I didn't know when you started that's why I was asking.

 

I haven't hit it to hard, thankful I have other modes of transportation, it will probably be Tuesday before I can get gaskets ordered and flywheel dusted. I think gaskets will be dealer item.

 

Always nice not to feel rushed. Whenever I gather funds for this I'll have my wife's car and if need be I can drive her dad's truck. I could get it now but all my money is set aside for when I go to California in two weeks.

 

I was concerned they would run out of these engines before I got mine, don't know what we will do when they are all gone.

 

I just saw on CED that they have an LNF1. It's about $1,000 more but mentions nothing about being LDK/LHU. Looks like I'm going to be working even more overtime than I anticipated. I want to get mine before I find myself up **** creek.

 

You need the gm fuel line tool.

Save on OTC Tools 6509 at ToolTopia.com

You can get in there with a small 90deg pick and pry the tongs back but the tool works much better

 

I don't think you can get any kind of a tool in on the valve cover end, I have a set of fuel disconnect tools, the problem is no room on the valve cover end, I read where a guy stuffed pieces of zip tie's in their to release it.

 

I tried the zip tie thing for at least an hour and finally gave up. In the end I very carefully used brute force via a screwdriver and rubber mallet. I ended up bending the little clip that holds it on. I tried buying the plastic replacements but those didn't fit. I bent the tabs back to about what they were before and it holds great. Mongo said at one time he had some metal replacements but they're pretty expensive.

 

Ok, Thanks, I will probably check my patience out and see how far I get.

 

Stock is Sachs. Mine looked just as thick as the brand new one as well and I had 72k miles on it. I changed it anyways. I wonder how long it would have lasted. I try to take it easy on it; no NLS, no drag racing, downshifting, etc.

It did seem like a lot of connectors, but they all seemed to have a good purpose. It was annoying to have to figure out how each one pulled apart. But the nice thing was that it is impossible to hook the wrong thing up to the connector. Just wish they all went together the same way.

I only had three things get me in the end, and they were totally my fault. I didn't clamp the coolant hose on the oil cooler. The house popped off and made a mess on my street. I didn't clamp the intake onto my tb, which popped off once I hit 6psi. That freaked me out. Third, I didn't tighten a ground cable well enough. That was a bugger to figure out. Got a new alternator and ecu before I found the cause :-S

 

I took a dozen pictures of everything so I would have something to resort to if I got stumped, hopefully I won't have a temp problem after I get it going.

 

Go to a junkyard and pop them out for pennies. Just be careful popping them out they bend easily. I had to replace mine when I swapped PCV lines.

 

Mine has 110k miles on it, looked almost new. I didn't even resurface the flywheel.

 

That's a good idea. I get stuck on the fact that there are never any ss's in the junkyard but things like that should be plentiful.

 

I tried the zip tie method to remove vent line from valve cover but it was going no where fast. This was my fix, not real sexy but I think it will work, the fitting coming out of the valve cover and the smaller diameter of the line are both 3/8 so I used some 3/8 fuel line. I just pried and twisted on the fitting till it came off.

 

Should be fine. I wouldn't have cut it, but you won't have a ton of pressure in there so I doubt it'll come off. If it ends up not working you can always get a new line.

 

Exactely

 

Heater hoses and lining up the trans by myself and getting that stupid gasket aluminum C was the hardest parts I had. Long nose long handle pliers made it day and night for the heater hoses

 

I did this 3 times... PITA!!!!

 

How hard is it to pull out the engine from the top in a garage?

 

Not impossible but way too much work... you have to dismantle it way more than necessary. Just unhook the ac, fuse box, suspension, and heater lines and lift the car off the cradle.

Edit: instead of lifting the engine out, jack the car up and put it on blocks remove the wheels and previously said stuff then unbolt the 4 cradle bolts then jack it up and remove the blocks, lower it onto a furniture dolly then use the engine picker you plan to use to pull the engine out the top and wrap it around the frame and just lift the car off the cradle. I did it 3-4 times when I dropped my engine because of TOB popping its quite easy to do this way. then when you lift the car high enough roll the dolly out the wheel well and set the frame back down on some blocks.

 

Thanks for the info guys. You guys are the best. This is why I stay here. BTW... How many guys have done the LDK swap?

 

First page First Post has a list of noted swaps, but there are a handful more from guys who don't frequent the site too much. emecham is doing a good job contacting swap goers and getting them in this thread.
When you lift the car with any kind of lift off the cradle just go slow, jack it up a bit walk around look make sure nothing you missed is still attached, jack it up a little more do the same until everything is free. Just go slow and its honestly super easy. Can be done in a couple hours if you've had practice haha

 

^ Definitely good advice. It's been said already, but take LOTS of pictures. You never know when you need to go back to a random picture to see how some hoses were aligned, etc. You can never have enough pictures. And try to take high-quality ones. Most of the time you're looking for a wire that's buried so you have to zoom in the picture to see it.

 

I got my gaskets today and flywheel dusted, clutch was supposed to have been delivered today but UPS needed signature so maybe will have it tomorrow and I will start putting it back together and maybe get it in Friday.