One IMPORTANT note for the pre-03 vans: you cannot use the v6 or 5.7L flexplate with an LS! It will fit, but that big weight you can see in this vid is an external balance weight for those engines only. The bonus for 03+ vans is you'll get the aluminum lower cover/brace, flat flexplate, spacer, and longer bolts an LS swap will need. You also get slightly better lockup clutch material and all are highish stall vs truck converters - if you're into massive 65lb converters. Best of all is all vans will be slip joins rather than bolt-on yokes.

@wilsworkshop

2 жыл бұрын

Good info. I wasn't sure about the flex plate compatibility, but it was free so I grabbed it since I can modify it easily. I'll probably get the correct flex plate, then see if I can remove the balance weight on this one and compare them using some non-scientific methods to see if it would work with the weight removed.

cmon man some things u just gotta keep to urself. The internet doesn't need to know all the secrets. let them figure it out on their own.

@wilsworkshop

11 ай бұрын

WTF is the internet?

There are more jewels hidden in those vans. I have all the guts from a steering box swapped in an s10 case to give me a forward facing pitman arm, for a wagoneer axle swap. Normally you’d look for an Astro van box because it bolts on but this works too. I also swapped in the L31 5.7 from a 99 1 ton.

@wilsworkshop

2 жыл бұрын

That's good to know about the steering box guts, might come in handy. The L31 is a pretty nice engine, all were 4 bolt mains as far as I know and they have more torque then a 5.3L LS, just a little less HP up top.

@mlester2790

2 жыл бұрын

The power steering pump is also a bolt in upgrade. I believe your ls’s pump would be the same as this van.

@mlester2790

2 жыл бұрын

I should probably specify, I am talking about for an s10. I have an 04 4 door pickup, with many things done to it. The pump was used in many things, school buses, vans, Astro vans with hydro boost, 6.0 trucks etc. If memory serves me right, the s10 pump maxes out on pressure at a fairly low rpm, where this vans pump makes that (or close) at idle and maxes out at a much higher pressure and rpm. I found a 5 inch pulley to get it spinning faster as well. For the steering box internals, any Saginaw box with the same piston diameter (the cap on the front) can accept the internals from another. I really enjoy the videos. People seem to forget the simple solutions and just open up their wallets. Keep it up.

@wilsworkshop

2 жыл бұрын

I keep eyeing the Astro hydro boost units every time I walk by one in the junkyard, just haven't had a project that needs one yet. Good to know I need the pump also, I'll grab both off the same van. I have a turbo project coming up, not too wild where there will be zero vacuum for brakes, but I'll probably Hydro Boost it anyways to make things easier. I opened my wallet once for fancy parts, it was awful.

@hydrocarbon8272

2 жыл бұрын

They also have a hydroboost unit on many of them, which can swap onto many GM cars with little effort.

Hey man nice score eh!!

@wilsworkshop

2 жыл бұрын

I was in the yard for something else and didn't even know this was there, better to be lucky then good sometimes.

Hey I’m putting a 4l80 from 2000 express van and slap in my 03 Tahoe will the shift cable brackets be different

Lucky you didn’t break a tab off with that drop it took but good score

@wilsworkshop

Жыл бұрын

I'll take luck over skill any day.

Any updates? Did you do any up grades for 600hp or you kept it stock

@wilsworkshop

Жыл бұрын

The 4L80's are good for around 800hp in your average 2500-3500lb street rod without any modifications. The project this trans is going in isn't ready for it yet, so it's still in my storage building.

Were are you located. You aren’t near Virginia are you

@wilsworkshop

2 жыл бұрын

Nope, I'm south of that, in the land of almost no snow and basically no rust.

Its that a good running trans?

@wilsworkshop

2 жыл бұрын

Yep

@papergatorzfedducca7998

2 жыл бұрын

@@wilsworkshop did you make a video going inside it?