Bottombunk

I have a an 85' e30 that will get an ls of sorts. Looking at cd009 for a transmission based solely on budget vs t56. Going the sikky swap route kit. Need help sourcing a good ls engine. Something rebuilt and or slightly beefed up to deal with hard driving. Dont care about power as it is going in a e30 bmw. The car is light and agile. Also some rules will not allow power adders anyway. Grid life i can do the engine sonce it was a 6 cylinder originally and i can go up to 8 from the 6. If im not mistaken i cant add a power adder without getting into a class i cant reaply deal with financially nor would i want to. I prefer to keep the budget as low as possible but i will pay for durability since it is needed.

Bottombunk

Did i put this post in the wrong section or is this stuff generally nobody answers here?

G Atsma

Nope, you're in the right place. You're looking for an engine, right?
You go a lot of different places in your post.
What is your specific question?
Are you looking for used (salvage), rebuilt?

Bottombunk

Preferably rebuilt not an old tired engine. Power isnt the issue unless iron block in which case maybe a little more then usual to accommodate iron weight. Mainly a durable ls so i can go for several seasons on a track

G Atsma

You also don't want that extra weight over your front end. Stay aluminum for best handling.
There are plenty of aluminum Gen IV 5.3's out there that make decent power once cammed right. They already have the good 243/799 heads on them.
Look for LH6, LH8, LH9, LC9, all 5.3L. You might find some lower mileage ones in the wrecking yard. Remember, they didn't get there because of the engine.

Michael Yount

iTrader: (1)

I echo the counsel on the aluminum blocks - the engine sits relatively far forward in the E30 chassis - aluminum block/head V8 probably weighs less than the cast iron block I6 that came in those. For corner carving look at oil pans with a good baffling system.

bobcratch

if you're really autocrossing, pay close attention to the oil system. see the youtube channel "taylor ray". not the gospel of LS by any means but i believe after blowing up an engine or 2 he ended up installing an accusump to keep oil pressure up for track duty

Michael Yount

iTrader: (1)

Accusump and good baffling for belts/suspenders. Accusump also helps with pressure on cold starts.

Bottombunk

Im def autocross per the question. Do people post here regularly saying things they dont intend? I would think it is silly to asl for help for a specific task and do something completely different.

Michael Yount

iTrader: (1)

Generally speaking, you don't have a ton of autocrossers/road racers that frequent the forum. This particular thread is mainly about adding the LS to something that it didn't come in --- not so much focused on your intended use of the car.

Bottombunk

Gotcha. I was trying to be specific as i know it generally comes up at some point. It also helps others know my intended use instead of just a post like go to junk yard get motor etc... so far i found a handful of internet sites that sell 3500 ish priced shorts.

Michael Yount

iTrader: (1)

In the long run, I’d keep it simple and new. Buy a new LS3 crate and simply fortify the oiling system. Let torque/gear/traction do the work. No reason to be on the other side of 6000 rpm very often. And GOBS of torque down low. Gear it to run the whole course in 2nd gear (usually).

Lazy torque is usually pretty cheap and bullet proof. High rpm power is like a trophy wife - a rush for short periods of time, but very high maintenance with large appetite for cash.

Bottombunk

Yea gearing i intended to do such. I just wasnt sure how well they held up driven hard. As far as power i knew even a stock engine is way more then these cars ever had which should be more then ample. Perfect get the oiling down it is. Thank you.

LSswap

How is this swap coming along? Any pics?