Nate_67RS

OK so i have a 67 RS with 250 I6/powerglide it's been sitting for a while the motor is way Tired and after alot of thought i decided to step up to an LS1.
But i'm not sure which ls engine to go with the 5.3 seems to be a solid budget.
The corvette LS1 seems to be the most strait forward swap if you get a full engine with accessories but the most spendy engine at 2500 min on ebay and the lq9 seems to be a low cost ls2.

Firsts the cost and rough plan

My budget 6000 max less if possible
There is alot this car needs but i want it back on the road to make trips to the pait shop and body shop easier. i dont want to put any money into a motor i don't plan on keeping if i don't have too.

I want to keep my powerglide 1 cause it's a nice tranny and 2 cause i just rebuilt it a year ago to 600 hp so all the work is just in the engine bay.
It has no ac and i don't plan on putting any in but i do plan on using the current power steering for now

While lurking i have read about alot of these 5.3 swaps there is even a budget sticky using one and it seems strait forward but ugly and if i make it look more like an ls with the other intake and such it's only a few more hundred to a true corvette ls1. I don't need a ton of power right now 300+ would be fine tell i finish the rest of the car but the end result as far as the engine is Concerned is a turbo motor with over 400 (yes an na can get this but i like turbo motors from the sound to the pull)

Ok so thats the plan now for the Q&A

I want to build a parts sheet to see just how to apply my cash as this is not an all at once buy.

What will it take to get each of those engines in that car?

5.3 engine / corvette LS1 / LQ9
pcm harness " " " "
fuel Pump " " " "
Mounts " " " "
Tranny adapter " " " "
accessories " " " "
Oilpan " " " "

am i missing anything and what will work on all of them and what will fit only certain motors. can i use the pcm from a vette on all of them and would that even be the best choice?

I like the under the hood look of the Vette LS1 but i don't want to spend more than 6k (4k would me far closer to what i want to spend so anything closer to that would be a blessing) on the install for now cause the car needs TLC more power can be added later on any of these but i'm not sure which way to go and could use guidance. this is my first non carb swap engine so i feel a little out of my league.

Thanks guys i know this was drawn out but this car has been a long time project of mine (part here part there kind of thing) and the motor is finally showing it's age so it's time for some new blood.

On a side note i don't really think of the 5.3 as an ls (it is) but anything below 5.7 just doesn't seem right.

c6matt

iTrader: (1)

all the conversion parts are the same for a corvette ls1 or a truck 5.3... oilpan, engine mounts ect.. first, read my build thread in the link in my signature and PM me your email address and I will email you a build sheet with parts and prices. then feel free to ask questions on any fuzzy parts.

Nate_67RS

the LQ4/LQ9 seems like the best of both worlds if i look around i can find one for less than 2k for and it has alot of power potential i just don't know what it would take to make it more like the car motor and get all the fitments and accessories on it that i need to make it run

Nate_67RS

anyone got a basic parts list on a stock setup to get one of these in a camaro befor adapters for the tranny

ishmael

Look 2 posts up^ he'll email you his list. Or you could look at the $1500 sticky. Maybe I'm missing something and you are asking about a specific engine.

I went with a vette engine to begin with because I didn't want the time and expense of trying to build something uber cheap into something I wanted.

Ebay wasn't the cheapest route for me to find an engine. It may have been the easiest but not the best. Try car-parts.com. I just found a 2001 ls1 from a vette, just the running engine for $2000. There was also a fbody wrecking yard I found online with plenty of cheap ls1s. For that matter retrolsx always seems to have plenty of fbody dropouts. Over on p-t.com look up a guy named Travis. He always has 6.0s around with trannies. You've got options.

bczee

iTrader: (12)

If your handle most of the work yourself, $6k should be enough if your goal is just for a DD and nothing too fancy. You can cut some corner on High Performance, Brand Name and shinny thing, not that you can't throw some in.

But if this is for driving and cruising is one of your goals, I would question you on rethinking the Transmission.. a new overdrive trans will be your best friend and can allow you to run a lower rear gear and get away with good mileage with the advanage of a 3.73 or 4.10 gears on the streets !. If your PG is built well, there will be someone other willing to pay you some good money for it.

