i agreed with pocket, mille and shifty as well when i read this, 450HP and cheap dont belong in the same sentence in this hobby. im going the budget route 5.3 T56 (if you wanna call it budget) and in the end ill be over $3k into the swap... and i work for a junk yard. Something to think about.

 

man, so many people saying the same thing....if only you would understand that i am doing research and stuff right now, i went into the whole build idea KNOWING about what my car would need and stuff...i have the money to buy a 427 lsx and everything, but id prefer not to. i just need engine tips right now, while i still research.

 

First you said you had little to no money, now you have enough for a 427LSX?? I'm confused now...

 

People are saying the same thing because it's the internet and we get a lot of threads from 16 year old kids with big dreams like....
"I want to put and LS9 in my 85 Berlinetta"
"Can I make 1,000 rwhp with my L03"
"I want my TPI to outperform a Ferrari"

Kids get held up with the internet hype(427 LSX, 1000rwhp street car, LS9, LS7 etc.) and don't know anything about the build. For example saying an LS1 is common but your goal is 450hp requiring an LS3/L99 or a stroker.

Unless you are a trust fund baby, (which I doubt since you are driving a 3rd gen just like the rest of us that wanted a cheap platform w/potential), the dream builds hardly materialize. Instead, what forum members have suggested to you are more realistic options.

People with full time jobs average over a year to take on these projects(accumulation of parts and actual labor), let alone some of the real nice builds that take 4+ years.

Check out this build, i think its the ultimate 3rd gen build and is taking years several years....

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...-phase-35.html

 

i also want to add this as a my neutral point of view, in my state and im sure its similar in many states, the youngest age you can obtain your drivers license is 16 1/2, so that is a solid 1.5 years of Real, on the road driving if your 18 with probably your first car, now take that 1.5 years and add a 400 or more HP car that is plainly going to be a "dangerous" car if not respected and i see a potential hazard to the driver and others on the road. So yeah its expensive to this swap but its also about respect and experience, respect/experience of the high performance machine your driving and respect to other drivers. I'm in the middle of putting together my first LSx drivetrain for my 91 formula and ive been driving for 10 years (im 27), if i had been driving this same car with 400 hp back when i was 18 i can honestly say i might not be here from making bad decisions with a car like that, but i wont be a hippocrit, of course ill make some "bad decisions" with my car now, but ill have more experience to aid in avoiding a ticket or worse, trashing my car. Just my two cents. Dont take offense.

 

Don't street race.

 

i have the money but id rather not go blow it on just an engine

 

no offense taken, but i will let you know im not even close to an average 18 year old driver, ive been driving since i was 14 (yes cars, no not all the time) but i have had alot of experience with stuff like this, i havent driven a 450 hp car but i could guess at what to expect. i honestly dont drive like a nut im cautious and im always focused...i dont think that matters much, but like i said im not some stupid 18 year old, ive been there and ive done alot more with my car than kids at my age have done wiht theirs

 

then whats the fun of having one of these cars besides cruising? and by street race i mean cruising a local highway

 

Interesting.

 

lol moneys in a utma account, now for you folk who dont know what that is it means i get the money when i turn 21, hence why i said im broke, but said later on i do have money

 

/thread

 

Very likely.

 

You have Road America in your state, one of the best road courses in the nation. Buy a helmet, get your car ready, and sign up for a track day.

 

Racing it on the track.

Yeah, right.

And you need 450 HP to cruise, why?

Having had my mere 320 RWHP car jump a curb when my foot inadvertently hit both the brake and accelerator pedal while pulling into a parking space, I know all too well how much trouble a high-horsepower street car can get you into.

 

Honestly that is a stupid comment. Take it to a god damn track. I Lost two friends in school from racing and a guy recently at work in a gto. It's defiantly not a game and needs to be taken seriously

 

that was a stupid comment, i am taking to the track but im not gonna race like a tard smart one, idk if id even want to after i fix it up, id probably just drive it on the back roads and stuff, i dont think id take the chance of wrecking it

 

after all this talk...i think ill get this http://www.jegs.com/i/GM%20Performan...0002/-1?CT=999
and yeah i know it will take a LONG time but thats what i have right now

 

So my comment was stupid because I think street racing is for idiots. You need to make up your mind. First your poor, then you gonna be loaded soon. Your gonna street race and now your gonna go to a track? Ls1 is common and your talking about a Even more common truck motor? This entire thread is full of Bs and a epic fail?

