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LTX and LSXPutting LT1s, LS1s, and their variants into Third Gens is becoming more popular. This board is for those who are doing and have done the swaps so they can discuss all of their technical aspects including repairs, swap info, and performance upgrades.
After years of wondering what I was going to do with my Camaro I finally have a little direction. After blowing up my v6 motor on the highway I knew it was time to get serious about this project and swap in a V8. Say what you want to say about FORD, but this Mustang was brought new by my parents and handed down to me and it have never broke down. lol
Last edited by Destro Camaro; Jan 9, 2018 at 07:47 PM.
I found a 2002 5.3 DBW motor out of a Tahoe for $300 on craigslist. It was on of those "it ran when pulled" deals. I was in such a hurry to spend my hard earned money I did not check to see if the engine turned freely. (dumb amateur mistake.)
After about a week I got the engine to rotate freely I tore into it to see what I was working with.
So after licking my wombs from buy a 300 dollar paper weight, I pulled myself together and got to work. I filled the sparkplug holes up with penetrating oil and tried to turn the crank every day for a week. Once I got it to free up I tore into the engine to see what I was working with.
I don’t have the pictures of the condition of the cylinder walls when I pulled the heads off but they weren’t that bad. I gave the engine a real hot bath with dawn soap. Evert thing in my opinion clean up well with some elbow grease.
(Disclaimer) This is my first time tear into an engine by myself, most of my knowledge comes from this site, my dad who is a real mechanic but lives 6hr away, YouTube and the internet. After watch a few youtube videos and reading and learning about “cross hatching” I decided to try to hone the motor myself.
So after trying to hone the engine myself, I was not happy with the result. As I purchase parts for the build I QUICKLY realize that this will be a slow expensive build. There no need for me to half azz or rush through building this car. So I have decided to take it all apart and send it out to be professionally cleaned, checked and resurfaced. I just will have to cut back on a few things cash wise and put into my engine.
If anyone have any advice on doing the swap Im all ears. I have gained a lot of knowledge so far but you can never have enough when doing a build like this.
So after trying to hone the engine myself, I was not happy with the result. As I purchase parts for the build I QUICKLY realize that this will be a slow expensive build. There no need for me to half azz or rush through building this car. So I have decided to take it all apart and send it out to be professionally cleaned, checked and resurfaced. I just will have to cut back on a few things cash wise and put into my engine.
This is the smart thing to do. Especially if the engine was seized. However, be prepared to not be able to reuse the stock pistons. If that is the case, have your shop overbore to an LS1 bore and your piston options increase dramatically.
Set a realistic power goal for yourself and assign a budget. These swaps snow ball quickly. Your car, in stock trim, has many weaknesses that need to be addressed to support a swap lie this. So make sure you save for the supporting mods that will need to be addressed (Exhaust, fuel, wiring, ect).
Last edited by ShiftyCapone; Jan 10, 2018 at 07:34 AM.
Been gone for a while but have made a lot progress so far. Sold the first engine to a guy who wanted to bore the engine so my engine worked out perfect for him. Since I been away I have got another engine from a truck that flipped. I guess the second time is a charm.
Last edited by Destro Camaro; Jul 15, 2018 at 07:39 PM.
Back at the Pick-a-Part again for the wire harness and PCM. 35 dollars TAKE THAT EBAY!!!!!
I been gathering a lot of info over the internet to make a stand alone harness. Youtube channels and websites. Here is a few that I found helpful. Alone with Pockets very informative write ups.
All I can say I wish I had the extra cash to have my harness "rework", I loved all the hard work and hated it at the same time. After completely messing up the this harness it was back to the junk yard for another harness to start over. I think I'm going to rename this project "the second time is the charm" LOL
I couldnt wait anymore, I just had to see what it look like in the engine bay. With 30 minutes to spare I dropped the engine in before work. I almost wanted to call off just to stare at it. Surprisingly it went in real easy.
Thank you QwkTrip, its finally starting to come together. Sending my PCM off to Brandon at LT1swap.com to have the computer done up. Can't wait to hair it fire up in the car.
Have you considered a cam swap? Cheapest power increase there is and it would be quite easy at this stage of the build. People sell nice used cams all the time for about $200 - $250 at LS1tech.com.
I'm not well versed about the latest grinds for cathedral port 6.0L. I'm guessing you want it very drivable and great idle. Probably something in the mid-220's duration at 0.05" lift. Maybe go over to LS1tech and poke around or post up a question.
Have you considered a cam swap? Cheapest power increase there is and it would be quite easy at this stage of the build. People sell nice used cams all the time for about $200 - $250 at LS1tech.com.
A 6.0L will run hard after a cam swap....
I agree with QwkTrip. i wanted to get my swap running and deal with bugs before a cam swap. i should have done it first.
mine is a budget swap. and i know there are better cams out there. i found a brand new gmpp hot cam kit for $250.00. i'm doing the tuning now and that thing is waking up. i'm very happy with that motor.
I loved my lq4 with just a texas speed 228r cam.Made 330whp with just a tune on stock heads and stock manifolds.Drove great,had good torque..and a nice lopey sound idling at 750-800rpms.When i switched to milled 243 heads I gained 50whp all else the same. the 6.0 wakes up with very little push.Cheap china longtube headers gained me another 30whp. if your not rushing to finish the project...might aswell put a cam in now before its all together and then have it tuned.it will still run on a stock tune until you hit a dyno for fine adjustments.
