General questions 2007 LQ4

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Ribbedroof

Comic Book Super Hero
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Jan 4, 2009
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I may have an opportunity to buy a van at work for pretty cheap. Belongs to a floor refinishing company that has been restructuring how they operate.

Now, the Express van itself is pretty much a POS, because the guys that worked there ...well, it wasn't THEIR van, so little care was given to the doors and sheetmetal (we've repaired sliding doors/handles a few times on this one). I only got interested because while it was inside, I happened to notice it was a 2500 series with a 6.0. The small research I did says this should be an LQ4 with a 4l80E. I didn't even look to see how many miles, but the owner of the company is a stickler about mechanical upkeep. They no longer provide vans to the employees, they have to bring their own and work on a contract labor basis. So, this unit has been hibernating in our lot for close to 2 years. It gets moved around from time to time, and gets used as a portable parts warehouse sometimes. Boss is tired of it sitting around and mentioned that he's thinking it needs to go, but the van owner doesn't really want to update the 3 year old registration for a van that isn't worth much and doesn't really need for his business anymore.

I know miles make a difference, but what do you guys think a complete drivetrain with everything attached is worth...real world? I see salvage yards locally are pretty proud of these, even with 200K or better on them.

What is the "normal" mile/life expectancy on these when they're relatively well cared for?

I think I saw numbers like 300 HP and mid 300s on torque as delivered?

Worth looking into, or are there better choices?

I'd wind up with the whole thing, and while I really don't have swap plans at the moment, I figured maybe save for unknown project to come, or flip for a little operating capital
 
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81cutlass

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Feb 16, 2009
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A 6.0 with harness, ecm, accessories and good 4l80e is worth $1000-$1200 all day long.

They are designed to be beat on so even if it has 200k its still got plenty of life left.

07 van might be the good gen 4 internals with a cable throttle body so it might be one of the more desireable setups.
 
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Northernregal

Sloppy McRodbender
Oct 24, 2017
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The more miles on those the better, its gen 4 rotating assembly is the best, without AFM or DOD. The trans might need clutches but itll probably be just fine with a shift kit for mid powered drivetrain swap. If it's a cable driven E38 ECM it would be the Holy Grail for a turbo candidate.

Slap a cam in it and some headers and you will have a 450hp hot rod motor. That's a win!
 
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oldsmobile joe

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Nov 12, 2015
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this is the set up I'm working with for my rabbit hole project on my 79 calais. the van is 2wd and drive by cable for these years. price varies, but at least you know the history and it drives. i can't say what the price should be. you know the market in your area. if you can get for less then market value, i'd grab it.

here is the info from summit on the lq4. the later years had better heads and cam, hence the higher hp and torque.

 
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Turbolq4

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Sep 25, 2017
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That's THE setup of choice for almost any direction you could wish for. Mild and smooth with good power and high teens economy in totally stock form. Rowdy with a serious cam. .600+ lift with only aftermarket valve springs makes 450+. Add a turbo to it in either form and it'll make ocean liner torque all while embarrassing almost anything else on the road. The engine with harness is $1500-1800 around here. Trans is another 5-900ish.
 
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Tony1968

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Jul 1, 2018
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I got my LQ4 for 1200 with all wiring and computer which I'll eventually sell because I'm running Terminator Xmax. 4L80e was about 500 and part of a swap deal so really got it for next to nothing but rebuilt it better than stock... This is midwest pricing that I see almost everyday. Don't know about the rest of the country. Btw my LQ4 had only 80k miles on her as a 2002 and cross hatch was beautiful and so were the bearings. High mileage is only a hindrance if it was poorly maintained.
 
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L92 OLDS

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Mar 30, 2012
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Last winter I disassembled a 5.3 with 248K miles on it. There was some sludge in this motor so it was clear it had not been perfectly cared for all of it's life. Bearings on the bottom end were all good and cross hatching was still visible in the bores. Bore gauge checks confirmed that the bores were all still within specification. The lifters were shot as was the valve train. Several push rods and rocker arms had abnormal wear but other than that the engine was in remarkable condition for the mileage and neglect.

I personally wouldn't worry about the mileage. In my area, 99' and up 4L80 cores start at $400. You can do it! Keep us posted.
 
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Texas82GP

Just-a-worm
Apr 3, 2015
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Well worth buying even if you just flip it. I had no idea the LQ4 went that late. When I saw 2007, I was thinking LY6 which is Gen IV, DBW, VVT. Did they update the LQ4 to Gen IV rotating assembly, the rectangle port heads and still leave it as the same RPO designation (LQ4)?
 
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