efregoso

Hi, I have a 72 Buick Skylark with a 350 in it and 10 bolt rear end.I am looking to do an LS1 Swap, and was wondering what exactly I would need? I know this can get expensive, and I am ready to spend money, however I am looking to do this as cheap as possible. And make it a daily driver not a drag car. So questions I have are. If my rear end would still work for the swap? What kind of transmission works best without spending too much money etc. Any help would be appreciated.

Jimbo1367

If your rear is a 8.5 " ring gear, yes it can handle a LS1.

www.car-part.com is a great salvage yard search engine. You need to decide if you want to run a 4.8/5.3/6.0/6.2L engine.

THE BEST BANG FOR THE BUCk IS A 5.3L L33. Try searching for a 07 Silverado 1500 classic style (creased door skin), 5.3L, VIN B (8th digit, opt L33) Try to get a complete drop-out

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

If it is just a street car, any 10 bolt of that vintage will be fine if this is just a daily driver and you're not trying to do burnouts all the time.

I would look at a 5.3L/4L60E combo that fits your budget. Get as much of the engine, wiring, ECU, etc...as you can.

Andrew

efregoso

Thanks bud, would I have to upgrade the drive shaft as well? And what about motor mounts?

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

The driveshaft length will need to be adjusted based on your engine and trans placement. Whether you need to "upgrade" is a good questions. The stock shaft will most likely be OK but it will need to be shortened ( most likely).

You will want to use the Holley pan and use mounts that position the engine as low as possible.

Andrew

efregoso

Thanks bro, was wondering if there's any other advice as to what I would need, or what goes into it? I've never done a modern engine swap, so any advice is appreciated. It's all a bit foreign to me, but I do want to add a pro touring twist to this build

sprech

iTrader: (1)

I don't know if it will help you but I documented a lot on my Chevelle build.

efregoso

Yeah anything helps this swap is a bit foreign to me. Do you have your build on here?

deuce4935

iTrader: (2)

Use the search option, there are plenty of well documented LSx Buick Abody swaps here on the forum. Hell you can even Google the topic and get straight to someone elses build thread. You cant be lazy if you're planning on doing an engine swap.

efregoso

I am not being lazy bud, just asking the experienced. I've read around, read through forums, now getting others input. There's nothing wrong with that

sprech

iTrader: (1)

click the link in my signature for the Chevelle wagon BT

marbs34

iTrader: (1)

One thing I discovered that was not covered any where was that my frame stands were unique to my Buick motor. Originally car is a 65 skylark sport coupe with the 300 4v. Frame stands were wider than either of the standard Chevy stands. Had to order Chevelle frame stands to use the energy suspension poly mounts I wanted.

So a small bit of advice would be to cross reference small block mounts that you want and see if they are compatible with your Buick engine or not, if not plan on getting frame stands for the chevelle. I got mine from year one, but there are lots of places out there, speedtigger built his own, so lots of options.

You will like the torque of the 5.3 with the truck intake, especially if you are mostly cruising, it's ugly and barely fits but you could also talk someone out of those modified truck intake or try to attempt it your self. Ask away if you have any other questions

Toddoky

A 4L60-4L70 or T56 install will create the most issues for you in terms of firewall clearance and the ability to achieve optimized U-joint working angles. This is due to the bolt-on nature of their bellhousings, which creates much greater bulkiness to their fitment geometry compared to any other transmission. If you want to achieve an optimized 4L60 install behind an LS in your car without having to cut the tunnel, you'll need to move the engine/ transmission mating plane forward from the stock position by a minimum of an inch;the Holley 302-2 pan will allow this to be easily achieved. This forward position also provides clearance for the stock A/C box if you want to use it.

If you want to leave the engine/transmission mating plane in the stock location AND still be able to achieve optimized U-joint working angles without having to cut the floor, you'll want to use a TH350, TH400 or 2004R transmission. This works great for many reasons, but will not be compatible with the factory A/C box or the factory trans dipstick tube (you will need an aftermarket tube like the Lokar unit).

T56 and 4L80 installs require floor surgery to install regardless of the fore/aft engine position chosen.

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

The Holley 302-2 pan is a must if you ever hope to get the engine low enough to avoid driveline angle issues, and even then you might have problems if the car is going to be significantly lowered in the back.

Andrew