Kyle79

Hey guys, first time poster here. I picked up a 99 Trans Am with a seized LS1 in it about a month ago for a good price, and now I'm tearing into the motor. Looks like I busted a rod bolt or snapped a rod.....well...both....but not sure which came first. haha. Anyways, I live in the middle of nowhere so nobody I talk to seems to know much about these motors, so I need a small bit of your collective infinite wisdom. Check out the pic below and tell me if you think this block is toast!



P.S. I just previewed my post and the picture is tiny! I hope it's larger when it gets published? If not I'll have to figure something out after work here.

Gunslinger09

That is a tiny picture. It looks like the rod got a bit of the cylinder wall. You will need to sleeve the block, take it to a machine shop. Or you can start looking for a 6.0 block to rebuild.

Kyle79

This is a shot in the dark since images are blocked on my work computer, but I uploaded the photo to an album on the site, and now I put the link in. If the image is still tiny, maybe you can dig through my info and find the public album I made. Sorry for being such a noob. haha

slamminjim

iTrader: (6)

By looking at the pic you have uploaded, it does not appear that the piston goes down to the damaged area of the cylinder bore.(the wear of the cylinder) Maybe someone with more knowledge than myself will chime in and confirm.

Kyle79

I was crossing my fingers that somebody would say that...I sent this picture to a buddy who works at a machine shop (but has very little experience with LS motors) and he thinks I might not even need to sleeve it. It's pretty bad though..think it may have even busted up a bit of the block behind the damaged area you see in the photo.

Thought about a 6.0 as well, but wanting to keep it "numbers matching" in a way since I am going to sell it after I fix it.....eventually. haha. I know I would personally pay more for a car with more potential for horsepower, but I'm not sure if the buyers in my area feel the same way...especially with the added weight on the front end from an iron block...not sure if that would be a turnoff for a potential buyer.

garygnu

maybe bore that cylinder first and see if it cleans up .

slamminjim

iTrader: (6)

I just looked at the pic again and that rod journal on the crank looks like hell. I would just try and find another short block for cheap and stick it in and call it a day. Way less hassle if you ask me. But at the least that motor will need to come out and the crank will need to be turned and a oversize bearing and new rod installed and as mentioned above the cylinder might need to be honed out.
Just my .02

bww3588

iTrader: (49)

I agree. The money you spend fixing that block will be more than just finding another one.

Most people buying a 4th gen f body could care less about numbers matching. Save that for when it's a 40 year old classic.

LS1-450

iTrader: (33)

If it were mine, would use it. Would clean up the damaged area w/ a dremel, have the crank turned & polished w/ all new correctly sized bearings & replace the broken rod/piston + all new rings after honing the bores. I would try & weight match the replaced piston w/ the used piston bought to replace it. Not easy assuming that some of the broken rod is missing, but would try to weight match it never the less. If the crank is nicked, would replace it w/ a used crank.

Have read all of the other replies & agree that replacing the short block is an easy, cost effective, solution. What is posted above is simply what I would have done were it mine.

dr_whigham

iTrader: (49)

If your machine shop isn't very familiar with LS motors, then I'm highly doubting they have the LS torque plate and such... I think it would be much cheaper to find an LS short block. There's one for sale in my area for $500 out of a 2004 GTO

Kyle79

Gentleman, as mentioned previously I have had NO luck finding LS parts locally, the largest junkyard within 5 hours had 1 LS engine, but it is priced at $3k. The average price for shipping on eBay for a shortblock is around $300. The engine is already out of the car on an engine stand. Machine shop says it would be $125 to resleeve the cylinder. Does that change anybody's opinion?

Also, when I say "numbers matching," I mean I don't want potential buyers to think I took shortcuts in making repairs just to save a buck.

SSCamaro99_3

iTrader: (1)

If you added your location, it might be easier to pinpoint help for you. I would also be very leery of sleeving one cylinder (pretty sure it is not even possible) especially for $125 from a shop unfamiliar with the LS1.

As for numbers matching, this is not like putting an Olds 400 in a Buick or such. Everything comes from GM powertrain now. GM made thousands of 1998-2002 F-bodies with LS1's. This is not a 1of 4 1971 Hemi 'Cuda Convertible.

dr_whigham

iTrader: (49)

I agree with this post in it's entirety. "The community" can help you source an engine if we know where you are, hence my comment.

I agree with 99's comment about the machine shop working on the motor. Let's say they can sleeve just one.... Line hone, deck, finish hone..... No or little experience? These motors can't be treated like an SBC.

And "number's matching" went out the window along with American values around the time of the introduction of catalytic converters.....

Kyle79

Ok, numbers matching was a bad way to describe what I'm doing. I just want to avoid an iron block for this project. I worry that would bother potential buyers.

Also, I am in Northern Idaho, so Spokane, WA is the closest major city at 2 hours away. Anything on Craigslist in Spokane, Moscow/Pullman, or Lewiston/Clarkston is reasonable for driving cost. I'm in Moscow.

I am still hesitant about my machine shop though. I asked if he had experience with Third gen Chevy engines and he said "it's a small block Chivy ain't it?" haha I'm still not entirely sure about what differences there are in machinist procedure for these engines being new at the game, so I don't know what kind of horrible things I would be doing to my engine by taking it to 'Shorty' at my local machine shop. the alternative is taking it to Spokane for machine work, but that'll be 8 hours of driving for the two trips back and forth...and did I mention I hate Spokane? Lol

I do like the idea of a shortblock, because that would probably speed up the project, but I also don't mind taking the time to do a full rebuild because I bought this car to familiarize myself with gen III engines and to make a buck or two potentially.

dr_whigham

iTrader: (49)

Wooo. Seems the FBody market up there is certainly alive and kicking. A quick CL search yielded no motors, but they sure are proud of their cars, huh?

Here's from my local area. Might check at shipping a short block. I couldn't imagine it being more than 150 bucks. The damage you posted would just make me leery, let alone the machinist that thinks "its just a small block chevy"

http://lafayette.craigslist.org/pts/3089390002.html

http://batonrouge.craigslist.org/pts/3078657865.html

http://batonrouge.craigslist.org/pts/3057195783.html

Kyle79

I found a guy on eBay that was charging $315 flat rate shipping from Texas. I contacted him to see if shipping may be cheaper to my area.....nope. Actually more than $315 from Texas. It's been really frustrating. I wish I could go down the street and pick up a $250 block off Craigslist, but that doesn't seem to be an option. Don't think I really have a good way to avoid getting scammed doing long distance transactions either...besides ebay I guess.

LS1MCSS

iTrader: (18)

If your machinist said that then you need to take it somewhere else. The only thing on these engines that is like an SBC is the number of cylinders.

JUSTINSWS6

Get ls2 or ls3 block and build it

btlegacy

iTrader: (1)

try out craigsy.com. It allows you to search all the cities around you easily. I typed in the zip code for Moscow, ID and did a radius and came up with this

http://kpr.craigslist.org/pts/3069807494.html

Kyle79

Those engines out in Kennewick aren't too bad of a deal....that's six hours of driving though. Hmmm. Still would probably want to rebuild it though. This gives me more to think about. What do you guys think about something like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ls1-ls6-alum...c44989&vxp=mtr

I think it's going to be best for me if I am able to avoid needing any machine work, so I think a shortblock may be the answer. I'll have to do more research to see if the 5.3 blocks will cause any problems with sensors or accessories. Kinda new to this whole thing.