Alright I need help making a decision. I have a 68 camaro that has just recently been stripped cleaned undercoated etc. so I have a clean slate rolling chassis with a complete interior.

It has no motor, tranny, fuel lines or factory bb engine harness under the hood is basically a shell with all steering stuff (power steering) rebuilt and thats it nothing else

So basically what im trying to figure out is should I do an ls6 conversion or go big block. I know the benefits etc of the ls1/ls6 motors and really want to go this route but im just worried if i run into some unexpected problems with the swap I may end up running out of money.


Almost everthing i would have to buy for the LS6 i would have to buy for a bb 396 as well so i feel like i may as well just go with the ls6 budget is about 7k which is gonna cut it VERY close

from my engine guy, rebuilt 396 with hydrolic rollers cam kit rebuild kit machine shop work price core motor block etc... also m21 muncie 4sp
3000 $
still need radiator, fan, fuel lines, exhaust, clutch, clutch resevoir p/s, alt, distributor, intake manifold, carb, engine harness, etc im sure there is stuff i missed. Like i said under the hood is basically a shell with all steering stuff (power steering) rebuilt and thats it



or
COMPLETE 2004 cts-v with t56 6 speed
complete with all belt driven accessories, starter, exhaust manifolds, MAF sensor and elbow, fuel injection,. Complete from fuel injection to oil pan. TAC module and throttle pedal included as well for "drive by wire". Transmission includes pedals, driveshaft, hydraulics and shifter. Wiring harness NOT INCLUDED but ECM is included

4000$
00$- hoping that cts-v oil pan will clear ??? input??
50$ s&p style motor mount adapters for ls1 w/ old style motor mounts
-wiring
529$ psi ls6 stand alone drive by wire harness (not sure what 24x crank
reluctor is ??)
300$ ecm Flash

some of ilove1stgens's price list
-Fuel
500$ spectre tank with in tank fuel pump
37$ 023-FCA0410 10 feet of 4an feul line -jegs
77$ 023-FCA0620 20 feet of 6an feul line $77-jegs
40$ 710-65385 return line kit $40-jegs
50$ 99 vette filter/regulater $50-napa
-Cooling
190$ GRI-1-25272-X Griffin crossflow radiator $190-summit
16$ SUM-380100 Mounting brackets $16-summit
119$ FLX-398 electric fan $119-summit
-trans
349$ ATS adjustable t56 crossmember
80$ ATS clutch master firewall bracket
00$ motor comes with clutch pedal assy hoping this will work??
-exhaust
00$ factory cts v mainfolds hoping this will work???
200$ cut drive shaft to proper length

$6537

will worry about gauges later just want to be able to get this thing up and running







Things offsetting the price of the ls6 conversion because they would have to be bought anyways to get the big block running

500 approx> All Accessories for the bb 396 would have to be bought
500 headers,
125 factory fuel lines,
200-300 radiator
125 engine harness
400 clutch
200 driveshaft
2100

+ 3000 for the motor and trans

5100 appox to go with the bbc 396



I know 1500 doe'snt seem like a lot and I should just upgrade but I will literally have only 500$ left in my account if I do the ls6

1 just curious what everyone thinks
2 Please give me some feedback on things I may have missed or things that will/will not work with my planned LS6 setup

 

someone has to have some ideas/input ?.....

 

Take your time and do it right the first time.

You obviously want to do the ls swap. Keep saving and do it. Dont just do something different cause you can't afford to do what you want right now.

I've spent 6 years on my 1971 olds 442, upgrading it as I get money.

Don't do what is cheaper cause you can afford it now and end up regretting it later.

 

I don't think the CTS-V pan will fit the first gen Fbody, but you may find a swap for one. There was just a post for a EFI fuel tank for Camaro being sold at Rock Auto for $300. You can save some money by using hard aluminum fuel line instead of AN stuff. I think a roll with more than enough to run from front to back is less than $25. You still need fittings, but you can flare those.

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...inum+fuel+line

If you locate the regulator at the back of the car you can use a simple rubber hose return line cost about $2. It's low pressure and no one will ever see it. I am also thinking you should be able to modify or relocate your current trans cross member and save some money there. I got a universal one from Comp Engineering. Jegs also has them, less than $100.

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...94966286&Nty=0

Read through the Stickys above, you don't have to spend that much money if you can fabricate even a little bit.

In the long run I think you would be happier with the LS6. It would be much more pleasant to drive and less expensive to operate.

Good luck with your swap, lots of first gen experience here to call on.

