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GS480 Stick Shift For Cheap Asses!

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Old Aug 27, 2016 | 09:16 AM
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Default GS480 Stick Shift For Cheap Asses!

Greetings fellow Lexophiles, I'm a poor mechanic in WI that likes to repower Toyotas. I have two kids to cart around so old dreams of 2 door sports cars are long gone. Someday...

I'll keep this short:

01 gs300 with 190k miles and badly over heated 2jz $300
04 chevy 4.8 truck engine with 40k miles $550
08 chevy colorado ar5 trans $100
New light weight flywheel and clutch on ebay $310
GTO oil pan $110
New alternator $80
New starter $43
Adjustable ls engine mounts cuz im lazy $80
Alternator mount $45
Custom drive shaft $265
New stock radiator $55
New maf sensor $31
Oxygen sensor bungs $16
50 feet of titanium header wrap $22
HP Tuners: already had 2 credits in Stock luckily
I still need a lot of little stuff like exhaust, a radiator, and custom fittings. That's where it gets time and money consuming.

Hptuners will be my savior in this mess.

Always wanted something rwd.







Colorado 2.9 engine and the sbc bolt patterns are very different. Their dowel pin size and location however are the same

Last edited by CRASHMONK; Sep 23, 2016 at 06:21 PM.
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Old Aug 27, 2016 | 10:07 AM
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The chevy 168 tooth flywheel was JUST a hair too big. I wanted to do this with a milling machine, but a grinder did just fine. Clearance is minimal but who cares?!

Clutch disc engagement looks good. Disc is right on the end of the splines but shouldn't be a problem

BTW the disc splines and input splines ARE the same. No custom clutch parts required




Things are tight in this bell but it does clear! I tested fitment with 03 corvette clutch and flywheel



As for bolt holes, i have plans. I tigged up my oil pan so I'm pretty confident i can weld some tabs on this bell. Again, alignment is not an issue but i need more than just 2 bolts holding this together!

Last edited by CRASHMONK; Aug 27, 2016 at 11:08 AM.
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Old Aug 27, 2016 | 10:50 AM
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Not pretty, but no leaks!

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Old Aug 27, 2016 | 10:56 AM
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Definitely not an ideal shifter set up. But it works and i get to keep my cup holder. Throws are a bit long forward and back. I'll live with it.



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Old Aug 27, 2016 | 12:17 PM
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is the engine already in the car and not just the trans for fitment? more pics!!! put a cam in the 4.8 before you put it all back together. that engine only makes like 260ish horsepower i believe. but hot rod magazine took that same
engine completely stock and threw a turbo on it and boosted it to 26 psi and made 1200 horsepower back to back on the dyno 60 times before a lifter finally fell off. they put it back on and it only lost 50 horsepower. im all over this
build so keep the pics coming.
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Old Aug 27, 2016 | 12:26 PM
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Originally Posted by CRASHMONK








Not pretty, but no leaks!
i think you might have a problem with that oil pan though. on the 4.8 the oil filter is on the drivers side rear of the pan. but that gto oil pan seems to have it positioned at the drivers front of the pan. so the pick up holes that
feed oil to the filter and back thru to the motor don't look like there even close to lining up. please enlighten me.
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Old Aug 27, 2016 | 04:05 PM
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The gto pan is very common for Lexus swaps. It does move the filter to the front, but has a few steel lines that run from the back to the front. Shouldn't be an issue.

I tried like hell to make the rear sump truck pan work but it still stuck down too low, and i couldn't install engine and trans together with it. Installation is a lot easier with the gto pan.

To clarify, you CAN make the truck pan work, it's just gonna make you work for it!

Originally Posted by badblackgs
i think you might have a problem with that oil pan though. on the 4.8 the oil filter is on the drivers side rear of the pan. but that gto oil pan seems to have it positioned at the drivers front of the pan. so the pick up holes that
feed oil to the filter and back thru to the motor don't look like there even close to lining up. please enlighten me.
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Old Aug 27, 2016 | 04:19 PM
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Really missing my dad's Hobart right now. All i got is a stick/tig and stick is not cooperating with me. The pedestals welded to the sub frame will have 2 bolts each so I'm not concerned with the strength of my welds.







