the bell housing that hits the trans tunnel. I think I can just grind it down and it will clear. The other issue is the lower heater core hose hits the head. I think I can either bend or weld a 90 deg bend to clear the head. Unfortunately to do either I will have to remove the heater core which looks like a big job.

I ignored those issues and started working on the fuel lines. I printed new fuel line clips so I can add the extra hard line for the fuel return. I think they came out pretty well and look factory. I need to make a few adjustments but they are good enough for now.

I used 5/16” to -6 AN compression fittings to either end of the return hard line and the end of the supply line. I leaked checked one of the lines to 100 PSI and no leaks.

I am using a Corvette fuel filter/pressure regulator, this simplifies the fuel lines. I mounted it under the pedals near the steering shaft. It was the only reasonable place I found to mount it. I will probably add a heat shield to protect it from the header. One tip I learned was get some very strong magnets. I had 2 16lb magnets I used to hold the regulator in place while I finalized the position and checked fitment.

I then added a rivnut and bolted it in.

I also made the regulator supply and return lines, EVAP line, and supply line to the fuel rail. I just need to make a return line to the fuel tank.

I posted the fuel line clips if anyone wants to print their own. I also got my fuel return line finished. I made a plug to replace the regulator.

Then I added a bulkhead fitting to fuel pump and a line down to the hardline. Unfortunately the fitting is to tall and hit the cover. I need to get a 90 degree bulkhead fitting.

I also still need to add the internal fuel line.
I made the drive shaft adapter\extension and now the drive shaft fits.

This week I finished the fuel system. I machined the step on a 90 degree bulkhead fitting. I then used an o ring to seal it. I added the fuel return line in the tank and finish the rest of the lines.

I also started work on the abs relocation. I straightened all the lines so I can rebend them. I started designing a bracket to mount the abs block. It's taken a few revisions but I think I've found a place for it. It's very tight with the ECU also in that area.

I designed a few more clips as well. I made one that holds the clutch and fuel supply lines. I also made 2 for the brake lines. I should only need a few more. They are easy to make and everything looks really clean.

Yesterday I finally addressed the header fitment. I ground down some areas where the trans was hitting. I also added 2 washers under each engine mount to lift it a bit. The driver's header still hit the steering rack so I decided to just clearance it. A little time with a hammer and it fit. The passenger side also hit the frame and starter so I clearanced it as well. I need to get a new shorter starter to clear the headers. I hate to dent brand new parts but it's the only reasonable solution. I also bent the heater core lines so they don't hit the head anymore. The engine is sitting in its final position so I can start on oil lines and the rest of it.

Looking good, man! A lot of nice work. It's always fascinating to see how other people attack the same or similar problems... Back in college, I did Formula SAE and by far the best part of the whole process was going to competition and checking out how other teams approached the project. Some teams either had a CNC shop hookup or tons of money - so they designed all kinds of fancy 3d-profiled billet parts. Other teams (like ours) had neither, so we designed our parts to be made on manual mill/lathe - or be fabricated. Some teams were really into composites. The rules were so open, it left room for all kinds of innovations and interesting ways to skin the cat. Always neat to check it out.

I was hemming and hawing over how to relocate my ABS pump. I really didn't want to use flexible lines, but I didn't think I could re-bend the original hard lines and have them come out looking nice... and I was unwilling to put in the effort that was going to be required to bend up a set of custom hard lines from scratch... I could use some firewall brake line clips like you made (and I have a buddy with a 3D printer...so maybe hook a brother up???)

Last, are those the Dedicated Motorsports LS-swap headers? Are they just not quite right or is there something unique about your installation that makes them not work just so?

Hodgdon Extreme said:

Looking good, man! A lot of nice work. It's always fascinating to see how other people attack the same or similar problems... Back in college, I did Formula SAE and by far the best part of the whole process was going to competition and checking out how other teams approached the project. Some teams either had a CNC shop hookup or tons of money - so they designed all kinds of fancy 3d-profiled billet parts. Other teams (like ours) had neither, so we designed our parts to be made on manual mill/lathe - or be fabricated. Some teams were really into composites. The rules were so open, it left room for all kinds of innovations and interesting ways to skin the cat. Always neat to check it out.

I was hemming and hawing over how to relocate my ABS pump. I really didn't want to use flexible lines, but I didn't think I could re-bend the original hard lines and have them come out looking nice... and I was unwilling to put in the effort that was going to be required to bend up a set of custom hard lines from scratch... I could use some firewall brake line clips like you made (and I have a buddy with a 3D printer...so maybe hook a brother up???)

Last, are those the Dedicated Motorsports LS-swap headers? Are they just not quite right or is there something unique about your installation that makes them not work just so?

Click to expand...

Small world, I did FSAE in college too. Similar situation we built the car for around $12k. I made sure we had enough money to buy the sweet OZ wheels though. We were not fast and didn’t make it every year but it was fun to build a car from scratch. We were lucky enough to have a Haas MiniMill, however no one knew how to use it. That’s where I taught myself to run a CNC mill.

I will post the brake line clips in a few weeks. I need to work on the clip that holds them to the firewall.
I am using the Dedicated header but Xcessive LS mounts because they are a lot cheaper and nicer IMO. The Dedicated headers are really nice but clearly don’t work very well with the Xcessive mounts. Because I am running the AR5 with a 4L60 bell housing I have less room then the T56, which the kit is meant for.

I was out of town most of the week so I wasn’t able to get much done. I started on a mount for my power steering pump. It will be tight but it should fit right behind the passenger headlight.
I did a test fit with my radiator and to overflow tank hits the water pump. The tank is also in the way of the upper rad outlet. I'm thinking of cutting it out of the fan shroud and mounting one remotely. I don’t see any options for fan shrouds without the tank.