GM Gen 5 engines were first introduced in 2014 in Corvettes and GM trucks and 2016 in Camaros. This engine series is becoming popular for engine swappers because of its direct fuel injection, variable valve timing, and allows for high horsepower potential while maintaining good fuel efficiency. It's a great option for those looking to swap a peppy motor into a classic car or truck or any vehicle you're looking to provide a performance boost. Not to mention it's readily available and has improving after-market support.
However, one thing that's become a pain point for some hotrodders is the lack of a hydraulic power steering pump (GM has switched to electric power steering assist) and the AC compressors are variable displacement and aren’t recommended for after-market AC systems.
Kwik Performance has some solutions to those problems. Let’s talk about Gen V truck engines first since those are the most plentiful in salvage yards.
There are two series: The L83/86 running from 2014 through 2019 and the L84/87 running from 2020 on. The first series is identified by the water pump pulley being offset to the driver’s side of the engine while the second series places the pulley in the center of the engine.
Here at Kwik Performance, our design philosophy is to use as many of the original front drive components as possible. So that meant the space available to add a hydraulic power steering pump and after-market AC compressor ended up being on the passenger’s side for the L83/86 and on the driver’s side for the L84/87.
In an ideal world, we would place the power steering pump on the driver’s side and the AC compressor on the passenger’s side like we did for the Chevy LS engine series. But, with the Gen V LT brackets we had to compromise. The work-around is to have longer power steering hoses for the L83/86 and longer AC hoses for the L84/87.
For Gen 5 LT truck engines from 2014-19 check out our Kwik part number K10702 . And if you’re using a 2020 and later truck engine, look for the K10581 kit.
Now, let’s talk about the 2016 and later Camaro Gen 5 engines.
We do have a bracket system that allows for you to add a hydraulic power steering pump and a Sanden AC compressor just outside the driver's side cylinder head. That’s the good news.
However, our Kwik bracket system does not address the issue with the LT1 Camaro alternator down low on the passenger’s side which can cause issues with frame rail and cross-member clearance in some popular classic cars and trucks.
Here’s a possible solution. It goes counter to our philosophy to keep as many parts as possible from the donor engine but it is more cost effective than competing systems.
First, hang on to your Camaro alternator. It’s going to be re-positioned to a new location on the bracket we’ll talk about below.
Next, you replace your harmonic balancer and water pump with those from an L83/86 truck engine. Then you add a Kwik Performance L83/86 serpentine bracket kit which includes a Type 2 power steering pump. Add a power steering hose kit, reservoir and mounting bracket and top it off with a Sanden AC compressor.
Depending on where you decide to buy your water pump and harmonic balancer, you should be able to have a complete front drive system with plenty of clearance down low on your LT1 Camaro block, for less than $2000. And that’s a bargain compared to some of the options.
Just so you know, we recently re-designed our L83/86 bracket with an additional idler pulley that moves the belt path low enough to clear the lower throttle body of the Camaro intake. See this page of our website for more information: https://www.kwikperf.com/collections/lt-gen-5/products/lt-truck-14-19-ac-alt-ps-bracket-k10702
Give us a call if you’d like more details about how to assemble this system. 417-955-1467 or info@kwikperf.com