Aaron McKean

I'm new here, and trying to not get flamed for a "not another ______ thread," so let me introduce myself and my current project.

Irrelevant Stuff
My name is Aaron, I currently reside in the greater Sacramento, CA, area. My current project(s) is a couple of Nissan 240sx chassis'. My 91 hatch, Misty, is my pride and joy. I've owned her for about 4 years. She was stock when I got her, and bought to be a beater drift car/daily. About 6 months in, I destroyed the timing cover on the stock KA due to my impatience when installing a new thermostat (noob mistake). Rather than repairing the 280k motor, I ordered a s13 type x blacktop sr20det from Japan, and I have been running that for the last 3 years. About 9 months ago, I got a deal on a LM7 for $200, and jumped on it for a replacement for the sr20.





Most recently, I picked up a 90 hatch, Jade, as a shell. It was a $600 purchase that ended up coming with some PBM coils (good quality, fully adjustable, for those who don't know) and numerous bolt ons. Easily worth more in parts than what I paid. The same weekend, we stripped Misty down to a bare shell. Jade got the sr20 and all the bolt ons from Misty, with the intent of Misty getting the LM7 and all new everything.







The current project is to build the LM7, build a completely brand new chassis and engine harness. The car is getting caged, tube front, tube rear, wisefab front and rear suspension.





The Stuff
I do have a few questions and seeking advice for some aspects. I have built a small block before, but never a performance build. Initially I was going to throw the motor in as is, and rebuild later, but after further inspection, I found compression to be low across the board, and eventually found the 5/6 rod bearings to be thrown. Obviously, I have chosen to rebuild, hence why I'm here.

I've done research here and google. I've watched a number of youtube videos trying to find answers to my questions. I can find a bunch of stuff on LSx builds but never specifically LM7 builds. I know that most (and possibly all) the things I'm curious about are cross platform, but I'd like to confirm with experienced people. Also, my final decision will be made with the help of a tuner/motor builder (when I find one), but initial research must start somewhere.

The goal: 400-450 WHP with the ability to handle the bottle. Nitrous will be managed via the ECU, and used to level out the powerband (the car is to be a "street" car with the intent for drifting for fun).

The plan: Forged rods w/ flat top pistons, head work or aftermarket heads, custom cam grind per recommendation of the tuner, stand alone ecu (Fast, Holley, etc), short runner manifold (truck manifold doesn't fit under the hood, and I'm not one to cut my hood and stick the manifold out), custom engine harness.

So far, am I on the right track?

Also, would e85 be a decent route to pursue for this build? Not concerned about mpg, and e85 is accessible in my area.

Recommendations for ECU? Also, what is the minimum requirements for one of these to run? (sensors, etc with the standalone)

Building the head? I have 706 heads currently. I've read the 862's are better off, but should I be researching aftermarket heads, or will the 706 or 862 (or other ls based heads) be adequate. Whats the limit, power wise? What would be better if I chose to use induction later on?

And lastly, the ideal option for transmission is t56 for this application, I assume. Any other options/recommendations?

This is a long term project, probably 4-5 years until the car see's the road again, so updates/advancements will be slow. I'm taking on this project while I'm studying for my engineering degree. My wife works in the medical field, and supports our family, so money doesn't build to quickly in the car budget since I've stopped working. Lol. Anyways, thanks for the advice, sorry for the novel, and thanks for those of you (if any) who stuck it out for my whole spiel.

*I realized when searching for pictures to post that most of my pictures are taken with snapchat so you don't quite get the good shots. Next post, I'll add some good shots of the motor.

2muchboostNY

iTrader: (8)

Hey bud....also had a 240sx with an LM7 so I will try and help where possible but I also have some questions which can help you in the long run.

-Budget...first and foremost. Things can get out of hand pretty fast on these builds but if you have a set budget you can get a nice build going.

-Check out Denmah and "Sloppy Mechanics" not only hear but on youtube. He has provided tons of info for the community and built his wifes S13 not too long ago.

-Heads: For your goal the 862 heads can be had cheap and would work just fine. If you want more performance oriented heads 243/799 heads (i believe those are the codes) are designed for better output and flow efficiency. There are aftermarket heads available but I think the money would be better spent elsewhere.

