View Poll Results: How long did your conversion take?
under 6 months
33
38.37%
6 months to a year
23
26.74%
1 to 2 years
14
16.28%
over 2 years
16
18.60%
Voters: 86. You may not vote on this poll
how long did your conversion take to complete?
10-11-2005, 11:07 AM
#23
Teching In
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Waukesha,WI
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Still collecting money and info on how and reading other posts. Hope not more than a couple months once i start. 1972 Olds cutlass gonna be 6.0 powered (later with procharger assist).
11-19-2005, 08:12 PM
#25
i think it took me about 5 months after getting the engine back from the machine shop till it first fired up. the car was apart for 2 years though, and the lt1 was at the machine shop for a year(a friend did it on his spare time and i was in no rush), plus i made my own harness so i dont think thats too bad considering.
11-26-2005, 08:15 AM
#26
Teching In
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Originally Posted by G-Body
Well I started two weeks ago but ya really can`t count last week since I was on vacation and never touched the car. I figure I should have it running before the end of this week. All I have left is drive shaft, plug in wiring connectors, exhaust, snap in throttle cable, bend fuel lines. So about two weeks total time and it will be driveable, complete probably never I can`t leave anything alone. Conversion: 1985 El Camino SS to 2001 5.3L with 4l60E camaro trans and 3.73 Grand National rear end.
07-21-2007, 09:55 PM
#27
TECH Fanatic
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It took us 1 day less than three months from the day we started ordering stuff, until the day we called it finished. This included a lot of suspension work, a week off traveling, and two teenage daughters....
07-23-2007, 06:05 AM
#34
Started my swap and only had week nights to work on it. Maybe one weekend the entire time. Took me exactly 3 months from the time the car last moved, til I dropped it and took it for a test drive...then to the alignment shop the following day.
This was in an 87 Trans AM. That time included stripping the donor car, gutting the 87, rebuilding the ENTIRE suspension with new performance parts, custom wiring, rear swap, very custom A/C set up including a fiberglassed HVAC box, and who knows what all else.
Havent had any problems knock on wood. The only thing I had to redo was the exhaust because the hawks pieces gave me fits.
If I had to do it over again...I could probably do the same amount of work in about a month. If it was just swapping the motor and trans, less than a week. LS1s are friggin cake to work with!
Justin
This was in an 87 Trans AM. That time included stripping the donor car, gutting the 87, rebuilding the ENTIRE suspension with new performance parts, custom wiring, rear swap, very custom A/C set up including a fiberglassed HVAC box, and who knows what all else.
Havent had any problems knock on wood. The only thing I had to redo was the exhaust because the hawks pieces gave me fits.
If I had to do it over again...I could probably do the same amount of work in about a month. If it was just swapping the motor and trans, less than a week. LS1s are friggin cake to work with!
Justin
07-23-2007, 11:37 AM
#35
Staging Lane
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I started in late January, working on electrical right now. Had to wait a couple of weeks to get the frame components from powder coating. Not to mention work, school, and a torn rotator cuff 
07-23-2007, 02:58 PM
#36
11 Second Club
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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Sold the big block in April 05, was driving the LS1 in July 06, but time was shared with restoring a 70 Charger in one half of the garage and doing my conversion in the other half. Did heads cam swap this spring, T-rex is a monster!! Will be drag racing in 48 hours, weather permitting.
07-23-2007, 11:48 PM
#37
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A hair over 6 months... I got detoured by having to travel a bunch for work. And was too drunk to turn a wrench half of the weekends I was in town.
At least half of the man hours I put into the swap were things not directly related to the LS1/T56 swap... steering, brakes, hydroboost, Ford 9", rear suspension, seats, new guages, troubleshooting a nonexistent clutch hydraulic problem because of the badly-broken T56 I bought on ebay (if all your slider keys are broken, it acts a lot like a bad slave...). And I got hung up by poor research/planning a couple of times and had to stop and wait for more parts (ie, fuel fittings and !@#$%^ hooker mounts).
At least half of the man hours I put into the swap were things not directly related to the LS1/T56 swap... steering, brakes, hydroboost, Ford 9", rear suspension, seats, new guages, troubleshooting a nonexistent clutch hydraulic problem because of the badly-broken T56 I bought on ebay (if all your slider keys are broken, it acts a lot like a bad slave...). And I got hung up by poor research/planning a couple of times and had to stop and wait for more parts (ie, fuel fittings and !@#$%^ hooker mounts).
07-24-2007, 09:50 PM
#38
On The Tree
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I bought my car in January 2007.
Bought my LS1 in April 2007.
Running/drove the car - 7-17-07.
This was in between taking 10 credit hours this summer in accelerated classes. working 20-30 hours a week and having a women. man i'm beat. Now it's time to put a cage in my car and start working more for a suspension and LSD.
Bought my LS1 in April 2007.
Running/drove the car - 7-17-07.
This was in between taking 10 credit hours this summer in accelerated classes. working 20-30 hours a week and having a women. man i'm beat. Now it's time to put a cage in my car and start working more for a suspension and LSD.
07-24-2007, 10:00 PM
#39
I should just figure out the hours... almost two months.. haven't driven it yet but I could. I just want to make things look real clean and stock looking.
most of the work on sundays some saturdays. even two weekends it never was touched. waited for the small little parts and came home from work and played with a few things for an hour several nights.
the most work was the y-pipe and flanges. that took a whole solid weekend to get it right and it still is not what I wanted however it will do.
I was swapping it into a 3rdgen f-body so most of the stuff was very easy and I was able to skip stuff the one off cars have to fab.
most of the work on sundays some saturdays. even two weekends it never was touched. waited for the small little parts and came home from work and played with a few things for an hour several nights.
the most work was the y-pipe and flanges. that took a whole solid weekend to get it right and it still is not what I wanted however it will do.
I was swapping it into a 3rdgen f-body so most of the stuff was very easy and I was able to skip stuff the one off cars have to fab.
07-26-2007, 03:58 PM
#40
Staging Lane
Join Date: May 2006
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The 87ss took me a year. Although winter got in the way. I started to second guess myself on the swap, thinking a 383 would have been "easier". Since it's done, I'm absolutely thrilled with the end result. A very quick and nimble Monte SS. mike