Drivers side exhaust is NOT cooperating







Stock trans mount with a simple adapter plate





85 landcruiser clutch master cylinder



VERY HEAVILY MODIFIED 92 celica clutch pedal. Many many many intelligent words were used in making that fit!
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Old Aug 27, 2016 | 05:04 PM
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Thanks for the interest. Believe me, i wanna cam it! I missed out on several 6.0 engines even though they were high miles. The 04 4.8 was rated for 285 hp, I'm trying hard to look at it like "I'm gaining 60 hp!" rather than "aww i got the little motor....." The 4.8 will suit me just fine especially considering the 3.92 gears.

The goal at this point is get the GS on the road as cheap and soon as possible.


Originally Posted by badblackgs
is the engine already in the car and not just the trans for fitment? more pics!!! put a cam in the 4.8 before you put it all back together. that engine only makes like 260ish horsepower i believe. but hot rod magazine took that same
engine completely stock and threw a turbo on it and boosted it to 26 psi and made 1200 horsepower back to back on the dyno 60 times before a lifter finally fell off. they put it back on and it only lost 50 horsepower. im all over this
build so keep the pics coming.
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Old Aug 27, 2016 | 07:20 PM
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ok so far so good but the truck intake manifold is gonna have to go. youll need a ls1 intake manifold for obvious reasons. and the drivers side exhaust manifold routing would work so much better is you installed the corvette
factory manifolds because of their block hugger design. all you'd have to do then is bust a 90 degree turn right after the manifolds pointing rearward but the hardest part is done. shoving that **** in there.
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Old Aug 28, 2016 | 04:38 PM
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Manifolds.

Cheap as i am, i may not be able to use truck stuff. I'm searching for an intake but i really didn't plan to lay out another 2-300 bucks. If i sell more car parts i may get block huggers. Otherwise I'm gonna try making the truck manifolds work. I still gotta have a 1 piece drive shaft made.....


Originally Posted by badblackgs
ok so far so good but the truck intake manifold is gonna have to go. youll need a ls1 intake manifold for obvious reasons. and the drivers side exhaust manifold routing would work so much better is you installed the corvette
factory manifolds because of their block hugger design. all you'd have to do then is bust a 90 degree turn right after the manifolds pointing rearward but the hardest part is done. shoving that **** in there.
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Old Aug 28, 2016 | 05:12 PM
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1 inch of clearance is all that's keeping the truck manifold from working.

1/4 brake line sleeved inside the power steering line.

Brazing: Another important tool in the poor man's arsenal.

Brake and DBW gas pedal were easy. I cut the brake pedal down to accept the stick pedal cover.

Gas pedal needed cut and weld.

Clutch pedal continues to kick my *** but I'll get er.


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Old Aug 28, 2016 | 05:36 PM
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ok so if you wanna go the cheapest route possible and keep that truck intake and get the one inch clearance, lets get extreme here. lower the entire front subframe using one inch thick round spacers/washers. thatll also
give you more clearance for the exhaust pipes going next to the bell housing. the subframe bolts are grade eight and are plenty long to spare an inch out of them.
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Old Aug 28, 2016 | 05:42 PM
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I know you already cut up the stock exhaust manifolds but how bout you flip them around and point them forwards and down than just route the exhaust under the front of the subframe. no clearance issues than. thats
how the turbo ls truck guys do it.
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Old Aug 28, 2016 | 05:51 PM
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I like how you think! Truck intakes are worth keeping performance wise. I don't think i want to space the subframe but that could work i bet. I wonder if the steering shaft has an extra inch.

I see ebay has a speedmaster qualifier intake for 228 bucks.

http://www.googleadservices.com/page...Qwg8IHQ&adurl=


I think I'll buy an intake last. I'll get everything running and put together first. I like a STOCK LOOKING VEHICLE, so hood modifications are not going to happen.
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