I saw an article in CHP a few months back about the carb conversion kit from GM for the LSx series engines.I have seriously been contemplating doing an LS1 swap into my '82 Z after reading it.The large parts (engine and trans) and carb conversion stuff is not my main concerns just yet.My question is...aside from the mounts and exhaust issues,will I need to get the tubular crossmember to put an LS1 into my Z.There will be no A/C as there isn't any now.AFAIK that is the main reason for swapping/notching x members correct?As long as I get the swap motor mounts and trans mounts (will be going from 4speed manual to LS 6 speed),headers and such it should only be the minimal wiring to hook up the electrical items the same as any 'ole carb motor?Just looking into options right now to try and figure out if this is a swap I really wanna look into.

 

since you dont want to run the AC compressor, you dont need to notch anything, and you dont need a kmember.

just bolt the mounts in.
slip the whole engine/trans assembly in...
bolt up the crossmember.

done.


for wiring, you only need to supply power to a couple wires, and it runs... a couple more wires for the gauges...


its not as complicated as people want to make it seem.

 

Basically what I wanted to hear!Don't really want a tubular x member.

The mount swap kit is cheap enough..is the carb conversion parts..lol!

It's doesn't seem that complicated since it's a carb setup.Like any other motor save for the exhaust.Swap headers are $$$$.I'll end up making my own if I do the swap!Gauges are all mechanical where they can be otherwise electric in the Autometer cluster I made.That's easy enough on paper.Just trying to compare what I have (and will part out) versus the $$ needed for this swap.

 

personally i think putting a carb on it is the most idiotic thing you could do...

i mean, whats the diff between carb wiring and EFI wiring:

carb wiring: 1 wire gets power.

EFI wiring: 3 wires get ignition power. 1 wire goes to the battery.

everything else is the same.....


are you going to let a extra 3 wires stop you from having total control over fuel and spark?
its not like its any more complicated.. i mean, you have the same sensors anyway, since the MSD unit uses them.....

 

Either way...just looking into options right now.GM carb conversion pieces may be way too pricey..gotta investigate more.Not against EFI in anyway...another possibility I am looing into.Many questions on that side as well.How will the mechanical gauges work?Is any input from the gauges used by the computer to run the engine.I am a carbed guy so LS1 EFI is out of my realm.I know TPI pretty well and all EFI works on the same principles.Not afraid to learn.An EFI swap should be just as easy...no computer to splice into in this car.Mount the PCM and hook up all the wires.Aside from that all I should need is a tuned port sending unit and pump assembly for the tank correct?

 

i look at each thing one system at a time... MUCH simplier that way.


fuel:
yes, you need a high pressure fuel system. not hard.. any TPI/TBI or late carb tank setup works... put a new pump in.. walbro is my fav by far.
you need a regulator and a filter... prices range from $30 to $180.. so shop smart
you need a flex line from the frame to the fuel rail that has a quick connect fitting.. not hard. if you're smart, its not pricy either.



gauges:
tach goes to tach wire.
speedo: if its electrical, it goes to the speedo wire. if its mechanical, you run the speedo wire to a box, and the box turns a cable with a electric motor.
oil pressure: goes to oil pressure wire.
temp: goes to temp sensor you screw into the head...

 

Can you tune a computer with a screwdriver?

 

can u tune each cylinder independently? and at the same time get 20-25 mpg

 

Did you just answer my question with another question? Last I checked my computer didn't like it when I started poking around it with a screwdriver? If you're a 'traditional' gear head who wears overalls and a certain hairstyle that is short in the front and a party in the back and don't mind opening the hood and messing around with rods and jets you get a carb if you have horn rimmed glasses and wear suspenders and a bow tie and think that getting dirty is icky then efi is the way to go. It depends on what you want to do in other words. There is nothing inherently wrong with a carb and contrary to popular belief carbs are a decent induction system for a pure drag car.

 

i concur.


theres also alot of better motors then a LS1 for a pure drag car.


im working under the assumption that this isnt a pure drag car.. its a street car.


and in that context, EFI holds a huge advantage.




being ignorant of technology isnt a valid excuse for not learning it.

 

btw, i tune carbs and efi... im not bias toward either, but i do know the "whole story" between both.. lol.

 

There is a ton of ignorance in this thread.I never said I couldn't or didn't want to learn to tune EFI.Just never bothered as I don't own an EFI project car any longer.Sold it years ago.Yes it was TPI..but EFI is EFI.Same basic principles.With time I can learn anything.As with many other threads I have seen, this one is now off topic.I asked a simple question.Now with the last 4 posts this is turning into a pissing match about who knows what.

