what would be the easiest ls1 swap
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TECH Apprentice
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 323
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From: North richland hills texas
what would be the easiest ls1 swap Not for sure what i want to swap a ls1 and tranny into but i will have 6K to spend on car, motor, tranny etc. My question is what would be the easiest swap out there. Who has a kit to do the swap. Stuff like that. I know a mustang is probably the way to go but what are my options. I am probably going a 5.3L so. I have been looking for cars and got my eye on a few. But not fore sure yet. Any ideas..If any ideas come up, what site to find parts etc. Thanks
I would think in general, the easiest swap would be a car or truck that was originally equipped with a SBC (later fuel injected) or a V6 and a 700r4 or 4L60/e. Then you could get a complete pull-out 5.3/6.0 truck engine and 4L60/65e and go at it. At least you could use (probably) the stock trans x-member, radiator, fuel pump, etc., and stuff like the speedo and gauges would be easier. The further you get away from that, the more $ and time you spend trying to get all the little stuff together. Maybe there's a better answer out there. I'm going at it from the least amount of fabricating/cutting/welding, etc., and physically having enough room to work on it under the hood. I'm thinking mid '90s truck/Tahoe or a Caprice.
As the page was loading, i was thinking 'fox', just like you mentioned. Tons of aftermarket, cheap to get into, fun ride.. Not super unique, but youll still get all the " 
" from the 5.0 guys..
The nova/chevelle (g?b?) bodies have a good amount of options, and seem to be more 'unique' to me.. there are also all the 80s-ish monte-whatevers (also g?b? bodies, haha).
Basically, the formula here is a production vehicle that came with a v8, can fit whatever engine/trans youd get as a pull (read: truck trans = large), and possibly most important- has a good aftermarket for swaps. The more complete the 'swap part market' is for the vehicle the better youll do. If i were in your shoes id probably grab a 50-70s truck, but im stuck in other projects
" from the 5.0 guys..The nova/chevelle (g?b?) bodies have a good amount of options, and seem to be more 'unique' to me.. there are also all the 80s-ish monte-whatevers (also g?b? bodies, haha).
Basically, the formula here is a production vehicle that came with a v8, can fit whatever engine/trans youd get as a pull (read: truck trans = large), and possibly most important- has a good aftermarket for swaps. The more complete the 'swap part market' is for the vehicle the better youll do. If i were in your shoes id probably grab a 50-70s truck, but im stuck in other projects
2nd generation s10s are also an easy swap. The newer 1998 and up make for easier wiring also plus motor mounts and headers are cheap. And if you buy a 4 cylinder that is flex fuel compatiable the factory fuel pump is sufficent.
FC RX7
Cars in good shape are sub $500. If you are lucky, you could score a Turbo Car for that money and have a decent platform to build on. Large aftermarket for both chassis and swap.
Again, it's not super unique but no "easy to swap" car is.
Cars in good shape are sub $500. If you are lucky, you could score a Turbo Car for that money and have a decent platform to build on. Large aftermarket for both chassis and swap.
Again, it's not super unique but no "easy to swap" car is.
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A lot more than a decent Fox! You should find a decent Fox for under $2k. A decent Chevelle or Nova is twice that. A quick search found these:
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2117869605.html
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2069642835.html
Under $4k with a Chevelle or Nova will get you a rusty turd.
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2117869605.html
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2069642835.html
Under $4k with a Chevelle or Nova will get you a rusty turd.
A lot more than a decent Fox! You should find a decent Fox for under $2k. A decent Chevelle or Nova is twice that. A quick search found these:
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2117869605.html
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2069642835.html
Under $4k with a Chevelle or Nova will get you a rusty turd.
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2117869605.html
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2069642835.html
Under $4k with a Chevelle or Nova will get you a rusty turd.
I would say a v6 fourth gen of course would be "easiest" and from there any sbc powered car or any popular swap car with a good aftermarket.
I disagree. I am doing an Ls1 FC right now and had to notch the tunnel to get the trans up where it needs to be. Had i not already owned a welder this would have turned into a pita. There are lots of swaps that require no cutting.
I would say a v6 fourth gen of course would be "easiest" and from there any sbc powered car or any popular swap car with a good aftermarket.
I would say a v6 fourth gen of course would be "easiest" and from there any sbc powered car or any popular swap car with a good aftermarket.
FC Rx7. Last I checked they didn't need the tranny modified... even if you do the tools should easily fit in that budget. And you can use the tools in your next build, because you know there will be others 
3rd gen f-body is the easy one.. if you get a drop out (98-02 fbody) like said you buy spohn mounts and its almost a direct bolt in.. some small tweaks here and there like hammering in the weld on the rear of the k-member. the drive shaft on the v8 cars is the same. tq arm bolts right up and so on.. some wiring is needed like any swap but its pretty simple the stock manifolds work with a custom y-pipe