Everyone thank you for the info and advice. That is what I love about this website a lot of information. So I been checking out cams kits and reading up on the different kinds. As of now my plan is to get it all together and at least able to go around the block. When I take the engine back out to paint the engine bay I will work on performance parts.
Do anyone have a opinion on the Trunnion upgrade kits? Read that the stock rocker arms are crap!
Do anyone have a opinion on the Trunnion upgrade kits? Read that the stock rocker arms are crap!
The stock rocker arm designs are actually pretty decent. A trunion upgrade is always a good idea when swapping cams. The stock rockers get into trouble when you put in a cam with greater than .600 lift with aggressive ramps. The cam also extends the RPM range of the rockers by 1000 rpm which ultimately is what does them in (side loading, scrubbing valve tips etc). GM has been using needle bearings in them for 20 years now, so they aren't that bad. However, look into the Staub bushing kits.
Got the dash in. i did not take a new picture with the v8 gauge cluster and the updated steering wheel. Hooking up the cluster,lights and steering wheel was kinda easy.
SPDC sells a 205/210 cam that works with stock truck springs and doesn't require tuning and will bump the power a bit, $300 cam.
Trickflow traxxmax sells a 214/224 I think for $287, but will require a spring upgrade.
Summit/Jegs sell cams in the $280 range but they are like sloppy stage 1 & 2 but will work well NA as well.
You could also rock a stock LS6 cam or even an LS3 cam with a front cover sensor and other small changes. Or even the LS9 cam which are $100 new and are 211/230 I think.
For even your stock motor I recommend swapping the stock truck springs for a new set of LS6 blue springs... they are $70-80 for all 16, they are stiffer than the truck but mild enough and cheap, they swap right in and reuse all the stock hardware.
Also I recommend retrofitting the stock rockers with a bushing kit. The LS rockers have the tendancy to spill needle bearings for no reason, when it happens its basically gauranteed to get sucked into the oil pump and bye bye motor. The aftermarket bearing kits are cr@p and actually wear and put metal in the oil after short time. Bushing kits are the way to go even for a stock setup as they will outlast and quiet down the stock rockers. Ive done both straub and CHE and I run both. Straub are good for a slightly lower price ($150-170) but much harder to assemble and you need a press or vice. I just installed a new set of CHE bushings and these are the newest version which you slip together by hand, no way to screw it up and super easy. They are a NICE kit and I actually prefer them over the straubs and they run about $200. Its a nice upgrade and will quiet the motor down as well and peice of mind that your high mileage rockers wont commit suicide.
Haters can say all they want but I’ve owned a few mustangs and they’re great. I love thirdgens and own a Silverado but I’ve had better luck with fords. I’ve gotta drop top 98 gt sitting outside my shop right now I scored for $400. Haven’t decided if it’s my next project or flip though.
You do plan to weld the k member closed though right?
Real low budget! lol I have read over your tread a few times I always like seeing people getting it done! Gives me hope that I will finish my car someday.
Do all your testing, access mods, and record keeping while the engine is accessible
i.e.
1. do compression test and write down the numbers to the nearest decimal. Also get a second opinion if it comes up funny.
2. leakdown test if you can
3. boost pressure test the plumbing/intake manifold to just over whatever pressure you will run. In this case a couple psi is fine.
4. pressure test the crankcase with only 1-2psi max to check for leaks which will inhibit PCV and create oils leaks
5. make sure you can access all 8 spark plugs with engine in car. If not, do something to do the car to make it easier while you can.
cam recommendation
a. use the lowest lift you can find, many truck cam grinds for example have .550-.580 lift, which is ideal for long-term reliability (if reliability is your thing)
b. Don't go too much duration(225+ @ .050) because a typical OEM 5.3 might not appreciate being spun to 7k all the time. If you want to go 'up there' use the 4.8L engine instead (short stroke 5.3).
and c. if you plan to tune this yourself with HPtuners, tuning for the first time with an aftermarket cam can be a challenge....
Last edited by Kingtal0n; Dec 17, 2018 at 12:20 PM.
cam recommendation
a. use the lowest lift you can find, many truck cam grinds for example have .550-.580 lift, which is ideal for long-term reliability (if reliability is your thing)
.
If you want to use an OEM style valve spring than I agree (although you should always change springs with a cam swap). However, lift can be your friend on these motors and give you the "free power" compared to the same duration cam with smaller lift. If you are going to keep the stock rocker arms than you don't really want to go above .600" lift. At that point the stock rocker scrubs the valve tip and causes side load, and causes valvetrain stability issues.
If you want to use an OEM style valve spring than I agree (although you should always change springs with a cam swap). However, lift can be your friend on these motors and give you the "free power" compared to the same duration cam with smaller lift. If you are going to keep the stock rocker arms than you don't really want to go above .600" lift. At that point the stock rocker scrubs the valve tip and causes side load, and causes valvetrain stability issues.
right, for reliability, keep a stockish rocker, many even keep stock pushrods. That means no serious lift or spring, regardless of what cam choice, it needs to be under .599
I recommend .550-.57 max
And for reference. The stock spring for truck engine head is fairly weak. The spring part#PAC1218 is used with factory rockers, factory pushrods on reliable 5.3L engines at 600-800rwhp. So, something a bit less stiff than that would probably work well and even more reliable.
i give you props for making your own harness. i wanted to give it a try, but was too paranoid i'd screw it up. for me, wiring is the worst part of the whole LS swap.
