4.3 Chevy in '87 LX-I???

[LJ1987LX-I]

Suppose I could see if the S10 front suspension would work but I'd have to buy a lowering kit for the front.

[Vanilla Sky]

I'd use the Honda suspension up front to be honest. Tie the frame into the front cross member. I'd use that Ford 9" out back, no doubt. I'd use a triangulated 4 link with either a really long panhard bar or a watt's link to locate the axle out back.

[2oodoor]

If I were seriously going to frankinbowtie an Accord, I wouldn't be trying to make it a full frame car, it would be a unibody tube chassis hybrid.
I would buy a Fox body Mustang, early 90s factory four link, 8.8 diff, Jig up the Honda and take some measurments to match as many structural commons as I could with the Fox, and start cutting and welding in the Mustang Fox unibody rigid floor framing.
Why use GM axle flanges? no way man... what the hell would be the point?
I would do the front in tubing and probably use Jegs Mustang II style aftermarket subframing so tuning the front suspension would be quicker, simpler and less expensive.
Shape the tubing as close as possible to match the Accords front sheet metal support structure profile.
The Accords front clip (subframing, crossmembers and suspension) would be chunked but the outer sheet metal would be conserved to be made one piece, which would be a tedious process to do it losing as much weight as possible and still be rigid enough to support itself with minimum attaching points to the tube frame. Here it would be a toss up labor time wise to maybe just cast a fiberglass mould for the front clip with the afore mentioned product with less time taking off weight and more just keeping it together long enough to make a casting for the fiberglass. I would be focusing more on the back half and motor supporting front crossmembers before I could decide how to hang the facia and fenders back on it all.
To save time and to still have options later I would just buy the LS oem complete with tranny and oem tunable ECM and all wiring. LS swaps are a bit more involved than typical SBC. I think they do make a carburated intake for them so that may be a shortcut there using a stand alone ignition and TH350 era trans. ehhh I dunno, those are pricey.
Time, money and labor all factor in. Getting a workable unit together that gets frankinbowonda going so it could be played becomes priority once the back half project gets that far along. All the details involving expense, like high dollar over the top gay turbos and rainbow xmas tree fragrance for the rear view, just retards the reality of the project IMO.
If too many little details of the dream rod get so crazy before anything is even started, it make it less likely to materialize.
This can be done but getting a rolling chassis together, with an Accord hull that supports a 300+ hp RWD powerplant is already a six month or better project.
If I was considering a full frame, it would be a s10 two door 2wd blazer and a bunch of 2 inch square tubing, channel and angle.

[Vanilla Sky]

There's space to put the chassis tubing in the car and not use up any space. Following the bottom corners of the floor pan, you can hide a lot of tubing.

Here's a cross cut of the rocker panel area of a 3gee. I made this cut myself. I also have cross cuts of the roof support.

[LJ1987LX-I]

I'd use the Honda suspension up front to be honest. Tie the frame into the front cross member.

I like that idea, but the biggest thing I'm worrying about is finding a stiff enough suspension to keep the car from grinding the oil pan.

I'd use that Ford 9" out back, no doubt. I'd use a triangulated 4 link with either a really long panhard bar or a watt's link to locate the axle out back

Me and my buddy were thinking something along the lines of that. Thinking about mounting the bars as far out to the end of the axle as I feasibly can, but I'm not sure how well that'd work out.

If I were seriously going to frankinbowtie an Accord, I wouldn't be trying to make it a full frame car, it would be a unibody tube chassis hybrid.

But making it a full frame makes it a lot easier to do, figuratively speaking, because all I have to do is cut into the body to sink it into the frame. Then of course in the front seats the frame will be notched to accommodate the usage of the pedals.

I would buy a Fox body Mustang, early 90s factory four link, 8.8 diff, Jig up the Honda and take some measurments to match as many structural commons as I could with the Fox, and start cutting and welding in the Mustang Fox unibody rigid floor framing.

I know what you're saying, but I want to be able to unbolt the frame from the body with relative ease. Big issue I'm going to have is making sure that the bolts don't tear through the floor boards of the Honda. I'll have to come up with an idea to spread the forces out.

Why use GM axle flanges? no way man... what the hell would be the point?

Because GM 10/12/14 bolts suck. But I'll have to use a G-Body front end and it uses the Chevy 5on5 bolt pattern, and I want the rear to match. Ford's been known for making a better axle.

I would do the front in tubing and probably use Jegs Mustang II style aftermarket subframing so tuning the front suspension would be quicker, simpler and less expensive.

I'm talking to my buddy now about how well working in a Mustang K-member would be into a Chevy Frame, that way the engine would be a little more open.

