Hi im thinking of putting an ls LM7 ls truck engine into my camaro and i am building a list of the things i would have to upgrade in the engine so i dont have to pull it out of the car later im planning on 400 hourspower and then putting on a turbo later down the road can ya check if this list has the right components and what else im missing ?Also what engine mounts should i use I searched some up and they look different im confused. I dont know how to make the letters smaller so there big.

Summit Racing SUM-17406C - Summit Racing® Coated Forged Pistons $320

Elgin E-1840-P Camshaft (Performance) $250

Chevrolet Performance LS6 Valve Springs 12625033 $18

Summit Racing® LS Series Retrofit Trunnion Kits SUM-141560$150

Summit Racing® LS2 Timing Chain and Accessory Kits 09-0029 $89

Summit Racing® LS Lifter and Guide Kits SUM-HTLSKIT1 $150

Trick Flow® Timing Chain Dampeners TFS-30675540$20

Trick Flow® Timing Chain Adapter Brackets for GM LS TFS-30675600 $40

Trick Flow® Chromoly Pushrods TFS-2140740$95 not sure if this will be the correct fit

 

oops forgot to put fuel injectors. im not sure which ones im getting

 

You'd have to be nuts crazy to pay almost $300 for a set of stock valve springs when you can get them for less than 1/3 of that.

https://www.texas-speed.com/c-3263-v...ring-kits.aspx

But those aren't enough for that cam anyway, or really, for most cams that are any more than stock ones; on that same page, go down to the PAC beehives, and get the 1218 instead.

That's not all that good of a cam. I'd strongly recommend doing some more research first. Maybe start on Texas Speed's page; take a look as ws6store.com; CamMotion; etc. Even some of the Summit house brand cams are better and newer design than that old generic one. Don't just bite on the cheeeeeeepest thing you can find that says "cam" on the box.

It's kinda amusing how every n00b builder is "gonna throw a turbo on it" somewhere "on down the road", but has NO CLUE about how you build a motor ENTIRELY DIFFERENTLY for that. A motor that runs good N/A won't be at its best with a turbo, and one that's optimized for a turbo won't run worth a crap without one. Either build it for a turbo and accept that it's gonna be lame until you do that, or build it N/A and accept that some changes will be needed when you take the next step. I'd recommend the former. Put "turbo" out of your mind until that time comes, and then build a motor accordingly.

I'd suggest replacing the 706/862 heads with 243/799, if your 5.3 is the earlier model.

You'll probably have to drill & tap the block for that chain damper, if it's pre 2006 or so. Not a big deal but just so you know. I'm not sure what a "timing chain adapter bracket" is but if it's those "guide" things that everybody hates because they fail and shed plastic pieces all into the motor, then don't. I'd suggest getting this http://www.ws6project.com/user_stor/...oducts_id=5558 and be done with it.

Since this is plainly your first LS build, you need to know that you DO NOT buy push rods until AFTER the rest of the motor is built. Go here https://www.texas-speed.com/c-3257-pushrods.aspx and get the Comp adjustable push rod; after the heads are bolted on and complete, use it to find the length that results in zero rocker lash; and buy push rods in the length that adds your desired preload to whatever the zero-lash length is. For those lifters, that preload will be around .075" - .080". You can get TSP push rods in .025" increments.

Don't worry about injectors until it's assembled and running. It's gonna need MAJOR TUNING anyway. Talk to whoever is doing your tuning and see what they recommend. I can tell you though, a popular choice is the marine 8.1 ones; they're plentiful and cheeeeep, used. Any of the better injector service places, including the one that's a sponsor of this forum, can make em like new again.

I suggest you spend LOTS of time on the forums at ls1tech.com and performancetrucks.net, just reading. Don't post. Don't bother asking questions. Don't even register. You don't know enough about what you're doing to ask intelligent questions yet. Just READ and LEARN, absorb what's ALREADY THERE, and when you've read and learned EVERYTHING that's ALREADY been posted, THEN AND ONLY THEN register and ask questions, if you still have any that haven't been answered. (you probably won't) It's not like you're trying to do something that's never been done before: take advantage of what people have already done and learned and are willing to share with you FOR FREE so you don't have to pay to make all the same mistakes they did on your own, like we all had to do before Algore invented the Interwebz.

 

Yeah thank you for all that knowledge and yes I have been researching everyday and will continue doing so i will start this project maybe in a month when I beleive im ready the reason I posted this was because I wanted to check these parts that I knew someone else would say they were better parts or that part trash.... Also i started this list to see around how much i will spend so thats why i asked now,yes sorry I knew that i would run bad without a turbo but im not planing on driving it when It doesent have it.

 

And yes sorry about the pushrods i actually read an article about that just after i posted

 

Isnt that cam the sloppy stage 2? I have read read that i was a great cam or am i looking at old post I will definitely resarch this thanks.

 

Yeah about that post that still hasnt been answered i ended up fixing it, it was the vent it was only sucking in and not out.

 

Yes that is the "Sloppy Stage 2".

