I haven't done the math but the ICT Billet brackets that repackage the truck accessories is intriguing to me.
Thoughts on a LS1 complete drop in swap-any better bang for the buck?
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This is a pet peeve of mine.......you see claims of dirt cheap LS swaps but they forget to account for all the little nickel and dime parts......or they have parts given to them by friends ........or part out a complete donor vehicle and make money on it.
If you had to legitimately buy all the parts......and did all of your own work (rework harness, build exhaust), you could do a bare bones LS swap for $2k into a g body starting with a complete $500 5.3 or 4.8.
Going with a carb will cost more than sticking with factory FI parts on an ls.
Especially if you want to keep the e-OD trans. Also overlooked are gauges and peripherals aside from the mounts to make it fit. I like the way Motorhead Mike rolls; it's a complete package. You need to know how to tune, and what brings everything together. Anybody can pay to or slap one in, and, yes, it will be a marked improvement over the stock engine, but you're just another sheep in the flock.
I absolutely do not understand why any one would put a carb on a LS motor, why would you put obsolete technology onto new technology? Only answer I can think of it the EFI and setup is intimidating to some. It would still be cheaper to pay for harness work and a computer flash in that case. The things you gain from keeping the EFI is the appeal of it.
I've said it before: take your existing engine and put a Holley Super Sniper on it with a Torque Storm supercharger. That'll make an easy 400whp all day long for less money/aggravation, not be an LS-whatever, and saves you the hassle of a swap.
You do not need more than 400hp at the wheels in a street car.
You do not need more than 400hp at the wheels in a street car.
I'm not strapping a super charger on a cast internal engine. "I've said it before" (lol) I am not keeping the SBC in this car, I want a modern dependable fuel efficient engine in this car. I need something new, the garage is full of SBC, BBC and BBF, I have already done the EFI on a SBC... TPI, HSR.... I am buying property at lake of the Ozarks in the next few years which is a 6 hour drive for me and I want a fun car I can drive down there at 80 mph and not stop for fuel as often as I do driving my diesel. The hills around the lake are made for a well handling car.
My problem with the 4L60 through 70E besides the 1-2 gear drop is the 3/4 clutch pack failure. I have seen it first hand. GM has an updated reman that our local trans shop installs. It is cheaper than they can rebuild them and has a 3 year warranty. I believe there was a tab on the issue.
Well I have news for you: those EFI'd SBCs you had before must have been really out of tune or very poorly built with the incorrect combination of parts or both. Because any engine that has EFI and runs at or near stoich (14.7:1) and is built on sound principles will get outstanding gas mileage and make good power. I had a 5 speed TPI 305 with ported everything, a lumpy cam, and headers at that thing pulled down 22mpg combined - Why? - Because I ensured that the BLMs/INTs (aka LTFT/STFT) were in spec; my Turbo Buick with a TH400 and loose converter got 18mpg combined with 83pph injectors and Speed Density running on a lean cruise (15.5:1 AFR); our TBSS (before the Procharger and other nonsense) was tuned to pull down 22mpg highway - with the whole family and their crap in it.
The way that the new bolt-on EFI systems work with wideband integration and target AFRs really do eliminate the excuses of poor running engines - as long as the basis is in a good state and not poorly packaged (ie. big lazy intake ports, low compression, 3/4 race cam, a non-lock-up converter, 4.88 gears, and so on). From the sounds of things you want to value engineer yourself into a solution and have convinced yourself of what you want - not what you need - which is fine; and since you have all the answers I am going to politely see myself out of this discussion (lol).
FYI - all of the cheap LS stuff, including the LS1/6, are made of cast internals. It is the tuning, not the material specs, which allow them to live long, happy, powerful lives. The LS2 in my TBSS loves the D1SC I strapped to its high-mileage cast guts.
I personally like the character of N/A LS based engines. My wagon will probably end up that way. Just a stock, quiet, smooth 5.3 is triple the stock power and easily knocks down better fuel mileage. Reliable with easy to find parts and willing to play when you feel like pushing the go pedal.
I have over 10k in my turbocharged 5.3 Malibu sedan. It's pretty stout but I run it hard and have pushed my luck a few times. It would be more reliable with a bigger turbo or less boost/timing but who wants less power???
I have over 10k in my turbocharged 5.3 Malibu sedan. It's pretty stout but I run it hard and have pushed my luck a few times. It would be more reliable with a bigger turbo or less boost/timing but who wants less power???
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