Indy-Guy said:Option #5
I'm at the beginning of my own LS swap.
I really want to LS swap something but Im not 100% sure this is the best vehicle. I really need to take some measurements and do more research to see if its something I would want to take on. It would totally change the character of the van and Im not sure if thats good or bad.
BlueInGreen - Jon said:IMO straight 6 is more unique and in character for the van than a V8 swap.
But I’m not the one who has to live with it and drive it up hills.
If I had to pick a side, I would say the gearing is a bigger issue than the power. Just swapping in a 5 speed should be the easiest. Mrs Logdog contacted a guy that had a trans on FB Marketplace but in typical fashion he never responded. I guess the message that said "We would like to buy the trans you have listed. We will pay full asking price. Can we meet up this weekend?" was too ambiguous for him 
slowbird said:Option 7 - Option 5 plus a turbo.
Im not going to lie..... I may have been reading about LS turbos while eating breakfast 
logdog said:See... The problem is you are thinking about it logically. You are thinking about all the pieces you need to make it work. You gotta do automotive project math mental gymnastics until you get deep enough you have to keep going.
Lol...Yeah, I see.
logdog said:ClemSparks said:logdog said:Just crunching numbers in my head, I dont think the price difference between Options 5 and 6 would be too crazy.
Maybe I'm seriously out of touch but I don't think the price of these two options would be in the same ballpark. Every time I start putting pen to paper on an LS swap into something that didn't come with an LS...it starts to get depressing and then I decide I'd be better off to just go buy something that came with one. This is coming from a guy who has a running/driving engine-donor Tahoe and no fewer than 6 project vehicles that it would "easily" swap into. I still haven't decided it's the thing to do.
If GM LS truck-style Intake, Exhaust manifolds, and Accessory drive would fit in an Econoline...it might not be crazy expensive to swap. But you're going to have cubic hours in it regardless. Boy...it sure would SOUND good, though ;)
See... The problem is you are thinking about it logically. You are thinking about all the pieces you need to make it work. You gotta do automotive project math mental gymnastics until you get deep enough you have to keep going. As you can see in the graphic below (I stole engine pricing from here ) Its CLEARLY cheaper to swap in a 5.3.
Buy a running driving LS donor (you can find them for $700 fairly easy). You will have your wiring harness, computer exhaust manifolds, etc. Probably only need to buy oil pan.
You already need to do exhaust, so that's a wash
I would do the trans+hydro clutch (which are inseparable anyway) and see how you feel after that. I would bet you will get 70% of all possible satisfaction points just by having that trans in there.
Vigo said:I would do the trans+hydro clutch (which are inseparable anyway) and see how you feel after that. I would bet you will get 70% of all possible satisfaction points just by having that trans in there.
In all honesty, this is likely what we will be doing. Mrs Logdog and I have been talking about it and basically we look around the garage at the stuff needing done (Get the CJ5 together and driveable, prep the chumpcar* for next year, various house tasks that have been backburnered) and admit that even if we wanted to do something crazy, it isn't a good time. We don't want another situation like with the CJ5 where it is apart for going on 2 years waiting to be finished. So being grownups about it, a 5 speed swap would be doable over a short period of time. My brother in law is a big Ford guy so I have him on the hunt for a trans. There is also some small rust issues I would like to fix and I sure scope creep would quickly take over once it was parked and disassembled.
The exhaust will probably get upgraded too simply because I am waiting on the right pothole hit that makes the van suddenly loud.
*I will always be a "chump"
I should also add this is getting a rear sway bar. That didn't even make the upgrade list because we all agree it needs it after 6000 miles of crosswinds! The front bar helped a ton and made the lack of a rear one more noticeable. I know it was a different time but its hard to believe they sold these things with NO bars.
Sway bar ordered. Jegs had an instant rebate and a Black Friday discount that made it 153 shipped after tax. It will ship from the manufacturer on 12.6 so Im crossing my fingers. Ive had bad luck ordering parts for older vehicles that were not in stock in the past. Ive gotten the "Oh, its out of production and we forgot to remove it from all the websites on the internet that list it" before.
logdog said:We still have a few stickers we couldn't pawn off during the rally. If you want one PM me your address and I will mail it out. These are the Honus Wagners of Logdog Motorsports memorabilia!
Stickers arrived!
Very cool. 
Thanks!!!!
In reply to Indy-Guy :
You have the whole set. Those are going to be worth fractions of dollars one day! Better than Amazon stock wrapped in Apple!
logdog said:Sway bar ordered. Jegs had an instant rebate and a Black Friday discount that made it 153 shipped after tax. It will ship from the manufacturer on 12.6 so Im crossing my fingers. Ive had bad luck ordering parts for older vehicles that were not in stock in the past. Ive gotten the "Oh, its out of production and we forgot to remove it from all the websites on the internet that list it" before.
I should note I have had really bad luck when parts are "shipped from manufacturer" and not in stock. Particularly on low volume pieces. So after placing the order for a rear bar at Thanksgiving, I wasn't surprised to get an email a day later telling me the ship date was booted back to Dec 21. I didn't get an update email from Jegs on that date so I called them today. The rep called the manufacturer and was told they bumped back the date to the end of January. I am letting the order ride but history has shown me that when this stuff happens the manufacturer has usually decided to quit making the part but doesn't want to tell anybody yet. The other manufacturer, Hellwig, has already discontinued it.
So.... fingers crossed, but I aint a' holdin' my breath.
