5.3L LS swap and overall restoration – Reference photos with descriptions
…arranged newest to oldest…
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Found a close enough spray to paint the Rally wheels to match body.
Replacing the sill emblems.
New ACC floor mats.
New carpet installed.
Trim cleaned and painted.
OEM radiator sold and packed for shipping.
OEM radiator sold.
Sill plates cleaned.
OEM radiator shroud sold.
Fresh paint...
cleaned and painted belts/buckles
Column freshly painted while interior is dismantled.
ACC carpet from Rockauto. Cheapest place to purchase including shipping. All replacement carpet is manufactured by ACC. Many places sell it at many prices.
Another brass bushing broken. The thread walls are so thin on these things.
Finally changing out this lower radiator hose. The first one worked, but the coupler was not meant for a permanent solution. Gates 20734.
Leather wrapped wheel cover.
Leather wrapped wheel cover.
Leather wrapped wheel cover. Superior Superskin Size "A" 58-0650T
Seat bracket back in place. Loctite Fastgrab Premium construction adhesive and rivets.
Sheetmetal patches in place. Just a daily driver, so no need for a beautiful restoration. Loctite Fastgrab Premium construction adhesive and rivets.
Sheetmetal patch cut.
Template transferred to sheetmetal.
transferring pattern to sheetmetal.
Cardboard pattern for patch.
I'll figure out a way to reinforce this seatbelt later.
driver side good condition. Only two small rust holes.
Cut out the rot.
I hate rust.
new gearbox with plenty of clearance. Cardone 27-6550 with 2.5 turn lock-lock
new gearbox with plenty of clearance. New hoses installed. original 605 hoses were flare type fittings. New box is o-ring type. Which means I had to change out the fitting on the back of the pump again. Cardone 27-6550 with 2.5 turn lock-lock
new gearbox with plenty of clearance. Cardone 27-6550 with 2.5 turn lock-lock
Replacing original 605 with upgraded quicker ration Cardone 27-6550 unit.
Steering shaft upgrade while it's apart. 1990 Jeep Cherokee
Temp gauge removed and going back.
Removing the cooling temp gauge to send back to Intellitronix to have them repair or replace it.
Several things going at once. Time to change out this 605 gearbox. I was going to just fix the leaks, but since I didn't know what I was doing, I messed up the adjuster bolt... so a new box it will be.
Got smacked in the rear at the stop light by a distracted driver. Damage reference.
Got smacked in the rear at the stop light by a distracted driver. Damage reference.
Got smacked in the rear at the stop light by a distracted driver. Damage reference.
Got smacked in the rear at the stop light by a distracted driver. Damage reference.
Got smacked in the rear at the stop light by a distracted driver. Damage reference.
Got smacked in the rear at the stop light by a distracted driver. Damage reference.
Got smacked in the rear at the stop light by a distracted driver. Damage reference.
Got smacked in the rear at the stop light by a distracted driver. Damage reference.
Still having trouble with the ect sender.
Still having trouble with the ect sender.
Still having trouble with the ect sender.
Still having trouble with the ect sender.
Bosch (left) vs. Herko (right) O2 sensors.
Torq lite app for reference...
leaking steering box...
leaking steering box...
Looking to replace this spare and jack with a newer donut spare and scissors jack...
Looking for paint to match the car so I can paint the rally wheels body color. I saw this car and thought it was pretty close and that might help find a can of touch-up paint to use... no luck. They don't make a touch-up paint in this color even though it's a newer vehicle.
Recreated dealer logo on plate I had printed. Not happy with quality... but it'll do.
Last car cruise of the season at The Castle. My first. It's a daily driver after all, not a show car...
Going to change out the head on this AC compressor for a cleaner hose install...
Going to change out the head on this AC compressor for a cleaner hose install...
Going to change out the head on this AC compressor for a cleaner hose install...
Going to change out the head on this AC compressor for a cleaner hose install...
1000 miles!
ebay seller of this intake asked for pics of install for their use. I sent pics and review stating that I liked the item, but I modified it from intended install and used extra parts. They were impressed and paid me $5 for the pics and review...
ebay seller of this intake asked for pics of install for their use. I sent pics and review stating that I liked the item, but I modified it from intended install and used extra parts. They were impressed and paid me $5 for the pics and review...
ebay seller of this intake asked for pics of install for their use. I sent pics and review stating that I liked the item, but I modified it from intended install and used extra parts. They were impressed and paid me $5 for the pics and review...
ebay seller of this intake asked for pics of install for their use. I sent pics and review stating that I liked the item, but I modified it from intended install and used extra parts. They were impressed and paid me $5 for the pics and review...
more subtle badging shots...
more subtle badging shots...
Original dealer sticker on rear bumper. Going to re-create this in case I decide to ever rechrome or replace this bumper.
TV cable bracket adjusted a bit to fit new cable. New TV cable installed and adjusted. Everything is VERY close to correct now. Geometry and dimensions are VERY important on the TV cable setup.
TV cable bracket adjusted a bit to fit new cable. New TV cable installed and adjusted. Everything is VERY close to correct now. Geometry and dimensions are VERY important on the TV cable setup.
TV cable bracket adjusted a bit to fit new cable. New TV cable installed and adjusted. Everything is VERY close to correct now. Geometry and dimensions are VERY important on the TV cable setup.
TV cable bracket adjusted a bit to fit new cable. New TV cable installed and adjusted. Everything is VERY close to correct now. Geometry and dimensions are VERY important on the TV cable setup.
reference pic for a FB discussion. This is the stuff to use for great adhesion of weatherstripping...
Trans re-installed and a test drive brought on a chance for some pics...
Trans re-installed and a test drive brought on a chance for some pics...
Trans re-installed and a test drive brought on a chance for some pics...
Trans re-installed and a test drive brought on a chance for some pics...
Trans re-installed and a test drive brought on a chance for some pics...
Trans re-installed and a test drive brought on a chance for some pics...
Trans re-installed and a test drive brought on a chance for some pics...
Trans re-installed and a test drive brought on a chance for some pics...
Trans re-installed and a test drive brought on a chance for some pics...
What type of ac condenser did you use ? I see that your lines are on the passenger side of vehicle . Also what did you use for the intake fitting for your power brakes ?
I used the Gbody Cutlass Condenser for AC to keep the install cleaner. It has connections on passenger-side whereas Malibu has driver-side connections. Intake fitting for power brakes? Everything on the brakes, from booster to lines to calipers/wheel cylinders are all OEM replacement. Hard lines and proportioning valve are from inlinetube.com
Do you have any part numbers for the ac hoses along with fittings ?
Hoses are custom fit and made. Even a couple fittings were custom made.
The tv bracket and cable ? Are they custom or replacements ? Do you have part numbers
The TV cable was oem, but I broke the housing and replaced it with an adjustable cable. The bracket was custom fabbed and the connector arm was custom fabbed. There’s a bit if information about how I did this in the write-up. See the menu for the URL.