LS in Cadillac XLR?
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1
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LS in Cadillac XLR? Hi all. I’m new here and looking for some assistance. My wife and I have been searching for a project vehicle and we both really like the Cadillac XLR. I have seen some stuff online about people putting LS engines in them. My only concern is the ECM/tuning side of things. I don’t want to go down this path without having a source that I can work with that definitely knows how to make this work. I personally would like to learn a little about tuning from this project but I feel that I will need an expert to deal with to get this working. I have read stuff about having to buy certain model years etc. but again I would really like to talk with someone that can give me definite answers.
Is is there anyone on here that can point me in the right direction of who I can deal with to help me on this project?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Is is there anyone on here that can point me in the right direction of who I can deal with to help me on this project?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
As far as i know , there has been only 2 or 3 people to ever finish this swap. I researched this swap before, and it seems like the best way to get this swap done is to buy a wrecked C5\C6 and swap everything over. I personally wont mess with trying to get the northstar ECU to work with an LS...... it sounds like a big headache. If you are on Facebook , search for a group named Project XLR.... this topic has been brought up a few times , and i believe someone even started a list of whats all needed.
On The Tree
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 192
Likes: 1
Hi all. I’m new here and looking for some assistance. My wife and I have been searching for a project vehicle and we both really like the Cadillac XLR. I have seen some stuff online about people putting LS engines in them. My only concern is the ECM/tuning side of things. I don’t want to go down this path without having a source that I can work with that definitely knows how to make this work. I personally would like to learn a little about tuning from this project but I feel that I will need an expert to deal with to get this working. I have read stuff about having to buy certain model years etc. but again I would really like to talk with someone that can give me definite answers.
Is is there anyone on here that can point me in the right direction of who I can deal with to help me on this project?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Is is there anyone on here that can point me in the right direction of who I can deal with to help me on this project?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,291
Likes: 3,616
From: Central Cal.
If I'm not mistaken there was a thread on here about this very swap. It was a little over the top-wise with a turbo engine and had some issues that had more to do with how much power the owner wanted to get out of it. Do a search and you should find something about this.
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TECH Senior Member
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From: Central Cal.
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Teching In
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 26
Likes: 3
From: mi
I don't want to hijack this thread. Xlr ls conversion can be done conversion.
I did a twin turbo 416 ls3 with a ttix turbo kit.
the 6l80e can't hold over 700 whp. I blew through 3 transmissions
I then converted to a 4l60e and zo6 diff
The car is being updated with a 427" lsx motor currently.
I did a twin turbo 416 ls3 with a ttix turbo kit.
the 6l80e can't hold over 700 whp. I blew through 3 transmissions
I then converted to a 4l60e and zo6 diff
The car is being updated with a 427" lsx motor currently.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 711
Likes: 6
From: PNW
To tobyyost - if you haven’t bought the car yet, I think you may want to reconsider an XLR as a “project car.” There is a severe price gouging market for XLR parts due to its rarity. I almost bought one until this was pointed out to me. Used headlights sell for 1,500-3,000, tail lights sell for 3,000-5,000, trim pieces fetch into the thousands - If being conned isn’t something that bothers you, have at it. Me personally, I’d rather LS swap a 911 - tail lights are $300.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,291
Likes: 3,616
From: Central Cal.
To tobyyost - if you haven’t bought the car yet, I think you may want to reconsider an XLR as a “project car.” There is a severe price gouging market for XLR parts due to its rarity. I almost bought one until this was pointed out to me. Used headlights sell for 1,500-3,000, tail lights sell for 3,000-5,000, trim pieces fetch into the thousands - If being conned isn’t something that bothers you, have at it. Me personally, I’d rather LS swap a 911 - tail lights are $300.
Teching In
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
I wish I wish... I don't want to hijack this thread. Xlr ls conversion can be done conversion.
I did a twin turbo 416 ls3 with a ttix turbo kit.
the 6l80e can't hold over 700 whp. I blew through 3 transmissions
I then converted to a 4l60e and zo6 diff
The car is being updated with a 427" lsx motor currently.
I did a twin turbo 416 ls3 with a ttix turbo kit.
the 6l80e can't hold over 700 whp. I blew through 3 transmissions
I then converted to a 4l60e and zo6 diff
The car is being updated with a 427" lsx motor currently.
Teching In
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 26
Likes: 3
From: mi
The mechanical swap swap is plug and play. The tuning is the difficult part , but it can be done.