View Poll Results: How long did your conversion take?
under 6 months
33
38.37%
6 months to a year
23
26.74%
1 to 2 years
14
16.28%
over 2 years
16
18.60%
Voters: 86. You may not vote on this poll
how long did your conversion take to complete?
Thread Starter
TECH Junkie
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,809
Likes: 0
From: Prairie de Femme, LA
how long did your conversion take to complete? how long did your conversion take to complete from when u first really started till you had a drivable car? and what was your conversion?
Car is in sig. Too just under 6 months from the time I received the engine until I fired it up and drove it around the block. That was over a year ago. It's still not "done". It'll probably never really be "done". 
6 months so far, however I'm doing a frame off restore of a 55 Chevy truck with the LS1/4L60e.
Project is starting to move faster now that I've had some work done on the frame (grafting a camaro front clip to the orignial frame).
Painting the frame this weekend and then suspension to get the chassis rolling.
Im about 2 weeks I'll try to put the Cab on the chassis then start with engine installation.
Project is starting to move faster now that I've had some work done on the frame (grafting a camaro front clip to the orignial frame).
Painting the frame this weekend and then suspension to get the chassis rolling.
Im about 2 weeks I'll try to put the Cab on the chassis then start with engine installation.
Umm well I’m on a slower plan. It's been a year since I got my Ls1 and I have been piecing it together doing polished stuff hear and there, but I also have a 99 SS that I’m trying 
to get to run 6.99999999 so I can get rid of it. I'm also in collage so its difficult getting all of the fab, and money together. It will breath soon all I need are several fuel fittings and 15ft. of hose 
to get to run 6.99999999 so I can get rid of it. I'm also in collage so its difficult getting all of the fab, and money together. It will breath soon all I need are several fuel fittings and 15ft. of hose Trending Topics
I'm at 1.5 years right now-
It's a 1986 RX7 with a 1998 LS1/4L60e in it.
Technically it only took me 2 months to do the conversion, but I spent the year before working with a SBC using TPI then carb, then finally gave up and did the LS1, so with that included it was 14 months to running.
I still have some fluid leak issues and I'm pulling the engine to better detail everything and clean the tranny up, as well as a bare metal up respray and detailing of the RX7 body.
By the time it's done with this phase of work (next phase is an aluminum stroker motor with forced induction) it will be about 2 years from project start, and 10 months from the time I got the actual LS1 install going.
It's a 1986 RX7 with a 1998 LS1/4L60e in it.
Technically it only took me 2 months to do the conversion, but I spent the year before working with a SBC using TPI then carb, then finally gave up and did the LS1, so with that included it was 14 months to running.
I still have some fluid leak issues and I'm pulling the engine to better detail everything and clean the tranny up, as well as a bare metal up respray and detailing of the RX7 body.
By the time it's done with this phase of work (next phase is an aluminum stroker motor with forced induction) it will be about 2 years from project start, and 10 months from the time I got the actual LS1 install going.
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TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 544
Likes: 0
From: Itasca, IL
a little over a year...but a good 9 months of that I was at college and I came home every weekend to work on it but 2 of 7 days slows things down. Not to mention all the problems Ive run into and lack of experience. So i would say that I did it in ok time. Although with the bare bones swap in a third gen it should be done in a couple months.
TECH Resident
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 800
Likes: 1
From: Simi VAlley,CA
Almost 5 years. When I started this thing it was to be "state of the art" LS1 powered....now that it's a driver everyone seems to be grabbing this powertrain for a hot rod.....which is a "good thing". Mine isn't really a "conversion", more of a "hybrid" and since it was a rusted hulk when I started I suppose it's unfair to say it took that long. Many, many hours were spent on the chassis (Fatman Fab frame) and many more building a floor and almost everything else. It will never be "completed".
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 544
Likes: 0
From: Itasca, IL
Originally Posted by h0mieg
92camarors, your car is gorgeous!!! send me ur cardomain, i want to see some more pics...also WOW as280, 2 weeks and a few days, thats sick, is that wokring like 18 hours a day or something?
Its not really updated, but you get the general idea. Ive been trying to update it, but i can never get back on to my account. O well. Thanks though.
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,148
Likes: 12
From: Downers Grove, IL
Well I started two weeks ago but ya really can`t count last week since I was on vacation and never touched the car. I figure I should have it running before the end of this week. All I have left is drive shaft, plug in wiring connectors, exhaust, snap in throttle cable, bend fuel lines. So about two weeks total time and it will be driveable, complete probably never I can`t leave anything alone. Conversion: 1985 El Camino SS to 2001 5.3L with 4l60E camaro trans and 3.73 Grand National rear end.
I started my Ls1 V8 miata conversion 6/5/04. I had alot done in 4 months time. Rebuilt the engine, ported the heads, added a cam, lots of figuring out what I needed in total and lots of cut up of the car to make it fit. Lost 5 months of construction due to extremely cold weather, a relationship of 6 1/2 years that went bust, and some time off to get my game plan on knocking this P.O.S. out. I am getting close!!! Trying to get it done and running by the end of September or early October. I would like to have all of the bugs out of it be the end of the winter so next spring I can play hard and tear some new a$$. What has taking the longest with this project, is that everything is custom. No real of the shelf parts that just plug and play......I had to think outside of the box for some the things.
Either way I can not wait....!!!
www.ls1miata.net/gallery
Either way I can not wait....!!!
www.ls1miata.net/gallery
Teching In
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
1982 Pontiac Trans-am/ K.I.T.T My conversion took nearly 2 months to complete. This is due to waiting for parts to arrive and error with them not shipping the right part or just missing a part of the kit. I'm pretty much done, just need the exhaust bolted up. Does anyone know if you can bolt the 4th gen exhaust to the 3rd gen somehow? My conversion is of a 1982 Pontiac Trans-am. Replica of KITT of the popular show "KnightRider"
TECH Regular
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 419
Likes: 0
mine took a little over 6 months because I was piecing it together bit by bit as I sold off my Honda parts
I could duplicate the entire setup in a 3 day weekend by myself if I had all of the parts in front of me.
thanks to speartech, ebay, torquecentral and a few other v8rx7 sites these cars are pretty easy to get up and running :tup:
I could duplicate the entire setup in a 3 day weekend by myself if I had all of the parts in front of me.
thanks to speartech, ebay, torquecentral and a few other v8rx7 sites these cars are pretty easy to get up and running :tup:
been at it for over a year. I go to school and have very little time to work on this stuff. Its coming together now though. Hopefully another few months. Been driving a 4 cylinder (240sx) all this time.... I miss driving a "fast" car. I want it running by winter, because ive decided to be cheap and not buy a new ac system yet =P.
Hard to find information about swapping an ls1 into a c4 corvette. The tranny issues are tough to overcome unless you can fab up parts. The shifters dont seem to want to fall in a good location, and the torque arm bracket needs to be fabricated.
Hard to find information about swapping an ls1 into a c4 corvette. The tranny issues are tough to overcome unless you can fab up parts. The shifters dont seem to want to fall in a good location, and the torque arm bracket needs to be fabricated.