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NCC Forum Home Page -> NCC - Projects and Updates -> '96 LT1/4L60e Conversion is underway!
Post Info TOPIC: '96 LT1/4L60e Conversion is underway!
SShink


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RE: '96 LT1/4L60e Conversion is underway!
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More cool and stealthy stuff John! 



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Stan S.-Twin Cities 'South Metro'

1972 Malibu Convertible 2nd time around 

2001 Mustang GT Convertible 

Forum influenced terms: 'Link Paste', 'Stanitized', & 'Revolving garage door...' 

 
Lost in the 60s


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Yep, that is going to be one trick ride for a '65. .....



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Mitch D.   River Falls, WI

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1966 Chevelle SS 396 M20

1970 Chevelle SS 396 M20

1967 Camaro SS/RS 350 M20
John D


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Solved the temperature guage problem today. To preface, the LT & LS series engines still have a sender/sensor in the head like always - but some knitwit decided to "go international" and change it from 1/2" NPT to M12 x 1.5 (metric ).

What this means is the temp senders that are calibrated for your 45 year old car's guages won't screw into the heads of your "new" engine(s).

My previous attempt was a little rig made up from a copper tee & a 1/2 pipe adapter. I cut this in-line with the heater hose. It worked, but not very well. My thinking is it would:

1)  radiate off too much heat

2) not have the "heat soak" of the head

either way, it wasn't accurate. The guage would barely move off the peg.

Nobody makes a direct Male M12x1.5 to Fem 1/2"NPT adapter.

Enter me trying to clean up the garage today. I've got a spare LT-1 on a dolly, tucked over in the corner of the garage. Well, when I tryed to move it out of the way to sweep, I managed to bump into the 327 sitting next to it... snapping off the top/plastic electrical connector part of the temperature sender - effectively making it useless. (Or so I thought).

The light bulb went off.

The brass "hex" of the metric sender (once the points of the hex are filed off a bit) will slide right into into a female 1/2" NPT fitting for 3/4" copper pipe!!!

A 1/2" drill bit does a wonderful job of taking the guts out the metric sender, and making it into a "tube" with threads. A little flux, solder, and the propane torch and I've got a compact, M12x1.5 to 1/2" NPT adapter - that my correct sender will screw into and clear the header tubes!

And I've got an accurate and functional factory guage now 

(Never finished cleaning the garage though....)



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John D. - St. Louis Park, MN.

1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5

2018 Factory Five MkIV Roadster build thread
Lost in the 60s


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John D wrote:
The brass "hex" of the metric sender (once the points of the hex are filed off a bit) will slide right into into a female 1/2" NPT fitting for 3/4" copper pipe!!!

A 1/2" drill bit does a wonderful job of taking the guts out the metric sender, and making it into a "tube" with threads. A little flux, solder, and the propane torch and I've got a compact, M12x1.5 to 1/2" NPT adapter - that my correct sender will screw into and clear the header tubes!

And I've got an accurate and functional factory gauge now 

(Never finished cleaning the garage though....)

 

Cool......

Totally irrelevant that you didn't finish the cleaning. There's ALWAYS another day for that...

 



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Mitch D.   River Falls, WI

Lifetime member of the "Cars apart Club"

1966 Chevelle SS 396 M20

1970 Chevelle SS 396 M20

1967 Camaro SS/RS 350 M20
SShink


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Snapping the top of the sensor by mistake is called serendipity! 

Glad to hear I'm not the only one that 'bumped' into theirs and snapped it off.  At least it made your neurons fire and come up with the adaptor.



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Stan S.-Twin Cities 'South Metro'

1972 Malibu Convertible 2nd time around 

2001 Mustang GT Convertible 

Forum influenced terms: 'Link Paste', 'Stanitized', & 'Revolving garage door...' 

 
Pushrod


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Leave it to you John, cant buy it, make it, I like it!!!!



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Craig S - Shakopee Mn
Derek69SS


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Autometer mechanical temp gauges come with the metric-to-standard adapter fitting... I might even have an extra one laying around.

