Hello Everyone,
I am new to this forum and was looking to introduce myself as well as network with some subject matter experts here. I have purchased a 1986 Monte Carlo SS as a roller and am looking forward to going through the car with my father as well as some friends. The G Body Monte Carlo's are sentimental to me as my father had a 1988 Monte Carlo SS when I was a kid.
The roller car I purchased came with some pretty nice parts for a BBC set up (Hooker Super Comp Long Tube Headers and a TH400 Cross-member). I am hoping to get some opinions from members here as far as recommendations for an engine and powertrain combo for my Monte Carlo. My father when I was a kid had a BBC 454 in his, however my friend's at work are all encouraging me to swap an LS motor into the car instead of a BBC.
I have researched the pros and cons of each swap and it appears that the LS engines are promoted primarily because of their reliability, price and availability, however there are a lot more mods that are needed to get an LS installed into a G Body. If I were to swap an LS motor in the Monte Carlo I would want to keep the fuel injection because to go through all the work of swapping an LS motor into the car, just to put a carb on it seems pointless to me unless I am missing something. According to my research the easiest/ cheapest route would be to get an entire pull out from a wrecked truck or car and utilize a stock ECM and stock wiring harness to get it running.
That being said after doing some research on LS engines it appears that generally speaking the LS engines need to be rev'd to reach their power bands, whereas their big block counter parts have more power without needing to hit 5K RPM. If I was to swap in an LS motor I have been looking at a 6.0L LQ4 as a base, but my concerns are that because of the lack of "cubies" present in the 6.0L vs the BBC 454 I will disappointed in it's low end raw power. I also want to keep the engine naturally aspirated and not super charge or turbo it, which is kind of making me think I will disappointed with an LS and should stick with a BBC.
My primary purpose for the car will be street driving on the weekends, but I want to have the car to have that raw power feel of "putting me in the seat" that my dads BBC had when I was a kid. I am looking for more torque than HP as this car will see minimal strip use if any and I want it to have a power in the lower RPMS as that is where the engine will be while "cruising".
I know that there have been forums addressing the LS vs BBC here in the past, but I am looking to gather opinions based on my unique application and intended use. Any opinions are greatly appreciated and I look forward to hearing from you all. I would request that opinions be accompanied with an explanation or links to information to support your opinion. Thanks in advance for your time and I look forward to meeting everyone.
I am new to this forum and was looking to introduce myself as well as network with some subject matter experts here. I have purchased a 1986 Monte Carlo SS as a roller and am looking forward to going through the car with my father as well as some friends. The G Body Monte Carlo's are sentimental to me as my father had a 1988 Monte Carlo SS when I was a kid.
The roller car I purchased came with some pretty nice parts for a BBC set up (Hooker Super Comp Long Tube Headers and a TH400 Cross-member). I am hoping to get some opinions from members here as far as recommendations for an engine and powertrain combo for my Monte Carlo. My father when I was a kid had a BBC 454 in his, however my friend's at work are all encouraging me to swap an LS motor into the car instead of a BBC.
I have researched the pros and cons of each swap and it appears that the LS engines are promoted primarily because of their reliability, price and availability, however there are a lot more mods that are needed to get an LS installed into a G Body. If I were to swap an LS motor in the Monte Carlo I would want to keep the fuel injection because to go through all the work of swapping an LS motor into the car, just to put a carb on it seems pointless to me unless I am missing something. According to my research the easiest/ cheapest route would be to get an entire pull out from a wrecked truck or car and utilize a stock ECM and stock wiring harness to get it running.
That being said after doing some research on LS engines it appears that generally speaking the LS engines need to be rev'd to reach their power bands, whereas their big block counter parts have more power without needing to hit 5K RPM. If I was to swap in an LS motor I have been looking at a 6.0L LQ4 as a base, but my concerns are that because of the lack of "cubies" present in the 6.0L vs the BBC 454 I will disappointed in it's low end raw power. I also want to keep the engine naturally aspirated and not super charge or turbo it, which is kind of making me think I will disappointed with an LS and should stick with a BBC.
My primary purpose for the car will be street driving on the weekends, but I want to have the car to have that raw power feel of "putting me in the seat" that my dads BBC had when I was a kid. I am looking for more torque than HP as this car will see minimal strip use if any and I want it to have a power in the lower RPMS as that is where the engine will be while "cruising".
I know that there have been forums addressing the LS vs BBC here in the past, but I am looking to gather opinions based on my unique application and intended use. Any opinions are greatly appreciated and I look forward to hearing from you all. I would request that opinions be accompanied with an explanation or links to information to support your opinion. Thanks in advance for your time and I look forward to meeting everyone.