You remember that old WB cartoon with the frog that sings only when he is alone with the dude that found him, but sits and goes "ribbit" when anyone else is around? Singing Frog Linky Link
Well, the reason I bring up Michigan J Frog in a build thread is because Mrs Logdog has a similar talent. Only its automotive hijinx, not singing. She has been a willing and active participant in all our adventures over the years but always adds a little "Im doing this because my husband is crazy" flavor when talking about it. But behind the scenes she always encourages whatever shenanigans we find ourselves in. She sends me Craigslist and facebook ads and has encouraged more than one purchase. However to friends and family, its all on me. Which is totally cool, but like the frog, nobody really believes me when I say she sings.
What does all this have to do with the van? Well, last weekend one of her friends posted a 01 Sierra with a 5.3 for dirt cheap. Like 350 bucks cheap. Cheap enough we should be able to end up with a free+ engine by the time we sell off a few other parts and scrap the rest (its a rust bucket. The shock broke off the frame). Mrs Logdog shows me the add and starts talking it up about what a good deal it would be. How we could drag it home and sit on it for a few months before pulling the engine. No rush and all....
So she contacts her friend and says we will take it. On Christmas we went over with a towbar and pulled it home. Now we have a 5.3. But what to swap it into? Well..... Mrs Logdog keeps telling people its going in the van so you know what they say, "Mama aint happy, Aint nobody happy". I guess all those conversations about having a lot going on and not taking on that swap went out the window. I can only assume she was watching LS youtube videos when I wasn't looking
It will be quite awhile before this project kicks off. I realistically can't see it starting before next winter at the earliest. It gives me plenty of time to gather other parts like a 2wd transmission. I still have to get the CJ5 together first (she wants to hit some of the offroad parks here in PA).
It does have a miss as you open the throttle that I want to fix before pulling but it sounds good at idle.
That escalated quickly!
Oh, and Captain Obvious wants to say: Mrs. Logdog is definitely a keeper!
Seriously good value there. Sell a few quick parts and you'll have a free LS.
Start with new plugs for eliminating the rough running, that's all that was wrong with my LS donor, after I fired the parts cannon at it.
Absolutely nothing has happened to the van lately as we have been hitting the 76 CJ5 pretty hard (really need to update that thread).
However to keep up the fun of tracking the rear sway bar, I received this email today.
As I mentioned above I have had zero luck getting parts when this stuff happens but I am going to keep letting it ride. Check with me again 4 days before the Spring Equinox!
logdog said:AngryCorvair said:Is it optical illusion, or are the rear wheels forward in the rear wheel openings?
Somehow I missed this question when you posted it. The wheel position does look a little forward, but that appears to be normal, at least on SWB Fords. Here is one I saw on ebay with a similar position.
With all twin I-Beam setups when the radius arm bushings start to go out the suspension starts to get weird. Not sure if that's the exact problem here, but its common
logdog said:In reply to Vigo :
I spent a ton of time looking for pictures of the two pieces side by side. I assume there is one out there somewhere but I never found the danged thing!
Several forums had posts that just said "I cut some off and modified it" without much detail. It wasnt hard, but I would have ordered the D9tz part, and may have even sprung the few extra bucks for a NOS one, if I had known just how easy it would be (Assuming everything works like I expect it to when I get it back together).
Do you have the original still? It is a fairly simple shape, you could get it designed in CAD fairly easily. From there casting, 3D printng in metal, or all sorts of options are open. If there are that many people looking for it you might be able to turn a small profit.
logdog said:Option 7 - Whatever we didn't think of. 4BT? Turbo the 300 I6? Miata 1.8? VR6? 460 with NOS? You name it.
Turbo!
Start with Option 3, buy one of these for your turbo manifold https://www.ebay.com/i/274151638168 and find a forged steel crankshaft (Ford made a Heavy Duty version of the 300,) forged rods can be found in the EFI versions.
Wait, no. I berked up.
Ford LSx head
Mr_Asa said:logdog said:In reply to Vigo :
I spent a ton of time looking for pictures of the two pieces side by side. I assume there is one out there somewhere but I never found the danged thing!
Several forums had posts that just said "I cut some off and modified it" without much detail. It wasnt hard, but I would have ordered the D9tz part, and may have even sprung the few extra bucks for a NOS one, if I had known just how easy it would be (Assuming everything works like I expect it to when I get it back together).
Do you have the original still? It is a fairly simple shape, you could get it designed in CAD fairly easily. From there casting, 3D printng in metal, or all sorts of options are open. If there are that many people looking for it you might be able to turn a small profit.
I do still have the original. Im sure if someone had access to the right tools it could be re-popped easily enough, but it outside my skills. My gut says the demand would be small and dry up quick once you sold a few.
logdog said:Absolutely nothing has happened to the van lately as we have been hitting the 76 CJ5 pretty hard (really need to update that thread).
However to keep up the fun of tracking the rear sway bar, I received this email today.
As I mentioned above I have had zero luck getting parts when this stuff happens but I am going to keep letting it ride. Check with me again 4 days before the Spring Equinox!
I haven't received word yet on what the new back order date is but I also haven't received word as to it shipping. May the saga to the rear sway continue!
My curiosity got the better of me so I called rather than wait on the update email. New ship date provided by ADDCO is now April Fools Day.
We decided to dust off the van on Sunday since it hadn't really moved since we got back from the World Tour of Texas last November. Did a little loop here in The NEPA and stopped at a couple scenic outlooks.
I know I need to pull the murals off but I still kinda dig them. I think they can stay a little longer
logdog said:My curiosity got the better of me so I called rather than wait on the update email. New ship date provided by ADDCO is now April Fools Day.
I guess I am the fool. The sway bar showed up today!
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