GM Connect & Cruise package
The GM Performance LS3 Connect & Cruise system selected for our restomod project represents the fifth generation Camaro SS and C6 Corvette 6.2L technology. The “Connect & Cruise” packaging mates the LS3 with the 4L65E automatic transmission and also includes the harness, ECU, and other components critical to engine operation.
This package does not include the starter motor or any of the front accessories like the alternator, A/C compressor, or steering pump.
LS3 shipping crate
Transmission pallet
As its “crate engine” category implies, the Connect & Cruise arrives on two large pallets, a large cardboard and wood crate for the engine, and an assortment of shipping containers for the transmission, torque converter, and other parts. After unwrapping, the first task is to figure out how to move these large metal parts around the garage.
Unwrapped LS3 on its pallet
The GM information desert, as we have previously experienced, offers absolutely no assistance.
There is no instruction sheet that outlines lifting points on the engine block. A few vendors offer expensive “valley lift plates” that require dismantling of the fuel rails, a step we wished to avoid.
We decided to fabricate two 4 x 12 x 0.25″ steel lifting plates that are bolted on the front and rear block faces. A thin cork insulation was added to the block-facing side of the plate to prevent any scratching.
Lifting plate for LS3
Balancing the engine on the hoist turned out to be rather easy with the two front and rear plates.
LS3 attached to the engine hoist
Without much drama, the LS3 was hoisted into the engine bay for its first trial fitment (one of many to come).
First hoist into the engine bay