Shape the tubing as close as possible to match the Accords front sheet metal support structure profile.
The Accords front clip (subframing, crossmembers and suspension) would be chunked but the outer sheet metal would be conserved to be made one piece, which would be a tedious process to do it losing as much weight as possible and still be rigid enough to support itself with minimum attaching points to the tube frame. Here it would be a toss up labor time wise to maybe just cast a fiberglass mould for the front clip with the afore mentioned product with less time taking off weight and more just keeping it together long enough to make a casting for the fiberglass

I was actually thinking about having the front clip being a molded piece of fiberglass or something like that, it'd cut down a little on weight, maybe, but at the same time, I'd have it to where I could remove it with 4 to 6 pins to get to working on the engine.

I would be focusing more on the back half and motor supporting front crossmembers before I could decide how to hang the facia and fenders back on it all.

Totally agreed. Gotta get that shit done before I can move on to making the beast look nice.

To save time and to still have options later I would just buy the LS oem complete with tranny and oem tunable ECM and all wiring.

Nah, I'm omitting the tranny and going manual, all on preferences, wouldn't be terribly hard to make work, though. I'm sure I can figure something out to omit wiring for the tranny and not have many issues. And as far as I know, the ECM can be tuned, if not, there's always megasquirt and all the rest. Thinking to run MSD ignition and getting a good fuel system in there. And I can get the truck wiring harness pretty cheap, or just find out the gauge of the wiring and wire it myself. I don't know about that yet, so I'm not going to commit on that until I do.

LS swaps are a bit more involved than typical SBC.

Yeah, but once done, should work like a champ. If I don't have the know-how, my buddy does, it'll get figured out in due time.

I think they do make a carburated intake for them so that may be a shortcut there using a stand alone ignition and TH350 era trans. ehhh I dunno, those are pricey.

They make Carb'd intakes for them, but I don't want a ridiculous sized cowl on the hood, just enough to close the hood over the motor. EFI would make this chore a little simpler. Again, I'm probably going to stick with a manual, it's what I would like to have in the car, I've got some more research to do on them, though.

Time, money and labor all factor in. Getting a workable unit together that gets frankinbowonda going so it could be played becomes priority once the back half project gets that far along. All the details involving expense, like high dollar over the top gay turbos and rainbow xmas tree fragrance for the rear view, just retards the reality of the project IMO.

In the long run, it's just going to be cheaper to do it this way, because I don't have to go and replace a bunch of parts, more of just putting them in there (motor wise), and I don't have to buy a bunch of performance parts just to get the turbo to work without grenading the motor.

If too many little details of the dream rod get so crazy before anything is even started, it make it less likely to materialize.

That's why I'm keeping this whole brainstorm generalized. If I do too far into the specifics, I won't wanna do it, so I'm just going to keep optimistic and not plan too far ahead, just do it one step at a time.

Step 1: Get my license back.
Step 2: Get the build parts together.
Step 3: Find a replacement vehicle while the Honda goes down for the project.

And that's as far as I am, and will be for a while.

This can be done but getting a rolling chassis together, with an Accord hull that supports a 300+ hp RWD powerplant is already a six month or better project.

This project will get as long as it needs. I fully intend to see this finished.

If I was considering a full frame, it would be a s10 two door 2wd blazer and a bunch of 2 inch square tubing, channel and angle.

The 2-door 2wd Blazer is pretty much the same frame. as far as everything else goes, like stated, I'll pick it up as needed.

[pickupman6]

I thought the L98 was the 350 they put in the IROC, and other cars of the late 80s early 90s. I quit keeping up with gm because their new crap is just that, crap. I have completely turned my back on them. Whoever I still have a soft spot for some of their older stuff. If it was me (and its not) I would stick with a 350/350. 350 turbos are tough as nails out the box but if you build one and put in a manual valve body wou have an unstoppable beast. Couple that with some 3.08 gears in the rear and the accords light weight and you have a rocket.

[LJ1987LX-I]

Well, I have as many issues determining which engine is which in there L's. It's the 5.3 variant. If I could find an EFI'd 350 WITH a 5 speed tranny... I'd be happy. More than happy, ecstatic! But everywhere I'm seeing, the 5.3 is capable of producing some epic power in my price-range.

Here's a video of a Fairmount or whatever with this motor installed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk9uU_3VHT0

Here's another link on this motor in a Nova:

http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=445384

[LJ1987LX-I]

Oh and I guess I should be calling it LS or some shit like that lol.

