Perhaps we spoke too soon in the Feb. ’11 issue when we stated that the wiring side of the E-Rod installation was the part that most rodders fear. It may, in fact, be what we’re taking on now: the fuel and foul/fresh air requirements for the sealed emissions system.
Either way, this is probably the most important step to pay attention to in the whole LS3 swap, and unfortunately also the easiest to do improperly. And to be perfectly honest, we won’t know exactly how well we did until we roll into the referee station and have a trained expert look over our handiwork. We promise we’ll be honest. After all, that was the point of choosing a ’76 Nova; this baby has to pass inspection!
Part of the uncertainty is because we’ve spent most of our lives removing this stuff rather than paying attention to its function and layout. Our research? We scanned a few new SS Camaro engine bays and took photos of GM Performance Parts’ (GMPP) own ’55 Chevy E-Rod install to double-check ourselves.
In the case of the LS3 E-Rod crate motor, the intake is actually considered part of the emission system since it has certain specifications that must be met within the design created for your specific swap. Rather than start from scratch, we decided to take a shot at fitting a Spectre Performance ProFab cold-air intake intended for a ’10 Camaro.
It’s mostly a bunch of minutia without much glamour, and we’d go so far as to say a tad boring, but it’s vital save-this-issue info for anyone looking to swap in their own E-Rod. GMPP’s E-Rod instruction sheet will give you the dry specs, but there’s nothing quite like seeing it on an engine, so we’re going to break it down into the stuff that you need to be aware of before you head to the referee station.
