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So let me start off I've almost finished gathering everything for my build. I have a 1998 Trans am with the stocker ls1. My plan is to put in a LME iron 402 ls1 block. Trickflow 235 heads, ls6 intake, 1 7/8th longtubes and true duals. My question for everyone that has paid a shop to install your new builds what did you spend, and what was your build? Me myself am trying to get a ballpark figure of what ill be looking at for the cost. I know all shops are different, but every shop I have asked in my area won't give me a quote.
Back in 2017, ended up around $34,000 for 416 Stroker with ported heads & ported LSXR intake, Level 6 Magnum T-56, RXT twin disc, carbon fiber drive shaft, 8.8 rear end, Kook's headers, Hooker BlackHeart true duals, DeWitt radiator, new sensors, new coil packs, new alternator, starter, water pump, new fuel pump, new injectors, some new suspension parts and so on. All work professionally done at quality shops etc. Spent more on upgrades than I did buying the car new.
Was it worth it?
No, the car was stolen a few weeks after the project was completed. Two days later the cops recovered the car and caught the thief after he ran out of gas. The moron couldn't drive a stick and trashed the engine which cost about $8,000 to repair. He spent 7 days in jail. He was let go due to over crowding. Nearly four years later got 2 years probation.
The unexpected $8,000 repair bill ended all of the fun that had been intended racing, doing car stuff, LS fest or whatever and ended having fun with the car in general other than normal driving as that depleted the just in case repair funds, I had available. Now I just focus on keeping the car in good condition and enjoy an occasional drive.
My formerly super reliable heads & cam car that had no expense spared in upgrading has ended up have a lot of issues, mostly due to what happened when the car was stolen.
Last edited by 99 Black Bird T/A; Feb 23, 2024 at 03:36 AM.
Back in 2017, ended up around $34,000 for 416 Stroker with ported heads & ported LSXR intake, Level 6 Magnum T-56, RXT twin disc, carbon fiber drive shaft, 8.8 rear end, Kook's headers, Hooker BlackHeart true duals, DeWitt radiator, new sensors, new coil packs, new alternator, starter, water pump, new fuel pump, new injectors, some new suspension parts and so on. All work professionally done at quality shops etc. Spent more on upgrades than I did buying the car new.
Was it worth it?
No, the car was stolen a few weeks after the project was completed. Two days later the cops recovered the car and caught the thief after he ran out of gas. The moron couldn't drive a stick and trashed the engine which cost about $8,000 to repair. He spent 7 days in jail. He was let go due to over crowding. Nearly four years later got 2 years probation.
The unexpected $8,000 repair bill ended all of the fun that had been intended racing, doing car stuff, LS fest or whatever and ended having fun with the car in general other than normal driving as that depleted the just in case repair funds, I had available. Now I just focus on keeping the car in good condition and enjoy an occasional drive.
My formerly super reliable heads & cam car that had no expense spared in upgrading has ended up have a lot of issues, mostly due to what happened when the car was stolen.
Dude that is a complete heart breaker of a story. I couldn't imagine spending that much just for someone to ruin it like that. Im sorry man, I'm glad you got the car back in one piece for the most part. Makes my blood boil thinking he got off with 2 years probation, that's crazy.
If this shop did EVERYTHING, meaning you dropped off a running, driving, LS1 car, and then received a running driving 408 stroker car, tuned and ready to go, I would say minimum $20,000. Parts alone are going to be near 12,000.
Shortbock - 5000
heads - 2500
cam lifters/top end stuff - 750
gaskets, studs, bolts, fluids etc - 1000
tune - 700
exhaust - 1000
fuel pump, injectors - 800
LS6 intake setup - 800
Trans upgrades ???
Suspension - ???
Labor - ??? @ $120/hr maybe 50 hours...
This stuff adds up really quick.
If this shop did EVERYTHING, meaning you dropped off a running, driving, LS1 car, and then received a running driving 408 stroker car, tuned and ready to go, I would say minimum $20,000. Parts alone are going to be near 12,000.
Shortbock - 5000
heads - 2500
cam lifters/top end stuff - 750
gaskets, studs, bolts, fluids etc - 1000
tune - 700
exhaust - 1000
fuel pump, injectors - 800
LS6 intake setup - 800
Trans upgrades ???
Suspension - ???
Labor - ??? @ $120/hr maybe 50 hours...
This stuff adds up really quick.
yes it does add up quick. I would be dropping my running ls1 car there and leaving them with the parts to install.
