Anyone out there doing an LS swap into a pre- 1994 B Series? I'm in the middle of one and I have made a few custom parts that solved some of the problems we ran into. Let me know if any of these interest you.

I made an alternator relocation bracket out of 3/8" aluminum plate that lowers the GMC truck alternator ~3" for better hood clearance. The GMC truck p/s pump is reused and stays in the same location. Works with all the GMC water pumps. A new belt and idler pulley are required. See pictures below, note that is an LS6 intake manifold in the pictures, not the truck manifold which sits much higher.

We made our own motor mounts out of 3/16" steel that reused the stock Mazda 2.2 frame supports, these actually were a surprisingly good fit. Assembly required

Finally we made a new frame support to replace the piece of channel that goes between the control arms. Sorry I don't know the actual name for that one! But the one that we made is 3/16" steel and installs in the same location but is U shaped to clear the GMC truck oil pan. Ground clearance is ~5". Assembly required. Some light modification to the oil pan may be needed.

 

Nice work. Please post more pics of progress. Fill us in on the hurdles and how you cleared them.

 

I am going to be swapping an ls motor into my 88 b2200 and I would be very interested in your kit.

 

Great, I sent you an email. It may have been hung up in your spam folder.
Thanks

 

how hard what it to swap this in? i have an 89 b2200 lx i wanna swap, but its gonna be my first engine swap.
do you have akit for it?

 

An LS swap is already an expensive swap, and you state that this will be your first?

K. Get ready to spend a lot of money.

 

If you shop around it won’t be too expensive especially if you do the labor yourself. I’ve picked up the rear end the 4.8 engine and a t56 transmission with a clutch kit and all the goodies I got from b5300, I’ve only spent $3250. Gotta love market place lol.

 

This was my first swap!
It is difficult but there are lots of great resources out there. I would do as much reading and research as you can before you start. Every question you have has probably been asked by several people on forums or youtube somewhere.
As far as cost goes, it is not cheap, but it relatively cheap for what you get. A cool 2wd hotrod that can carry a dirtbike or golf clubs!
I slowly accumulated most of the parts for a few months before diving in. That way you can scope out deals and try to keep your costs down. Facebook marketplace, swap meets, kijiji, craigslist are all good spots to look.
Looking back on it, the project might have been easier in the long run if I had found a rolled over 2wd truck and just bought the whole thing from an auction or something. Then you have all the drivetrain, harness etc. Whatever you don't use can be sold to a scrapyard.
I don't have a kit that specifically for putting an LS into a Mazda but I have kits for lowering the alternator, as shown above. I also have a kit for mounting the alternator down by the crank like the corvettes and camaros do. Another kit that bamfdale86 is referring to adapts the Mazda spindle to accept a Crown Vic hub, Explorer brakes so you have much better braking. If you're interested let me know.
Either way, good luck with the swap, it's fun and you'll learn lots.

 

I am swapping a 4.8 into my '87 B2000 and I am super interested in this kit. I sent you an email, it might be in your spam folder.

Thank you!

 

Do you have the bracket you modified for oil pan clearance and the alternator relocation bracket? I'd be interested in a price shipped to 38011. Thanks!