I have a few questions on my project here. I hit a dead end with the stock 403 and I was looking at putting in an LS1 and a T56. my first question is what is the mounting situatuion? can it be done rather easily or will the subframe need extensive modifications? I was figuring not conisdering chevy put a 350 in the camaro but I dont know about the transmission. My other question is the wiring. its still has the original wiring with the glass fuses. I was wondering if i should keep that or try and get something new (keep in mind im a 19 year old college student on a budget)? And my next question is my rear end. its a disc setup with posi with somewhere around a 2.11 gear. Will that work well with the LS1/T56 setup or should I try and get the rear end that was put out with that setup?

 

well if you are a college student on a budget you are not going to want to do an ls1 swap. from everything i hear on hear it is atleast a $6000 swap. there are quite a few of them on here if you use the search. here is a quote from a message someone gave me about the swap hope it helps.

Ok, heres the nuts and bolts of the LS1 swap to a 2nd gen. F body. There are several sources for mounts and crossmember, I used Brewers' http://www.brphotrods.com. They were great, and answered all my questions over the phone. They have the motor mounts and trans. crossmember, they are perfect, and were about 450.00 with tax and shipping. Kinda steep price, but a real time saver.You can modify small block Chevy mounts by welding a 1/4" plate to them and you'll have the same thing, if you have welding skills and equip. You can mod a T350 crossmember to work with the 6 speed. If you talk to Brewers', don't let them tell you need to split the trans. tunnel to make it 1" wider. I did this before I found out it was un-necessary. Live and learn! All you need to do is eliinate the reverse lock-out solenoid and plug it. Next, you need to adapt the hydraulic clutch to your pedals, Street and performance sells a bracket that sandwiches between the brake booster an firewall. It positions the slave cyl. at the right angle for your pedal. You have to weld a small tab on your pedal to connect the linkage, and that's it!

If you don't have motor yet, I would suggest you look for a 97 or 98 donor car, as 99 and up use different fuel system and computer. That's ok if you mod the harness (lot's and lot's of work to do it right), but all the aftermarket harnesses I have seen require you to use the 97,98 computer.Also, make sure the donor is a f body cause the vette and trucks use a different oil pan and pulleys. The f body pan will need 0 mods. If you want A/C, you can notch the sub frame to use the fact. compressor and have custom lines made, again lot's of work, or go aftermarket and move the compressor to the top pass. side.

That's the major stuff. Of course getting everything connected to play nicely together would take a small book, it's been a challenge, but is really paying off as I get this thing closer to being done.

the rest of the stuff can be found in the sticky notes at the top of the page. good luck.

 

It can be done on a budget, I am also a college student and I did my swap for just under $2600 including the motor and trans, but I did EVERYTHING except reprogramming the computer. If you do all the work and make everything yourself you can save a good chunk of change. If you want the 6spd and aluminum LS1 it will be a bit harder to do on a budget. I paid $1000 for my motor, trans, the wiring harness, all the accys. I don`t think you will get an aluminum LS1 and T56 for anywhere near that. The 4.8, 5.3, 6.0 truck motors are a lot cheaper than the vette, f-body LS1 5.7L motors, and the stick trans makes them worth even more. Don`t worry about the wiring, it isn`t as bad as it first seems. You should not have a problem with your old wiring and glass fuses especially if you wire it with relays. If you look at my post in the FAQ sticky there are write ups for all f-body years. IMO the painless harnesses are not worth the money if you are trying to do it on a budget, the stock harness is simple and already compact.

 

The vette is the only car that came with a feed and return line on the fuel rail for 97 and 98. 98 f-bodies had a single feed fuel rail even though the vettes still had a feed and return line on the rail. Either way it doesn`t make a lot of difference, if you get a fuel rail with both feed and return lines you run the feed and return lines all the way from the tank. If you get a later style feed only fuel rail you can just use a corvette fuel filter/pressure regulator, they are about $40 and solve the later style fuel rail problem.

 

i was just quoting a private message sent to me. i can't believe you only spent 2600 on your swap that is awesome.

 

What can I say, I`m a cheap, poor college student that used a lot of junkyard parts and can`t stand to let anyone else do anything for me. I would have reprogrammed my computer myself but it was a LOT cheaper to have it done than to buy the software and do it myself.

 

yeah when i do my swap i think i will save some time and buy the mounts and get the harness done but i will be doing eveything else myself. most people think they want to do the ls1 swap and automatically think 5.7 vette or f body. but that is awesome you were able to do yours for so little with the 5.3. hey i am flying out near chicago in august what is there to do when you don't have a car and what is the wether like that time of year?

 

thanks for the help guys. yea its not like im on a tight budget. i have about 4,000 right now and then whatever i make the rest of the summer. im a mechanic and going to college for automotive technology so i can do the work myself. G-body im a little intrigued by the truck motors. whats the difference and can i get as much horsepower out of them? also can i bolt up a t56 or some other manual to them? this might be a good alternative to the LS1/T56.

 

Its been done before, Rob Raymer has posibly the sickest 2nd gen i have ever seen. Twin Turbo LS6

 

Dear God give me strength......that is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

i love that car. rob is the man.

 

careful saying that round this board, people get their feelings hurt about rob.

 

well for long tube headers the pacesetters for the 4thgens work. im also putting in an ls1/6spd in my 79 ws6. got any pics of ur car?

 

that twin turbo 2nd gen is sick!!! wow more pics needed.

 

nah i need to get out there with the camera and take a few. its multicolored right now but it was originaly blue with black interior and it has T-tops. im going with the black on black bandit style. most people dont like the idea because everyone has that car but i have yet to see one around my town and i think it looks absolutely sick. the car basicly has nothing in it right now. i peiced together a black interior for it and i have a few speakers and a head unit for it. when i get my boat done and i uncover that project i will take some pictures and post them up.