Got A Question About Doing An LS Swap?

[Turbolq4]

I'm pretty sure nobody actually answered motorheadmike's original question. It's a bear of a question, and there are only a zillion websites you have to read before you're actually ready to ask a question. Just figuring out which cars/trucks have aluminum blocks will make you crazy. I'm going to go way out on a limb and timidly ask a question about a donor.

My local Craigslist often has (mostly pickups/vans/Tahoes/etc) in the 1999-2007 range with less than 200K and nonfatal defects (bad trannys, blown head gaskets, runs with unknown engine noises, etc.) for $2500 or less. 4.8 to 6.0, 2WD or 4WD. Most have decent bodies and mechanical stuff in sellable shape. It seems to me the unmolested engine/trans with computer and wiring are well worth that kind of money for a Gen II swap with great potential.

Do I need to read another seventy-leven web sites before I ask for more help?

Cheers - Gary

Edit - I'm enough of an engineer to buy HP Tuner and do my own wiring.

Edit2 - My goal is 375 HP or whatever I can get without buying any third party sh*t that costs over $500.

Edit3 - Just to be clear, that $500 is for goodies; I'll spend whatever is needed to get the engine and transmission working properly. I'd anticipate getting whichever stock Gen III+ used valve train parts will meet my goal, for instance.

I'm not sure exactly what you are asking here but I will attempt to help.

375 crankshaft horsepower is pretty easy. A cam change will accomplish that on all of them.
If you are looking to build something in the future then the 6.0 has the most aftermarket support by far.
4.8/5.3 are everywhere compared to the 6.0.
Aluminum 5.3s are rare(ish). RPO code is L33 in the trucks, look for it on the glove box door.

 

[Turbolq4]

Question on LS Swap. 4l60e Transmission. What do i do about the shift linkage and setting it up to my car??

Sent from my LGLS755 using Tapatalk

Stock column shifter in your car? I reused my stock column shifter and linkage with the 4l80e trans which has the same bracket on the side as the 60e. It shifts through all gears except first. I just adjusted it as needed to make it do what I wanted. I could probably modify it to shift first if I really wanted but it's not a necessity with 540+ lb/ft at the tire.

 

[Jino]

Stock column shifter in your car? I reused my stock column shifter and linkage with the 4l80e trans. It shifts through all gears except first. I just adjusted it as needed to make it do what I wanted. I could probably modify it to shift first if I really wanted but it's not a necessity with 540+ lb/ft at the tire.

It isn't anymore unfortunately. Had a 350/350 swap on a base mondel Monte Carlo

Sent from my LGLS755 using Tapatalk

 

[Jino]

Stock column shifter in your car? I reused my stock column shifter and linkage with the 4l80e trans which has the same bracket on the side as the 60e. It shifts through all gears except first. I just adjusted it as needed to make it do what I wanted. I could probably modify it to shift first if I really wanted but it's not a necessity with 540+ lb/ft at the tire.

Column is there and the link is there. But the piece with the spring is gone

Sent from my LGLS755 using Tapatalk

 

[Turbolq4]

Easiest way would be to put a four speed ratchet style b&m cable shifter or something similar in it.

 

[Z48LT1]

I'm not sure exactly what you are asking here but I will attempt to help.

375 crankshaft horsepower is pretty easy. A cam change will accomplish that on all of them.
If you are looking to build something in the future then the 6.0 has the most aftermarket support by far.
4.8/5.3 are everywhere compared to the 6.0.
Aluminum 5.3s are rare(ish). RPO code is L33 in the trucks, look for it on the glove box door.

The thrust of my question is, is any LS vehicle that runs and drives for $2500 a reasonable donor for an LS swap with modest performance goals if you're going to do most of the work yourself?

Thanks - Gary

 

[motorheadmike]

I'm pretty sure nobody actually answered motorheadmike's original question. It's a bear of a question, and there are only a zillion websites you have to read before you're actually ready to ask a question. Just figuring out which cars/trucks have aluminum blocks will make you crazy. I'm going to go way out on a limb and timidly ask a question about a donor.

My local Craigslist often has (mostly pickups/vans/Tahoes/etc) in the 1999-2007 range with less than 200K and nonfatal defects (bad trannys, blown head gaskets, runs with unknown engine noises, etc.) for $2500 or less. 4.8 to 6.0, 2WD or 4WD. Most have decent bodies and mechanical stuff in sellable shape. It seems to me the unmolested engine/trans with computer and wiring are well worth that kind of money for a Gen II swap with great potential.

Do I need to read another seventy-leven web sites before I ask for more help?

Cheers - Gary

Edit - I'm enough of an engineer to buy HP Tuner and do my own wiring.

Edit2 - My goal is 375 HP or whatever I can get without buying any third party sh*t that costs over $500.

Edit3 - Just to be clear, that $500 is for goodies; I'll spend whatever is needed to get the engine and transmission working properly. I'd anticipate getting whichever stock Gen III+ used valve train parts will meet my goal, for instance.

Honestly your best bet is to buy the "exact" combo you want still in a running donor vehicle - that is how our wagon went so smoothly (we already owned the '02 Camaro).

Depending upon the year of the donor the wiring and tuning offer varying degrees of challenge.

You can make +/-375hp with some pretty standard stuff regardless of the displacement. A used early z06 cam ($50-150) and yellow beehives ($70ish new), a TBSS intake ($250-300) or Dorman Truck intake, and some reworked eBay 4th Gen F-body headers ($200ish new) and you are done (that is more or less $500ish in parts all day).

Yeah, the incidentals will kill you financially.

Just start a build thread and ask for help if you cannot find the answer, or are uncertain of the research you've done.

 

[Turbolq4]

The thrust of my question is, is any LS vehicle that runs and drives for $2500 a reasonable donor for an LS swap with modest performance goals if you're going to do most of the work yourself?

Thanks - Gary

Yes.

 

[motorheadmike]

Thought this was a pretty good first hand account of some of the challenges:

 

[Turbolq4]

I agree. Not the same platform but same little issues pop up.