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LS2 and LS7 Crate prices....

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Old 03-01-2005, 08:51 PM
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Default LS2 and LS7 Crate prices....

I was just over at www.ls7power.com and they have a contest over there to guess the cost of the LS7 crate engine when it comes out in the fall. I couldn't believe the prices some people were throwing out. Most were in the $16,000 to $18,000 price range. Some were over $20,000 and one guy even suggested $30,000.

$20,000? $30,000? Are these guys INSANE??!!

I talked to a guy over at Scoggin Dickey today. They are now selling the LS2 crate engine and the price is $5499. That's not for a short block...that's the complete engine from oil pan to injector. You can contact them at: (800)456-0211. I asked him to guess on the price of the LS7 (which he says will be available in September) and he said $8000-$9000.

The LS2 is rated at 400 horsepower. Why would 100 more horse cost you an additional $10,000? It's essentially the same engine isn't it? I don't know of any twin-turbo or supercharger's added to it that would increase the price that much. And I don't care WHAT kind of hocus-pocus magic is going on underneath that manifold. You cannot justify $10,000 for 100 horsepower. That's just insane. And if it were true....why would you waste your money on it? You could probably get the additional 100 horsepower out of the LS2 and still save yourself about $4000 to $6000.

The LS6 was an $8000 engine and my guess is the LS7 won't be much more.

What do you guys think?
Old 03-01-2005, 09:27 PM
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I have no idea how much they'll cost (assuming they'll even be available) but don't forget -- unlike the LS1 and LS2, these engines are hand built at the brand new GM Performance Build Center. That's got to add a premium to the price...
Old 03-01-2005, 09:36 PM
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I think the folks at SDPC are right on the money about the cost........... and they seem to know engines and prices pretty darn well.
Old 03-01-2005, 09:52 PM
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No way the LS 7 will go for less than 15,000. Titanium rods are 3000 alone. The block isn't c5r but the block and heads for that engine are 9000. This is not assembly line work guys. Think what lingenfelter would charge for this engine and maybe subract 10,000. First they have to produce more than they can sell in the z06. That will probably take at least a year. I think we are going to see ls 7 blocks with aftermarket rotating assembles... not the complete engine with all the titanium goodies. Sdpc sells a 572 inch fuel injected big block for 17,000 dollars.
Old 03-01-2005, 09:57 PM
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Originally Posted by sross
I have no idea how much they'll cost (assuming they'll even be available) but don't forget -- unlike the LS1 and LS2, these engines are hand built at the brand new GM Performance Build Center. That's got to add a premium to the price...
Exactly, the same reason a crate motor from the Ford GT is $39,995.
Old 03-01-2005, 10:21 PM
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Originally Posted by ChucksZ06
No way the LS 7 will go for less than 15,000. Titanium rods are 3000 alone. The block isn't c5r but the block and heads for that engine are 9000. This is not assembly line work guys. Think what lingenfelter would charge for this engine and maybe subract 10,000. First they have to produce more than they can sell in the z06. That will probably take at least a year. I think we are going to see ls 7 blocks with aftermarket rotating assembles... not the complete engine with all the titanium goodies. Sdpc sells a 572 inch fuel injected big block for 17,000 dollars.
Billet Ti rods that you buy in sets of 8 are $3000 (more like $3500 I think). Forged Ti rods ordered 40,000 at a time are less. A lot less. Ditto Ti valves.

(Note: did you see the balancing pads on those rods? Didn't seem like high end quality control to me. Are we back to the day of looking for small balancing pads (more meat on the rod).)

What made C5R heads expensive was that they were low volume. LS7 heads...14-16,000 units year. Not so expensive.

It doesn't have an C5R block. It has a block with a 4.125" bore. Probably a lot closer to LS2 than C5R.

Are these pieces more expensive than an LS6. Probably yes. Ti valves are more than hollow stem SS. Ti rods are more than steel (I don't know the grade used in production rods). The two-stage pump, external tank and plumbing are more expensive than a wet sump.

However they are not that much more. May $2-3k.I think it will be over $10k, but under $15k.
Old 03-02-2005, 07:16 AM
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How much do you guys think the bare block for the 427 will cost?
Old 03-02-2005, 07:51 AM
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$3300 for a Darton sleeve
Old 03-02-2005, 01:03 PM
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A one already touched on, production volume (even hand built) can drastically lower the price of the engine when more are produced. While the block and rods will definitely be more expensive, I don't think it will be $10K more expensive.