-ECU: I had the stock ECU with a tune on mine which worked great but I think next time I am going with the MSX3.

-Swap: If you are thinking of going with a swap kit there are plenty on the market like Sikky, Fueled Racing, CX Racing etc. I personally like the Fueled Racing setup as it is high quality and sits the motor far back into the engine bay. Headers are included in the package and you can choose 1 7/8 or 1 3/4. ISR has also come out with budget friendly swap parts.

-Cam: Could not offer a recommendation

-Trans: The T56 is the most common swap however I hated the peddle feel. If money allows I am planning to drop a T56 Magnum into it. Other options exist such as the TR6060 off the new Camaro and if I am not mistaken the newer generation (2014+) fixed the issues the earlier generation had. People are also swapping in Z33 (350z) and Z32 (300zx) transmissions. If you are interested in those options I can get you some info.

Here are some local threads that might be helpful:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...w-z32-5mt.html

https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...ing-build.html

https://ls1tech.com/forums/forced-in...-240-swap.html

Check out Ziliva and SilviaV8 for additional Nissan-LSx information as a few of us have gathered some information on there as well.

-

Aaron McKean

Awesome man! Thanks for the informative reply. Checking out Denmah and Sloppy Mechanics as we speak. Be nice to have another youtube channel to follow anyways, and will check out the local links after posting this. In response:

Budget: I'm terrible at setting budgets. I never do and then just end going "oh, bills are paid, I've got $xxxx to order parts, which kills all hopes of financial stability. Lol. I'd say I'd like to stick to around $10,000 (its scary to put a number on it) for the motor build/install. Granted, I don't just have ten grand sitting in the bank to drop on a motor build right here and right now, but all in all, that's about what I'd like to spend to build and install initially. (excluding nitrous and a few other goodies. I'd like to have around 400 whp within this price range)

Heads: There is a shop locally that sells rebuilt 862 heads for $300 with core exchange, and he accepts the 706 heads as cores. I've seen him post other heads, as well, so I'll do some research on the 243/799 heads. I've read concerns on a few threads about valves being too big for the lm7, not sure if that is something to be considering for this build or not. Do you have any recommendations on head components (i.e. springs, rocker arms, pushrods, etc)?

ECU: I don't know why I never considered megasquirt for this. It's on the list for the SR and I've played with it in the past on a friends turbo Miata, it just never clicked for me here. Unless I get a screaming deal on something else, MS3 will probably be my route. Serious "lightbulb" moment right there. lol.

Swap Kit: I was considering going Sikky, but that's merely because it's a name I know. I had initially planned having a driveshaft made (was quoted $325 by my normal driveshaft shop, plus this leaves transmission options open), having my buddy who works as a fabricator help me out with welding up some mounts (my welds are scary still), and then ordering headers and an oil pan. There is a shop a few minutes from my house that does custom hydraulic lines for power steering and oil filter relocation. I'm pretty sure I can do everything but the pan and headers for under $1000.

Trans: I had considered going z33, or even z32 since they are easy to find. The t56 seemed easiest since it's bolt on, however I'm not new to block to trans adapters. I used one to mate a z32 to my vq45de in my Q45. Z33 transmissions, even the cd009, are about half as much as the t56, but with adapter plate, they might come out to about the same price. Plus hacking off the bellhousing on the z33 is kind of unnerving and I'd still have to source a t56 bell housing. I'll have to look into gearing to see which has the better setup. Ideally, since I do plan to street this thing occasionally (and possibly on e85), I'd like to go 6 speed to maximize the mpgs. lol.

I've been on zilvia for a while now, never really posted. All the thread bashing discouraged me from it. Haven't checked out silviav8 yet though. I'm headed there now. I know there are a lot of people running the modern small block in 240's and a lot of people using the Lm7 as a cheaper alternative to the ls block.

SikkyMFG

If you need any components for the swap separate feel free to contact us and we can get you setup with what you need.

We prefer to use the LS1 style T56 for these swaps as you can make the shifter directly come through the hole in the floor without the need for a relocation kit.

As far as standalone systems personally I like the Holley EFI systems. The harnesses are well laid out and work great for swap applications. They're easy to tune and offer alot of great features.

