cypris09

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys,
After telling my buddy that he would be happier with a ls1 instead of a regular 1st gen Sb swap he sent me here with a few questions and or to get suggestions from you guys. Yes we will be reading tons of info on it before we hop into and he plans on building parts up the rest of the year.

First off he said he would like to get around 400+ horse and make high teens if not higher in the mpgs if he keeps his foot outta it. He would like to drive it most of the time (weather permitting) He works at the airport roughly an hr drive one way. Question is , is this a realistic goal?

Also on the local Craigslist he has found a few blocks, including a few short blocks for rather cheap. Also has found harnesses and intake/head combos for rather cheap too. Would it be better to just find a full car or piece one together? Like i said it will be a while before he starts the swap. Unfortunately we cant seem to find a cheap ls1 car around here, even crashed cars are expensive.

Any info whatsoever will be helpful

DIGGLER

iTrader: (1)

stock 5.3 out of a truck. cheap and with an overdrive trans would easily get 25+mpg.

any of the ls motors can do it, but the 4.8/5.3's are cheeeap.

cypris09

iTrader: (1)

Alright, any suggestions on bolt ons cam ect to acheive the power goals? I know i can get a fourth gen intake for cheap and run the accessory drive from them as well. I figured the 5.3 eould be rather cheap. How much is a good deal? Also a we noticed summit sells the iron ls blocks for rather cheap would it be a good idea to do the and find a set of heads and intake ?

dprest68

iTrader: (1)

Look around on craigslist, e-bay and/or local junk yards for a complete drop-out engine & trans that includes all accessories & harness. It's difficult to say what a good deal is. There seems to be quite a few people on here having a hard time finding decent deals now. Seems like everyone wants an LSx in their car now. I got mine for $2k off e-bay, but that was two years ago. Anyways, I chose the LS1 route because everything I needed was there. If you go with a truck engine, you will need accessories, oil pan, intake, etc. which can add up pretty quick. I'm not sure how much it would offset the cost of the cheap truck engine.

As far as making power, it's pretty easy with these engines. The factory cams were quite whimpy. So just adding a mild cam would be all you would need to do to meet your power goal. I used this cam in my engine http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CCA-54-426-11/. I found a magazine write-up with this cam in an LS1 with no other mods and it made 460hp. You could probably use this cam http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CCA-54-412-11/ and still meet your power goals and not have to modify the computer & still get good gas mileage. You didn't mention what your budget is going to be. Just keep in mind that these swaps can get pretty pricey.

I saw that iron LS block in Summit's latest catalog too. I would avoid building an engine unless you have a nice fat budget. Just do your homework thoroughly and you should be fine.

cypris09

iTrader: (1)

Yea iv been trying to read up as much as possible. Id like to find a ls1 and not go the truck route. i plan on saving up and buying as i can. i was just curious because i seem to find the tranny or motor not both. iv seen several times a ls1 short block for around 500. I think i should stay away from those and find a whole setup

TheMonster

I would not want to go with a shortblock, parts are hard to find, and are worth "gold" haha.
I plan on going the 6.0L truck route backed with a 6 speed, probably going to try to find a 98-02 4th gen

cypris09

iTrader: (1)

Iv been able to find heads, intakes, and the harnesses for rather cheap. Actually the harness seems to be the most that iv seen at least on craigslist so far 350 for the harness and around 150-200 for heads or intake. Nothing special just ls1 heads and a 4thgen intake. but if i could find a 6.0 truck motor or a 5.3 i may go that route.

POP6482

iTrader: (2)

I started with an LQ4 6.0 short block. I had to piece everything together which ended up begin pretty pricey. I found a lot of my parts on ls1tech.com. I searched the classified a few times everyday. Common parts for a build like this go quick, but there are deals out there. I originally hoped to find a complete drop out which would have saved me a ton of money.
I wound up putting a Texas Speed v2 cam and LS6 intake. I'm hoping to have it back on the road this week after finishing up the wiring harness. A cam and basic bolt ons should get you to your hp goal.
Good Luck!!

cypris09

iTrader: (1)

yea i can see how piecing everything together can get pricey fast! the only complete motor iv seen other than a carbed one was for 4500 bucks that was with harness and computer. But iv found a ls6 intake for 200 a set of ls1 heads for 250 and computer for 350 (with harness). other than the belts and the oil pan thats a good start? Oh of course the long block for 600(not sure if its got a good bottom end or not)

POP6482

iTrader: (2)

That is a good price for the ls6 intake. I see them go for $300 or more.