Fortunately, this is not necessary. The 1964–1967 Chevy small-block frame stands are readily available as reproductions.
Hooker frame stands provide an alternative to converting to the Chevy small-block mounts. The stock location in 1964–1967 cars presents a major component fitment problem similar to the issue in the later A-Body. Often there is not enough clearance between inner tie-rods and the oil pan, but also the transmission and A/C compressor fitment are an issue with the stock setback. Hooker 1964–1967 frame stands provide a viable solution because you can position the engine 1 inch forward from its stock location. When used in the complete Hooker LS swap system, all component clearance and fitment issues are alleviated.
Adjustable motor mounts, with their many components, are more complicated to install, however. The slider (black piece) must be removed before the adapters are placed onto the block.
A spacer plate comes with the adapters to locate the mounts for the proper height in the chassis. Leave these out and you will not be able to install the bolts into the frame stands.
If your block is aluminum, you need to use anti-seize on the supplied Grade-8 bolts to prevent the threads from galling.
Here you can see the bare adapter. The “P” with an arrow dictates the side and front of the engine.
The bolts have hex heads; be careful not to strip the hex head when torqueing the bolts.
You mount sliding plates back onto the adapters using the installed studs. The final torqueing of the nuts and bolts is done after the position of the engine is set.
BRP also makes kits for the 1964–1967 GM A-Body cars. Similar to kits for later vehicles, these bolt to the chassis and use either the Gen IV Camaro (Holley) or proprietary (BRP) motor mounts on the engine.
With the stands in place, set the new LT1 in the chassis, allowing you to check the fit for the oil pan and components.
The 2014–up Gen V LT-series engines are similar to Gen III/IV blocks, but not enough to make them a simple drop-in replacement. At the current time, the aftermarket does not provide a full selection of motor mounts for the new generation of LT-series engines. There are a few options, however. The engine mounting location is the same, but the Gen V has a different bolt pattern. Dirty Dingo has sliding mounts for LT A-Body swaps that use the Chevy small-block frame stand and engine mount. The slider allows you to position the engine 2 inches forward, or aft, of its mounting position.
Mounting an LS engine between the frame rails is only one part of the job; you also need to support the rear of the transmission. Although the LS bellhousing has an extra bolt at the top, its bellhousing pattern is the same as the Chevy small-block’s. This allows just about any traditional Chevy bolt-pattern bellhousing to bolt to an LS engine. Adapting the transmission mount to each vehicle is usually a combination of stock components modified with new mounts.
For most A-Body applications, the stock crossmember can be modified to fit late-model transmissions, including the T56 manual transmission and the 4L60E automatic. With the engine mounted to the frame, the transmission must be supported in front of the transmission mount for access. The transmission bolts to the stock mount if it is properly aligned with the engine.
The LT1 wet-sump pan does not fit the stock chassis. The only option at the time was to modify the chassis. Right before press time, a new aftermarket oil pan was introduced by BRP Hot Rods; Dirty Dingo is developing one as well.
You need to consider firewall clearance when adapting an older GM transmission to an LS engine and installing it in an A-Body. The Gen I small-block was designed with offset cylinder heads that leave about 2 inches of space between the bellhousing mounting pad and the back of the cylinder heads. Consider this spacing issue when deciding whether to use the stock transmission.
Some late-model transmissions are larger than classic transmissions. They sometimes do not fit the transmission tunnel or do not fit in the stock location. But there are solutions for achieving enough clearance. The automatics have removable bellhousings and these often take up more room due to the bolt flanges. This is the reason sliding the engine forward 2 inches is a good idea. With the engine forward, most late-model 4-speed autos fit without any mods, as do T56 6-speed manuals.
A-Body transmission crossmembers vary only by frame style. This tubular mount is used in most coupes, four-doors, and wagons. The crossmember has been hacked on and needs to be replaced, but it worked out for fitment in the 1969 Chevelle.
The Hooker LS swap crossmember works for all transmission types and is very clean and lightweight. This unit was used in the Chevelle for the 5.3/Muncie swap shown in this book.
GM A-Body frames have multiple mounting points built in. All you might need to do is slide the factory crossmember into another set of holes. Remember, an early transmission sits about 2 inches farther back from the LS engine, depending on the engine mounts. The LS has a flush casting in the back, and unlike the Gen I Chevy small-block, there is no extra material on the back of the block. This convertible/performance chassis is boxed from the factory for strength. The crossmember bolts to the top of the chassis in contrast to the lower channel with open frames.
Gen III/IV engines do not have offset cylinder heads and, therefore, the cylinder heads are flush with back of the block. When it comes to planning your swap, you need to adjust for this lack of space between the bellhousing and the cylinder heads. The cylinder heads are not necessarily longer, but the back of the block is shorter. Adapter plates for the stock location provide a space of about 2 inches between the back of the engine and the stock transmission in the stock location. In turn, it’s often necessary to relocate the transmission mount and/or move the transmission crossmember to bring the two components together, depending on the position of the motor mounts.
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