I have LME shortblock 13,300
trickflow 235 heads costed me 3,000
Tsp longtubes with full true dual exhaust 1,000
bought a used LS6 intake and throttle body for 450.
fuel system and injectors 1,000
not including the 9" rear-end and suspension parts I have bought which I will install myself. For right now I'm keeping the 4l60e in it till I can buy a built 4l80 .
just looking for a reference of dropping the car off and getting motor and exhaust installed.
Always cheaper to buy a car with this already done.
no I agree 100% lol. This car hold a little sentimental value. My dad bought this car for me when I was 15 to buy from him after I graduated. Stayed home sick and took the car out and wrecked it into a guard rail. Had to replace the front bumper and driver side fender with a repaint. He has had it since and I finally bought it from him 15 years later. I grew up around these cars with him and now have children of my own that I want to share the same experience with. So I'm gonna take the time and build this one. Even though it's definitely a headache and a wallet breaker.
One thing I have kind of felt is that when you go to these race shops, it is kind of expected you have deep pockets and a blank check ready.
When I had my engine builder/machinist do up my short block, he wouldn't start without a downpayment. Cash talks with these guys.
There are lots of unforeseen costs that make it really hard to give a quote especially when the customer supplies parts. They don't really know what's missing and such.
If I were the shop I would not feel very comfortable installing an engine I didn't build, with fuel injectors I didn't buy, etc. Lots of liability.
I personally haven't had this kind of work done at a shop; I do all of mine myself with the exception of engine machining.
i am trying to do my second swap (1989 jeep grand wagoneer) on an absolute shoestring budget.
maybe i'm lucky, but i bought a wrecked tahoe for $800 that had a rebuild transmission, and so far i've kept the stuff i need (engine, trans, fuse panel, harness, computer, etc), and gotten $1100 back out of the tahoe. Seems to me that if you're patient and select a good donor, anyone can do this. A lot depends on where you live and how available donors and parts are.
the most expensive part of that swap will be, i assume, custom exhaust and custom driveshafts. kind of unavoidable. my last swap i think was 550 for the drive shaft and 350 for the custom exhaust. this one has two driveshafts so maybe a little more, or maybe not.
One thing I have kind of felt is that when you go to these race shops, it is kind of expected you have deep pockets and a blank check ready.
When I had my engine builder/machinist do up my short block, he wouldn't start without a downpayment. Cash talks with these guys.
There are lots of unforeseen costs that make it really hard to give a quote especially when the customer supplies parts. They don't really know what's missing and such.
If I were the shop I would not feel very comfortable installing an engine I didn't build, with fuel injectors I didn't buy, etc. Lots of liability.
I personally haven't had this kind of work done at a shop; I do all of mine myself with the exception of engine machining.
yeah im debating on taking the leap and trying the install myself. Just would rather it all installed and tuned at a shop.
Quick off the top of my head price shows I have $695 in my swap including the fuel system, cooling system, and exhaust. Call it $700. It's a 2003 5.3 and 4L60e I put in my 1951 Hudson from a 2003 Escalade
Engine / trans $0 (bought the whole vehicle for $650, parted out and actually made money, but call it $0
Wiring harness for engine and trans $100 from ebay
Engine mounts $30 from ebay with homemade frame brackets
Trans crossmember is a modified 2nd gen camaro, swap meet buy $20
Trans mount $15
Oil pan Ebay $125
original Hudson radiator used so no cost
original Hudson lower rad hose so no cost
modified Escalade upper rad hose no cost
steam vent adapter and fitting $15
thermostat housing and thermostat $45
heater hoses $20
40k trans cooler from Amazon $75
Transmission cooler lines from the Escalade tied to the Amazon cooler
Shortened Hudson driveshaft myself, needed a conversion U joint $25
Cooling fan is a Ford Thunderbird 2 speed, swap meet buy $25
Relays and connectors to wire up fans $25
Exhaust made from factory Escalade manifolds, a scrap 4th gen camaro exhaust, and a swap meet muffler $25
Fuel tank from a 95 caprice wagon with in tank pump $100
Nylon fuel lines taken from same 95 caprice wagon, free with tank $0
CAI parts and air filter $50
Certainly in the low end of budgets, and usually not indicative of the real cost of these swaps. It can be done on the cheap, but if you are going to perform a swap, $700 doesn’t go very far.
Certainly in the low end of budgets, and usually not indicative of the real cost of these swaps. It can be done on the cheap, but if you are going to perform a swap, $700 doesn’t go very far.
I will be doing another swap shortly into my 1957 International pickup, I can start a build / swap thread and post up pics and costs as I do it if anyone is interested. I should be starting in a month or so as soon as I am done with my 55 Buick. Costs should be about the same, maybe a little more as I may not break even on the donor truck (2004 silverado 4.8 / 5 speed for $500) and I need to buy a radiator. I may cam this one as well, but those costs are not part of doing a swap.
