LY7 to LSX Swap
02-12-2012, 08:38 PM
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LY7 to LSX Swap Ok guys.. time for some productive discussion on this topic. Im well versed in LS motors and vehicles, however I am new to the G8 world and what the key differences are with the rest of the vehicle when you compare a V6 to a GT car... Obviously motor and trans... but beyond that, what?
Has anyone swapped in a build LS motor in place of an LY7 yet, or are these cars still too new with too few miles for that to have started happening?
I ask because I love my wife's 09 G8, and have thrown around the idea of building a nice motor in my free time, and when Im ready, performing a motor/trans harness swap.
Now before I hear a bunch of "just buy a GT"... I want to know why? Because if I bought a GT I would just pull that motor/trans anyway...and go built with an 80... so, in short, has it been done, and what key items do I need to consider?
Open to ideas on what motor to build as well.... undecided on N/A, FI, or Spray..
Has anyone swapped in a build LS motor in place of an LY7 yet, or are these cars still too new with too few miles for that to have started happening?
I ask because I love my wife's 09 G8, and have thrown around the idea of building a nice motor in my free time, and when Im ready, performing a motor/trans harness swap.
Now before I hear a bunch of "just buy a GT"... I want to know why? Because if I bought a GT I would just pull that motor/trans anyway...and go built with an 80... so, in short, has it been done, and what key items do I need to consider?
Open to ideas on what motor to build as well.... undecided on N/A, FI, or Spray..
02-12-2012, 09:06 PM
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I've started to cruise some but I haven't found much...maybe im not on the right boards? can always PM me your opinion on those? I cant imagine it would be all too difficult... most people so far have simply probably had GT cars in the 1st place as they aren't priced much differently. I just want to stick with this car and play with it...
02-12-2012, 09:34 PM
#4
It would be interesting and the first. What ECM does the LY7 use? The trans is different too so you would have to look into either the 6L80 swap or the manual TR-6060.
GT brakes are bigger, GT has leather and steering wheel upgrades, the rear diff in the GT has a limited slip. But otherwise most everything is the same.
The LS engine and trans will drop right in, the fun part will be getting the electronics to talk. Thats what I just overcame going from an auto to manual OS in the ECM.
GT brakes are bigger, GT has leather and steering wheel upgrades, the rear diff in the GT has a limited slip. But otherwise most everything is the same.
The LS engine and trans will drop right in, the fun part will be getting the electronics to talk. Thats what I just overcame going from an auto to manual OS in the ECM.
02-12-2012, 09:51 PM
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It would be interesting and the first. What ECM does the LY7 use? The trans is different too so you would have to look into either the 6L80 swap or the manual TR-6060.
GT brakes are bigger, GT has leather and steering wheel upgrades, the rear diff in the GT has a limited slip. But otherwise most everything is the same.
The LS engine and trans will drop right in, the fun part will be getting the electronics to talk. Thats what I just overcame going from an auto to manual OS in the ECM.
GT brakes are bigger, GT has leather and steering wheel upgrades, the rear diff in the GT has a limited slip. But otherwise most everything is the same.
The LS engine and trans will drop right in, the fun part will be getting the electronics to talk. Thats what I just overcame going from an auto to manual OS in the ECM.
Brakes I would like to do the CTS-V Brembo's... My non-GT has dual heated power leather seats, and leather wraped wheel/shifter etc. So I am very happy with the appointments eventhough its a V6 car.
You think the LS motor would drop in on the LY7 mounts?...
03-16-2012, 08:50 PM
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After having 4 F-Bodies (that I love), its a refreshing sight to see the engine bay of the G8... My biggest hurdle will be sourcing the things I need... These G8s arent exactly being parted out every 5 mins like 4th gens...
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05-19-2012, 11:00 PM
#8
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Ok guys.. time for some productive discussion on this topic. Im well versed in LS motors and vehicles, however I am new to the G8 world and what the key differences are with the rest of the vehicle when you compare a V6 to a GT car... Obviously motor and trans... but beyond that, what?
Has anyone swapped in a build LS motor in place of an LY7 yet, or are these cars still too new with too few miles for that to have started happening?
I ask because I love my wife's 09 G8, and have thrown around the idea of building a nice motor in my free time, and when Im ready, performing a motor/trans harness swap.
Now before I hear a bunch of "just buy a GT"... I want to know why? Because if I bought a GT I would just pull that motor/trans anyway...and go built with an 80... so, in short, has it been done, and what key items do I need to consider?