Yes it's "OK"; yes, it'll make more power than a stock one; NO, it is not going to win any races, particularly not against a more up-to-date design that accepts the same degree of "big cam" behavior (lack of low-end torque, poor fuel mileage, stress on parts, etc.); NO it is not a particularly good choice for a 5.3 except possibly in a track-only situation in a light car (yours is not) with LOTS of converter (you didn't mention that ) and real short gears (you didn't mention that either). You can do better. When you sink acoupla large into a motor, a few pennies of cheeeeeeping out on the cam, kinda just disappears in the round-off error and the noise.

You also didn't mention whether you have a daily driver, and/or how many years you're gonna be walking and riding the bus while this project serves mostly as a lawn ornament. I have no way to know of course what your financial assets are, but I DO know, from having been in this hobby for near half a century now, that overly ambitious first-timer projects RARELY IF EVER reach completion, and even those that do, end up going through multiple iterations of "oh crap I bought this but dammit now I can't use that so now I gotta go buy another one of those but that means I can't use this other thing so I might as well bite off on..."; and more often than not (having profited from many such myself) get sold off one part at a time at basically pennies on the dollar to what they cost.

You also completely fail to mention block machine work. GOOD machine work is EXPENSIVE, because you're basically paying by the hour for it no matter what, and having it done RIGHT and with ATTENTION TO DETAIL means it (a) takes longer, and (b) requires a machinist that's experienced, meticulous, knowledgeable, and ethical. It's a multiplier: you multiply lots of hours times lots of dollars per hour.

My recommendation would be to shelve the whole "turbo" drivel until you've gained some experience with fast cars in general. Like, how fragile transmissions and rear ends are, how hard it is to get traction and how much worse it makes the trans & rear problem when you finally DO get enough hookup to quit spinning the tires, and all such as that. Your budget needs to include at least SOMETHING for all that, plus exhaust, tuning, oil pan (no 5.3 comes with one that fits these cars), accessories (truck accessories won't fit under the hood), a radiator, suspension (shocks especially), TIRES, chassis stiffening, and so forth. Looking through catalogs at motor parts and dreaming about big HP numbers is a wonderful thing, but needs to be tempered with a certain degree of practicality. Aim a bit lower than getting on Memphis Street Outlaws your first night out with your first car. Build yourself a nice healthy FUN 5.3, that will spank the majority of cars on the road (not too hard), and will have a chance of success over a time horizon you can live with; and at the same time, learn how to build A CAR than can make use of it. A showroom stock ANTIQUE like these cars CAN'T; it takes a fair amount of upgrading.

Pay what it takes at the buzzard nest to get a GOOD GUARANTEED LOW-MILEAGE Gen 4 5.3; let's say, 08 - 12 more or less. However much that costs, is FAR less than pistons, bearings, rings, and machine work. It'll have a 58x crank trigger, 243 or 799 heads, the good floating-pin rods, and flat-top pistons. Get the wiring harness and ECM that comes with it. DON'T open the short block up: run it AS IS. Trade the heads in to TSP or Frankenstein or Katech or Livernois or TEA or AI for a pair of CNCed and prepped ones. Run a cam in the 218° - 222° range on the intake and about 4° to NO MORE THAN 6° more on the exhaust, with at least .550" of lift. You'll make WELL OVER 400 HP at the crank with that, probably near 450, and it won't be hard to tune. Put 3.73 gears in the car and run about a 3000 RPM stall converter. You will SMOKE practically all of the old muscle cars, and most of the newer ones too. Whenever "turbo" time comes, go get ANOTHER short block at the junkyard, and prep THAT ONE for "turbo". Instinct tells me that'll be WELL into the future.

 

Thank i decided to not do turbo like you said and yes im definitely finishing this project i have 1999 toyota tacoma for a daily driver i really apreciate ur replys but you know got to start somewhere im definety going to learn how to do this properly and thank you again

 

Yup, definitely gotta start SOMEWHERE. Best not to get in over your head before you know how to swim.

Good luck with your project. Exactly what car are you starting out with? What improvements has it already had?

 

I live in the houston area and im sure there are tons of machine shops and i will be researching them there is a local one near me that is family owned and it looks like they do good work but i have to see.

 

Its a 1986 iroc z28 with a 305 converted to carb by the last owner(wasnt greatly done had to go fix up there work ) .I have no idea if the 86000 on the dash is true im thinking its 186000 but the interior is great.I think someone had it parked for a long time the window sweeps on the outside are all cracked and water got in and there is a rust hole on the passenger side i know how to weld and have the equipment but the 305 looks healthy and completly stock

 

Btw how much could i sell the 305 and transmission?im thinking not much

 

"The transmission"... automatic? Does it work? Might be worth SOMETHING.

The 305... usually we have to PAY somebody to come out and haul that s*** off. Sorry, that's just How It Is. Especially if it's TBI or a LG4.

 

Yes its automatic and it works i drove it home 20 miles when i bought it

 

It's worth something then; not sure how much, but something.

