Who here is building their own engines?
12-22-2003, 11:44 AM
#1
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Who here is building their own engines? How many of ya'll actually pull your own engine and install your own cam, heads, valves, rockers, etc. ? I noticed a lot of people sending their's to shops, which is obviously expectable with a newer engine and such. I probably wouldn't trust myself with an FI engine much either. So who does this stuff themselves in their own garage?
12-22-2003, 02:34 PM
#3
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built the chevelle from the block up...installed the trans.....on the camaro i'm staying far away from that...to many wires for my liking...i'll changed the fluids and do minor things on that car thats about it
12-22-2003, 06:09 PM
#5
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are you serious about being easier than a carbed 350 to work on? there's no way!! my headers go on in 35 minutes! 
i do all of my own work as well. as for a cam in my truck- well the whole front clip will come off.
i do all of my own work as well. as for a cam in my truck- well the whole front clip will come off.
12-22-2003, 06:37 PM
#6
Alot easier
-reusable gaskets, no RTV sealer required
-heads/block are lighter, easier to move around by yourself
-can do cam swaps on LS1s without pulling intake or heads off
-can swap an LS1 intake manifold out in 20 minutes, no coolant paths
Bolt-ons aren't what I was talking about, those are dictated by the vehicle the engine itself is in, not the engine. The LS1 in my '69 Camaro is much easier to do a header swap on compared to the old SBC, the header flange bolts are evenly spaced and not hidden under the primaries
Tony
-reusable gaskets, no RTV sealer required
-heads/block are lighter, easier to move around by yourself
-can do cam swaps on LS1s without pulling intake or heads off
-can swap an LS1 intake manifold out in 20 minutes, no coolant paths
Bolt-ons aren't what I was talking about, those are dictated by the vehicle the engine itself is in, not the engine. The LS1 in my '69 Camaro is much easier to do a header swap on compared to the old SBC, the header flange bolts are evenly spaced and not hidden under the primaries
Tony
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12-23-2003, 07:08 AM
#9
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I do all my own work on my motor. I did a 383 Lunati Stroker this year and it put down 457rwhp and 431tq. I had a shop do the machine work but did all the cleaning and assembling myself. It is very easy to work on these engines. There is a certain satisfaction of building your own motor and have it start with the first turn of the key...
12-23-2003, 08:58 AM
#11
Originally Posted by Nine Ball
These LS1s are very easy to work on, much better than the 5.0L Ford or classic SBC.
12-23-2003, 09:30 AM
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I do all my own work also and must say that the LS1 is much easier to work on than the older 350's. Working with the FI is no big deal, infact I think it's easier than dealing with a carb.
12-23-2003, 10:02 AM
#13
I'm presently in the process of building my own LS1. I've worked on various SBC's, and 5.0L's. The LS1 is by far the simplest and most well thought out, for all the reasons given by Tony. The 5.0L was the oddest combination of metric and English sized bolts you've ever seen. A simple thing like a changing a thermostat required movement of brackets held down by fasteners you could not see or reach. There are only a few different bolt sizes in the LS1. Can you say..10mm?
12-23-2003, 02:44 PM
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i can see what your saying about being easier to work on...but i can have the 462 in the chevelle outa the car in maybe 2 hours the most if i dont dilly dally..how does everyone here get their LS1 out to do head and cam swaps?
12-24-2003, 06:30 AM
#17
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Well I was pretty much forced to do my on cam install
as I could not see paying one of the local shops around here
$700-800 for an install
. It does seem like a fairly straight forward
engine to work on though. Just take your time and do some
research.
as I could not see paying one of the local shops around here
$700-800 for an install
. It does seem like a fairly straight forwardengine to work on though. Just take your time and do some
research.
12-24-2003, 11:11 AM
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i did my own h/c swap. Headers sucked the most but iMO if you wait and do headers when the heads are off, it'll be SOOO much easier. But i do all my own work and this is my first ls1 engine i ever worked on and i just followed JMX's how to's . bottom line if you have the mechanical ability, its not hard regardless of engine, just some are more of a PITA to do simple stuff sometimes..