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LS1 Installation   (Be sure to visit the "Picking the Kit" area)
Transmission

The Transmission selections for the Small block Chevy (in our case the LS1) are not to wide.  People have used Audi, Pantera, and the Pantera styled ZF transaxle but by far the most common and trouble free is the Porsche transaxle.  The porches offer several options from the 914, 915 930, G50 etc..  When it was time to choose our best option we contacted Renegade Hybrids and spoke with probably the most knowledgeable person there is with mating SBC to Porsche transmissions, Scott. After bugging Scott for over a week and soaking up as much information as possible I made my recommendations to the staff and we decided to go with the best transmission that was available the 930 conversion.  Renegade made the purchase and installation trouble free and anytime we had a problem they were just a phone call away and always ready to help.   We must warn you if you want information, Scott has it,  I don't think we could come up with a question that he could not answer and his answers not only to the point but he also took the extra step in explaining why something was "that way"   Before settling on Renegade it took a week or more for them to get back with us and with a reply within hours from Scott the decision was easy. Just be sure to shop around and gather information and speak with other builders who have used similar transmissions.  A reputable dealer should be willing to provide references and you should use them.  Face it the transmission in these cars are more often than not 3 to 4 times the cost of the whole engine itself so it is a wise person who does their "homework" first.

Visit our Renegade section HERE This includes some important information about making your decision and some great photos from Scott.

The first step in installing the LS1 is to mate the Transaxle to the engine.  If you are used to the Ford and Chevy installation of the clutch and flywheel, then throw out everything you have learned because a Porsche is completely different.
These are the clutch and adaptor items we received from Renegade Hybrids.  Everything was clean and power coated.  The Adaptor plate is pretty straight forward.  I had the original GM Bell housing bolts with the nice integrated bolt washer, so we re-used them.
Pilot bearing installed (Letter side out) The Flywheel is then bolted to the crank.
Using an alignment tool (Universal type from NAPA) we centered the Clutch to the flywheel.  This is one thing that is different than what you may be used to seeing in a SBC is there is a ring gear for the starter that is bolted on with the clutch.  We fasten it with hardened Alan head bolts There is another major difference between the standard Ford or Chevy throw-out bearing.  We got this wrong the first time and are glad we realized the problem.  Instead of the throw-out bearing pushing in on the fingers to release the clutch disk the Porsche actually PULLS the fingers out.  We would never figured this out unless we saw the wear marks on the clutch forks.
After it was installed it was just a matter of sliding the forks over the throw out bearing to slip the transmission on.  On word of advice the whole clutch fork assembly slides up and down just a hair.  This will help facilitate the proper engagement of the fork through the Throw-out bearing. With the Transmission in place and bolted to the Block we then add the Starter to finish off the installation.  You may consider covering the holes around the clutch area of the bell housing.  You will thank us later once you drop a screw and it does not enter the bell housing.
   
Clutch

Because of the cradle mount I was not able to mount the slave cylinder on the original location.  I also did not like the fact it would point toward the rear were there is just simply no room to spare.  After staring at it for over an our and thinking of a hinge type to reverse the mounting position I decided to simply make a bracket welded to the other side of the clutch arm.
Here is the Clutch shaft before putting the linkage. With the stock linkage installed it was evident that there was not enough room to install the slave cylinder.  The arrow indicate where the original linkage rod that would be pulled toward the back of the transmission.
Another view of the stock linkage. Here is a picture of the bracket welded to the other side. There are actually two pieces welded together in a triangle to added strength.  We measured from the center of the shaft to the stock location of the original rod mounting hole (5 1/4") and mage the exact lenght and hold on the added bracket so the pivot would be the same as the other side but moving in the opposite direction.
Another view of modified linkage You can see here the now and the original rod linkage hole
Here is the Wilwood slave cylinder temporarily attached to the linkage. With the new location there is plenty of room for the slave cylinder. *Note how the bracket was welded.  You can see the two pieces together here.
Another view of the assembly Yet another view of the assembly
   
   
 


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