ok guys, so it's around 2:30 here in SC and i can't sleep for thinking of these questions... this ever happend to you? lol.

im thinking of swaping a truck 6.0 into my 91 Formy. i've already read that i'll more than likely have to swap the accessorys to that from an ls1. but what about the intake?

-do i have to use and intake from a ls6 or ls2?

-what is the difference b/t the 02 model 6.0 and the 03+ model engines? which is easier to swap?

-how would i mate the engine to a t56? can i use a tranny from either a lt1 or ls1 car?

-is it neccessary to change the cyl heads?

-oil pan?

what are other cost conscious things that i should consider before making my decision? any helpful tips? Thanks in advance!

 

Intake you will need to use a car intake. For that it would be LS1, LS6 or LS2. LS2 has a 90mm opening and flows in the middle of an LS1 and an LS6 but requires an aftermarket throttle body as all the factory 90mm units are throttle by wire instead of cable operated.

Not sure of model year differences. There are two versions per year however of the iron 6.0. The LQ4 and LQ9. I believe the LQ9 has slightly higher compression and a touch more power. There is also the LS2 which is the aluminum 6.0 that came in the early C6 vettes, the 06 GTO, The later first gen CTS-V and I believe the SSR trucks as well as the Trailblazer SS. They have standard LS6 heads (with solid valves instead of sodium filled like the heads that came on LS6 engines) as well as the smaller 2001 LS6 cam. They were rated at 400hp I believe.

The t56 will need to be from a Gen III+ engine. It will also need to be from anything but a Corvette. I think the Corvette transmission can be used but its rear mounted so I would assume some bellhousing and other mods will be needed to the transmission itself to mount it to the motor. You can't use an LT1 version without extensive work. Also be careful as different year cars came with different 6 speeds. All the 98-02 fbodies got the standard t56 that most know. The LS6 and LS2 vettes as well as the LS2 gto and the CTS-V got the MN12 which offered better NA gear ratios. They basically make a 3.42 rear geared car drive like a standard t56 car with 4.10s so don't shoot yourself in the foot if you are planning new rear gears. The SSR also got a version of the MN12 but some special edition (not sure what's different about it) got one that has internals bigger than Viper spec T56's. But very, very few were made.


You won't need to change the heads unless you want to. That's a whole seperate post depending on your usage and goals and budget.

Oil pain will need to be from a 98-02 fbody. I used to have a site saved (lost it with a hard drive crash) on the net of a place selling brand new OEM fbody pans and pick up tubes for a reasonable amount of money so search google for it.

 

thanks for all the helpfull advice! i already knew about the corvette tranny and the ls2's. i'd definatly go ls2 if it were more affordable... hince i'm looking at the truck motors.

in the end, i want to go with a ls t56 swap with a single 70mm turbo. so the engine with the lower compression would probably be best suited for my build. can anyone tell me which engine has lower compression and how do i find them? when i look on parts-finder sites, there are normally three 6.0's listed... which engine code should i look for?

lastly, am i understanding right that the easyest intake to swap would be the ls2 (even though i have to get an aftermarket tb?)

 

The LQ4 has lower compression than the LQ9. The LQ4 is far more common. The LQ9 was only in higher-end vehicles like the Cadillacs, the Denalis, the Silverado SS, etc. Your run of the mill truck 6.0 liter was the LQ4.

On a side note, it seems like the 5.3 is the more common motor to use in turbo applications. I don't think that there's anything wrong with using the 6.0, but it seems that with a ton of boost, a bone-stock motor is eventually going to break, and the 5.3s are so cheap, that the turbo guys seem to like using those so that when one breaks, they can just swap in another one. The small displacement loss is nothing that a couple extra pounds of boost can't compensate for.

Just food for thought.

 

thanks jim! so ive been looking at the 1500 chevy trucks... should be the LQ4 rite?

 

The LQ4 was never put into a 1500... those will all be 4.8s or 5.3s. But like I said above (likely after you replied), the 5.3 might be worth considering.

But to get the LQ4, you'll have to look at the 2500s and 3500s.

 

You mean since last night? No.

You don't have to use a passenger car intake as long as you have some sort of raised hood. The truck alternator mounts pretty far outward, though. Try searching on V8 Rumble's posts, I think he has pics of a Ram Air hood that clears LQ9 accessories.

I don't know about differences after '02, but '03 had throttle by cable, and '04 had throttle by wire (at least LQ4's in vans).

'99-'00 LQ4 had the longer crank output snout (if your LQ4 has cast iron heads, it has this feature).

As stated, though, and LS1 T56 with '01-up LQ4 would be your best bet.

No. The 317 LQ4/9 heads are considered "243's Lite", and the larger chambers are often used for SC applications (if you are going that way - I assumed you meant "South Carolina", not "super charged").
By putting flat tops in place of the LQ4's dished pistons, you'll have LS1-like static CR.

Don't need to change it if you don't mind post-speed-bump oil slicks.

Think through the whole package before committing. Buying parts that you later find don't work together is an exercise in frustration and wallet emptying.

 

yes, i ment south carolina... as my post stated, i'm planning a turbo build.

thanks for the insite! my friend is putting a 5.3 in his 71 nova. i've considered going with the 5.3 myself but i thought i could go with the 6.0 and make more power with less boost (a safer build with more power potential).

is it pritty easy to mate the 5.3 to the t56?

 

Ah, your 2nd post.

There isn't anything harder about hooking the T56 to a 5.3 than it is to a 5.7.

 

cool, thanks man.

 

Something else to consider is the parts inside of the 5.3s. The pistons have much thicker ringlands than the LS1 and 6.0 pistons do which make them quite a bit stronger. The rods in all the Gen III+ engines are very good as are the cranks. The problem with the LS1 and LQ engines with boost are the thinner ringlands which eventually crack.

Something else to consider is the L33 which is the aluminum block 5.3 which has the MUCH beefier LS2 rods as well as the newer casting number LS6 heads which are worth a significant gain in performance. There have been guys making around 950rwhp on those engines with stock internals before they start bending rods.

A good friend of mine is going to run one of these in a car he is building with a stock LS1 intake and a 76mm turbo. He's already been upper 9s on a stockish iron 5.3 with the same turbo and intake. If you are set on going turbo, save yourself the money and headache and just pick up a stock ls1 intake and use the stock truck throttle body. Best option IMO for boost.

 

hey, sounds good to me... i dont mind saving a little money.
question, what was the L33 installed in? im a GM guy and i've never heard of this engine.

also, i will have to get the ls1 fuel rails too rite? the truck rails won't work on the ls1 intake will they?

 

Here's a small bit of information about the L33:

The L33 (VIN code "B") is an aluminum block version of the LM7, and was referred to as the Vortec 5300 HO in marketing materials. Power increased by 15 hp (11 kW), to 310 hp (230 kW), over the LM7, and torque was unchanged. It was only available on extended cab 4WD pickup trucks. Only 25% of trucks made in 2005 had the L33 engine.

L33 applications:

* 2005-2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4WD
* 2005-2007 GMC Sierra 1500 4WD

I did a quick Wikipedia search for that. Not sure what else is available out there for it however.

No the truck fuel rails will not work for the LS1 intake so you will need the matching LS1 fuel rails as well. I would check ls1tech.com to see what rails are needed for LS6 and LS2 intakes but I ASSume that the stock LS1 rails will fit both of those others as well.