Hang onto the extension housing though, with the torque arm mount. GOTTA have that for a 3rd gen car, unless you're willing to go to much greater lengths. If you're gonna do a LS swap, then you gotta think ahead about how you'll deal with things like VSS/speedo, etc. Keep your options open.

 

Ok thx definetly will keep that

 

Im going to make a thread on my progress when i start

 

Yeah im 18 btw if u didnt notice with my poor knowledge of cars but i now how to work and want to learn my only past experiance was helping my dad fix his vw beetle and vw bus but those engines are much simpler and the vw bus engine you can take it out so easily.My friend is also interested and will help me too(better than video games right) I got over my head after watching a channel on youtube saying how "easy" it was on making hp with turbos so srry about that.I wanted to beat my friends mustang gt (same friend that is helping me) but ive decided to just focusing on swapping the engine in .Also about budget is around 5k (from what i saved up at the moment) My dad had a 92 z28 camaro so thats why i got interested in 3rd gens.

 

We all started somewhere. I would prefer not to admit the stupidity I was guilty of back then. I'll give you a hint: I was building 283s and 327s, and when the 350 started showing up, I had a REAL hard time accepting that my a$$ was getting kicked. Because, ANYTHING you can do to a 283 or 327, you can ALSO do to a 350; and you'll get THAT MUCH more out of it. There's no way around it, By 78 or 79 I finally got a clue and started paying more for cores, and I finally figured out that the CORE - the busted, wore-out thing I was "rebuilding" - was actually THE CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEPEST part of the whole project. I also figured out that I could take the same stack of boxes from Summit or Jeg's as the guy in the other lane, and by way of ATTENTION TO DETAIL and PERFECTION, I could WIN. I made ALOT of money building circle-track motors for hobby racers... the kind of race you can't WIN with a motor, but you can sure as hell LOSE. My motors would run 12 to 15 races where my competitors would last 8, and mine would tend to run toward the front if for no other reason than because it wasn't about to blow up half the time. You can't finish first unless you first finish.

This hobby evolves. New stuff shows up, new competition, new ways of doing things (*cough* aftermarket CNC cast heads *cough*), LS motors, ... the list is LONG. If I was one of those ostrich types, and just kept doing what I was doing and calling the people that found new stuff "heretics" or whatever, I'd be as useless as **** on a chicken.

BUTT,,, in the end, this is a HOBBY, and it's supposed to be FUN. We don't all have "The Fastest" car. Even on those RARE occasions that I did, it didn't last. More important to me was, my car was something I BUILT all by MYSELF, with my own hands and brain. I wasn't like the Vette or Porsche guys that "take it to my mechanic" and that's the extent of their involvement. What we're doing here is supposed to be about each one of us pursuing our own goals and dreams, but with a clear eye toward what we can REALLY accomplish. I freely admit that I'm not going to build a Camaro that's going to go out and run with the F1 guys, or NASCAR. Mostly I just wanna have fun. I want the personal satisfaction of being competitive, and knowing that MY hands, MY brain, MY decisions, gave me the privilege of competing. Even if I didn't win, which I HATE losing even more than I LOVE winning, I could be content with that kind of confidence.

Set yourself goals that are high and hard to attain, but at the same time, attainable. Never forget that you're not gonna be "The Fastest" for very long, even if you make it to that: somebody will ALWAYS come along and be faster. And don't put yourself in the position that working on your car is painful, or a drag, or not personally rewarding. HAVE FUN.

 

Wow dude u really inspired me ,the reason I got a 3rd gen and not a mustang gt (i could have afforded it like my friend he got a 2008 mustang gt california special for 7k with eighty six thousand miles ) but I wanted to learn and feel proud of something I built and is unique as there is not many 3rd gens here ive only seen one.I was going to get a datsun 240 or 280 but i found the camaro i got for cheap and i decided to get it i love how 3rd gen looks so much and will keep this car for years to come.

 

I say throw the truck engine in there bone stock. Just buy the parts needed to get it running and nothing else.

Maybe do exhaust since that will swap over with most any upgrade down the road. Cold air intake, tuning...

I don't think the truck intake fits under either Camaro or firebird hoods, so you'll at least need an intake.

A stock 5.3, 6.0, 6.2 will motivate a third gen better than ANY factory engine it ever came with. And you can get OEM street ability out of it since its internally stock.

 

Thanks for replying but if i put the engine in i might as well upgrade it a bit

 

Yeah i dont think it fits there are people that grind off parts of it and it bearly fits but i dont think ima do that or i could buy a cowl hood idk Im researching and I read that the truck intake is better then the cars is that true?

 

Yes the truck intakes are better than the car ones, in general. They're taller because they don't have to be squashed down to fit in a car.

The Dorman LS2 replacement is considered a good option where a low-profile one is required. There are lots of details to coordinate though; DBW vs DBC (3-bolt vs 4-bolt TB), the PCV system, MAF location, etc.

This of course doesn't take into account aftermarket ones such as FAST, which tend to be $$$$.