If possible, can anybody help me out or how much a typical LT1 or LS1 swap should cost... Or what is a reasonable price to pay for a donor car.... Thanx in advance....

 

Budget cannot be used in your paragraph logically.

Cheapest route would be the LTx. You can get a parts car for 2k or so.

LTx's will drop in just fine and require no real physical modifications to the chassis, but you will need to get the entire ECM setup and harness if you wish to use that particular induction system. You can use a TPI harness with quite a bit of modification.

LSx's will be quite pricy. You will need a custom K-Member unless you want to notch your existing one. You will need LSx/3rd gen headers, which are insane expensive. Also you will need the entire ECM and harness. You can buy a standalone carb system for the LSx's which have been proven to be quite an impressive setup, but it still requires some work harness wise.

You can probably buy a parts car for $3-4k sometimes less. They are what is hot on the market now and people know it.

 

Well I went LT1 bought a motor with every and had a set of hedmans headers with y pipe with no tranny for $1000 He had just put a hot cam in it had new gaskets on bottom end. But I tore it down and now with machine work on heads,block,crank I have $1300 tolal in it but you will always want to add more. I was going with the LS1 but to much for me to have to change I think like $1000 just for the stuff that you WILL need. LS1 is better LT1 is cheaper

 

I wouldn't say LS1 is better. Everything has Pros and Cons. All depends on what you are looking for.

 

Really, Im not looking for anything too outrageous... I just wanna have some fun with my ride... after all it IS my first car... Maybe 300HP or so.. But im stuck between fabbing a turbo kit or doing a V8 swap. Im just really starting to learn about these cars so a V8 swap is a bit imtimidating at this point. So if i DO decide to go that route, I wouldnt want it to be as simple as and staright forward as possible...

 

Trust me when I say this. V8 swap is less complicated. Custom turbo kits envolve alot of work and customization.

 

Consider NOT doing an LT1 or LS swap. Instead, consider purchasing a turn key crate motor, a solid trans and a rear end to go behind it. You'll encounter far fewer transplant modification problems.

 

swap the lt1 in, if i had to go back and do it agian, ive spend ALTO of money on my big block swap, if i oculd go back id get a lt1 t-56 combo and put that in you just need to figure out the wiring and there are planty of poeple on this board that can help you, and if you throw in a cam u can make some serious power, or keep it stock and put on a n20 shot later, either way it will be a nice street car

 

Do-able but, you still end up with modification issues, since he has an auto, and is considering a V6 to V8 swap? LT or LS swap, again, do-able but from reading the original post, there's the budget constranits with swap issues concerns which indicates that the Lt or Ls projects are above being realistic in this case, given the info provided.

 

Well, yes, I DO have a budget but it isn't anything that would be unrealistic to work with. Really, I just want what would be easiest to do. If I find a donor car, will I have pretty much everything that I need for the swap (LT1)??? Purchasing a crate motor and trans is do-able, but since I have a V6, won't I still have to deal with electronic issues...?

 

I dont know about turn-key crates, mostly because I have no experience with them. I think they would be more expensive and more difficult in the long run. If you're going fuel injected or to a different kind of fuel injection, you still have to figure out your wires and do wiring, not all thirdgens have the same wiring. If you are carbed, still going to have to convert to fuel injection(fuel pump and fuel hardlines). Still going to have to figure out exhaust. I know the LS1/LS7 turn-key packages can get expensive.

There is a lot of people that have and know the LT1 and LS1 engines, tuning of them, what parts work with them, and how to swap them in. In my case, I can go to any parts store (or GM if I need something specific) and get parts easily for a "95 Camaro 5.7".
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Short answer: No.

Read the LT1 sticky: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...questions.html

 

Well if 300hp is all you want/need go with the LT1 put in a hot cam or cc503 some people on camaroZ28 say that they have been in 12's with the hot cam. The LS1 is most likley not going to be a budget swap.And it would be nice to buy a donar car but not a have to case.

 

im staying with the lt1 option, i have been in many lt1 4th gens and a couple ls1 4th gens, i think the lt1 is perfect to swap and will run great, you wont be disappointed if you get ti running right, and you can use normal third gen headers, the wiring will be more complicated then runnign a carb but the end result of better power and fuel economy will pay off, and haveing a 3rd gen that is about 500 pounds lighter then a 4th gen will make a rip-snorting car

 

Do the LT1, by the time you buy just the crate motor you will already have more in it than if you bought an LT1/4L60E and there isn't that much modification needed, driveshafts are the same, you can use the original crossmember for the tranny, if you don't want a/c buy a a/c delete pulley and the wiring is easy as well. People tend to just speak before they think.