If you can fabricate and use a donor car for the engine and transmission it is absolutely possible to copy what I do and spend very little cash. A $1500 budget should leave plenty of room for surprises, you just have to be creative and not catalog shop unless it makes sense, or you have no choice.
Quick off the top of my head price shows I have $695 in my swap including the fuel system, cooling system, and exhaust. Call it $700. It's a 2003 5.3 and 4L60e I put in my 1951 Hudson from a 2003 Escalade
Engine / trans $0 (bought the whole vehicle for $650, parted out and actually made money, but call it $0
Wiring harness for engine and trans $100 from ebay
Engine mounts $30 from ebay with homemade frame brackets
Trans crossmember is a modified 2nd gen camaro, swap meet buy $20
Trans mount $15
Oil pan Ebay $125
original Hudson radiator used so no cost
original Hudson lower rad hose so no cost
modified Escalade upper rad hose no cost
steam vent adapter and fitting $15
thermostat housing and thermostat $45
heater hoses $20
40k trans cooler from Amazon $75
Transmission cooler lines from the Escalade tied to the Amazon cooler
Shortened Hudson driveshaft myself, needed a conversion U joint $25
Cooling fan is a Ford Thunderbird 2 speed, swap meet buy $25
Relays and connectors to wire up fans $25
Exhaust made from factory Escalade manifolds, a scrap 4th gen camaro exhaust, and a swap meet muffler $25
Fuel tank from a 95 caprice wagon with in tank pump $100
Nylon fuel lines taken from same 95 caprice wagon, free with tank $0
CAI parts and air filter $50
very cool truck but i dont think its realistic for nearly anyone else on this site to accomplish the same results at that budget, and it may lead people to unrealistic expectations and failed projects if they think they can do as well as this example.
it takes a significant amount of experience, time, tools, and patience to keep the budget that low.
there isnt many 500$ donor cars left. i know for around me, you arent finding much for less than a couple grand. i have a $1000 2003 5.3 silverado in my yard waiting for its fate, but its 4x4 and completely rusted out so the only thing useful is the engine and harness without the cost/effort/skill to convert the transmission to rwd.
still a good data point and build threads are always helpful to the site community.
I think I'm somewhere just shy of $40k in my 91 camaro. I did my swap over a 5 year period and did everything. Built motor, built 4l80e, Circle D converter, MWC fab 9. Then all the little things on top of all of that. It adds up quick depending on what you're going for
very cool truck but i dont think its realistic for nearly anyone else on this site to accomplish the same results at that budget, and it may lead people to unrealistic expectations and failed projects if they think they can do as well as this example.
it takes a significant amount of experience, time, tools, and patience to keep the budget that low.
there isnt many 500$ donor cars left. i know for around me, you arent finding much for less than a couple grand. i have a $1000 2003 5.3 silverado in my yard waiting for its fate, but its 4x4 and completely rusted out so the only thing useful is the engine and harness without the cost/effort/skill to convert the transmission to rwd.
still a good data point and build threads are always helpful to the site community.
It depends where you live as far as donors, here in the Northeast I can buy a Silverado any day of the week with a rotted frame for $1000 or less, they are everywhere, I know that is not the case to the south. In my videos I explain everything I am doing, and I believe if you have the aptitude and the ability to weld you can do this cheap. Some tools definitely make things easier, but an awful lot can be done with an angle grinder, a cutoff wheel, and a welder.
As far as your 2003, save the transmission, if it is good you can convert it to 2WD for about $100 in parts, I plan on doing one soon as I am YouTube trained LOL. Cant be scared to try it, just have to go for it.
I will throw up a build thread when I start on the 57 IH.
i am trying to do my second swap (1989 jeep grand wagoneer) on an absolute shoestring budget.
maybe i'm lucky, but i bought a wrecked tahoe for $800 that had a rebuild transmission, and so far i've kept the stuff i need (engine, trans, fuse panel, harness, computer, etc), and gotten $1100 back out of the tahoe. Seems to me that if you're patient and select a good donor, anyone can do this. A lot depends on where you live and how available donors and parts are.
the most expensive part of that swap will be, i assume, custom exhaust and custom driveshafts. kind of unavoidable. my last swap i think was 550 for the drive shaft and 350 for the custom exhaust. this one has two driveshafts so maybe a little more, or maybe not.
that's a whole different story man, stock 5.3 are a dime a dozen. He's installing a 402
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Swap cost?!?! Share your experience.. 
