My 97 LS1 has 126K miles on it. After the transmission exploded about a couple weeks ago, I'm a little hesitant to do anything drastic to the engine. The original plan was to put a 243 heads and an 02+ LS6 cam on my motor, but the more i think about it, it may be better off just getting an entire 02+ LS6 motor installed...especially if i ever decide to go crazy and go FI

I'm figuring about $2500-3500 for a low miles LS6 Motor swapped vs. about 2000 parts and labor for the H/C i was planning (plus all the little supporting stuff i'd need to buy.

What do you guys think?

Also, the 97-98 had a different fuel system setup. how much of a pain would it be to adapt my fuel system?

 

I would do the LS6 swap if it were me...

 

if u think ur gonna go fi down the road ,i wouldnt consider doing a h&c on a motor with 126 k on it,imo ,if ur gonna go all out ,do it the 1st time & save all the money that u would haved spent on the motor that u are gonna use for heads & cam,theres some stock heads motor flying in fi ,As u know ur gonna need some cash to get the fi motor ,forged motor that u will need ,along with a fuel system & all the gauges ,wideband,realtime data logging, lngtubeheaders & the list goes on,i have been down this road ,what i would do if i was short on money ,is to forged the 346 & use this as a platform & up the boost,just be sure to get an 8 rib,the 6 rib pulley system from the factory on an ecs charged car is good to around 600rwhp,& then u have belt slip ,i dont know what goals u have for ur car, this is really what it boils down to, goals for u to obtain

 

At the moment FI is a long way down the road. if i do anything, it will probably be a maggie running mild boost. nothing crazy.

Ideally, I want a stock-sounding cam which is why i'm not going with a custom grind or ported aftermarket heads.

 

A little over the budget, but check this deal out...

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/sponso...3115-00-a.html

Can't beat that IMO.

 

my ecs blower cam has hardly any rumble,,but u would need to upgrade the springs,& it pulls like a freight train

 

I think you need to double your budget.

Plus are you doing the job yourself ?

Motor would be around $3K a built tranny to take the power will be another $2K +, new torque converter, torque tube rebuild, differential, etc ...

You're looking at a lot of coin. Unless you get lucky and find some deals.

 

^^Here is a deal on a motor. Came out of AJG1915's car. I can tell you that this is a very good motor.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-p...extras-fs.html

 

I would definitely _not_ put an LS6 in it. Cam it now and build a low compression motor for FI on the side.

 

Double your budget to be in the realistic price range. Then double that for all the stuff you aren't accounting for needing down the road or to make it right.

 

If i decided to stay N/A does thee LS6 option look better?

 

Whatever you decide, just make sure you go with a forged motor. Boost is addicting, and you'll eventually want to up the boost sooner or later. If you're on a budget, a forged LS6 is a great option and you can make a ton of power with it when you throw boost into the mix. If you wanted to wait a little longer, a 402 is another great option for about a grand more (short block). The 02+ LS6 cam is a great boost friendly cam, but there are many options out there that provide much more power and stock-like drivability/sound such as the ECS cam as stated above. F/I is definitely not cheap. If I was going to do N/A, bigger cubes (402ci+) would be ideal. With F/I you can get away with a stock cubed motor since you're relying on the blower to make the power.

 

depends on what angle you're looking at it from.. What do you really want in the future? IMHO- try to do it once... They have some WICKED good deals on LS3 long blocks float around out there, stock and otherwise.

Here's a few questions you should think about:

Are you installing it yourself?

What kind of power are you looking for?

What do you want to use it for? (Cruising? 1/4 mile bandit?)


I'm going to assume that you won't be installing it yourself, and that you're looking for a mild 450-500hp at the crank, and that you'll be cruising it around not hitting the strip every weekend...

in that case, maybe a complete LQ iron block based build is a good option. They can be a lot less expensive than an LS3/2 based engine, and will hold up well if you decide to slap a maggie on later. Shoot for a motor with a small stick and decent c/r and I would be willing to bet you can find 450hp and leave room for a maggie in the future.

You should call some shops and discuss your thoughts, lots of people opt for a rebuild w/forged parts of the LS1: very affordable and maggie ready..

so- lots of options, budget and final plan for the car is going to be the final outcome.

BTW: My father ran over 650 rwhp through a completely stock tranny and 2.73 rear gear for 2 years with no problems. If you're just cruising around they can hold up very well. (that was with about 10 1/4 mile passes by me on it as well)

It'll be fun to see some go injected into your very cool looking machine, be sure to document it here

 

I am NOT installing it myself. I will be using Frank's Vettes to do the install.

I'm looking for a big fat low/midrange powerband, not really concerned with peak numbers, though would be happy with 400+ rwhp as long as i have the power throughout the powerband.

This will be almost exclusively a street car, might play with it a little bit on the track on very rare occasion (whem my club takes a trip to the track/strip)


I'm not looking to set any reecords. What I am looking for all intents is reliable power and good road manners/smooth idle.

 

^^If that is what you are looking for then you should check out the engine that I mentioned in the earlier post. AJG1915 can give you a full run down if you want more info.

That is a pretty screaming deal.

 

Ls3

 

Sounds like an iron LQ based build would you suit you really well, save some $$ and anyone who knows anythign about vehicle dynamics agrees that the extra 140 pounds in the block isn't hurting you a bit (it's in the best spot, after all: low and between the wheels)

A complete LS3 would be slightly more expensive but does leave you with nice reliable horsepower as well. you can easily get the 400~ish rwhp out of an lq block build and be more than ready for a maggie if you'd care to bolt that on later.

I see a 408 in your future!! I would also spend a lot of time discussing it with the person who will be building / installing it as well: It's important to realize that what they're comfortable with sometimes can directly influence the end product and how happy you are with it. I've not heard of that shop, so no personal opinions from me on it, but make sure to take their suggestions to heart as well.

Good luck, let us know what you settle on..

 

Wait... 400rwtq? Guys have done that will full bolt on LS6s. A 224ish cam will get you that number in an LS1. Anything wrong with your current engine? 126k miles is not a ton by today's standards.

 

Take the money and rebuild your motor with some nice forged internals and do some head work.You will have some nice hp gains and be ready for the future boost.

 

I'm hovering around 320 rwhp (can't remember tq numbers). other than intake cam and heads, Is there any significant block difference betweeen an 02+ LS6 and my 97 LS1?