I have a 93 FD Rx7 I'm thinking about doing an LS swap to
at first i thought LS2
but then the thought of a Turbo l33 popped up after seeing a few others do it for relatively cheap and made quite a bit of horsepower
just looking on opinions of the build and if there would be any other recommended options

I want to stay with an aluminum block
and if it was turbos id just stick with a single for simplicity

 

I have a FD also. For the cost of headers, it would not be much more to go turbo. Spoolin want's $1000 for their headers.

 

yea i found cx headers for like 350
id want to budget build it

 

L33 is a great choice if you are looking for a budget boost build. Certainly better than an LS1. If you think you're going to stay N/A definitely go for a bigger bore.

As long as you don't plan on having A/C, a turbo build is relatively straightforward.

 

yea the only thing i heard though is the accessories you need for the l33 (alternator bracket, intake, fuel rail etc)

just say right now i have an offer for an ls1 engine for $1200 plus a boost controller i have
and i have found an l33 for $850

is the l33 overall better for my boost project
or would it be better to turbo the ls1?

if i was staying NA i'd definitely go LS2
im just weighing options

ive figured for the price of an ls2 i can do a decently awesome budget turbo l33 build and make way more power
but still ls2 is awesome reliable horsepower without the worry of turbo stuff and having more things to break and get messed up along the way

i guess im just looking for opinions on why one would be better than the other aside from money?

 

stock bore l33 all the way.

 

Could you post a link to these headers ?
$1200 for LS1 vs $850 for L33 ? I would go LS1 if it's from a F body and has pan and accessories.

 

LS1 you save on the accessories, L33 you have a much stronger motor for boost.....like 200whp stronger.

Like I said before, if boost L33 100%, if N/A LS1 all the way. Either way you'll need f'body or vette accessories. Vette is a little better because everything sits a little closer to the engine giving a little more room for the turbo and running the hot side.

 

The three most popular kits, Samberg, Hinson and Grannys all call for the F-Body oil pan. I can see how the vette alternator mount would be a advantage. Using it and deleting A/C would allow you to use C6 manifolds turned to face forward.
cloudstruck, are you on NoRotors ?

 

I think i have a norotors account
if not ill start one here soon so i can keep tabs on my build
just figured id start here before i decided on what i wanted to do
but sounds like l33 is the way to go for boost from what im hearing

I believe im going to go with the samberg kit
not sure if id change the heads but seems like the heads it has is fine
then all i need to do is change the fuel rail and intake and get accessories and oil pan
which isnt horrible

but yea is i went NA id definitely go ls2 im still on the fence about it because id love full naturally aspirated power
i figure for 6000-7000 i could do my full turbo build and get 600ish

i saw the budget build a guy did on his 240 and got 680WHP on stock block and ran 8.99 in the quarter mile which was crazy

http://www.lsxtv.com/news/l33-swappe...er-at-ls-fest/

so apparently crazy HP is fairly easy

but comparable price, for in that range would it be possibly to build a 500whp LS2?

 

it would not be much more to go turbo

 

You'll want to swap the cam out of that L33 as well. You can leave everything else stock minus maybe some springs and rocker upgrades. You do not have to go crazy on the cam either. Something in thee low 220's that will idle really nice but would be night and day over the stock truck cam. And swap the intake like you said of course. Add some head studs as well. You can go with the Chinese ones on ebay to save some money. They've been holding up well.

The L33 Gen IV has much stronger rods over the LS1 Gen III blocks plus the thick cylinder wall makes for a great turbo budget setup.

Even on an LS2 500whp isn't that easy. The 4.10 rear we use eats up a bit of power on the dyno. I "only" got 420whp/380wtq on a full top end replacement. PRC 5.3L heads and a 228R cam with a fast intake. The car was deep into the 11's on street tires no problem.

Alternator aside, the vette accessories are also closer to the block. Makes for more turbo room in front.

 

I think i could atleast afford some decent head studs lol
sounds sweet thought
so far im definitely leaning towards the 5.3 a lot more now since the new information