I apologize for asking about a carbed LS1 swap.If I wanted to know about a straight EFI LS1 swap I would have searched as there are a ton of posts on it.I am not that lazy.I wanted to know about the possibility of a carbed LS1.How ignorant of me.

I am finished with this thread.Thank you.

 

heh, just so you know, that comment wasnt directed at you... it was directed at the "****** guys prefer screwdrivers" remark above...

 

I hope you know the answer to that.

You can't accurately tune a carb w/ a just a screwdriver either...so whatever your point was, you might pick a better comparison.

If you're under the impression you can accurately tune jetting, picking the right power valve, tuning the secondary break, etc. without a wideband O2 session or two you're pretty much wrong. You can get a car running, sure, but nowhere near as efficiently as an ECM adjusting in realtime.

And then your jetting is no longer accurate as soon as the weather changes...

And then there's the old ignition system, w/ a dist advance that doesn't know the difference between part throttle or WOT...same advance delivered at any given RPM spot.

Nobody disputes carbs are cheaper to get decently operational, but if you're after efficiency or you live in a smog-test state, they're not very practical compared to EFI.

 

ive got a carb setup myself.
id like to go efi one day when i have a parts bin full ready to do the conversion, and do a lil learning in the tuning area.

fairly large cam.... th350,4000 stall, and a 3.70 gear.
made a trip to the track a month ago running 80mph (3500 rpms) and got 13.2mpg with the windows down.
ive done a lil better putting it around town, but rarely do i do that.
i drive mine hard all the time. it sees the red zone of the tach on a regular basis.

 

Im only 19 years old, but i know how to tune a EFI engine by myself. I have a complete stand alone PCM writer for my Grand Prix. At first it was all chinese, but now its no problem. I personally dont know how to tune with a carb. Not having a scan to look at showing Knock Retard, timing, o2 levels, MAF read outs, etc is very confusing to me. If a 19 year old college student can tune an EFI.... come on.....

 

What?!? I thought you could tune the entire thing by just jamming a screwdriver in there and wiggling it around?!?

There are advantages and disadvantages between carbs and efi. I think that is pretty much all that has to be said. Some guys like messing around with jetting all the time because their car is a hobby and not a daily driver. That's them, you're you why fault an entire induction system just because you don't like it for your application? If some guy wants to be different and throw a bunch of people off at the track who look under his hood and go because of his carbed ls1 in a thirdgen then more power to him. It's not my bag (I'd probably do the carbed 6.0 truck engine that you can get for almost too cheap without a harness and intake with nitrous and a stick if it was something I was looking at) but whatever.

 

Just a couple cents.

I have rebuilt and tweaked a lot of Holley and QJ's both regular and CCC style.

A little playing with them and some judicious timing recurving can transform a poorly performing car into somehting alot more enjoyable to drive.

I also do my own tuning on my TPI cars and my TTA(on custom code and modified 148 for MAP) and have helped out on a few LT1 and LS1 cars as well. Been at it for roughly 5 years now and Im stupid and dont plan to stop anytime soon.

After all this annoyance worrying about knock sensors, timing, bad gas and a multitude of other things and even stupid wiring shorts.

Am I crazy cause I want to shove a carbed LS1 into something and just go drive it and not screw around with chasing wires and a bunch of other unnecessary crap?

I work on Jaguars for a living and new cars are a joke anyhow, How muxh computer crap do u really need in life. I can get along just fine without a cell phone or an internet activated home security coffee maker toilet flusher :-)

I am not intimidated or wires or tuning or chasing electrical issues in the slightest.

I just get sick of having to deal with all "extras" when the basics would just allow to jet it and forget it :-) (bad pun intended)

later
Jeremy

 

i did my whole engine swap for people too look under the hood at the track.
carbed
6.0
stick and nitrous..... checking in.

 

But it's fun to know that you can get about 20 more hp out of an engine in about 5 minutes by pushing a few buttons and not even have to open the hood

 

Your not going to get 20hp in 5 minutes on either combo.

U tune them both the same way, fuel and timing. To do it right on either one takes some time and detail. Wideband 02's work on either one lol

I will say the efi gives u more precise control.

Also say, once u have 3-4 cars to tweak on your own and do friends and others, u will see the lite of jammin a QJ(thats what I would use, people here hate them too) on top of a LS series engine lol

Some days, there is nothing wrong with good old fashioned stuff.

later
Jeremy