Classic 1970 Pontiac GTO Aims for Turbo LS Power
LS1 Tech member wants to ditch his 400 in favor of an LS in his GTO, but needs your help with the details.
As much as we love an old school, carbureted, big-inch motor, it’s hard to deny the appeal of LS swaps. Even in cool old muscle cars like LS1 Tech member Blacksix‘s beautiful 1970 Pontiac GTO. Lightweight, reliable, and capable of making gobs of power on demand, the LS platform eventually wins over even the hardest of the old school hardcore. Thus, Blacksix finally came to this realization recently and headed to the forums for some advice on his upcoming swap.
“I’ve had enough of the boring Pontiac 400 and decided to go LS like the rest of the world. After having a couple of Buick T-Types I will naturally go turbo. I figure 600-650 hp should keep me entertained. I’ve picked up a non-VVT LC9 w/ TBSS intake and a 2006 4l80E. I’m more into mountain road twisties and a fun street car, and this is a restomod with full interior, A/C, power steering, etc. With this in mind, what are some suggestions for a cam, converter, and turbo? Currently I’m thinking triple 12, 3,000 stall, & 70-76mm. Also, in case I run out of time/money for the turbo setup, what would be a fun cam to run for a season and then turbo next winter without changing it?”
Clearly, the OP has a solid plan in place already for his GTO. But JosephIV chimes in with some detailed suggestions.
“The original (not V2) Tick stage 1 turbo cam would most likely work well non-turbo and then shine with a 76 or 78mm turbo. Performance Automatic makes a locking tranny dipstick for 4L80s in Chevelles, so maybe that’s something to look at. I’m not sure that you need to look too hard for a computer. Any newer drive-by-wire throttle body LSx PCM should work whether it’s out of a 2006 van or 2008 Silverado or whatever. Do your homework as you’ll want to make it easier on yourself matching up 58x reluctor/DBW TB with the right PCM.
As far as a converter goes, give Circle D or someone similar a call. A TransGo HD2 shift kit and a good converter and you should be good at your stated power goal. Aeromotive has return-style gas tanks for Chevelles if you go that route with your build, although the pump is small for your goals.”
The OP receives a couple of other great suggestions from cypris09 as well.
“Honestly have you looked into the Terminator X setup? Since you’re going turbo, it has boost control built right in and can handle pretty much any combination you can think of. As a matter of fact, I’d just got with Holley mounts and pan. The Holley pan has provisions for oil drain, too. Hard to beat what they offer. I’d like to also toss out that Summit has LS cams too, and they seem to be pretty decent power wise.”
So far, it looks like the OP has a pretty clear path to LS glory in his classic GTO. But we want to know what you think. Do you have experience with this sort of setup? If so, head over here and chime in with your suggestions!
Photos: LS1 Tech forums
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