Folks:

Please pardon me if I've asked a question which has already been addressed; if such is the case, I hope someone will be kind enough to vector me to the correct thread. : )

I am the proud new owner of a 2004 C5, with auto tx, and a stock LS1. This is my third 'Vette, losing my first two to women whom I thought I would marry, and start a family with. Note to self: never pick a female over a Corvette, especially a brand new Z06 that I drove off the lot! I apologize to the fine, Corvette loving ladies on this forum, as I obviously don't mean you. Just the women who can't appreciate a beautiful Corvette! ; )

My first car was a 2002 Magnetic Red coupe with an Oak interior and a glass roof. It was basically stock, except for GHL exhaust (which gave it a delicious note), white gauge faces, and aluminum gauge bezels. I drove it for four years, and cried the day I traded it on a Hemi Charger. Chalk up one mistake. I waited almost two years, and after I was free of mistake number one, I drove a brand new, Victory Red 2007 Z06 with 2LZ package off the lot. That car was also left stock, except for what started off (in my opinion) a few trends; I attached the "427" hood emblems from a 1967 L88 on the hood, as soon as they became available through Corvette parts (or so I was told on 8/3/07). I drove that car for 5 months as a daily driver, until the mind-numbing headaches, and back-wrenching concussions from the internal acoustics and harsh ride, got me looking for an out. Driving over lane reflectors felt like hitting a pothole, while actual potholes felt like landmines. Right at that time, my girfriend of 9 months and I started thinking about making things permanent, and that was all she wrote for my beautiful Z06.

For the next five years I drove an LS4 powered Grand Prix GXP that was never "right" from day one. It was never as peppy as LS4 cars I'd driven previously, and after three years, developed a nagging fuel problem that would immobilize the car after it had been driven for about 30 minutes - less, in city traffic. Finally, I got sick of the garbage, and acquired my current car; a 2004 Magnetic Red Coupe, that is a carbon copy of my first car, except that it has a cassette player in the dash, and a 12-disc changer in the back - the best of both worlds. The car only has 36,000 miles, and both the interior and exterior are absolutely mint. The cherry on the cream puff? My current girl of two years loves the car, as her father has a '75 coupe that he drove off the lot in late '74..... and HE approves too!

SO, after all that static, here's my question to the Gurus of 'Vette: Rather than waste megabucks on "snakeoil" that will net 7-8 hp at the road, I was hoping to be able to drop an LS7 into my car. From what I've heard in the past, the act of installing an LS7 onto an automatic is not particularly challenging, so long as one acquires the proper flex plate for the application. My concerns are with the control electronics; I realize that our cars are actually pretty simple machines, but will I be able to simply port over all of the LS7's electronics, and plug them in, or will I need to acquire conversion devices to be able to allow the motor to integrate with my current electronics? Last but not least, will the current TX (which feels unbelieveably strong, tight, and precise) be able to handle that kind of torque, or will I be spewing planetary gears out my exhaust tips? (yes, yes, I kmow transmissions don't hook up to the exhaust system, I'm just very giddy with happiness that I have a Corvette again!). I have classically never had any trouble working on our cars; even the gauge faces and bezels were done in under an hour (in the rain!), so I know that they are built with an eye on future mods, I just don't know if they're meant to be modified *THAT* easily.....

Thank you all for your time in reading my post about my new addition to the family, and how to make her stronger yet.

Best,

Moe

 

Better suggestion: Sell LS1 engine. Buy LS3 block bored to 427. http://www.hinsonsupercars.com/p-103...-assembly.aspx

Buy a LS2/LS3 block and get a 427 stroker kit.

Buy LS3 427 short block and get your custom heads, intake, etc:
http://www.hinsonsupercars.com/p-929...-assembly.aspx

Better yet, buy a LSX 454 crate motor and drop that in. http://www.jegs.com/p/Chevrolet-Perf...97513/10002/-1


All of these are cheaper than buying a LS7 crate motor. And both the 454 or LS3 427 will make more power than your LS7.

 

agree...

 

Hi Nick,

Thanks for the input - I really appreciate it! The LSX looks nice, but I've always wondered about the weight difference. Duntov disliked the mark IVs because they threw off the balance of the C2s, and I'm wondering if the LSX's iron block will have the same effect on my C5. Also, the price of the 454 was for the long block only. I'd have to add intake, injectors, throttle body, and modest amounts of electronics. As the intake can easily set me back $1000 - $1500 alone, the motor would spec out at close to $14K, turnkey - far from the end of the world, but just something to consider.

ANother, completely unrelated item is the rumour that GM is offering up a final batch of ZL1s before retiring the tooling. Do you know of anyone offering conversion items to slide a Mk IV into a C5 engine bay? I can't explain it, but I would drive around all day long with a very smug look on my face, knowing I have one of the most radical rats ever made, in my engine bay

Thanks again!

Moe

 

Update:

Nick's excellent suggestion of a 454 c.i.d. LSX has much merit, as it would yield a motor with tremendous power, at a modest cost. However, given its $9600 price tag, the "turn key" cost of the motor would be closer to $13,000, if not more.

One of Jeg's offerings is a Chevrolet Performance LS7 crate motor - drop it in, and drive away, pretty much. This motor can be had for a "mere" $13,600, and it contains the goodies that drew me to that motor to begin with; noticeably lighter weight than an iron-block LSX (even a smidge lighter than an LS1), 6Al4V, grade "5" titanium rods and valves, and a fuel consumption that one can actually live with.

I'd like to thank Nick for vectoring me to Jeg's, as there I found both the 454 he suggested, and the 427 that I sought - along with a plethora of other options, in case those first two sour ! Now, I'm off to the wheel and tire board on the 'Vette site, so that I can look up the fattest rims I can stuff under my C5!

Thanks again!

Moe

 

Consider a LS2 block from RED sleeved and stroked to 427 to 440. Add forged assembly with 24 or 58 tooth reluctor. Add low buck (as mine is LS3 heads) or sky is the limit LS7 or even better AFR heads. Now you have something.

2004 is 24 tooth LS? If so no need to change computers. Maybe rear end and trans but not ecm.

 

Did you look at the Hinson motorsports 427?
That will run you 9,395.
Pick up a LS3 rails, injectors, intake manifold, and a different throttle body. That would set you back about 1,000-1,200 if you got it used.
That would set you back around 11,000 and makes more power than the LS7 by about 100 flywheel horsepower.

 

What about dropping one of those new edelbrock blowers on your motor and have a poor mans ZR1?? I have heard you can get over 500RWHP with one of those without even getting into the motor....just a thought, a lot less work.