[sheetsofsound]

Been awhile since I posted here. My project was slowed considerably by two other projects, but I am starting to get going again on putting an L26 into a Triumph TR7. I have decided on the 4L60E out of an f-body, after getting input from some on this forum.

I know I need to change the oil pan, pickup, and dipstick, as well as the oil filter mount. (It interferes with the radiator.) My questions come from looking at other swaps, mostly people who have put an L26 in their f-bodies. I suspect that some of these changes are to make the L26 work with the L36 PCM and so won't apply to me, but can anyone answer the following?
1) Do I need a RWD flywheel? Harmonic balancer?
2) Do I need to change the upper and lower intakes?
3) Do I need to change the fuel rail and injectors?
4) Anything else I might need to alter for the switch to RWD?

Thanks,

Brent

 

[MinnesotaFats13]

I will answer the best I can.

1. Yes to the flywheel and no to the balancer.
2. That is going to be up to you. The Camaro upper and lower intake will work better in the RWD configuration, but it functions the exact same as the FWD intake.
3. If you swap the upper and lower intakes you will need to change the rails. The injectors are the exact same.
4. Not sure if this is going to matter, but the manifolds are going to be different between the two.

That is everything I made sure of when I pieced mine together.

 

[sheetsofsound]

Thanks for the reply. The manifolds may actually work in my favour. The intakes, not so sure. The info really helps. I'm still in research mode, so I've been trying to find pictures of what other people have done in different cars. It seems there are not as many series III RWD conversions as there are series II RWD conversions. I got this motor at a pretty good price with very low kilometers, so I'd really like to use it.

 

[MinnesotaFats13]

Yeah, the Series III came out after the big LS boom, so not many people are looking to swap it. Only reason I am using the Series II vs. anything else is two fold. Every one and their brother is doing the LS swap and I got an entire turbo Series II setup for dirt cheap. I know for a fact I could make gigantic power with the LS, but I am not overly concerned with that. My car is headed down the road race path and I want table flat hp and tq in the 400 range, to start, and I will be able to accomplish that for right at $2K for everything. If I went LS it would have cost me at least twice that and I would only be able to be NA and not turboed.

 

[sheetsofsound]

Well this L26 kind of fell in my lap. Plus, the turbo won't fit under my hood. I don't really need the added horses because the car only weighs 1200 lbs.

I am new to this and trying to gather as much info and parts as needed. There are a number of people who told me the RWD swap couldn't be done from a series III, but I have found a couple of people who have done it. My biggest challenge will be fitting it under the hood. I'd prefer to not change the intake and I'm pretty sure I don't need to.

The swap I'm doing has mostly been done with the old Buick 3.8, not the 3800. A few guys have swapped in the LS but it's way more fiddly, as well as expensive, as you say.

What car are you putting yours in?

 

[MinnesotaFats13]

I'm dropping it into an '89 IROC-Z. I had a worn out 305/5spd and I wanted something new, but wanted to keep cost down as best I could. So I ended up with this. I was going to go with the old 109 blocks from the GN, but they are just expensive. LS was going to run $5K or more and the SBC platform is what I came from.





I am starting off with an all internally stock L36. I'm doing a small intercooled turbo to start with 60lb injectors, MegaSquirt II, SPEC stage 3 clutch, SPEC aluminum flywheel, etc. I'm hoping to have around 350 rwhp to begin with and then I will be increasing the size of the turbo. I hope to have around 400-450 with that change. I have stalled out due to a labral tear in my hip. I need to get surgery done before I can continue, because right now it hurts to sit, stand, walk, everything.

 

[sheetsofsound]

That sucks about your hip. I'm recovering from a shoulder injury and know what you mean. It really cuts in to what you can get done.

Pics look great and the project sounds awesome. I don't have any pics worth posting except a stripped TR7 shell and a series III on an engine stand at this point.

The upper intake looks like would solve some issues for me in terms of clearance but I'm loathe to switch to the series II plastic intakes from the aluminum series III. I don't know if I should be concerned about that, but switching to plastic just bugs me, unless I'm wrong about the RWD intakes being plastic.

I heard or read somewhere that a guy had taken the upper and lower intakes on a series III and just turned them 180 degrees, moving the air intake to the front of the engine. This would also solve my clearance problem if it can be done. Do you know anything about this? Would it be possible?

 

[MinnesotaFats13]

The intake is not plastic, it is aluminum.

It looks like the intake will flip around just fine, although I do not have the exact measurements of the bolt holes or the intake ports. That will need to be checked. However, there are potential issues with the fuel rails not mounting the same, the wiring is going to need to be extended, unless you are making a custom harness. Not much else I can think of that would cause an issue.

 

[sheetsofsound]

Your suspicions look to be dead right. I was over at the garage where I'm working on this thing and it seems like it will flip 180 degrees no problem. The fuel rails don't appear to be effected, but the wiring harness will need to be redone. I was planning on starting pretty much from scratch with the wiring anyway, so that's not a big concern, although it would be easier if I didn't have to.

I was out at our local yards today looking for the oil pan and flywheel, but the only series II camaros had already been stripped. All this fiddling, I think I'll just get the intakes and fuel rails from a camaro or firebird if I get a chance. Looks better anyway.