LS1 ~ LS6 Engine Swap In Progress
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 371
Likes: 38
From: Madison Alabama
LS1 ~ LS6 Engine Swap In Progress
Well, it's official . . . . I'm doing the LS1 ~ LS6 engine swap here in a few! I've ordered my 2004 LS6 Corvette Production GM Performance Create Engine, plus a new Z06 Clutch kit and it's on its way.
On it's way meaning being shipped from SDPC folks in Texas to Heidelberg, Germany!
What brought all this on was my 1999 LS1 engine lost oil pressure on the way back from a Vette Cruise. After replacing the oil pressure sending unit and the oil pump, still not enough oil pressure in the engine.
To rebuild my old LS1 engine here in Germany would cost (in labor alone) almost as much as the price of a new engine. So, after lots of research and checking around I decided to go for the gusto and replace my old 1999 LS1 (345hp) engine with a new 2004 LS6, 405 hp engine. For the most part its a "drop in and turn the key" operation. There will be a couple fine tuning things to do, but the swap it's self is pretty straight forward.
When the engine arrives from the states and the install process gets underway I'll update everyone on how things are going.
More later. . . .
Cecil
German-American Corvette Club
Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Heidelberg, Germany
Hometown: Ft Lauderdale, Florida
Born: Alexandria, Virginia
On it's way meaning being shipped from SDPC folks in Texas to Heidelberg, Germany!
What brought all this on was my 1999 LS1 engine lost oil pressure on the way back from a Vette Cruise. After replacing the oil pressure sending unit and the oil pump, still not enough oil pressure in the engine.
To rebuild my old LS1 engine here in Germany would cost (in labor alone) almost as much as the price of a new engine. So, after lots of research and checking around I decided to go for the gusto and replace my old 1999 LS1 (345hp) engine with a new 2004 LS6, 405 hp engine. For the most part its a "drop in and turn the key" operation. There will be a couple fine tuning things to do, but the swap it's self is pretty straight forward.
When the engine arrives from the states and the install process gets underway I'll update everyone on how things are going.
More later. . . .
Cecil
German-American Corvette Club
Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Heidelberg, Germany
Hometown: Ft Lauderdale, Florida
Born: Alexandria, Virginia
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 371
Likes: 38
From: Madison Alabama
Originally Posted by Stangkiller
That should be a fun swap! You shoulda gone for a bigger motor while you were at it!
Good luck with the swap
Chris
Well, at $7,295.00 just for the engine, another $350.00 for the clutch kit, then on top of that $600.00 for shipping ~ from the states to Germany
a bigger engine just didn't fit my budget 
!Thanks for the comment though. This is gonna be a first for most of us American Corvette owners here in Germany. . . at least for the ones I know anyway. Updates to follow
!Later,
Cecil
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Should be a very nice difference in the car. Please do keep us posted on how this progresses.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 6,384
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From: Toronto,Ont.Canada
Originally Posted by davisce
Chris,
Well, at $7,295.00 just for the engine, another $350.00 for the clutch kit, then on top of that $600.00 for shipping ~ from the states to Germany a bigger engine just didn't fit my budget !
Thanks for the comment though. This is gonna be a first for most of us American Corvette owners here in Germany. . . at least for the ones I know anyway. Updates to follow !
Later,
Cecil
Well, at $7,295.00 just for the engine, another $350.00 for the clutch kit, then on top of that $600.00 for shipping ~ from the states to Germany
a bigger engine just didn't fit my budget !Thanks for the comment though. This is gonna be a first for most of us American Corvette owners here in Germany. . . at least for the ones I know anyway. Updates to follow
!Later,
Cecil
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 371
Likes: 38
From: Madison Alabama
Originally Posted by z06cab
Is that U.S$$$ you're quoting....I'd put a 402LS2 in there for the same money. shortblock=$3900, heads+cam=$2500, and either use your orig. intake and other access. or put an 90mm FAST setup in...
The prices quoted in my initial thread was in US Dollars. The create engine comes almost complete; even more complete than a “Long Block”! Checkout www.sdpc2000.com ! They are the folks I ordered the create engine and clutch kit from.
Also, the LS6 is a direct bolt in replacement for the LS1 engine and my LS1 PCM will start and run the LS6 with no problem. It'll just need to do a little fine-tuning and Wa-La ~ a 1999 C5 running 405hp factory ponys!
I noticed another thread that asked if the new Create engine came with a clutch attached; nope, just the flywheel.
Thanks for the comments and I'll keep everyone updated as things start happening. . . . Right now I think my engine is in the staging mode (waiting to be shipped from Texas to Germany)
More Later,
Cecil
Heidelberg, Germany
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,066
Likes: 38
From: Menifee CA
7300 for an Ls6 engine is a RIPP OFF..................................
U could get a long block from Fred Beans or gmpartsdirect for around 5K
all u will need is an Intake manifold and the rest could be swapped from your Ls1 block...........................
