D.Jones

iTrader: (5)

Hey Tech, I have a 2004 ls1/t56 from a GTO that is on my engine stand and should be going into my 97 240sx soon. My question is, what should I do while the motor is out? The motor has about 95k miles on it. I am just looking for a reliable daily driver with nice power. I am on a tight budget so please keep that in mind. I will be doing all the work myself and this is the first time I have gone inside of a motor. Here is what i have so far:

Already ordered:
-new ls6 oil pump
-new ls2 timing chain
-new ls7 clutch/flywheel
-new slave cylinder
-all new gaskets and head bolts

Thinking about ordering:
-comp cams 216/220 cam with .525/.532 lift and 114 LSA
-new ls6 springs
-new harden pushrods
-new pushrod length checker (just to be safe)

Any info or tips is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

mattster03

iTrader: (22)

In all honestly, being a swap guy myself (2 LS-RX7's, 1 LT-RX7) I would seriously recommend just leaving the engine as-is (performance-wise), getting the car running and the bugs worked out for a season... THEN go after the performance modifications. Obviously the clutch & slave cylinder are parts you'll need to get your swap running so do those, and the timing chain and pump are good preventative maintenance as well. Just my humble opinion from my humble experience.

garygnu

I would consider a different cam .with that cam you mite need some comp 918 springs.look at a TSP cam pkg ,the 220r should work .check for proper spring pressure needed for that cam.if you remove your connecting rods you need to resize the big end of the rod.

D.Jones

iTrader: (5)

Thanks.
The only reason I am considering a cam is because the motor is out of the car and I will already be right there when I replace the timing chain and oil pump, so I figure this is the time to do so.... but I'm still undecided because I still need to buy a wire harness and I want to drive it lol.

If i do get a cam, it will probably be the 216/220 with the ls6 springs. I have heard that with the little lift it has, it is easy on the valve train (it's even lower than the OEM ls6 cam lift). And with higher lift and stiffer aftermarket springs, they become bridle after awhile and will need constant replacing and you run the risk of them breaking (heard lots of horror stories with the comp 918 springs failing). I am looking for something that is very reliable.

Basically, just wondering if I should put the oil pump in and timing chain and call it a day even though the motor is almost at 100k miles or should parts be replaced?

D.Jones

iTrader: (5)

I may take mattster03 advice.
I am thinking of just getting a set of ls7 lifters while the heads are off and because my ls1 lifters have 95k miles on them anyways. Then just installing my oil pump and timing chain and throw the motor in and do a cam/spring swap later.

mark21742

If that tight on the budget id skip the cam, but go ahead and get a set of comp 918 springs to run with the stock cam, also get the ls7 lifters and ls2 lifters trays.

LilJayV10

iTrader: (39)

Have you done a compression check on it?

PREDATOR-Z

I've used that cam (a long long time ago) and it is a good street cam for daily use. Back then it added 25rwhp to my stock LS1/M6, valvetrain was quiet and I used 918s with it for around 25k miles. It also passed emissions. Operating range, 1500rpm to 6300rpm.

rad23

on a budget you probably wont replace bottom end. so valvetrain you can replace easy with engine in car. with 95g on the big o id replace seals and oil pump double roller chain new sensors stuff that is hard to replace with engine in. its got plenty of power for 240 and engine in, cam swap is easy in car. get car working first and im sure youd be happy the electronics it self is gonna give you a headache if you do it right

badazz81z28

iTrader: (6)

"reliable daily driver",

Save your money, install it as is. Use the money to get it in the car.

rad23

but if you know what you doing........................swap all that stuff out and go with double time chain new cam whatever you want, new or ported heads, ls7 lifters and trays, please put some longtubes on it do it for yourself now. i refresehd my ls1 with most ls7 parts, patriot heads 243's, hardend pushrods, custum grind cam, opened up the exhaust and made 450-430 to the wheels with stock injectors,throttle body,intake manifold. that should be plenty for a 240.........now you gonna need wider wheels lol

IRONFIST

I second mattster03's post... engine swaps have enough issues, replacing things with new parts usually is a good idea but keep in mind that you're fixing something that isn't broke. Also keep in mind that mechanical parts fail most often at the beggining of their life cycles.