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Derek Kiefer - Mantorville, MN

69 Malibu Pro-Touring stroker LS1-383/T56 - 69 SS396-325/3spd project
John D


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Autometer mechanical temp gauges come with the metric-to-standard adapter fitting...

I did do a 'net search, and found that Autometer offered the adapters. Looking at the pics though, it appears that the hole into the block is only about 5/16, and the adapter is a bit "squatty/short". (The probe on a mech temp guage is only about a 1/4" in diameter).

The factory sender for guages has a BIG honker tip/nipple on it, about 1/2" around. It alone almost plugs the 12mm hole in the head. I needed something that would place the sender's probe actually outside the head itself.

 



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John D. - St. Louis Park, MN.

1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5

2018 Factory Five MkIV Roadster build thread
John D


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Finally updated my own "webpage"... you can see the details of the work done so far by clicking the '65 El Camino link in my signature.



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John D. - St. Louis Park, MN.

1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5

2018 Factory Five MkIV Roadster build thread
Pushrod


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Hey John cool site, very interesting.cool



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Craig S - Shakopee Mn
Tim H


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That is a nice site.

I've been working on one for a year or so just can't seem to get it going. Looking at your site may get me moving... then again..

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John D


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Well, for all the wrong reasons this thread is TTT.

If you haven't seen the "Rock Falls 2012" post, I broke something at the drags. I'll be pulling the engine for an autopsy.

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John D. - St. Louis Park, MN.

1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5

2018 Factory Five MkIV Roadster build thread
67ss


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John did hide some NOS bottles in the smugglers box that you did not tell anybody about.razz



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Chris P
East Central, Mn

66 Chevelle 300 deluxe
John D


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I only wish I could blame it on a sneaker plate 150-shot of NAWWWSSSS (I need NAAWWWSSS, no the big one, maybe two!)

I'll keep updates on this thread. No sense clogging up the "Rock 2012" post.

It's looking more & more like it's gotta come out and look at the guts. I pulled the VC's off, and the top-end is intact. Something is bent/broken in the reciprocating parts. I'll probably start tearing into it over the next few nights.



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John D. - St. Louis Park, MN.

1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5

2018 Factory Five MkIV Roadster build thread
Lost in the 60s


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John D wrote:

I only wish I could blame it on a sneaker plate 150-shot of NAWWWSSSS (I need NAAWWWSSS, no the big one, maybe two!)

I'll keep updates on this thread. No sense clogging up the "Rock 2012" post.

It's looking more & more like it's gotta come out and look at the guts. I pulled the VC's off, and the top-end is intact. Something is bent/broken in the reciprocating parts. I'll probably start tearing into it over the next few nights.

This one is 5 pages long already too. Might as well start a NEW thread.......you deserve it....thumbsup

 



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Mitch D.   River Falls, WI

Lifetime member of the "Cars apart Club"

1966 Chevelle SS 396 M20

1970 Chevelle SS 396 M20

1967 Camaro SS/RS 350 M20
Bobs_Place


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John Pull the filter and cut it open, see what you got. That will tell you alot.



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Bob W.

Lino Lakes
Scott Parkhurst


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John- I've got some feelers out for a new bullet. I'll let you know what I find. You might need that converter from Derek after all...the guys I know like their LT engines over 500 hp...

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Scott Parkhurst

Belle Plaine

 

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bowtie


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T.P.I.S. just saying............

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Bryan-NW 'burbs
1972 Malibu
Vaguely stock appearing, and the opposite of restored.
1999 std bore 5.7, Vortec heads, Holley Stealth Ram, GM cam
700R4, Viking coilovers, 12 bolt 4.10 posi, and a whole bunch more
John D


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John- I've got some feelers out for a new bullet. I'll let you know what I find.

I think "bullets" is exactly the item that got me into this... or more correctly the thing that fires them. Hobbies get jealous of another. I just dropped a bunch of $$$ on a new pistol and the car got jealous... it wants equal attention!

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John D. - St. Louis Park, MN.

1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5

2018 Factory Five MkIV Roadster build thread
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