David J. Guyton

Hello everyone, first post, but I have been lurking a while now.

I have been looking for an LS motor/trans in the MD area at the salvage yards and CL, and I am not having any luck at all. I keep hearing "oh, the iron 5.3s are everywhere for a few hundred bucks"...and they are nowhere to be found.

I have been to Crazy Rays...nothing. I called Glory Days in Clarksville and asked them if their price sheet was correct (motor, harness, accessories, trans, ecm...all for about $400) Their response was "Yeah sounds about right. If you find an LS motor, it's yours."

Well, I DID find one there. It was allegedly a Corvette engine in a Trans Am (suuuuuure it was) anyway, I helped the guy get it started, it sounded good. And then he told me he wanted $2000. So I won't be going back there. Everything there is cheap unless it's worth something.

I called Brandywine (the big one) and asked if they had LS motors. I'm not driving 80 mins only to find that none are there. Here's the conversation we had:

---ME: Do you guys have any GM LS motors? I am trying to put one in a hot rod. I need the harness, ECM, everything to make it run

---THEM: No we don't have anything like that.

---ME: You don't have ANY V8 GM motors from like 2000 and up?

---THEM: No we don't have anything like that.

So, after hanging up with them, I found that they had a truck salvage yard too. A guy my sister works with said that they would have them. So I call them, and they were quite rude...saying they couldn't tell me what they had unless I gave them a year/model/etc. So I said, ok, 2004 Silverado 5.3. He then told me $1400 for the bare motor and nothing else.

I am also watching salvage auctions and I am not having any luck there either. If people are willing to pay like 2k for a rolled van with 250,000 miles, then I don't have a chance.

So, my question is, where are you Marylanders getting your LS engines? I am willing to drive just about anywhere in the area to get one, but I need to know that the place has at least ONE there. I am also looking to pay $1000 or under....preferably like half that if possible.

Thanks in advance for your help

Regal454

I would start at www.car-parts.com. You can enter your zipcode and search by distance.

85MikeTPI

iTrader: (9)

2nd this.. I found my L92 on car-parts up in a PA salvage yard. 1hr drive, but dealing with bone heads at bone yards wasn't fruitful for me either..

Daniel0026

EBAY=cheap, to your door.
Cons=cant touch before you buy.

There are deals to be had on ebay and other online sources. Keep and eye on the ol craigslist or check the sales area on our forum! I looked far and wide and could no located an actual "junkyard" 5.3 or 6.0L but im in NC so take that however you want.

David J. Guyton

@Regal454

Thanks for the link. I was able to track down several 5.3s and some 6.0s and I FINALLY encountered a helpful salvage yard through the car-parts website. For anyone interested, the helpful salvage yard is http://www.condonsautoparts.com/

The guy I talked to was named Greg. Very friendly and he knew exactly what I meant about doing an LS swap. Other places couldn't grasp the idea that I wanted to buy a truck engine that was going to go in something other than the exact truck it came out of. Silliness.

Anyway, he's getting me a price list tomorrow. Hopefully my 65 Impala will be alive and breathing soon.

Roar

iTrader: (2)

I have bought a few engines from Bow Auto Parts in NH on Ebay and have shipped them all the way to Norway.
You get a complete 5.3 for around $8-900 and they offer VERY reasonable shipping rates.
They sell all engines as takeouts - nothing cut-nothing broken and everything included.

rotor vs. piston

iTrader: (3)

Agreed, there are good sellers on ebay... look at the ratings and some of the better ones will have videos of THE engine that's for sale. Compression testing and running.

I looked at the sellers over about two months and got a feel for who was good and not. Got my engine and tranny, (wish I could remember the seller) and couldn't be happier. edit: I could be happier if it were free.

tmcmillan5

iTrader: (1)

http://www.ripplesserviceinc.com/

Ripple's in Upper Marlboro, MD.. They know what you are up to.

Doug G

http://www.engineandtransmissionworld.com/ ?????

Vince's on Philadelphia Rd, WhiteMarsh ?

Toms on Northpoint Rd, Dundalk ?

hybridstang

iTrader: (8)

I alway use haurtluabs in gettysburg they normally charge $600-$750 there number is 717-637-1990. He isnt the easiest guy to work with but ive bought a lot of motors from him. The last one was a 5.3 with 30k on it for $650

99VetteFRC

Thumbs up on Bow in NH, I bought my complete pullout 4.8l from them for $450 and they charge $100 to ship to Parkville to my dealership. Then after I put the engine in the car, it had what I thought was a rod knock. I called them and they sent me out another engine at no cost, had it in 3 days and they let me keep the first engine. Took the head off today and found the #1 piston must have cracked a skirt. Piston seems to be wobbling in the cylinder. They really stand behind their stuff.

Pop N Wood

iTrader: (1)

One of the biggest LS dealers on ebay is in Bristol PA.

http://stores.ebay.com/Fparts

they have an excellent rep for LS motors on just about every car site I have been on. I called their shop directly and they told me they only sell a percentage of their motors on ebay. There stock is much bigger than what they list. You can give them a call and pick up directly. They pride themselves in pulling everything together.

BTW, I've had the same experience with Brandywine. Crazy Rays is hit or miss. I have never seen an LS or late model truck motor there. However just last month a buddy found an Escalade with a complete, untouched drivetrain. He said all the sheetmetal had been removed. Unfortunately he didn't have time to pull the motor.

dirty94SS

iTrader: (5)

I have a lq9 for sale i live in pg county and I might be selling my 408 block too

dan58

I've known Condon's for a long time. Their son AJ has a nasty offroad race buggy, and Greg certainly knows what an LS is.

I would HIGHLY suggest calling Todd Divelbliss at F&S Racing in Hagerstown. I know for a fact that he has an LS or three sitting in his garage. He built mine. 301-991-1467

TURBO BUICK

iTrader: (1)

I 2nd what Pop N Wood said. FParts in Bristol,Pa. I have bought a lot of stuff from them and have been pleased everytime. They deal mainly in performance cars such a GTO'S, Corvettes, Camaro's etc. If you have the money, they will have it. I usually dealth with a fellow by the name of GUY who normally comes in late afternoon and does the internet posting. This is his 2nd job and I believe he comes in around 4:00PM. Everyone is nice to deal with though. I bought a set of GTO seats from them, went down and the owner grabbed a few guys and told them to put them in my 98 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Didn't even have to lift them until I got them home. Good luck with your project. Rich

David J. Guyton

Thank you all for being so helpful. I will certainly be checking out all of your links as I look for the best deal.

Dirty94SS is your motor compete with harness, etc? PM me with a price if posting it is not allowed in the thread

Again, thank you everyone.

tb8125

iTrader: (2)

hey I been to Glory Days and I know for a fact that they wont put a car like that in their you pick it lot..The motor that you looked at was in a green trans am and the motor was actually a lt4 from a corvette. I was told flat that the motor was 2000.... And that was in the 1st week of Jan.... Lets tell it like it really is.....

speedfreak90

this was incredibly helpful!!!!

96IMPPUSHA

iTrader: (1)

plus one for Ripple's.

lq9 is now sold

eroc022

iTrader: (7)

I have an ls1 243 heads, cam, ls6 intake in La Plata..... give you a good deal on it too