If you want more power down the road and you got the heads off, replace your heads with some 243's which you can get from the for sale section. You can gain just as much, if not more, power with a head swap for the same price as a cam swap and you're not ripping out the cam and all that fun stuff. Not to mention you'll get better driveability, horsepower, and fuel mileage, which will not be the case with a cam swap.
Leave the bottom end alone too.. no need to replace main bearings unless there's a problem.

redtan

iTrader: (5)

He has the engine out and on a stand. This is the time to do all the internal work on it. It would be silly to just toss the engine in as it sits and then in a month do all the internal stuff to it while the engine is in the car. Doing this sort of work at that point is exponentially harder than when the engine is on a stand.

mattster03

iTrader: (22)

You must have missed the "budget" part. My experience from swapping import cars is that it costs a lot more than most expect just to get it on the road. Way too many people who do these swaps fail because they bite off more they can chew in the performance department before they even have a running & driving car. The reality is that even a stock LS1 in a 2,800-2,900lb car does just fine for itself. The money he would be spending on a cam right now would be much better utilized for a engine harness and PCM, or maybe a drive shaft or cooling system. A running car on the road with 30 less HP kicks the *** of a car with a small cam still on jackstands any day of the week.

redtan

iTrader: (5)

Guess so, even though he said he wants to do a cam. If he can fit the cam in the budget, then it would be advised to do so while the engine is out.

If the cam is not in the budget, well then it doesn't really matter.

badazz81z28

iTrader: (6)

Getting ahead of yourself is a true fact!

IMHO...if you are even considering replacing main or rod bearings, stop there. You might as well just tear the sucker down for a complete rebuild. Your wasting time and money replacing stuff like that. If its worn to drive replacement, other parts are the same way. If the bearing are worn so is the crank surfaces. That goes along with cylinder bore and ring wear too...Now lets get into the gaskets such as front and rear seals...The LIST GOES ON!!!

A head swap is not just buying some cheap heads on the swap meet. Chances are they are worn and need a rebuild if they are cheap. Go newer and it will cost you.

So $700 for heads
Head bolts: $60
Chasers to clean threads: $75
Head Gaskets: $50
Materials to clean gasket surface: $30
Torque wrench?: $100+

Cam swap?

New cam is $400!
Don't forget...
Lifters: $130
Hardened Pushrods: $120
Springs for the Heads: $250

A cam swap is the best bang for the buck at a cost of $1,000!

Changing the chain?
Thats about $100-$200 depending on the chain

More tools, Sprocket removal?
Going to degree the cam?

Seem cheap yet?

Oh BYW you are not going to put all those new parts on and not replace the 100K mile water pump that may not work? Alternator? PS pump????

If its a tight budget, Get the engine in the car!!! All this misc stuff will kill your wallet!!

mattster03

iTrader: (22)

You forgot something... tuning ~$400-$500.

badazz81z28

iTrader: (6)

Yup! No joke, Like you said there are a lot of hidden cost just putting the engine in the car as is.

mark21742

This project sounds like he should just pay the $649 for Hptuners, then find a friend or two to tune and split the cost.

redtan

iTrader: (5)

If he's truly on a budget but also wants to squeeze in a cam swap, I don't think it would be financially feasible to go for the expensive stuff.

A cam can be had for $325 new, less for a low mileage one.

Good pushrods are under $100.

He mentioned a .525/.532 lift cam, which does not need $250 springs. Like he said, a pair of yellow LS6 springs for $75 will do just fine.

He doesn't need a Katech C5R or dual SLP timing chains...a $45 LS2 one will be more than enough.

So just by being realistic he can save a good $3-$400 off your list while still being just as well off.