 

We all were 18 at one time, and have done stupid stuff in cars, even though they may have had the lO3 they still got us in trouble. Now, 376 ls3, 480 horse power? you still never answered my question. Have you ever gotten a ride in a ls1 based car like a camaro or firebird? answer that question then either way you go i got something to say

 

I'm done with this thread. I work investments an deal with a lot of UTMA accounts and I not only know what they are, I also know what they SHOULD be used for... And doing an expensive engine swap isn't one of those things. Use the money towards your education. You're gonna blow all that money on a swap then without an education you won't get a job and be able to fix it when you break something because you were being an idiot.

Have you told mommy or daddy what you intend on using their investment in your future for? I'd like to see how that goes...

 

Yeah, 38 years ago. And, I didn't street race. Even though I lived in a very rural area. And had a '57 Chevy.

We all need dreams and goals, but it's best when they are realized slowly.

Nobody plans on wrecking their car.

 

Holy poop. Sounds like me except now I'm 19. Go look it up. Been driving since I was 14 raced gokarts when I was 6 etc etc but yet I still have a lot to learn, driving wise. You'll figure that out when you wreck your car being dumb street racing. Just you saying that you are gonna be street racing alone makes me want to take your car away from you before you wreck a thirdgen let alone kill someone else.

Watch this: http://www.streetfire.net/video/pay-...ion_207993.htm It changed a lot of how I drived. Yeah its cheesy but gets to the point.

I have been saving up for my LSx swap for about a year now and have lots of cash saved up but yet still havent even been buying parts. You'll see, your gonna buy a motor and everything than that one little bracket is gonna cost 300 dollars and you won't have it for another month.

Just saw the motor your gonna buy. Keep dreaming, you may have the money in 3 years but you won't have a car the way you talk about street racing. Hell there is a very high chance you will be in jail for manslaughter.

 

Okay, I didn't mean to start a dogpile on the poor OP...

I think the point is made that going too fast too soon isn't good. I do know some awesome 18-year-old racers, but they only race at the track, and most (if not all) of them come from a racing family. Some of them go faster than I do (okay, several of them go faster than I do, but not driving a car that is driven to the track like I do).

With great power comes great responsibility (hey, that should be a movie line...). I haven't had an accident since 1986, and that was someone pulling out in front of me without looking first. In fact, the only accidents I've ever been involved in, a grand total of 3, were all the other driver's fault (two pulling out in front of me without looking, one a drunk rear ending me). Even so, I still catch myself getting carried away with the available power (that measly 320 RWHP) on the street (beyond the senior moment mentioned above).

Like I said, it's okay to have dreams and goals, but a dose of reality needs to be in the mix as well. Part of that being whatever you spend to make the power, figure on spending at least that much handling the power on top of that (transmission, rear end, suspension, tires, etc.).

Another part is being ready to handle a car with that much power. A couple of years ago I was giving the '57 a 100 shot to get it down to the ET required for Pinks All Out, for a total of about 500 HP, and the jump from NA to that 100 shot was downright scary. In a car I've been driving for 37 years. Turns out I overshot my goal a bit - okay, a lot - but it still took some getting used to, and that was in a "controlled" environment.

So, whatever you do, do the "smart thing" and take it easy.

 

oh whooops... both a sbc 350 and an LS1 are both 5.7 right? Thats the only reason why I said that. I guess the roundoff is barely close enough.

 

I will direct everyone to JSACRA's (sorry if i mispelled it) thread... To answer some questions....I have the money, no its not my parents' its mine. I am going to drop the LS3 in, but it will be 4 years until i do so (i am going to work on the car and fix it up right now)...This is a Dedication Build for my grandfather who bought me the car, and who also recently passed away...thats why i shall spare not one penny on restoring this car...Thank You and Have a Great Day.

 

A "350" is 349.8 cubic inches. That translates to 5.73 liters, which rounds down to 5.7 liters.

An LS1 is 345.9 cubic inches, or 5.665 liters, which rounds up to 5.7 liters.

So, neither one is exactly 5.7 liters, and even the 350 isn't quite 350 cubic inches.

 

and a 5.3 isnt a 327 which really pisses me off cuz who wants to pop their hood and have "325" on their engine covers????? lol

 

Fair enough.

Putting an LS3 into 3rd gen technically isn't "restoring" it, but I think I know what you mean.

In honor of your grandfather, don't kill yourself...

(BTW, my initial response was based solely on your own words. I don't condone street racing in any form. Cruising is fine - just keep it between the lines and within the law {including the speed limit}. Don't give the rest of us a bad name.)

 

Haha, I knew this kid wasn't serious. At least he has 3 years to do some research or he might just buy a new Kia for $10k.
I love the internet....

 

I dont think I could give ThirdGens bad name if i tried. lol

 

still no answer to my question

 

no i havent

 

Take a ride in one. Bone stock they're still ALOT of car for a young driver, most dont crack 300 to the wheels either