If GM sells 14,000-16,000 of these cars a year, and maybe another 2000 as a crate engine, I could see this engine at $8,000 to $9000. Remember, the bare LS2 block is $1200. We're looking at cost differences. If a LS7 block is, say, $2500, this is an additional $1300. The same would apply to the rods. Production is our friend. I hope they sell 25,000 Z06 or Z07 or whatever the name is.

As for the Ford GT, this is a completely different animal because of production. If Ford only builds 1000 cars a year, the cost are spread over fewer engines. With Ford killing off the Lightning, production will remain low. While I doubt the engine costs Ford anywhere near $40K to build, it keeps the engine as an exclusive piece. I'm still waiting to see someone to try to shoehorn this thing in an '05 Mustang GT.
Old 03-02-2005, 01:52 PM
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I just talked to a friend of mine at GM Powertrain and his guess is that they might scale down the LS7 on some of the high dollar features (such as the titanium rods, forged crank and dry sump system) and build a variation of it on an assembly line with the LS2 for crate engines. Which in turn would drop the price significantly. But he cautioned me that, that was just an educated guess.

Lets hope this is the case. I wanna get my hands on that motor about as bad as I wanna get my hands on Salma Hayek.
Old 03-02-2005, 02:18 PM
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No doubt its gonna be a badass engine but i think it will be around 10-12k maybe abit less.
Old 03-02-2005, 03:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Infamous
I just talked to a friend of mine at GM Powertrain and his guess is that they might scale down the LS7 on some of the high dollar features (such as the titanium rods, forged crank and dry sump system) and build a variation of it on an assembly line with the LS2 for crate engines. Which in turn would drop the price significantly. But he cautioned me that, that was just an educated guess.

Lets hope this is the case. I wanna get my hands on that motor about as bad as I wanna get my hands on Salma Hayek.
Actually, I would hope this wouldn't be the case. My thought was using a Magnacharger by lowering the compression down to 9.0:1. But the rods, crank and dry sump are worth the extra money. Buying these seperate, even aftermarket pieces would be more expensive than a complete crate piece. On the other hand, I'm sure direct replacement short blocks will be available to service the Z06. I'd be happy with a short block and buying the heads seperate.
Old 03-02-2005, 05:12 PM
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can an ls2 fit in an ls1, swap for swap?
Old 03-02-2005, 05:35 PM
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Yes, those guys over at LS7power.com are INSANE! We are just having fun with the idea of a full on crate motor as it would sit in the Z06. Imagine picking up a complete turn-key motor complete with titanium rods, forged crank and pistons, with a dry-sump system! Now THAT is a race motor!

The person whom guesses closest to the release price of the crate motor wins a BOSE interface for thier car. Again, we are just trying to make things fun. All guesses are welcome and you must be ACTIVE to win any prizes. Thanks.

Infamous - your site is very nice and well documented. Very cool and good information.
Old 03-02-2005, 08:49 PM
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Thanks John.

..........I meant 'insane' in a nice way.
Old 03-02-2005, 09:20 PM
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Hahhaaa...gotcha.
Old 03-02-2005, 09:21 PM
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That is 14,000-16,000 heads. Only 7,000-8,000 engines.

From the pictures, I wouldn't call the parts quite race quality.
Old 03-02-2005, 09:22 PM
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The person whom guesses closest to the release price of the crate motor wins a BOSE interface for thier car. Again, we are just trying to make things fun. All guesses are welcome and you must be ACTIVE to win any prizes. Thanks.
I think a better prize would be the LS7 Crate motor. Just my $.02.
Old 03-02-2005, 11:37 PM
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I agree, I wish I had the money to pony up for THAT one.
Old 03-03-2005, 08:36 PM
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GM powertrain has said it can build 30 engines per day. One guy builds each engine complete by rolling it to different assembly stations...then they run it for 20 minutes for quality check. If you figure 230 days a year x 30 per day that equals 6,900 engines a year give or take a few. You know that the first few years of z06 production will take most if not all of those engines. I think we had better hope they sell individual components to sdpc so we can build them ourselves.


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