I've considered all the swaps for my T/A. 383 SBC, LT1, LS1, LQ4 etc.
The actual swaps don't concern me. I can figure out the wiring and fuel systems etc due to all the info out there.

Goals for the car:
T56 is a must
I want to hit 11s with it. I plan to do some road course and autox driving with it eventually, but I would like to have a car that can beat my 600 Yamaha.
It's a weekend nice day car, so I'm not overly concerned about heavy traffic etc but it does need to be fun to drive on the road.
Budget for the initial swap is $6000. The go fast parts to get me to the 11s will be accumulated as I can over the period of a couple years.
No NOS, no turbo.

SBC is out, I want a FI car for the mileage.

Lt1. I can find a complete car with not that bad of mileage (some of which have never seen winter) for like $4000. And that is an entire system ready to go from the rad to the axle plus I will know the car runs before I rip in to it and I can take some interior parts that I need to throw in to mine.
But, how hard is it to get 400RWHP from an LT1? I assume that is the minimum goal needed to get me to the 11s with proper suspension.

LS1 T56 car... Cant find one of those cars that fits in my budget really. If I can find one for $5000 then I may pull the trigger and pray that I can do the rest for $1000.

LQ4. This is what I really want. The blocks are cheap and with scrounging you can find the parts needed at a decent price. However, I live in Canada so taxes, duties, shipping kill any deal I can find.
Plus then I'm stuck looking for a transmission that was only made for 4 years. Finding a used LS1 T56 here for under $2000 just doesn't happen. At that point I would like to buy new but then shipping/duty kills that idea as well. We don't have companies like Jegs and Summit here.
Plus it's kind of cool to be able to say it's in the car and that I did the work.

Ideas, experience etc are appreciated!

 

A 383 with an after market TPI setup might give you what you want and make your budget.

Rotating assembly $1,000ish
Pair of jegs or summit brand heads (flow VERY WELL for the price) $1200
Cam and roller setup (preffered) $500
Plus oil pan, pump, dizzy, pushrods, flywheel, balancer, rocker arms, You'll be looking around $4-5000. By going with a carb you'll save $600-700.

 

Called a wreckers today to see what they include with their engines and they just by chance have a 2002 LS1 with 142,000km on it with "light piston slap when cold", includes the computer but no harness for $1500.
If they will allow me to put a deposit down until I can make the 6 hour trip I think I'll grab it. Assuming it has the acessories with it, but should include the intake and injectors etc since he said from oil pan to intake.

Will wreckers usually take deposits?

I did call them asking about an LQ4 for $800, but I think I've convinced a buddy to grab it for his rock buggy as long as his wife doesn't find out lol.

 

11's.. high 11's or what are we talking? Because you're going to need a 6-point setup if you go faster than 11.50's.

I'd go with a 408 LS motor build (using the lq4/lq9 block).


You don't HAVE to use a specific transmission with that motor. There's plenty of adaptors for other transmissions to bolt right up to it.

 

High 11s are fine. If I hit 11.9 that would make me happy. My bike runs mid to low 12s and my goal is to beat the bike. I know on the bike I can take a large portion of the cars on the road so it's basically my baseline to compare to.
I don't want a cage in this car, but I won't be at the track every weekend anyways, I'll basically go to get the set up right and then the odd couple of nights with friends through the summer.

Going with the T56 mostly because its easier to find and all the aftermarket stuff available for it. I won't go automatic and the double overdrive is awesome for all the highway driving I do.

An LQ4 stroker plan has been catching my eye since its the smart thin to do if you're in there to do a full rebuild anyways, but if I can grab this Ls1 in time I can't really pass it up.

 

The key to running 11's with a manual trans is in the rear of the car, not the front. You'll need a good rearend to handle any type of launch that will result in a good ET.