Mike Blanco

I am extremely close to pulling the trigger on a 1965 Chevelle to do my first LS swap. I have been looking for potential cars now for about 6 months. I found this car, and have fallen in love with it, and as long as the shipping company comes through with a decent quote I will probably pull the trigger.

A little bit about the car. It has been a drag car most of it's life until it was bought by the current owner. He made it a 3.73 rear end to be a bit more street friendly. Did a whole frame off restoration, redid the entire interior etc. It basically is only missing the drive train. So I would not have to worry about restoring anything just focusing on which motor/trans setup to get.

So my question is if I were to get this car, what motor transmission setup should I go for? I think I do want to do F/I probably a super charger vs. a turbo. I think I would like to do about 450 HP - 600 HP. What else would you guys need to know before suggesting a motor/trans combination?

Again I have not pulled the trigger on the sale yet, so what are the questions I might ask the current owner when I see the car one last time and get down to brass tacks?

1989GTA

What is you budget? There is no problem getting the horsepower you are looking for. Easier with the later moters in the 6.2L range. Also a number of builds here for the 64-67 A-bodies that you can get ideas from.

dezlfrek

iTrader: (1)

my favorite car.. I had one in high school i wish i didnt let go..

66Chevellelq4

Great car! Im currently in the middle of swapping out the drivetrain in my 66 chevelle. Going with a 6.0 lq4 and a turbo backed with a t56. Cant go wrong with that combo!

1964SS

iTrader: (1)

Excellent choice! I've had my 64 Since high school and will never sell it. There are tons of builds here at LS1 tech to help you out if you have any questions. I went with an LS1 and T56 in mine and I absolutely love the combination.

Mike Blanco

I think my budget is between 5k - 10k for the drive train. I know that is a big spread, but really I don't really know what to expect. I have been reading on here quite a bit and it seems that everyone has different budgets and ideas which is great. Which LS motor should I be looking for to achieve 450 HP to 600 HP with forced induction? Where should I start looking? I am located in the Houston area.

This one has an auto transmission. That being said I think I might keep the automatic, unless someone here can tell me the conversion might not be as bad as I might think it could be.

CattleAc

iTrader: (7)

I guess I would certainly be looking for an iron 6.0L bottom end for this project if I was you...you can get to your goals with a 5.3 or a 5.7L, but six liters will make it a little more easy on the budget IMHO...


The auto will be easier...but know the manual will be more fun....

1989GTA

I agree. Just get an iron block 6.0L out of a junkyard complete with transmission and harness and whatever else you can grab. For your horsepower level you might not even need to change the camshaft. That would be the cheapest and quickest way to get your car on the road. Then as time goes you can make upgrades as money becomes available.

Mike Blanco

For an Iron block 6.0L w/ trans what am I looking at money wise? Just curious

CattleAc

iTrader: (7)

I don't know where you are at...but out here you can still buy ranched out, wrecked, totaled 1999-2006's GM trucks fairly reasonable.

(I paid $700.00 for my first 6.0L/4l80e salvage pickup.)

Granted it will be hard to get that kind of deal again...everybody and their brother have "6.0L fever" and are driving the prices here through the roof.

dezlfrek

iTrader: (1)

5.3's shouldnt be overlooked.. my l33/4.8 crank runs mid 9's which is more power than your looking for but just saying they do it easy..