LS3/6L80e Engine Swap into my 73

[teamsideways]

my son is planning on a 5.3 and 6l80 with a gm transfer case,..is this set up to long?..is this why you went with the atlas?

 

[Yeller]

my son is planning on a 5.3 and 6l80 with a gm transfer case,..is this set up to long?..is this why you went with the atlas?

It probably is. The GM transfer case is quite long.

 

[WPS 73 Bronco]

I went with the Atlas because it was highly recommended.

 

[WPS 73 Bronco]

Sunday cruise. I’d like opinions on my steering play. Is it about right or too sloppy?

33” tires, 2 1/2” lift, and 1” body lift.

 

[DirtDonk]

Don’t know about the play from the videos, but that engine sure sounds nice!

Regarding the play, even though the driving experience is the most important aspect of that, the best way to check it is static in the driveway or garage.
I’m sure you’ve read about the test over the years goes by various names, but essentially you leave the full weight of the vehicle on the ground and have a helper steer the steering wheel back-and-forth while you watch underneath to see what moves first.
On a bronco, play can start at the junction of the steering shaft, the steering box itself, loose bolts, or a cracked frame, play in the four rod ends, play in the ball joints, and play in the wheel bearings. Not to mention play in the track bar ends.
Finally, some of it can actually come from the tires squirming. But that’s usually an absolute minimal amount that you might not see you during the static dry test, but can feel on the road.
Another good result of the steering test is that you can see if the trackbar mounts and/or bushings are moving when they shouldn’t.

 

[DirtDonk]

Another aspect to this perceived steering play is the other modifications made. Even just a 2.5" lift is changing the relationship between the draglink and the tie rod. So if you did not add any compensations (pitman arm, trackbar drop or riser, etc.) then the angle on the draglink is going to have at least a minimal effect on this.
With a steeper angle on the draglink, then your steering inputs have a less linear reaction/feel to them.
Lowering the angle back to stock, or near-stock numbers will only improve the steering action.

And yes, for those reading, I know that 60 years or trying to avoid these added expenses for minimal lifts until you get to 3" or more, is a long and well entrenched argument. But it's not actually true, as far as I'm concerned.
My feelings have always been that, if you change the steering angles from a suspension lift or other modifications, you need to "correct" them the best you can. At least if you want to get the best driving experience.

Is your steering linkage stock? Any of the drops or other mods done?
You said 33" tires. Are they 12.5" wide? And if so, what size wheels and what offset/backspacing? The wider and heavier the wheel and tire combination, and the farther out they stick, the more stress they put on a stock tie-rod and draglink and the more likely they are to flex under use.

Just a few more factors to factor in!

Paul

 

[gnpenning]

The above, along with road condition. I have a section of road I drive regularly. Different sections of the 10 mile road give a variety of driving experiences. This includes road noise, not just handling.

 

[WPS 73 Bronco]

As noted in my last few threads on my LS Bronco journey, I was complaining about the steering. After watching several other threads about steering, C Bushings, etc. I decided to make some changes. This has been discussed in a different thread, but I wanted to add it back into this thread for record keeping.

https://classicbroncos.com/forums/t...ig-sway-bar-installation.329715/#post-3622696

Bottom line is my ride quality and steering has a significant improvement by adding 7degree bushings, Clydesdale, new coil springs and a Helwig sway bar.

 

[WPS 73 Bronco]

Results are in on my alignment

 

[Yeller]

That’s nice!

 

[WPS 73 Bronco]

I now have a new problem that showed up while I was installing my front suspension parts. I noticed a very small amount of radiator fluid on the frame, under the water pump. I have the Holley mid-mount LS accessory system which includes the water pump. Because the front of the engine is so close to the radiator, I can't tell if I just have a loose bolt causing the leak. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to pull the radiator out to determine the source and root cause.

Just when I got the ride where I want it.............

 

[WPS 73 Bronco]

Resolved the radiator fluid issue. Small leak resolved.

Now on to another issue….. Engine getting hot at idle when sitting for an extended period (+5 minutes at the Wendy’s drive thru).

We had a 90 degree day here over the weekend in Houston and I noticed the engine getting pretty warm, up to around 240. I ended up shutting it off and waiting for my food. Finally got it, started back up and drove off. The engine cooled down very quickly. I’ve got the Griffin Custom radiator with their twin spal fans. The LS wants to run around 215, and my fans cut on at 193. They are working fine.

Any thoughts as to how to improve my cooling.

 

[nvrstuk]

Not cooling while sitting still AND having cooling that seems to work great while cruising is usually (usually) an air flow issue- although with an ls I have no idea how fast the wtrpump is turning in relation to your HB.

Not enough air thru the radiator because of typically-

1- radiator design

2- fan inefficiency

3- shroud design or no shroud at all


Fan design, coverage & efficiency usually is the culprit.

You say two fans. Are they the newer brushless style? New electric brushless variable speed fan tech & fan blade design are MUCH more efficient than previous fans from just a few yrs ago.

Shoot us the model # & pics of fan mounting.

 

[Yeller]

Yup air flow is not enough.

 

[WPS 73 Bronco]

As always, I typed before I verified. I have a single fan. I bought the Griffin/Fan that Yeller suggested (not blaming).

https://www.griffinrad.com/load_details11.php?PartID=280&id=CU-58202-TS&year=All&make=Chevy, Dodge&model=Racer&select_Main_Group=&select_Sub_Group=&select_Sub_Group_model=&select_Sub_Group_Engine=&select_Sub_Group_HorsePower=&key_id=1-58202-TS

I think part of my problem is that there is very little space between the fan and the front auxilary equipment.

I also recently bumped my idle speed up to 1000rpm…..for all the wrong reasons. I‘ve since bumped it back to 900. The lowest I can get it to with my stage 2 cam is 825, but I didn’t like it there. The heat problem was noticed at 1000 rpm.

 

[gnpenning]

In a pinch while sorting it out, kick on your heater fan after pulling for heat. I understand it won't be comfortable but it will also let you know how marginal your cooling system might be.

 

[Yeller]

The fan on mine died shortly after install, I installed a higher flowing fan and never looked back. The faulty fan was replaced under warranty, it’s on a rock buggy somewhere.

 

[nvrstuk]

Griffin & 99% of fan retailers over-rate their fan's cfm. EZ to do & very few actually have them rated with static head & who's testing all these claims saying they put out what they say they do?

1,000 cfm is 2-3,000 cfm shy of what you need/want. Exploder mechanical clutch pulls over 3,000 & since that's not an option...


Delta makes a fan that pulls 4100 cfm. There's a guy here who tested the cfm flow of it & several other fans & the flow #s check out.
Brushless, variable speed, soft start are game changer as much for fans as they are for drills, impact guns, rt angle grinders, etc. No comparison. They can design the blades to pull more air & do it at 1/3 the amperage draw.

Thing about cooling is this... like horsepower- more is better!

Good luck. Put a good fan in & you'll never regret it

 

[WPS 73 Bronco]

My issue is clearance between the fan/shroud and the accessory equipment. My current Griffin design is 2.55" thick (fan is 2.05") and I have about 1/4" to 3/8" clearance between the fan tip and the accessory drive equipment (water pump tip). I can't find any puller fans that are thin enough to work. If I go to a pusher, then there's no issues finding higher CFM fans.

Should I consider that as the primary option? I'm assuming a pusher fan eliminates the need of a front shroud. Is that right? Or do I just add a pusher and keep the existing puller?

 

[nvrstuk]

...

The Delta 2.7" thick... can't offset it a little?

Much more efficient pulling air thru than pushing.

Check the tech specs on Delta's page to see if you can offset it a little?