[pickupman6]

I'm not saying you are wrong, I too am confused, and it wouldn't surprise me if the resurrected that name plate, wouldn't be the first time. I also have no doubt that you can make a 5.3 a beast, I mean its a chevy, there are tons of companies offering performance parts for them. I'm just a little more old school when it comes to gm performance. I haven't been keeping up with gm for over 10 years. I've been playin with fords since I graduated high school and just recently got bit by the honda bug. My last build was an 85 f150 with a 300 inline 6. I massaged the head a little bit a custom 276 grind cam, offenhauser intake, holly 600cfm 4 barrel, rocker arms of a gm 250, and custom made headers. The old girl was pushing 350 hp according to the butt dyno, and also based on the fact that it would walk away from my buddies 02 2500 with the 6.0 that had a performance chip that was supposed to add 25 hp. You probably now understand my username. I've also built a 302 ranger with 351 cleveland heads on it mated to a c6. Sorry for ramblin, lookin forward to your build.

[pickupman6]

Lj's LS-LX-i
Lol

[LJ1987LX-I]

I'm not saying you are wrong, I too am confused, and it wouldn't surprise me if the resurrected that name plate, wouldn't be the first time. I also have no doubt that you can make a 5.3 a beast, I mean its a chevy, there are tons of companies offering performance parts for them. I'm just a little more old school when it comes to gm performance. I haven't been keeping up with gm for over 10 years. I've been playin with fords since I graduated high school and just recently got bit by the honda bug. My last build was an 85 f150 with a 300 inline 6. I massaged the head a little bit a custom 276 grind cam, offenhauser intake, holly 600cfm 4 barrel, rocker arms of a gm 250, and custom made headers. The old girl was pushing 350 hp according to the butt dyno, and also based on the fact that it would walk away from my buddies 02 2500 with the 6.0 that had a performance chip that was supposed to add 25 hp. You probably now understand my username. I've also built a 302 ranger with 351 cleveland heads on it mated to a c6. Sorry for ramblin, lookin forward to your build.

Lol yeah I hear ya, I'm not much into the newer shit, but all this tuning ability... Mmm mmm mmm. Lol.

And I'm liking that, LSLX-i. Should make that a license plate ha

[A18A]

put a couple vtec heads on it and you can tell people you done a ls-vtec swap lol.

[pickupman6]

Didn't even think about that ls, I can see where this could get confusing. "My car has an ls motor" opens hood. "Um that's a v8" "never said the ls came from a honda"

[LJ1987LX-I]

Lol well not sure how seeing as the heads on our cars are bigger than those in the v8's lol

[Vanilla Sky]

The 5.3 is an iron block, aluminum head LS engine. It's exclusively a truck motor, but the bottom end is built to handle more abuse. If I were to build an LS motor, it would be one of the 6 litre variants.

Are you sure it's an L98? That's the old RPO from the TPI Camaros, IIRC. It's just a tuned port 350.

[LJ1987LX-I]

Well I guess it might be called an LS, not too sure on that but it's the 5.3 liter out of the 97-03 tahoes and silverados I think.

[Vanilla Sky]

Ok, then it's not an L98. The LS truck motor is, like I said, a really good starting point.

[LJ1987LX-I]

Gotcha see I heard three different names so I just went with the one I heard it called more lol so LS it is. If I look around I can find motor and ECU for $1000 go to a dealership and get a truck wiring harness, for around $25-$50 and then tranny which should should be $2000 for what I'm looking at (Tremec 6-speed) and the Garret GT40 which should wind up between $3-$4000.

[2oodoor]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_LS_engine
Enjoy^^^
the 5.3 is a remarkable creation that has been available in many forms even in a FWD Impala SS which isn't made too much different than a late 90s Accord.
The Trailblazer SS 5.3 is an unstoppable beast as was said.
The LT1 engine can be had cheep and is a great engine that came with a 6 speed manual. You can find them in craigslist all the time, there in last gen camaros & fbirds. Those had the leaking intakes which causes various symptoms to think the motors bad and average people dont want to fix em since they come out the bottom.
Pickupman i had sEveral 300 inlines and i love em. I had one that was forged pistons and 240 head, 15:1 comp even with a stock carter carb it would tote the mail. (haul ass) lol

[Vanilla Sky]

I'd package the ECU together with the motor. If I'm not mistaken, in some applications, the ECU is already bolted to the engine. If that's the case, you should be able to wire it up without buying a harness. You should be able to source a junkyard harness, now that these trucks are getting old enough to be in the pick n' pulls.

[2oodoor]

^^I agree, makes it a lot less expense. All that controller hardware is completly capable of managing add ons as they're aquired too. Jet or diablo & whatever brand tuner can be added at reasonable cost, maybe evn find that in pullapart too.

[Vanilla Sky]

The GM ECU is pretty well hacked, so it's tunable. Check out Moates.net for info.

[pickupman6]

Aw dang I forgot to mention the 240 head swap. The gm 250 rocker arms wouldn't fit on the 300 head.

[2oodoor]

Miata chassis used for rwd conversion, there is a v8 kit to fit this chassis too, Just another option to consider. This uses a configuration similar to what Vanilla was describing I believe.

[Bassmastry101]

The Banshee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWapx...A451D15A7B62C4