LS Swap in 86 Grand Prix 231 3.8 V6

[rodmit86]

I am thinking about swapping my 231 v6 3.8l engine for a LS engine and wanted to see if someone had already did a similar project and what would be the best LS engine to swap. I am not a mechanic but I will like to know before searching for a shop to do the job.

 

[87National]

If not looking to do the labor yourself, you would be money ahead by selling your GP and buying a gbody that has already been swapped.

 

[ck80]

If not looking to do the labor yourself, you would be money ahead by selling your GP and buying a gbody that has already been swapped.

Or at least starting with a former v8 car so you dont have as much immediate cooling, suspension, and ac modifications

I'm about as anti ls engine as they come. But I don't mind helping someone who wants to cut up their own car go into things eyes open.

What's your project budget, and how long can you afford it to be down for?

 

[64nailhead]

amateur mechanic - 1984 base MC gets 5.3L/4L60e

I've been asking a lot of questions on this site and lurking for a year. I was too lazy to work hard to save money to do this in high school like my friends did. It's a good thing I waited because the technology got a lot better over the last 30 years. I got $10,000 worth of parts going into...

gbodyforum.com

Read this thread^^^^

He pulled it off with some skills, but not an expert at the beginning of the deal, but pretty much one by the end.


I see this is your 1st post. There is so much info on tis forum about swapping to an LS that one could spend a week reading all of it. Spend some time looking and reading, then ask questions.

If you want to learn how to do it, then you'll find about all you need here IMHO.

Post some pics of your car and what you expect from your LS swap.

 

[Built6spdMCSS]

I see this is your 1st post. There is so much info on this forum about swapping to an LS that one could spend a week reading all of it. Spend some time looking and reading, then ask questions.

Can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink...


LS in a Gbody is a LS in a Gbody... doesn't matter V6, V8, what make or model.. mount it with the drivetrain, then exhaust, fuel system, cooling system, suspension & brakes, wire it with the gauges, tune it, fckn send it.

 

[rodmit86]

Or at least starting with a former v8 car so you dont have as much immediate cooling, suspension, and ac modifications

I'm about as anti ls engine as they come. But I don't mind helping someone who wants to cut up their own car go into things eyes open.

What's your project budget, and how long can you afford it to be down for?

Or at least starting with a former v8 car so you dont have as much immediate cooling, suspension, and ac modifications

I'm about as anti ls engine as they come. But I don't mind helping someone who wants to cut up their own car go into things eyes open.

What's your project budget, and how long can you afford it to be down for?

It's a project car. I love 86 GPs. I just want to put an engine in that would add some horsepower. Little fun. I was just going to keep the stock engine in it. To be honest I'm not a big fan of the ls engine either but they do look nice in the old cars.

 

[64nailhead]

Two things about a project. 1st - know before you start how much you want to spend and how much you can spend - then add 30%; 2nd, have a goal of what will make you happy in terms of power, performance and drivability.

If you don't do these two things, then the chances of the finishing the project decrease by a factor of 4 IMO. Without knowing you, your experience or history I'll offer up my opinion on a thing or two. 350whp from a 5.3 or 6.0 is a crap ton of tire spinning power (and fun). If you want a fun driver, then don't get tangled up in all of the internet BS that will cost you alot of money with no benefit. Plan on no less than $2K to pull off an LS swap (if you're frugal).

Best of luck - Jim

 

[ck80]

It's a project car. I love 86 GPs. I just want to put an engine in that would add some horsepower. Little fun. I was just going to keep the stock engine in it. To be honest I'm not a big fan of the ls engine either but they do look nice in the old cars.

If you were to consider, say, a buick 350 v8 or other buick v8, you could literally drop it onto your engine mounts, use your existing power steering pump without even disconnecting the system (and your other accessories like the a/c) and be driving the same day with minimal expense and downtime.

Upgrade the radiator, plan to upgrade the weak th200c transmission with a th350, but other than that it's a simple swap that start to finish is a weekend worth of work and relatively little labor. Almost no parts to buy.
Almost no modifications. And it adds a nice bit or horsepower to aid drivability and highway merging/passing.

If you're just after a cruiser with a tad more oomph it's a cheap way to go

 

[ck80]

. Plan on no less than $2K to pull off an LS swap (if you're frugal).

Best of luck - Jim

Jim, only caveat to that is he's paying a shop to do all the work.

The scary parts of that are them running up the bill on labor, and, will they do some poor hack work making the swap. It's not like the OP is going to pick at it himself.

 

[Built6spdMCSS]

Two things about a project. 1st - know before you start how much you want to spend and how much you can spend - then triple it.

I fixed that for you.