Catfish Prince

As the title says, I'm trying to work out an engine swap for my 2000 3.8L Camaro using an Lm7 from summit racing. For some backstory, the car has already had suspension work done and I'm working on aero right now. Originally I would've waited a bit longer before jumping into or even thinking about swapping out for more power (although even if it were an ls1 I'd eventually be swapping for something more), however the current six cylinder is starting to die out. After a few years of extreme driving from me and the previous owner, the engine started getting what I thought was an improper fuel/air mixture which lead me to replacing the MAF sensor twice (first replacement was bad) and the ignition system completely, this seems to only be a band-aid to the problem. And, after checking the oil pan for what must've been the first time in years, I've found large metal grain. So, I've started the search for a proper replacement and I've settled on this re-assembled, cammed lm7 from summit.

I've seen the other f-body swap on this forum and I've taken some information down from it, but I think I'll need to change the setup a bit due to the extra power. Such as a different transmission (obviously), and rear end. Although I'm pretty mechanically inclined and have done work on street/mini formula cars alike, I've never done a full swap before and thought it wise to come to y'all for guidance. Thanks for the help!

mikedamageinc

iTrader: (49)

Everyone says how much work v6 to v8 swaps are but it doesn't seem that bad, especially for a track/autox car. Main things I think are k member/front suspension, wiring harness, trans, fuel system. Other than that if you're going to swap it I would only do an aluminum block, that extra weight on the front will not be fun with an iron block

Supercharged111

iTrader: (1)

Save you money and get a junkyard motor, can always cam that and send it. LS1 got its own steering rack and a different steering shaft, regular one won't fit. Need that, k-member, oil pan, engine accessories, wiring, trans, and for fuel the 99+ cars were returnless. You should already have the correct plastic tank, but would need the correct sender and then of course redo the lines. Trailblazers got an aluminum 5.3, as did the GenIV trucks from 07+. Those are a dime a dozen, have a little more compression, better heads/intake, but the truck intakes don't fit under the hood. Airbox was a little different too, not sure what you're doing for an intake right now.

gjohnsonws6

iTrader: (12)

It is not really all that complicated, the main issue is locating and acquiring the additional parts. I’m going through a swap right now and have spent a considerable amount of time and money making it right. Keep in mind you will need these items and more than normal without a donor and starting from a long block only.


All accessory brackets and hardware
All accessories, tensioner, belt
All sensors
Intake
Throttle body, cable and bracket
Injectors
Oil pan and correct pick up
Balancer
Headers/Exhaust
Coils and brackets
ECM/Harness
K member/Mounts
Rack/Shaft
Transmission
Shifter, Bellhousing, Clutch, Flywheel, Hydraulics, more hardware (If going manual)
Driveshaft
Trans crossmember/Mount
Correct hoses
Starter
Return fuel system

What’s your budget? This costs way more than people think and it would be nice if the idea of doing cheap swaps from nothing would stop being kicked around here all of the time. The days of cheap swaps are coming to an end now. Some of the brackets are getting harder to find and more expensive as well. Start locating and pricing it out, see what you come up with and you’ll quickly see what this will take from the financial standpoint of things. Mechanically speaking it is very easy to do and I’ve pretty much done all of the layout for you.

SAPPER

iTrader: (10)

gjohnson nailed it as for parts needed. honestly, you need to find a trashed out donor car, preferably with the motor, to scavenge all the parts from. But using an iron block, you will want to at least get an aftermarket tubular k-member to offset the weight differences. The factory k-member is extremely heavy compared to a tubular. But a tubular k and an aluminum block is a win/win.
Nowadays, the FEAD, front engine accessory drive for the F-bodies is hard to find unless you buy a stupid expensive kit aftermarket. That's where a donor car comes in at. a few grand for a donor car pays for itself.
Look for cars up North. I find quite a few in the Ohio/Illinois area that are cheap because of rusted bodies. You'll just have to road trip it with a trailer.

Catfish Prince

Mike, I'm not too worried about the weight given how the engine is going to sit in the car. Supercharged, I'm still going over my options for an intake, but what drew me to this package was that it's already been gone through by a reliable source, it has a warranty, and it already has done what I would have to spend alot of time doing. And I can use that time to focus on other aspects of the swap. Johnson, yeah I've been assembling a list of these things that I'm going to need. I've been scanning around picking and choosing options from other swaps I've seen done in f-bodies. Although I already know its on the very conservative side for a swap like this, I'd set my budget at around $8000. Sapper, yeah I may try the find an ls1 that's been rear-ended or something. That way I could use the steering and accessory kit from that as well as extra parts for whatever I need.

This is the current list of some info I've gathered (yeah I know its missing a bunch of stuff)

Main Block/lifters/head:
Summit Racing™ Chevy LS 5.3L 450HP Long Block Crate Engines SUM-150153

Stock Parts (still need to find):
Head Covers/bolts
Knock sensors
Valley Cover
Exhaust manifold/Headers
Timing Cover
Oil Pan
Harmonic Balancer?
Coil Packs
Accessories
Flywheel
Injectors
Oil Pan pickup
Starter

Intake/Throttle Body/Cable/Bracket:


Wiring Harness/electrical:
ls1 harness?
Truck Harness? (silverado)
msd wires
truck coils

Transmission/converter:
t-56??
4l60e+circle d 3500 conv. (too weak)

Rear End/Pwertrain:

Exhaust:
pacesetter long tube headers
3" pipe?

Steering:
LS1 camaro steering kit

Oil Pump/Pan:
Pump from donor truck?

Fuel pump (include return line):
Delphi v8 pump?
walbro 255?

Radiator:
ls1 setup?

Ecu:
?

gjohnsonws6

iTrader: (12)

@Catfish Prince Have you seen my build thread a couple posts down? This will give you some ideas.

LS1Formulation

iTrader: (13)

Much better crate engine here: https://www.speedwaymotors.com/LS-Cr...SABEgJds_D_BwE