92 Isuzu Rodea...trying a V8 motor swap!!

[01Blackerado]

Has it been done??

Does anyone know if I can get a chevy LS1 to fit in my 92 rodeo?

I know it will take alot of wiring and things. But I'm concerned with the over all fit of the LS1 with a 4l60e tranny!!? Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks

[brokenarrow]

I would say that you should be able to fit this combo into your truck, but it will take some work. If I'm not mistaken (someone correct me if I am wrong) your first gen truck has a little more room front to rear under the hood than a second gen truck. I can make a few suggestions on parts based on what I've run into on my '98 Amigo 350 swap. Before you even get started, decide what transfer case you will use. Measure between the torsion bars, and then from the center of the transfer case input shaft to the very outside of the 'case on the front output drop to find out if the 'case you plan to use will fit between the torsion bars. If I recall correctly, the Np241 was 14.5", and the Np231 was about 12.5", and it was still too wide to fit between the torsion bars, so I have to do the SAS at the same time. Lucky for you, if are in fact running a LS1, you don't have to worry about distributor clearance, so you may be able to move the engine back a little more. Block hugger headers will fit just fine between the frame rails, and you will most likely have to move accessories around with aftermarket brackets. You can find the headers and the accessory brackets at www.hotrodlane.cc. I've used their stuff on a few projects, and their quality is second to none. I suggest getting a catalog. You will most likely need the fuel line kit to bring the fuel in at the back of the motor. I'm not sure where your heater core fittings come out of the firewall, but if they're like a second-gen, they will be a problem near the valve cover. You may be able to drill two new holes in the fire wall and use heater hose bulkheads to move the hoses over for clearance. take the heater core out and modify the tubes accordingly. Look for the bulkheads at www.vintageair.com, or www.billetspecialties.com. Use a universal crossmember for small block chevy engine swaps from Trans-Dapt performance (Summit Racing), and I believe that Energy Suspension makes a polyurethane mount to bolt to the LS1, or search around...
I got a universal aluminum radiator from Summit designed for circle track applications. It has dual 1" tubes, and only set me back $159.95. I have to run a separate trans cooler, but no biggie.:cool2:
Save the harness and oil press. / coolant temp sensors from your original power plant. Save the wires you need from the harness and discard the rest, and adapt the original sensors to your LS1 if you want your original gauges to work. You will also need to get a new harness for the LS1 to run the injection and spark functions, as well as the transmission and converter lock-up. (Street and Performance, www.hotrodlane.cc) For an additional charge they can make the harness fully emissions legal so you can pass smog, if that is a concern...:nuke:
This is a short list of what you may need. It won't be cheap, but if I was able to come up with a LS1 for cheap, I'd be going this route right now.
Hope this helps you, and whoever else is contemplating a similar setup.
Good luck. I'll have a beer for you, too!

Mike Barbarigos
Reno NV:beer:

[01Blackerado]

Nice, thanks for all the info. I have a LM7 iron block from a 2001 chevy 1500 silverado...along with a 4l60e trans for free :) Same thing as the LS1 though only its iron and slightly smaller displacment. Another cool thing is that this is a 2WD truck and so is mine, so there's no need for the trans case. So I should be able to do this project with no fittment issues (as far as the block and tranny goes) or will I have to fab a few things from scratch to get the tranny and or motor to fit?? Thanks for all your help

[brokenarrow]

The problem I ran into with my second-gen Amigo was with fan clearance and the heater core inlet/outlet at the firewall. You *will* have to run a electric fan setup. The best way to get cool air is with a puller-type fan, but with the right radiator, a pusher may be sufficient. On my truck, a pusher is all I have room for, as I'm only going to have about one inch of clearance between the radiator and the end of the water pump shaft, and that is with the long-style water pump. If I change to the short-style pump, then I can get enough clearance for the Flex-a-lite Scirocco fan in there, but they only pull 1600cfm. The Flex-a-lite Black Magic series (pusher or puller) moves considerably more. Because you have the LS series truck engine, all of the water pump lengths are the same, so you can't mix-n-match components to make the whole package shorter. I would bet that you have enough room to get the engine in there, but you might have another issue with clearing the top of the bellhousing with the trans tunnel. Plan on doing some sheetmetal massaging in this area, unless you plan to do a body lift. I can tell you this: when I started on this conversion (which still isn't done due to funds...) I began to question my sanity, because I didn't know how the engine was going to fit, or if it would look good. As it turned out, the clearance issues all turned out to be fore-and-aft, not side to side. When the engine is in it, it looks like is was meant to be there all along. If you did go to the hassle of doing this swap, I think you'd be happy with it. I'll see what I can do about getting pics posted this week. Good Luck.

Mike Barbarigos
Reno NV:cool2:

[94redrodeo]

A tarus fan is another option

[01Blackerado]

Thanks fellas, I appreciate the help!! I'll be ordering parts soon. I'll let you know how this thing turns out

[lttlbddy]

1st gen Amigo, pretty much the same engine compartment. Not an LS1 but just an FYI:

http://www.lttlbddy.com/albums/Misc/v81.jpg
http://www.lttlbddy.com/albums/Misc/v82.jpg
http://www.lttlbddy.com/albums/Misc/v83.jpg

Not sure how the air intake would fit from an LS1.