Check the Forum's For Sale section, eBay, Craigslist and any other Web search sites to find items if they are still in good condition. You don't need fancy AN fitting and hoses, Billet and Chrome items. (then again, there are a lot of used parts on the market nowadays)

But like the other said. Read some of the thread and FAQ's.. research is your best friend if you have a budget.

FlexPlate and adapter if needed,Tuning the PCM is another item to add to your list as an expense.

But the end results will be what you want and can budget, keep us posted and ask your questions. keep your question to specific area and you will get better answers.

Good Luck

BC

c6matt

iTrader: (1)

UI agree about re-thinking the trans, the powerglide will be a huge compromise, both with performance and fuel economy... a truck/van 2wd trans would be money for a buget swap, and bolt right up

scatillac

iTrader: (12)

My car was a base 6-cyl powerglide also.

The C5-C6 accessory drive is the most sanitary for the swap and makes the extra cost of the Y-car motor worth it. The motor is also over a hundred pounds lighter than the iron truck motors.

Sell the Glide to a drag racer and get an OD transmission. The performance and fuel savings will make you much happier.

They all swap the same (except for clearance issues with the accessory drives), the larger issue being whether or not you want Cable or DBW throttle control.

You'll be swapping oil pans on all of them and the hardware used should be what the pan manufacturer recommends. If you're looking at LS2s, the GTO case isn't drilled for a dipstick, so you'll have do do it ourself. Another issue can be with the volume of some of the swap oil pans when used with a high volume oil pump (and crank clearance if your motor has a 4" crank).

If you are determined to use the Glide, a 4L80E flexplate, spacer and bolts will do the trick if you re-drill the converter holes. These show up in the classifieds on here all the time and can be had at a very reasonable price.

The extra bore size on the 5.7 makes future enhancements more friendly, but taking it a step further, any 6.0 (or larger) is even better, especially when head selection is being done.

Allow for ~15% budgeted over-run at a minimum.

Nate_67RS

thanks for all the info I have been reading alot of build threads and all the sticky's in this forum to include doing it on a budget.

i know other trans would be better on fuel and around town but i plan to stick with it for the simple fact i like it. I do plan on swapping it out in the future though but when i do it will be for a manual this saves time and parts for now so it a trade off i am willing to accept.

I don't want the DBW setup so i'm going to need atleast a fbody throttlebody right?

and were do you guys send your pcm to be tuned? are there any in home solutions?

bmf5150

I agree with everyone else why bother with the ls swap if ur going to stick with a power glide!I would go with a 4l60e

Nate_67RS

why all the powerglide hate? it's a good trans and can take tons of power for almost nothing in cost.

i don't see the point in buying a transmission that i have no intention of using when i do buy a new transmission it will be a manual not an auto. the powerglide is the only auto tranny i ever liked the feel of so i'm sticking with it tell i finish the rest of the car when it's time to add power and performance again the engine will get a turbo and the transmition will be a 6 speed but for the time beeing my good old powerglide will be more than enough for this motor while the car is being reconditioned.

c6matt

iTrader: (1)

see above, thats why..I got lots of love for powerglides...as long as your running 8's or better

Nate_67RS

well i'm planning to stick with it tell i fix the rest of the car i just need the powerplant replaced at the moment so thats the focus. After the body is restored and ready for more power i will replace my PG with a 6 speed but the less work/money the better right now and a transmission i have no love for has no reason to have extra money spent on it.

GNCLONE

Keep what you got, run what you brung. I know people mean well, but unless they are giving out the cash so you can buy a new transmission..........

Nate_67RS

EXACTLY. if someone through me a 4l80 i'd take it and put it in. i wouldn't even be replacing my L6 if it wasn't on it's last leg i wanted to finish the car before doing an engine swap but towing the car everywhere isn't possible either nor something i want to do. so it's on to the engine swap. Then back to restoring this car.

Some history on the car.

my aunt was the first owner
she drove it to death (literally) someone hit her and the car was almost totaled. My father fixed it but she never drove it again (1970 something) flash forward to 1996 and she passes away and leaves me the car the car has been in and out of a storage unit until i got it. so me and my father start restoring it slowly. He passed away in 2000 so she went back into storage. Now i am back on the restoration and have ALOT of work to do (cars like that don't store well). i'm not made of money so this is a slow process but eventually it will be a great car again.

Nate_67RS

What do you think of this deal
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ls1-4...#ht_882wt_1165

almost seems a little too good to be true