The most experience that my dad and I have with ls1's is putting headers on and other minor stuff. He was a mechanic back in the 80's..so he has a little experience with older small block chevy engines. Do you think 16 hours is allowing enough time?

 

As long as nothing goes wrong....should be alright.

 

If everything goes perfectly, you'll be fine. I personally would allow for more time. You never know what things you'll run into.

 

yeah if you make sure you have everything you need. Yet don't rush it either cause that will cause problems too. It really isn't that hard but keep at it and start off with the right tools and parts and it will go smoothly.

 

It can be done...but it's hard work. I typically prefer to allot more time and take my time. Usually helps me prevent stupid mistakes and a lot of aggravation.

 

Exactly.

I am very mechanically inclined & I only set aside 2 days to do mine but we ran into a couple unexpected things we had to fix & run to go get parts. It ended up taking me 3.5 days to get it done & drive it home.

 

me and a friend will be doing mine this saturday and sunday.. I dont see how it would take that long.

 

A day is plenty as long as you start early and dont bullshit.

 

Mine took me a week. I spent 2 days just cleaning the deck.

 

how hard can it be, disconnect all wiring and lines, drop trans, drop K member, take off int manifold, take off valve covers, fuel rails, heads, take out cam and put in new cam put on new heads. etc..

 

i dont think you drop the trans...or kmember

 

It's going to be those minor annoyances that will drive you up a wall. That's if everything goes smoothly. You never know what problems might arise--> stripped bolt, cut wires (or hands), losing small bits and pieces, etc.

I have not done mine yet so i don't know EXACTLY what i'll run into but i'm going to always leave room for the unexpected in situations like this. I did work with a friend on my LT headers install and i can tell you those spark plugs/wires alone are a PITA, at least passenger side back was for me.

Give yourself time. I'm shooting for a full weekend.

 

I'd start on Friday night. That way cleaning, taking things off are already done. Start early on Saturday so if you run into problems, you can still go to the auto parts store and have Saturday night & Sunday to work on it. Nothing like getting started late Saturday/early Sunday, finding a problem and every place is closed.

 

It can be done in two days no sweat provided you dont have any major issues that require the parts store. Its not overly difficult, except for the pick-up tube bolt. If he was a mech then you'll be fine. Knowing how to use your tools properly is half the battle and he already has that knowledge so.... have fun with it!!! Get your stuff layed out before hand, dont be affraid to label stuff when you take it apart. The first couple times I used baggies for the botls and nuts labeled them all. By the third time I did I knew what they all were but having boxes to put stuff into helps a lot. You can categorize your parts that way and it makes re-assembly much easier. I use plastic storage boxes from Walmart and a couple stolen US mail cartons as well..lol

 

If your a fairly good tech i dont see it being much of a problem getting it done. Just take your time dont break bolts or sensors. Be carefull with the oil pressure sender i broke that one . But good luck and post some pics of the progress.

 

not enough IMO unless you kill yourself doing it.I have done a few and the last one I did I had about 18hrs in but I took my time and was teaching someone else how to do it...If I busted my *** I could probley in about 8-10(if nothing went wrong) but it will

 

i was longer than that.. i took the motor out.. and bulded a new one and installed it.. must have bin around a week

 

If your concern is because it's a daily driver, do yourself a favor and schedule to have a rental car dropped off at your place monday am. The cost is $25-$35 a day, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than trying to rush and breaking something. If it's your first time, you will run into a couple snags that you didn't expect and it can eat up time. The plus side is having a second set of eyes, hands and oppinion there plus someone to talk you off the ledge when a bolt gets misthreaded by accident and you snap a bolt. Don't laugh, because working with an alluminum block and heads, it happens more than you'd expect, especially if your Dad is used to working with iron blocks.

 

i wouldnt set any sort of time table for the install. sometimes if you set a turn-around time/date you tend to cut corners and maybe rush. its your personal vehicle, not something your doing for a living. take your time.

 

It took me 2 weeks, but we ran into a bunch of snags when I did mine.