Hi!

I am starting a long process of restoring my '91 t-top Firebird. I have owned the car for about 13 years and about four years ago it stopped running. I didn't have time then to work on it much to find out what is wrong. I can't bear to part with the car, so I decided then to restore it. Since it won't run anyway, I've decided to do an engine swap. I've never attempted anything like it before, but always enjoy working on cars. I think I will likely go with an LSX, if I can find a decent one for not too much cash.

This car won't be used at the strip, or likely as a daily driver, either. I would like a decent amount of power (for fun and enjoyment, but also for a little bit of bragging rights), without losing the drivability of the car (not taking out the A/C, etc). I don't need to make 500 HP, or run in the 10's, or anything crazy like that. I just want the best balance I can get between drivability/gas mileage and power. I know some would say that's ridiculous (after all, who drives a v8 for the gas mileage), but I just want something that is fun to cruise around in, sounds great, and doesn't get like 8 MPG (and then I can't afford to drive it at $3.30+ per gallon).

Are there any tips on what can be done to achieve this with an LSX?

Thanks!
-bigpeet

 

Get a nice used 5.3 or 6.0 truck engine and go from there. Just change the intake manifold to a ls6 version. It may seem Like a hard task but it's not.

 

Great gas mileage and power is easily achievable with a 3rd gen LSx fbody. Start doing some research and digging through some of the builds here and you should be able to put together a good idea of what your getting yourself into.

 

5.3 or 5.7 dropout fit your goals. I beat the tar out of my 5.3/4L60E swap and still got 27mpg highway pretty regularly. Would have been higher if I kept my foot out of it more. Even a stock swap was over double the power of the old 305

 

I have seen a ton of nice builds on here! I'm hoping one day my car can turn out even half as nice as some that I have seen. I'll keep browsing the site.

Since I'm going to be building a little at a time (time and money permitting), is it wiser to buy the engine first, or the components to make the car ready for the engine (K-member, suspension components, etc.)? As I said, I'm new at the restoration game.

 

if the car's driveable (which it sounds like its not), i would have started with all the suspension and chassis stuff - you can still drive the car while upgrading those parts. collecting the engine & swap parts takes a while and a good chunk of money, don't need more downtime than necessary if its gets driven a lot.

if you can find a complete ls1 setup out of an fbody, it will cut down on some of the extras you need to hunt down when you buy a truck motor (accessories, intake, pan, etc). may cost a bit more up front, but it'll save time and money down the road.

5.3L is a nice option if you can get the fbody stuff for a reasonable price.

(i do realize i've ignored all of these recommendations myself, but i like the hard way sometimes and don't mind waiting around for deals to pop up)