Okay so im trying to scrap up some money to replace the 350 tpi in my Iroc. Alot of people do the ls1 swap which means there's more parts to make it easier of a swap. However its a in demand engine sooo its kinda expensive if you don't really look around. the car is probably going to be my DD til I find another vehical to rack up miles on. I plan on also going with a supercharger or twin turbo in the future but that wont be for a while. However the lq4 is cheaper, stronger and from what I've read, the lsx parts are interchangeable with it so id definably have to swap the intake to even fit under the hood. So my main points are what will end up with more power and still be reliable with pretty decent mpg? So I pretty much want to keep the costs down, reliable, powerful, and goof gas mileages. If you have any other ideas feel free to put it out there im open to anything

 

Iron block LQ4 without a doubt. LQ9 with L92 heads if you can find it reasonably priced.

 

that's what I want.. but the ls1 seems alot simpiler. Do I have to modify the motor mounts etc with the lq4? Plus... I also have a far in the future setup of a supercharger. But for now if I could get the lq4 id put a ls1/ls6 or fast intake on it since the stock intake on it wont fit and looks like ****

 

LQ4 best price. I found mine for $800 complete out of a 3/4 van. Installation is the same, you will just have to go a different route on mounting accessories.

 

Okay so does the ls1 have ANY other advantages over the lq4 besides weight?

 

An LQ4 is a truck LSx swap. The sticky contains the information about what's involved with using a truck engine.

The main advantage of starting with an f-body LS1 is you don't need to find LS1 pan and accessories to put on the "cheap" engine you bought.

The advantage of the LS2 & LQ4 are the 4" bore (opens up the possibilities for heads). The advantage of the iron block is you can bore it out more if necessary. The added strength of the iron block is beyond what most people would build in an aluminum block (meaning the aluminum block will most likely handle power you might build).

 

okay so pretty much if I get a alq4 then buying all the accessories needed to make it work would add up to what a ls1 costs give or take. Then im guessing after that the lq4 would be the better choice still? I doubt ill ever feel the need to bore kt out to 408ci. Does the ls1 magnacharger fit onto a lq4 engine?

 

All ls motors make great power. Only issue you have is pricing. I would go with a used LQ4. Like someone else already said LQ4/L92 heads/L76 intake a mild cam with the fbody manifolds and you have urself a potent little bang for the buck runner... easiest 450 horse you will ever make.

 

exactly what i (finally) ended up with - LQ9 block, L92 heads, LS3 intake.

in the long run, the iron blocks also do better because they can be cleaned up and bored out more than the aluminum blocks. ls1's lighter, but you pay more for the mystique of the motor. you could also bore a 5.3 out and have yourself an iron 5.7 for less than the aluminum version

 

To answer your question on parts fitting on the iron 6.0... If it fits on an LS1, it fits on the iron block. The only thing not interchangeable between the two is the pistons and heads (ls1 heads will work on the 4" bore block, but not te other way around).

Think of "lsx" as an sbc. You have 305,350,383, etc. The external dimensions of the block is the same, only differences are the guts, bore, compression ratio, etc.

 

Hope you've been over the swap costs thread. Very common for swaps to total over 7k.

 

Actually I haven't...
Me and my dad swapped a 305 to a 350 tpi so we wont really have any labor costs as we'll do it ourselves with the help of you fine people
Im only 17 so im slowly saving some money up to do this swap. Atm im at about a grand which is real good for me (almost half of my paycheck is gas and the other I save)
im going to go for 2 grand or maybe 3 and try to find a wrecked 98 up camaro or firebird or even corvette.. if I find one. Or if I get a real sweet deal on a la engine...

 

Make sure you thoroughly do your homework on this swap because there is a lot involved in it. And it does get quite costly.

 

trust me I will. Im going to a junkyard today to see what they'd charge and the shape of the engines..

 

Getting a donor car is the best thing you could do, I've seen wrecked 2002 LS1's go for under $2k complete. The majority of the parts swap over and you can recoup some finances by selling unused parts on ls1tech. Should be a cool experience for a youngster like yourself.

 

How long would you say the swap takes all in all? We swapped in the bigger tpi engine in about 2 weeks? The ls however will im sure take alot longer. Any guesses? And also, how big are you guys a fan of swapping to a forth gen dash and consul? I like how mine is now but I love how more modern that interior is.. I hear it almost bolts right up. Any cutting? And all I reallywant to swap is the dash counsel and gauges

 

i'm up to about a year now, but i'm taking my time searching for deals and parts. some have done the swap in a week with all parts handy, but that can still be pushing it.

i also went with a 4th gen TA dash as well, so they get the thumbs up from me
will require some wiring work and some modification to the ducting, take a look at the interior forum, lots of good info over there.

 

Really? I've got the 317 heads from the 2003 LQ4 sitting on the LS1/4L60E (after shaving), and my son's 2001 S10 Blazer with 5.3 bored out to 5.7 has 317 heads on it.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/ltx-...p-17-days.html

 

Well I found a offer I couldn't refuse.
a 99 z28 with everything exempt trans, drive shaft and the radio for 1400$ it was in a crash in the front and did not damage the engine so everything fenders back is great shape! Also has 3.73s
im so excited that soon I will be able to own a ls1 Iroc!
Do you guys think this was a good deal? Im hoping to sell off most of what im not using to save some cash for a t56. (The car has trans the guy took it out for another project, was a manual though and still has bellhousing etc...)
so be toward to looking for a build thread soon to come!

 

Sorry for the misinformation on the heads, they will bolt up but I don't know that you'd really want to use the 6.0 heads on a 5.7 unless you're wanting the lower compression for other reasons. There are better heads for a 5.7 if you're staying n/a.


As for the potential purchase, sounds like a really good deal to me. Get it!

 

317's are 243's with larger chambers. I had the 317's shaved to return the chambers to LS1 value.

 

Doesn't that take away the ability of running a really big cam when you shave the deck like that though?

 

Yes... Unless you want to flycut. Thats why my camshaft is not bigger, the 2.08 intake valve is a monster.

 

I didn't shave the deck, I shaved the heads.

I'm just running an LS6 cam and stock valves. Runs fine for what I'm doing.

Guess I'll log off and drive it home...

 

I meant the deck of the head, but I guess it wouldnt matter which was shaved because you'd get the same result anyways.