Open to ideas on what motor to build as well.... undecided on N/A, FI, or Spray..
Has anyone swapped in a build LS motor in place of an LY7 yet, or are these cars still too new with too few miles for that to have started happening?
I ask because I love my wife's 09 G8, and have thrown around the idea of building a nice motor in my free time, and when Im ready, performing a motor/trans harness swap.
Now before I hear a bunch of "just buy a GT"... I want to know why? Because if I bought a GT I would just pull that motor/trans anyway...and go built with an 80... so, in short, has it been done, and what key items do I need to consider?
Open to ideas on what motor to build as well.... undecided on N/A, FI, or Spray..
06-30-2012, 03:40 PM
#9
I'm in the same boat, we have a 08 G8 that we love but i would love to have a LSx under the hood. We only have 28k on the car so i have plenty of time to start collecting parts to do the swap in the future. Any info would be awsome.
07-04-2012, 04:40 PM
#10
I started a thread on grrr8.net about the swap and pretty much just alot of guys telling to just trade my car in lol, i only paid 20k for a car with 5,500 miles on it, not trading it in for another 25k loan so i'll stick with trying a swap lol.
07-04-2012, 07:31 PM
#12
I like it alot to be honest, it has enough power to get out of the way and it seems to be some stuff you can do power wise, 5th gen V6 camaro long tubes work, they make intake spacers, cold airs etc. Not a bad plat form but will get replaces with a LSx one day.
07-04-2012, 07:34 PM
#13
It will probably be easier to stick a turbo on the V6 and go with that. However, if you want to do a conversion, I have seen a thread where someone stuck an LSX in a GT. His intent was to make it a 10 second car. Not sure if he ever got there.
Things to think about:
Rear End: I would go to GForce Engineering and get their 9 inch conversion. It's still a IRS but with a 9 inch diff. It's not cheap at $5k but you can get the ratio you want. The GT ratio wasn't much IIRC, like a 2.92 or 3.27 or something like that. I have a GXP and it has a 3.70. You may be able to drop in a SS Camaro rear, they are 3.45. Most stock diff's do not last under high hp applications. You can beef them up but
Trans: I would stick with the 6 spd auto and beef it up. There will not be any fitment issues and I am reasonably sure you can make it last, unless you are just going for monster hp.
Brakes, I would just go get the GXP fronts, they are Brembo and then the GT rears. They are good brakes. A way to save some money. They might even be the same brakes as on the V6 car.
I would look reall close at the front cradle/subframe etc on a GT and see if it is the same as a V6's. If not, then you need to go find one being parted out. Ebay always has G8 parts on auction. There are a couple of junkyards, one from Cleveland, that always seems to deal in them. You also will probably need to source a GT cooling system as well.
In short this is not a cheap endeavor nor will it be a quick one. I would not think it's impossible to just financially prohibitive, especially once you get into the wiring and electronics. The cheapest and easiest way to do this is go get a GT or put some forced induction on that V6. I believe its the same one that's in the base Camaro so whatever performance parts they have for that, should fit with some modifications to allow for a different engine bay.
Things to think about:
Rear End: I would go to GForce Engineering and get their 9 inch conversion. It's still a IRS but with a 9 inch diff. It's not cheap at $5k but you can get the ratio you want. The GT ratio wasn't much IIRC, like a 2.92 or 3.27 or something like that. I have a GXP and it has a 3.70. You may be able to drop in a SS Camaro rear, they are 3.45. Most stock diff's do not last under high hp applications. You can beef them up but
Trans: I would stick with the 6 spd auto and beef it up. There will not be any fitment issues and I am reasonably sure you can make it last, unless you are just going for monster hp.
Brakes, I would just go get the GXP fronts, they are Brembo and then the GT rears. They are good brakes. A way to save some money. They might even be the same brakes as on the V6 car.
I would look reall close at the front cradle/subframe etc on a GT and see if it is the same as a V6's. If not, then you need to go find one being parted out. Ebay always has G8 parts on auction. There are a couple of junkyards, one from Cleveland, that always seems to deal in them. You also will probably need to source a GT cooling system as well.
In short this is not a cheap endeavor nor will it be a quick one. I would not think it's impossible to just financially prohibitive, especially once you get into the wiring and electronics. The cheapest and easiest way to do this is go get a GT or put some forced induction on that V6. I believe its the same one that's in the base Camaro so whatever performance parts they have for that, should fit with some modifications to allow for a different engine bay.
Last edited by 69Project; 07-04-2012 at 07:39 PM.