Feel free to contact me directly at my email if you have any questions about the swap!

Aaron McKean

That's awesome and great to know. I also wasn't aware that the shifter could line up, the few transmission threads I've looked into they come through forward of the hole and then they have some crazy bent shifter. I just checked out the actual sikky website (vs enjuku, frsport, google, etc) and saw the relocation kits. Very interesting.

I am still a little flustered by the T56 transmission. Coming from a VW and Nissan background, I haven't come across a transmission with so many variations. Would you be able to give me a quick rundown? Is the LS1 T56 different from, say, a LS2? And what is the difference between a GTO transmission and something else? Is there anyway to determine based on identifying marks? I'll do my own research as well, but if I go T56, I would probably get it out of an F-Body.

s14hunter

iTrader: (1)

I built my L33/S14 last year and absolutely love it! I used the Fueled Racing swap kit and it's quality is second to none. All of their parts are made in the USA as well. Here's a few insights I found out during my swap:
T-56 (if you go this route)
- The 04-06 GTO and 98-02 F-body T56's are both usable. The GTO trans requires the F-body shifter linkage be swapped in, no big deal. The GTO trans has shorter ratios also.
- Use the Ford Reverse Switch sensor for tunnel clearance. Motorcraft part# SW5857
- A lot of guys hook the reverse lockout switch to their brake switch in order to open the gate to reverse. I didn't go that route and instead wired the ground wire from the lockout solenoid to the E-brake handle switch. So when I need reverse, I pull the E-brake lever up until the dash light comes on and boom, the reverse gate opens. See here:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...t-e-brake.html
- Follow this link to plug the skip-shift (CAGS) solenoid:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-tr...lete-plug.html
- The MGW shifter for the 98-02 F-body can be rotated back and puts the shifter dead-nuts in the center of the console on the 240sx.

Wiring
- I chose to modify a stock GM truck harness and PCM. If you go this route, there are certain pins that you can buy that will snap into the factory fuse box. They also come with this Dorman fuse block part# 85668. See pics below.
- See how to get your speedometer working here:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...al-sgi-5e.html

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me and I'll help out the best I can.
Side note, I also come from a VW past, so you may recognize my coolant tank :-)

SikkyMFG

We offer the relocation kits because some of our other swap kits require them . As the other guy had mentioned the 98-02 Camaro / Firebird and the 04-06 GTO T56 is the one you need.

A T56 magnum will work as well but it will require a 4 inch relocation shifter (we make that too)

2muchboostNY

iTrader: (8)

Budget: Sounds about spot on at around $10k unless you get killer deals and/or can do a lot of work yourself. All of the little tidbits we forget about add up.

ECU: i like the MSX3 especially now that they have a plug and play harness. I can honestly say i am absolutely terrible with anything electrical and i leave that to the pros but even i can handle the new harness install lol. The route i used before was a flashed 0411 PCM with Wiring Specialty harness (absolutely top notch) but for the price of the harness, PCM, and tune i think i will go MSX3. I have not used Holley but hear great things about them as well.

Trans: S14hunter has you covered. Nice looking s-chassis btw S14. Maybe im just gettinf old but the only thing i hated about both of my swapped S14s was the feel of the T56 even though one had an oem rebuild with minor upgrades and the other was built to be behind S475 powered S14 chassis. Again maybe its my bad knees, getting old, spoiled from the import world or all of the above but i will be trying to avoid that route next time.

Heads: From what i have read the interference isnt the issue with 243/799 as some 5.3s dide come equipped with them from factory. However since i am still learning the nuances of the LS world i will quote JoeNova here who has a lot more experience then I from a prior thread "PTV isn't really any issue with dished 5.3 pistons. You can swap in flat top pistons from a 4.8 and you'll have around 10:1 compression with 243 heads on a 5.3."

Swap Kit: I used Sikky in my first build and had zero complaints with them as they sell quality parts. However i do like the Soild Mount design of Fueled Racing and the location they postion the motor. Cant go wrong with either choice and both sell too quality stuff.

You are right about Zilvia i am not a huge fan any longer but once in a while a true enthusiast comes along and adds LSX based information. But those are few and far between these days. SilviaV8 isnt very active fyi but good info.