after blowing the motor in my 91 bird, im debating on whether or not to do an LS1 swap or not. i friend of mine has a rebuilt 4L60E with low miles for 600.

ive also found a used LS1 with around 100k miles for $800 but its not perfect.

the good:
texas speed MS4 cam
titanium springs
hardened pushrods
LS2 timing chain
LS6 manifold
ported throttle body

The bad:
bent valve, which has put a few scratches in the piston
no injectors
two coil packs need to be replaced
no alternator, starter, or power steering pump

does this sound like a good deal? i personally dont think its too bad considering the price but what do you all think?

since the motor doesnt come with them, can my third gen alternator, starter, and/or power steering pump be used with the LS1 or will they not work? also, i plan on buying a tubular k-member to go with the new motor. will either of these have affect on how/where the steering column bolts up?

 

I've been thinking about this since I first read it, & I'm thinking that you can find another engine that's more complete that will cost you less than the cost of this engine + the cost of the parts that you'll need to find or replace.

One thing I've learned with this swap - missing parts add up FAST.

 

v8rumble is right, if you have to piece it together, it'll nickel and dime you to death. i was trying to do the lsx swap on a tight budget, so i got a complete truck motor, and its going straight in. it was run and compression tested before i bought it, and i'm not tearing it open. if you want to rebuild and take the time and money to have a fresh motor, this sounds like an alright starting point. but i am going for the get it in and get it on the road again approach, which is why i chose the engine i did. i got a 6.0 for 1200, which has more cubes and a bigger bore, and you'd probably have more than that into the engine by the time you got it together wouldn't you? mostly it depends on what you want to invest in time and money, and if you really want the aluminum block. i'd suggest you consider a truck block though. check on car-part.com for a price range, it'll help get an idea whats available.

 

Another thing to consider is the LS1s are 2-3 times the $$s to tear into compared to SBCs. You need to replace lots of major bolts, for starters.
SO, as said several times, finding a good one could be the best way to go.