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ls1 buying..need help!

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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 12:36 PM
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Default ls1 buying..need help!

Found a good deal on a engine.. (have not bought yet)
took the oil pan off and there was a couple nicks out of reluctor wheel.

Bearings looked fine, didnt see anything in pan.
from bottom of engine the cylinder walls looked good, crank and rods.
engine was turned over from crank pully using a bar several times.

what could i be getting into?

thinking maybe just throw bearings, main and rod bolts in it.

or could this engine be junk?
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 12:44 PM
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Do a leak down check on it if they will let you. That will help you figure out what your getting into.

How long has that engine been sitting?

Why was it pulled?

Has it had a power adder on it?

I'd probably skip it.

Last edited by 99 Black Bird T/A; Dec 9, 2008 at 12:56 PM.
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 01:08 PM
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its a steal.. 1400 complete.(whole front suspension from SS camaro, wir harness, ECU, all accesories

engine has been out for 18months he said(oiled and turned over) and no power adders. stock stock.

was pulled because trans blew and this guy bought car as is and found a v6 and has a v6 in the ss now.
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 01:14 PM
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Originally Posted by TA4life
its a steal.. 1400 complete.(whole front suspension from SS camaro, wir harness, ECU, all accesories

engine has been out for 18months he said(oiled and turned over) and no power adders. stock stock.

was pulled because trans blew and this guy bought car as is and found a v6 and has a v6 in the ss now.
What?? He put a V6 in the ss? WHy would you do that if you had a good ls1? If all that was wrong was the transmission I think I would just rebuild it and save the money of what he just depreciated the worth of the SS.
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 01:38 PM
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i saw the car it came out of and everything. he just wanted it for fun. and didnt care about this engine. he has like 20 cars. he paid like 1600 for complete v6 wrecked car
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 08:23 PM
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i agree that sounds wierd no one would want to put a v6 in an ss. if he wanted to have fun he would have kept the ls1. id pass also on this motor. you can find that deal some where else. besides you cant see a spun rod bering or here a rod knock with out starting the motor.
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 08:25 PM
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all engines out there are questionable... idk who is telling the truth and a spun bearing short block is like 700 alone.
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 08:55 PM
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pop some rod caps off and look at the bearings. whats it going to hurt. atleast you will know if there was an oiling problem. If they look ok and the cylinders are not too scored up then its prolly fine.
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 09:06 PM
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yeah, was thinking that since i was going to do bearings no matter what to be safe. check all rods? and pull the heads to check pistons?
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 09:08 PM
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yeah ide check all of them. and if you can pull the heads before you buy it then it wouldnt hurt. if its a complete take out thats in decent shape then it sounds like a good deal.
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 09:15 PM
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alright, you think i can get story of cylinder walls from bottom?
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 09:19 PM
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Originally Posted by TA4life
its a steal.. 1400 complete.(whole front suspension from SS camaro, wir harness, ECU, all accesories

engine has been out for 18months he said(oiled and turned over) and no power adders. stock stock.

was pulled because trans blew and this guy bought car as is and found a v6 and has a v6 in the ss now.
Let me get this right, it was cheaper swap a v6 into an LS1 SS than it was to get the tranny fixed? I don't buy that. There's a lot involved in swapping back and forth between v6 or v8 in a 4th gen.

I'd find out the details about how the tranny blew up. It might have taken a rod bear or two in the engine out when it did. Like the others said I'd check out everything you can about it before buying it.

Leak the motor down if you can.

I bought an LS1/A4 drive line several years ago for $2200...it looked like a deal. After getting it home we leaked it down and two cylinders were bad. After pulling the heads etc the bores and everything look just fine. Rings were toast. The $2200 was just the first down payment in what that engine needed...rering...new piston as the engine had a mismatched set of 7 factor and one federal mogul replacement...

Best wishes and good luck.
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 09:24 PM
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i have some money to freshin motor up if needed. like 500-700
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 09:27 PM
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id probably stay away from it if it was me.... are you needing just a long block ls1 or wiring harness and all?
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 09:28 PM
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that should cover it if your only doing the bottom end......although I would pull the crank, get it machined back to specs and put new rings in.......but that may be more then its worth to you
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 09:30 PM
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Originally Posted by onebadvette
id probably stay away from it if it was me.... are you needing just a long block ls1 or wiring harness and all?
doing Lt1 to LS1 Swap so i need it all
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Old Dec 9, 2008 | 09:30 PM
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Originally Posted by NateZQ8
that should cover it if your only doing the bottom end......although I would pull the crank, get it machined back to specs and put new rings in.......but that may be more then its worth to you
I have a couple hundred to spend on engine. so i could do all that and still be within range
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Old Dec 10, 2008 | 06:28 AM
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so do leakdown test and cheack all bearings?
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Old Dec 10, 2008 | 07:29 AM
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Yes, do all of that.

Find out what machine work goes for in your area for a hone. Price a set of rings and bears for the engine. Make sure you have enough to be able to afford at LEAST doing a rering and fresh bearings on the motor.

I would still avoid this engine based on what we've heard.
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