slidestyle

alright so I am new to this v8 game. I have always had 4cyl. motors and one was turbocharged. I am getting ready to start competing in drift competitions and i have been considering my options as far as what motors to go with and i am highly considering going with a v8. I'm not a newb in the car scene, just moving into the new era of swaps and what motor i can get the most hp and tq without having to put a ton of money into to get it into the 350 to the wheels range.

I love ls1's, been around them a little bit and it is for sure an ideal motor for me but the cost factor is another thing so i have been looking into other options and The truck motors are something im trying to get more information on.

The 5.3L is the one i have been primarily looking at and the question i have is can i put ls1 heads on it or would i even need to? what mods are recommended for this motor to get into ls1 form?

and the 6.0 truck motor is another, i havent looked into this one as much as the 5.3 but i would like to know it would be a better buy over a 5.3?

I have found several 5.3's in wrecked trucks for under 1k with low mileage around my area and a couple 6.0's for a little more id say lol.

lets focus on the 5.3, what can be done without having to do any boring or anything to get the power numbers up on it. I plan on putting in a mild cam with valve springs and retainers maybe some hardened push rods?? but other than that i don't want to have to do too much, maybe head gaskets depending on the condition of the motor.

jakerps13

iTrader: (3)

Basic headers, tr224 cam (or similar), springs, pushrods and a good tune can put you at 330-350rwhp. I'm running the ms3 cam with 366rwhp but it's a big cam for the lil 5.3. Make it happy and keep it under 6200rpms for sustained periods like I'm sure you'll be doing.

the.erinyes

iTrader: (3)

If you are looking for one of these motors, try to get an aluminum block if possible. It will save about a hundred pounds in front end weight. You may find someone on here doing an iron block in a 240, but I think most of us are using an aluminum block engine to save weight.

Black LS-14

iTrader: (1)

You dont necessarily have to stick with the aluminum block. With an iron block your car will weigh roughly the same as a KA-T. You can do a nice good sized cam along with necessary valvetrain upgrades to support the cam along with some stock ported heads and get somewhere around your mark. Oh yeah. STAY AWAY FROM Hinson Supercars!

jakerps13

iTrader: (3)

Not that I'm saying it's a bad idea for the Al blocks but it's just tough to find and somewhat expensive.

The ka with auto is about 40lbs heavier than a ls1/t56. Iron lm7 weighs roughly 80lbs more than the ls1. So you're about 40-50lbs more than the stock ka with auto. Think of the 2jz swapped guys at 595lbs just engine compared to the ls1 at 390lbs just engine.

I'm not going to waste my time with 40lbs.

slidestyle

i dont think i will be going with the AL. block. The Hp difference and the weight difference is not going to kill me over the iron besides all the tq in a 2k lb car is going to make it seem like its ungodly and to tell you what i just need it beable to spin very easliy from 1st to the top of 3rd gear while holding decent angle.

I have been into sr20's for awhile and i have never been so excited thinking about a swap as i have been with this one. Its going to biblical for me hehe

Shadytrixta1

make sure you take sometime and dont cheap out on the oiling and cooling systems for this setup. My buddy had a maggie powered LS13 that was used in legit competion...the only problems we had with the car was oiling and slingin belts.

jameso1985

over the past year i built a LS1 240sx.. it was an 1989 coupe .. i bought the kit from my friend rich @ daftinnovations.com . ive been going to his shop for a few years now and finally decided to do the swap when i came up on a cheap motor set up that i couldnt refuse. i purchased a 98 LS1 motor and t56 6 speed tranny w wiring and pcm for 1500 bux.. great deal. i then started doing research on the ls1 motors and found out some helpful tips.. the early ls1's oil pumps fail w no warning so upgrade to an LS6 oil pump from slpparts.com i also learned that the rod bolts on those motors break at high rpm. so i replaced them w katech rod bolts. reason being if your gunna be drifting your gunna be tacking out that motor. dont wanna destroy your set up.i would NOT recommend getting a iron block.. AT ALL especially now that the ls1 240 has been around and alot more people are doing it.when i had my set up i weighed the car before and after and w the ls1 and t56 it was 50 lbs lighter than w stock ka.. car was 2650 lbs.. soo for you to go backwards and ad weight would not be the smartest.. AND you dont want to stick and lt1 in your 240 when u can get decent ls1 setup w tranny for 2500 .. if you search craigslist..personally i would purchase the full kit from rich.. EVERYTHING that he sells.. i did. i even had him do the wiring and had no problems what so ever. car ran like a dream. i would recommend getting a gto motor and tranny. the trannys have different gearing more desireable for us drifters. and you might get lucky and get a motor w the 243 heads instead of the 241 and then all you'll need is to get a ls6 intake and youll be 400+hp .. here are a few websites i used
http://www.indycarz.com/forum/showpo...29&postcount=5
http://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?article=4
http://www.chevythunder.com/ls1_page_1.htm
http://www.installuniversity.com/ins...afapalooza.htm
www.daftinnovations.com
http://s269.photobucket.com/albums/j...20240sx%20ls1/