From V6 to LS6 Camaro. Need help
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From V6 to LS6 Camaro. Need help
I'm doing this for my nephew because he wants this for his birthday. He's willing to spend 6 grand on the 5-speed V6 1998-02 Camaro and wants to swap out the motor and tranny for an LS-6 and 6-speed. What all do I need? Do I need to weld in other motor mounts? different clutch? Give me info and Ideas. He's willing to spend 3 grand on the motor and tranny.
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why not take $9000 on a v8 car??
i mean...there is ALOT more than just swapping the block
the rear will need to be upgraded to ditch the open diff.
the wiring will need to be upgraded.
not to mention all the other little things.
besides, the suspension on the v8 will be far superior to the v6.
search the for sale forum...there are plenty of cars for sale...some modded..for his budget
i mean...there is ALOT more than just swapping the block
the rear will need to be upgraded to ditch the open diff.
the wiring will need to be upgraded.
not to mention all the other little things.
besides, the suspension on the v8 will be far superior to the v6.
search the for sale forum...there are plenty of cars for sale...some modded..for his budget
#3
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If you were to do a full v6 to v8 conversion the cheapest way to do it would be to buy a full wrecked v8 car and pretty much gut it to put in yours. You will need to have the whole engine harness, cluster, full suspension, rear end, radiator and whole front suspension cradle for everything to work right. Just drop it out on the front cradle trans and all and roll it under your car. Easiest way to do it in my books.
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agreed.
but by the time you do all that, and pay for all the small misc parts...you're gonna have another $1000 in it.
and even then you aren't guaranteed to be gremlin free.
this isn't like swapping a carbed sbc.
only reason i can ever see doing this swap would be if you already have a donor car and the swap-in car.
while going by the VIN your insurance should be less...is it REALLY worth that much to ya?
but by the time you do all that, and pay for all the small misc parts...you're gonna have another $1000 in it.
and even then you aren't guaranteed to be gremlin free.
this isn't like swapping a carbed sbc.
only reason i can ever see doing this swap would be if you already have a donor car and the swap-in car.
while going by the VIN your insurance should be less...is it REALLY worth that much to ya?
#6
Couple things about the swap-
I hate to admit it, but unless your doing it as a project together or using it as a learning tool, its probably easier/quicker for you just to buy a V8 car. Im about 90% done with mine, its taken me a lot longer than I had hoped, Im creeping up really quick on the $9,000 mark, and I dont have the motor/trans back from the builders yet and dont have a rearend yet (including purchase price of the car, and I got a smoking deal on the car, sold motor/trans,etc out of it) but its gonna be strictly a weekend/strip car. I did it for the learning experience and had the mentality "that it cant be that much work, and wanted to prove everyone wrong........" If your nephew wants to make it a driver, he's better off just buying a V8 car for the time/cost of things.
Suspension wise, Im pretty sure the cars are the same, other than spring rates and rear brakes. You wont have to switch out rearends, but the V6 cars do have an open carrier. Wiring wise, well thats where Im at now........
I hate to admit it, but unless your doing it as a project together or using it as a learning tool, its probably easier/quicker for you just to buy a V8 car. Im about 90% done with mine, its taken me a lot longer than I had hoped, Im creeping up really quick on the $9,000 mark, and I dont have the motor/trans back from the builders yet and dont have a rearend yet (including purchase price of the car, and I got a smoking deal on the car, sold motor/trans,etc out of it) but its gonna be strictly a weekend/strip car. I did it for the learning experience and had the mentality "that it cant be that much work, and wanted to prove everyone wrong........" If your nephew wants to make it a driver, he's better off just buying a V8 car for the time/cost of things.
Suspension wise, Im pretty sure the cars are the same, other than spring rates and rear brakes. You wont have to switch out rearends, but the V6 cars do have an open carrier. Wiring wise, well thats where Im at now........
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#8
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ok. So If I were to find a car that already had the V8 suspension, then would I be set? what would be the hardest thing to do? and I'm just worried about buying a car on here. I don't know how reliable it is. I'd much rather do it in person. What about the wiring? Is it really that much of a nightmare?
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I bought my Trans Am a year ago with 60,000 miles on it. Unmolested, driven by a middle aged woman, about 2 hours away from where I live for $8500. Like every one has already said your better off buying a car that's already got a V8. There are nice ones in his price range out there. Especially with the way the economy is right now. It's going to be cheaper and less of a hassle in the long run. Also, no ones saying buy a car you've never even seen off the internet. Search for ones in your area. But, if your determined to do it anyway do a search and check out the conversion forum.
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What they said. ^^^ and you should be able to pick up a ls1 car cheaper than 9k. as for the ls6... slap a set of 243's (seen them as cheap as $300) ls6 cam (around $150) intake ($250 if you shop around) and ls6 oil pump in it and i beleive thats the only difference. and still be under budget and save a lot of head aches and busted knuckles. lol.
#12
What they said. ^^^ and you should be able to pick up a ls1 car cheaper than 9k. as for the ls6... slap a set of 243's (seen them as cheap as $300) ls6 cam (around $150) intake ($250 if you shop around) and ls6 oil pump in it and i beleive thats the only difference. and still be under budget and save a lot of head aches and busted knuckles. lol.
#13
IF your smart and want to do the swap... look on the 6ers RPO codes.... look for Y87... these were the cars that came with dual exhaust, LSD, and V8 steering rack straight from the factory.....
Last edited by 1LOMARO; 12-10-2009 at 04:26 PM.
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What they said. ^^^ and you should be able to pick up a ls1 car cheaper than 9k. as for the ls6... slap a set of 243's (seen them as cheap as $300) ls6 cam (around $150) intake ($250 if you shop around) and ls6 oil pump in it and i beleive thats the only difference. and still be under budget and save a lot of head aches and busted knuckles. lol.
#16
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Unfortunately, The block is different as well so If I upgraded everything like you said, I'd still have less displacement but I'd be making nearly the same amount of power. A few more upgrades and I'd surpass it. What about getting an LS-1 and putting an LS-6 motor in it? same wiring nightmare?
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What do you mean less displacement...the LS6 is the same as the LS1...Honestly it would be kinda dumb to buy an LS1 and drop a LS6 in it(unless it was a shot motor)....There's heads/cams and intakes out there that out perform the LS6 setup...and it'll probably be cheaper in the long run.
#18
Unfortunately, The block is different as well so If I upgraded everything like you said, I'd still have less displacement but I'd be making nearly the same amount of power. A few more upgrades and I'd surpass it. What about getting an LS-1 and putting an LS-6 motor in it? same wiring nightmare?
#19
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Unfortunately, The block is different as well so If I upgraded everything like you said, I'd still have less displacement but I'd be making nearly the same amount of power. A few more upgrades and I'd surpass it. What about getting an LS-1 and putting an LS-6 motor in it? same wiring nightmare?
#20