Conversions & Swaps LSX Engines in Non-LSX Vehicles
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

newbie considering an lsx swap

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 31, 2012 | 09:24 AM
  #1  
confucius101's Avatar
Thread Starter
Teching In
 
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Default newbie considering an lsx swap

OK so i have a 91 firebird thats been sitting around parked for years
now I'm considering upgrading to and lsx block

right now I'm just looking for some info as to where to look what to look for and how to get the most bang for my buck

everyone says the LQ9's can be had pretty cheap with low miles
so if i pick on of these up what

intake fuel rails radiator fans wiring should i be looking at i will also need all the accessories that bolt up for the f-body's

my end goal for is to have a fully working car by spring lol
I'm trying to stay below 4grand

any and all help would be greatly appreciated

and please bear with me b/c like i said I'm a newbie
and a lot of this all goes right over my head lol but i am trying to learn

thanks again
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2012 | 09:46 AM
  #2  
parks450's Avatar
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (17)
 
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 649
Likes: 2
From: Wyoming
Default

My advice is read...their info all over this site. But to help you out, your best bet is to find a complete lq4/9 with harness ecu etc. If your handy you can do most yourself such as wiring etc. Theirs wiring diagrams all over the internet, its not as hard as you think doing wiring. Hardest part for me is finding the correct diagrams etc.

You should post this in the conversions and hybrids. You can do this for $4k but youll have to do most yourself along with find only good deals on parts. Youll most likely need a fuel system to support etc. Things can get expensive quickly.

For a motor in your area check craigslist, ebay, and car-part.com
Reply
Old Feb 1, 2012 | 08:42 AM
  #3  
confucius101's Avatar
Thread Starter
Teching In
 
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Default

Thanks parks......

i have been reading and reading for the past few days
as well as searching around every where for parts and such
just trying to get a fell of all that will be involved and the more i read the more
over my head this all seams LOL

i'm going to have a talk with the shop that started
working on the car with me 2 years ago and he what they say

i do love the idea of popping the hood and seeing an ls setup
but if worse comes to worse i might just end up staying with the
original turbo setup on my 6cly...............

Chris
%^)
Reply
Old Feb 2, 2012 | 12:32 AM
  #4  
Track_FC's Avatar
Staging Lane
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 55
Likes: 0
Default

Lots of good info here. It's overwhelming at first but I'm starting to get the hang of things.
Reply
Old Feb 2, 2012 | 01:22 AM
  #5  
Thule's Avatar
TECH Fanatic
 
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,843
Likes: 0
From: reykjavík, iceland
Default

you should be able to get all the wiring info here on the tech, no matter what i think of doing to my car, i almoast always find solid info here
Reply
Old Feb 2, 2012 | 06:17 AM
  #6  
99VetteFRC's Avatar
TECH Fanatic
 
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,356
Likes: 2
From: Felton Pa
Default

Look on ebay at Bow auto parts in New Hampshire. I bought a complete 4.8L for $450 + $100 to have it shipped to my dealership. It came with everything including the gas pedal and TAC module. Super pleased with my results. I also have wiring schematics from alldata if you need. I would recommend doing it all your self if possible. I will have about $2500-$3000 in my twin turbo swap to a '70 Chevelle. That is including the HP Tuners I bought from ebay. Doing it all myself. Good luck with your build and don't hesitate to ask for help or advise, everyone on this site seems more than willing to help each other.
Reply
Old Feb 2, 2012 | 03:40 PM
  #7  
gMAG's Avatar
TECH Junkie
20 Year Member
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 3,033
Likes: 4
From: CT
Default

Yes, I think the biggest lesson I've learned...don't rush in.
As others have said, read, read, read. Things occur to you as you learn.
In my case, I could have had an almost new (3k miles) engine, complete with harness for $2500. It was a great deal that I passed on, bec I didn't know enough about the arena that is LS1.
Instead, I bought something else, and payed more money.
Confucious say, "man with hand in pocket, feel cocky!" lol
Good luck with your pursuit!
Reply
Old Feb 2, 2012 | 03:53 PM
  #8  
bmf5150's Avatar
TECH Fanatic
 
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,679
Likes: 0
Default

GMAG is wright!!read a lot,even with my swap I would have done some stuff different
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-5

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

 
story-9

10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Feb 2, 2012 | 04:14 PM
  #9  
74novacustom's Avatar
TECH Regular
 
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 497
Likes: 4
Default

Yes a complete LQ4/9 would be preferrable. But dont shy away from any 5.3 or 4.8, these are more avail and cheaper, and with a good cam alone can hang with or out run a 6.0.
Reply
Old Feb 2, 2012 | 06:33 PM
  #10  
Friggy's Avatar
Teching In
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
From: Maine
Default

Originally Posted by confucius101
OK so i have a 91 firebird thats been sitting around parked for years
now I'm considering upgrading to and lsx block

right now I'm just looking for some info as to where to look what to look for and how to get the most bang for my buck

everyone says the LQ9's can be had pretty cheap with low miles
so if i pick on of these up what

intake fuel rails radiator fans wiring should i be looking at i will also need all the accessories that bolt up for the f-body's

my end goal for is to have a fully working car by spring lol
I'm trying to stay below 4grand

any and all help would be greatly appreciated

and please bear with me b/c like i said I'm a newbie
and a lot of this all goes right over my head lol but i am trying to learn

thanks again
If you definitely want 6.0, I have found that the LQ4 can be had cheaper than the LQ9. You pay a premium for the lq9. I would save some money and go lq4 and modify from there. I also would not overlook the LM7 or L33 5.3L and they can be had really cheap compared to the 6.0l. You will need fbody oil pan, intake, TB, accessories.

There is a ton of good info on here, but there is also a great LSx swap section on thirdgen.org if you didn't already know that. Search, search, search is your best friend!!

Good luck with swap.
Reply
Old Feb 3, 2012 | 12:27 AM
  #11  
V8Rumble's Avatar
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,237
Likes: 1
From: Rocky Mtn thin air & snow...
Cool

Welcome aboard, fellow third-genner!! ThirdGen.org (aka "TGO") is the other primary site that you should be checking out, especially their LTx/LSx swap forum!! (You can also click on the picture in my signature to look over my build thread - although it's not exactly representative of an "average" thirdgen swap...)

Good luck!
Reply
Old Feb 6, 2012 | 02:35 PM
  #12  
confucius101's Avatar
Thread Starter
Teching In
 
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Default

Hey thanks alot for all the info guys
i've been reading for he past 2 weeks stright
and i'm still at it lol
Reply




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:20 PM.

story-0
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

Slideshow: This heavily modified 1971 Camaro mixes classic muscle car styling with a fifth-generation Camaro interior and modern LS3 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:06:42


VIEW MORE
story-1
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

Slideshow: From wobbling harmonic balancers to failed EBCMs, these are the issues that define long-term C5 ownership and what repairs typically involve.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-07 18:44:57


VIEW MORE
story-2
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-5
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-6
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE
story-7
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

Slideshow: A heavily reworked 1972 K5 Blazer swaps its off-road roots for a low-slung street-focused build with modern V8 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-09 18:08:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There are thousands of used Camaros on the market but we think you should avoid these 10

By | 2026-02-17 17:09:30


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

Slideshows: Which one of these myths do you believe?

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-28 18:10:11


VIEW MORE