Pat

 

Your going to get a bit of a bias answer here, but....

I would go ls6/t56, reasons would be:

Gas mileage, i know most people don't care so much for their project cars, but i like to drive my cars as much as possible, and i commute 60-70miles daily.

Driveability, idk how a muncie 4sp feels, but with my limited twice around the block experience with a t56 it feels very smooth.

Lastly the grin factor when you pop the hood/ step on the gas.


I had a pretty strict budget for my hot rod, then realized i could never build it they way i want to. Might be a year or so longer before its 100% finished, but atleast i won't regret anything.

 

really its a point of preference i have the same issue i am going to be going in the direction of the big block but with a twist,a kinsler efi.the lsx swap will have to wait for another project for me... in your case go for it cts-v stuff is hard to come by. go for it

 

This is a no brainer. I pulled a fuel injected 600HP 502 out of my GTO to go with a L92/LS3 combo, and I don't regret a single moment.

Whatever LSx engine you choose will run circles a little 396, have better drivability, and get better gas mileage.

Muncies are sweet shifting transmissions. Better than a T56. If you want, you can keep it. A wide ration Muncie with a 3.31 gear should work fine and not be too terrible on the highway.

Andrew

 

I'd say go with the ls1/6, with patience and a lot of looking around on the forums and craigslist for a cheap combo. Got my 90k mile ls1/t56, harness, pcm, radiator, cooling fans, tan leather seats, along with the whole crossmember from a 2000 ws6 with pacesetters and y pipe for $2000. So the deals are out there, you just have to look everyday, there is local guy here in San Antonio thats selling a formula in parts, wants $2000 for the whole car.

 

1960's technology vs 2000's technology.

like solid tires versus rubber tires.

 

Awesome thanks for the input guys. Im throwing around the idea of just doing the t56 with a 5.3 motor for now with a ls1 intake/harness/ecm to get the car up and running. I think I can save alot going that route and just get an ls1 aluminum block later.

What is rock auto? I see that tank listed on there is this a pretty good site. Ive never heard of them until today. Im about to pull the trigger on that tank just want to make sure that they are reputable.

 

why not use an aluminum 5.3L?

 

LQ4/9 6.0L iron block with a 4.0 bore gets my vote.

The LQ9 can be made into a 413 CID stroker and will kill a 396 BBC easy but make better MPG.

LS engines RULE!!!!

 

Rock Auto has been around for quite a while and stands behind their products. They are mostly oriented to OEM replacement type parts vs performance. But when that is what you need, in my experience they are a good vendor. They often have discount codes, so do a web search for RockAuto Discount code and you may find one.

Here is an example of one I just found:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r217...e-for-RockAuto

Pat

 

Coming onto the LS board and asking this is like walking into Sunday mass and asking whether you should go Catholic or (insert other religion here).

 

I can help....My ls6 runs 11.1 @ 124.6 gets 20-22 mpg in town, 27-29 hiway,reliable enough for extened road trips.....it just turned 80,000 and run that 11.1. That old bbc stuff was good for it's day, but it's crap now. I'd like to see a bb anything pull those #'s and get that mpg.

 

I think the first bit of advice would be don't spend all your money on a hobby. That being said I would (and did) go for an iron 6.0. Cheap, plentiful and can be bored out easily later. I'd guess a lot of the people on this section of the site are here because we recently dumped outdated boat anchor 60s-70s motors.

 

Which of the aluminum 5.3's are the best l33, ls4?? I've done some searching but found much less info on these.

 

LQ4/9 gets my vote. I picked up my LQ4/trans with everything but the ecm for under $900. T56's are pretty easy to find for under 1000. Sell the trans/intake assembly off the LQ4 and your up a few bucks.

 

Let me chime in and say that my 69 chevelle SS has a 350hp 396 with some adds. been in the car since the mid 80's. I am going to pull it out in the spring and put in a 5.3L with 317 heads and 2 MPT70 turbos on it with a 4L80E. It will be lighter, more powerfull, get better mileage (when out of the throttle) and more reliable. Just my $.02

 

not sure whats the best, but my 2007 5.3L aluminum LH6 is a little torque monster, its a nice motor it has 799 heads, newer intake same as tbss, and a 90mm tb. i love this motor. i put it in my 82 c10 and it rocks the truck. it spins the tires from a 35-40 roll with a 60e tranny, 2.73 gears, and no stall verter. cant wait to get a cam, 4.11 gears, 3200 stall, LT headers. gonna be sweet. im shooting for mid 12s in a truck.