My 1970 Corvette runs great but In my quest for things to spend money on I want more power. It's got a non stock 350 small block from a truck in it right now that moves it around okay enough but I'm considering a ls swap. So I decided this would be a good place to start looking for so good build suggestions. I'm partial to the idea of boosting and rescuing a good engine from a junk yard. Looking to make about 600Hp and I'm always excited about getting the best value. The more detailed the build list the better.

 

Read up on sloppy mechanics

It has everything you need, google 'sloppy wiki' and find the youtube channel.

My favorite LS engine so far is the L33, an extremely lightweight 800rwhp capable power plant, in a daily driver using stock internals.
Using Gen4 rods and suitably old computer tech (very swap friendly) goes a long way to making it habitable.

That engine at 800rwhp needs the 4l80e transmission for best results (fast car).

if you are willing to sacrifice some power, you can use the six speed (500-600rwhp IMO)
But then you really want twin turbos and focus more on response, so you can nail it at low RPM without a converter to lean on.

 

Thanks for the response, I'll definitely look into it!

 

Careful reading YT, lots talk about 1000hp this and that for cheap it doesnt happen and most these projects blow apart quickly.

Why not keep your 350 and add boost to it, would be so much easier and wallet friendly.
Good set of heads and a 177 Weiand coupled wiht the right cam will smoke tire all day long.

 

Oh boy, somebody needs 'the talk'

1. Sloppy went 8 seconds for $8800, you should really look into that spreadsheet and video evidence. Although a one off example, it is far from "talk".
2. He also put the same 6.0L on the same dyno, month after month, for years of abuse at 700 800 900 and finally 1000hp before finally tearing it down for inspection and the bearings were all mint, perfect. That is one of the all time best videos imo.because it shows that with good tuning, modern 04-07 6.0L engines are more than 1000rwhp capable as a daily driver application. Which we know since 3.0L engines can do that.

You see, it isn't about displacement. It is about technology. Computer design. Engineers are able to construct modern engines which are far superior to the old. This applies heavily when comparing LS of 02+ to anything prior.
Lets start with the Japanese engine for just a sec. In 1989~ you could get a 2.0L which was 500rwhp capable on gasoline from Nissan, and by 1995 you could acquire a 1000rwhp 3.0L from Toyota. The Japanese engine tech was far superior to Americans, likely due to some nonsense with the auto-industry evolution but I digress,
so what we saw is that Japanese engines contained sequential fuel injection using a cam/crank trigger, coil per cylinder spark delivery, focus main girdle support which integrated oil pan aluminum casting stiffness into the support of the main journals, modern O-ring style and metal gaskets, efficient combustion chambers aided by computer modelling and empirical testing which utilized computers and dynometers to help with tuning and getting the most out of gasoline.

It took chevrolet a while but eventually by 2002, they had caught up to the JDM designs of the decade 92-02. That is, the LS engines contain all of that Japanese advanced tech, the girlde, the coil per cylinder, the better combustion chamber, etc... and will not leak oil... but even better, you can choose a smaller engine i.e. 4.8L and it will still support 600-1000rwhp depending how you go about it. IMO the L33 is still a better option because it is easily 800rwhp capable for 10+ years as a daily driver and weighs 100lbs less than the 4.8L. In fact the 5.3L L33 engine weighs less than the Toyota 3.0L... it even rivals the weight of Nissan's Aluminum 2.0L.But those are both VERY heavy engines so... you may begin to notice a trend... the heavier engines with very thick girdles and efficient combustion chambers will seem to support the most power (rpm and torque) and displacement is rarely a factor in peak power anymore.

All that aside. You don't HAVE to turn the boost up. Almost any engine can support 15psi (2x NA) from 02+ from any manufacturer almost.
Factory L33 600rwhp capable without the oil leaks, and it would be reliable as a truck from 04-07. That is, 300k+ miles reliability

anyone still using the ancient SBC design is oblivious and needs to have the talk.





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Many on YT have shops, can tune, wire, weld so it may save them lots of $. What you dont hear a lot are the ones that dont even make it off the dyno without scattering. Yes they are durable engines but its more involved then buying stuff and slapping it together

LS are good and all but no reason the OP cant make plenty of reliable power with what he has right now and it literally does bolt together

 

Yes, i agree, you must be able to wire, tune, and have access to a welder or friends with welders. I had 3 different friends with different welders lend me their shop space for a day or two each in order to bring together and LS swap in my recent vehicle.

This goes without saying: IT isn't easy, or cheap, to do properly.

To me these items are basic: wiring we should all know how. Tuning we should all be familiar with. Mechanic work, fab work, welding, etc... it should be trivial before attempting an engine swap of any kind into any chassis.

Otherwise it turns from an engine swap to an expensive learning experience. So before you begin... decide which one you want... the swap finished quickly (3 to 6 months is what it took me by myself with no shop or air tools, doing it outside to a nissan chassis) or an expensive experience (paying other people to destroy your car and /gg)

 

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Like the saying goes, those who fail to plan should plan on failing. Be your own project manager on this endeavor. How much you planning on spending? What results are you after. How much of the work can you do yourself? What is your time frame? Do you accept the fact it may well become a money pit? Will this be a labor of love, or just a 3200 lb migrane. Will the car be a keeper or will you be selling it at some point and are you prepared to take a loss at that time. 99 % of the time we spend in our cars just cruising, what will that be like with 600 horsepower? It's possible you may find you may be better off selling your '70 and buying a similar car that someone has already done all this stuff to and take advantage of his or her loss. Just sayin'...