welldonecj7

iTrader: (13)

I have been kicking around the idea of swapping my sbc in my CJ7 out for a lsx style engine. I know someone that is thinking of selling an ls1 out of a ws6 with a mild cam, ported stock 241 heads, ported and polshed tb, however would not come with accessories or wiring harness. I have also been looking at some of the 6.0 liters, however do not know which way would be best, what do you guys think.

ls1 lighter weight, (this is not a huge concern for me), has some mods so will make more hp for now, only 3x,xxx miles on it, (less on the mods) know how it was treated, but needs wiring and accessories

6.0l can be just as low milage depending on deal, often will come with the wiring and accessories for about the same price the ls1 would be, lots of potential for future hp, but would have to spend a little money on it to make the same hp as that ls1 and weighs slightly more (this is not a big concern for my application however), also have a ls6 intake (minus rails and injectors) that could swap onto a 6.0 if i get one.

bmxmon

iTrader: (5)

For an off road truck I would go with the 6.0L and keep all the truck stuff, including the intake, on it.

welldonecj7

iTrader: (13)

The jeep will see a variety of things, not really any crawling type offroad stuff, some snow, sand and occasional drag strip along with street driving is what it sees most.

zamora7

iTrader: (4)

I vote for the 6.0l. It will be cheaper than the LS1, depending on the deal he gives you.

Rick Speed

iTrader: (55)

6.0... you get more torque and you can get one with all the truck accessories to fit your aplication

LS1 TJ

I have had a LS1 98 wrangler and a 99 6.0 wrangler. Both stock and very much the same performance. I sold the 6.0 99 wrangler and due to piston slap on the 98 wrangler rebuilt the LS1 into a LS6.
The LS6 runs great. No better swap for a jeep.

welldonecj7

iTrader: (13)

thanks for the input guys, yea, I have been starting to watch for deals lately on 6.0l, seems like all the local junk yards are starting raise the prices a lot, last year I had found a lq9 with 35k complete all accessories computer etc for $1000, now for something similiar seems to be over $2000 around here.

If i did get the ls1 I would need to get all the accessories for it as well as wiring and computer.

welldonecj7

iTrader: (13)

I found a 2004 5.3 with 40k miles on it, complete the guy is asking $800 for it, what do you guys think of that price?

Would it be worth going with a different engine lq4 lq9 etc, seem like about going price for a compairable would be close to $2000.

I really want to go ls1/ls2 so it would be alum and lighter or go with the 6 liter so it would have more torque, option of going l92, hmm I dunno what would be the best set up. However i know the 5.3 is very similar to the ls1 with a few less cubes and iron block (which weight isnt huge for me at all), but I know that they make good power out of 5.3 builds.

What do you guys think as far as pricing on the one I found vs others like 6.0l?

chuckd71

iTrader: (23)

I too am curious about the 5.3 vs LQ9 thing. The best I've been able to find on an LQ9 is $2400 shipped for a complete one. Seem to be about $1000 than the 5.3 just across the board.

Lil'John

I went through a "similar" debate for my Land Cruiser when I chose to do an LSx swap.

I looked at the LQ9 for only a little bit. The biggest turn off was being forced to use premium gas for ~20hp If I was going to be "forced" to use premium gas, it sure wasn't going to be for 20hp... throw a super charger or turbo for ~150hp and then I'd consider it

I debated between the 5.3l and LQ4 a bit. The LQ4 had a "higher" power range that was still reliable. The LQ4 started with more power. Externally, they were identical... so face it, the saying is "there is no replacement for displacement".

In the end, I went with the LQ4. It was a "better" base and it cost me ~$400 more than the 5.3L. I was only looking at COMPLETE low mileage junkyard motors with warranty. My LQ4 has 30k miles.

I did NOT consider any of the aluminum block based engines for a few reasons:

1. All the reading I have done suggested that after about 500hp(I think that was the number), the aluminum block became suspect.
2. Who cares about saving 50-100lbs in an offroad rig? 35"+ tires, heavy axles, etc... 4900lbs vs 5000lbs doesn't make a bit of difference.
3. Yards seemed to think that the moment it came from a Corvette or Camaro it was worth twice as much

chuckd71

iTrader: (23)

Thanks. The lsx swap people selling the motor had said that the LQ9 would run on the midgrade pump gas. The difference between the lq9 and lq4 is about $450 or so, and it seems to offer more in the way of cheaper future upgradeability, or at least that is the impression I get. Edit-Owner's manual apparently says 91 or better.

groveboy

Im looking for a LQ9 with tranny and all accessories. . Anyone know where i can find one?

Lil'John

I tend to take the advice of people selling the solution with a grain of salt

The OP is a wheeler so my advice on the "issue" with mid/hi grade gas was based upon the fact that most wheelers don't have a gas can full of mid/hi grade gas. So if one is wheeling and runs out of gas, odds are pretty high that only low grade gas is available.

On a street/racetrack type car, the grade of gas is less of an issue.

Not sure what "cheaper" upgrades you would fine when comparing the hi-compression LQ9 vs any of the lo compression engines... with any of them, to me, the upgrades seem to be the same before the lo compression engine needs a compression boost: cam, intake, headers, tune, etc would be the same between them.

chuckd71

iTrader: (23)

I agree about dealing with sellers, but he's someone who comes up frequently here and on Team Chevelle as being a stand-up guy. When I called him he actually talked me out of buying most of the stuff I was hoping to get from him and steered me other vendors that would be cheaper for me, so to be fair he can't be all bad. Unless that is what he wants me to think...
Anyway, I 'm fairly new to the world of LS swaps, but I thought I could use better, cheaper heads on the LQ9 should I decide to do so later (probably will). So many 3-letter pieces and parts floating around in my head after reading these forums forever it can be hard to keep things straight. Unless there is a compelling reason not to go with a 6.0L engine I'm thinking I may just buy it so I can go ahead and start moving forward with the project. At some point time starts to = money. Picking the right engine seems to be harder than actually putting it in. Will probably end up stroking it next fall, if that makes a difference at all.