You should have shopped
U could get a long block from Fred Beans or gmpartsdirect for around 5K
all u will need is an Intake manifold and the rest could be swapped from your Ls1 block...........................
You should have shopped
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Drifting
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,898
Likes: 6
From: Sahuarita AZ
Originally Posted by MUKAKsC5
7300 for an Ls6 engine is a RIPP OFF..................................
U could get a long block from Fred Beans or gmpartsdirect for around 5K
all u will need is an Intake manifold and the rest could be swapped from your Ls1 block...........................
You should have shopped
U could get a long block from Fred Beans or gmpartsdirect for around 5K
all u will need is an Intake manifold and the rest could be swapped from your Ls1 block...........................
You should have shopped
Shipped to Germany? Sounds like he got the best deal possible considering the shipping...
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
From: Honolulu Hi
Hey Davise,
You may remember me from another forum.(hawaii-5-lo),i can't believe you blew your motor.I know you have many top speed runs on the autobahn,but damn,that sucks man.Sounds like a good plan there,how much of that $7300 is shipping,about $1500?I know you probably already talked to Moore_rb about this,he did his in a weekend.Check his dyno with the cam and headers..on the stock headed ls6 in his 97
You may remember me from another forum.(hawaii-5-lo),i can't believe you blew your motor.I know you have many top speed runs on the autobahn,but damn,that sucks man.Sounds like a good plan there,how much of that $7300 is shipping,about $1500?I know you probably already talked to Moore_rb about this,he did his in a weekend.Check his dyno with the cam and headers..on the stock headed ls6 in his 97
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 371
Likes: 38
From: Madison Alabama
LS1 ~ LS6 Engine Swap:
Sometimes a picture(s) is/are worth more than a thousnad words. . . . Just to give you a visual of how complete this 2004 LS6 Crate engine that I'm swapping out my 1999 LS engine for here are a couple pics off of the cdsp2000 web link where I ordered the engine from. The complete link is: www.sdcp2000.com
More updates as progress occures. . . . and thanks for all the comments folks!
Cecil
Heidelberg, Germany
Sometimes a picture(s) is/are worth more than a thousnad words. . . . Just to give you a visual of how complete this 2004 LS6 Crate engine that I'm swapping out my 1999 LS engine for here are a couple pics off of the cdsp2000 web link where I ordered the engine from. The complete link is: www.sdcp2000.com
More updates as progress occures. . . . and thanks for all the comments folks!
Cecil
Heidelberg, Germany
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 371
Likes: 38
From: Madison Alabama
Originally Posted by Slammed..
Hey Davise,
You may remember me from another forum.(hawaii-5-lo),i can't believe you blew your motor.I know you have many top speed runs on the autobahn,but damn,that sucks man.Sounds like a good plan there,how much of that $7300 is shipping,about $1500?I know you probably already talked to Moore_rb about this,he did his in a weekend.Check his dyno with the cam and headers..on the stock headed ls6 in his 97
You may remember me from another forum.(hawaii-5-lo),i can't believe you blew your motor.I know you have many top speed runs on the autobahn,but damn,that sucks man.Sounds like a good plan there,how much of that $7300 is shipping,about $1500?I know you probably already talked to Moore_rb about this,he did his in a weekend.Check his dyno with the cam and headers..on the stock headed ls6 in his 97
Sure I remember you (see private note). You're not hanging out there anymore? Anyway, thanks for the note; how's your Vette doing? Any new MODs lately? I'll keep you posted on how the engine swap goes. Oh, almost for got to answer your question about cost for shipping. No, the price tag for the engine does NOT include shipping. Add another $600-700 for that.
I know it's hard for folks there in the states to understand why all this is costing so much more than what you can get it done for there in the states, but things here in Europe (Germany) cost tons more than they do there in the states. Plus, there aren't any tuners just down the street you can go to for work. The tuner I'll probable take my Vette to is at least a 5 hours drive from where I live here in Heidelberg, Germany.
. Getting American cars worked on over here is near impossible.
This tuner doest work on American cars, e.g., Vettes, Cobras, muscles cars, etc., etc., but he’s a days drive away. Now I could drive to Switzerland . . . I hear there's a tuner there as well .When I need a part of have to replace something on my Vette I have to order all my parts from the states and shipped over and that costs big $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ ! If I had the dealer order them I would be paying double the cost of the part becasue it's all import for them and there is a 19% sales tax on everything.
Most Chevy/GM dealers here in Germany are really OPEL/GM. And if it wasn't made here in Germany it might as well have come from Mars. They're just not setup to deal with it.
Bottom line, it's a real pain in the butt to get things done over here, but hey, I'm the one that wanted to live and work overseas, so I can't complain too much (and it's a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, but it's $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to live here)!
Hey, enough of my crying, thanks for the note and stay in touch. I'll keep you posted on the SWAP job. .
Later,
Cecil
Heidelberg, Germany
