Just begun a project that started when I was only 3 years old!

When my Mom was in High school her Dad bought her a '73 SS Nova, She put about 50,000 miles on it until I turned about 10 and she realized how obsessed I'd been with it since I was 3, We have pictures of me washing it, trying to see above the dash to drive it and just being hooked on it. She gave the car to my step-father when I turned 5 and he put a high compression 350 small block in it with long tube headers to flowmaster 40's, bucket seats and a tach. Then when I was 10 they gave it to me. It took me till I was 16 to get it running, I'm now 18 years old and I'm going to attempt to do a LS Swap before leaving to Marine Corps Basic training in or around January.

So far I haven't purchased a block or tranny but I think I know I want a LQ4 and a T56, I would tear apart the LQ4 and clean it up, replace the oil pan if need be and then get new bearings for the crankcase, I would put a good aftermarket cam in it and get new rocker/roller's and I would replace the intake if the truck one doesn't fit.

I was wondering if I'm on kind of the right road, I would like to see 450 horsepower and a bit more torque out of the project, I'm young so the budget is tight, and Is there any online store where I can search for all LS parts?

So far I've found a LQ4 with unknown miles that does run for 650.00$ out of a 02 suburban. I haven't found a T56 but my budget is very low so hoping to find a steal.

If anyone can help point me in the right direction it would be appreciated!

 

James,
First, let me help you find what you are looking for. Use the LS1Tech 'Search' funciton. There have been several LS based engine swaps into this gerneration Nova, so information is plentiful. Personally I like to use Google for my searches and add "ls1tech.com" (without the quotes) to find stuff on here. It's quicker and more accurate IMO.
Second, you are up against a short time window and budget. You might want to consider holding off on the T56. You didn't mention what transmission is in the Nova now, so I will assume it is either a TH350 or TH400. If this is the case, you will save a serious amount of time and money by utilizing what you have. You will not have to modify the transmission crossmember, driveshaft, shifter setup, or adapt your speedometer cable.
Third, your engine choice is a great one. However, for the price you mentioned, it is most likely a higher milage piece. If you can afford a little more, go for one with lower milage and skip the bottom-end rebuild. Fresh oil and a filter go a long way.
My Son and I recently finished a LS swap in his 73 El Camino. (Link to his build thread in my sig) We put a 5.3 DBW setup out of a 2001 Yukon, retained the TH350, and kept the truck intake. His intake clears the hood by a good 1-1.5 inches. You may get lucky and have some clearance too. If not, there is a thread on here that covers modifying the truck intake (smooth it out) to gain some clearance.
The 300-320hp you will get will feel like 450hp compared to the SBC that is in now. The torque curve that these engines produce is amazing!
As far as parts go, look to the right>>>. These are the associated vendors to LS1Tech. If you can't find it there, it probably doesn't exsist.
PM me if you can't find what information you are looking for.

-Dan

 

Lkq has some pretty reasonable motors. That's where my shortblock came from. They have an eBay store with tons of motors. They are a salvage yard so to speak all motors from wrecked cars. Good luck on build