Bee Jay’s LS7 Conversion
 

Hi guys. I blew the motor in my 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible. Luckily, it was under warranty and I got a new motor. I got the core motor, so I have a 427 LS7 motor with a bad crank and two bad titanium rods. The motor only had 7K miles on it when I spun the rod bearings. So,.....resistance was futile, but after 20 years of resistance, it looks like I'm doing an LS conversion. 100 more horsepower, and 100 lbs less weight. Stay tuned. Any advice?
Bee Jay
PS I miss you guys. They are not as friendly on the C6 forum. Maybe it's me and my cold personality.:rofl:

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:thumbs: Finally saw the light (pun intended)

convert it to wet sump.

There was a show on Horsepower TV or Engine Tech (with the same guys) a couple of years ago where they did just that, you may be able to find it on their site. Ended up at about 650hp after cam and intake swap.

Have the heads done so don't drop a valve.

Great story and good luck with the swap.

To me, there is just something magical about the designation "427". It is just an iconic nomenclature that truly belongs in a C3!

Please keep us posted with your progress. If I ever finish with my driver restomod, my next project will be a beast of a car and was planning on starting with the LS7 as the base.

Why convert to wet sump?

:iagree::iagree
I had a 427 in my 68 C3, and hope to have one in my current C3 one day too,, ( ls version now,,) I want - 427, 427, 427, ,,,three times on each side of the hood bulge,,:woohoo::thumbs:

I'm not answering for 3X2, but he did get me curious about where one would package a dry sump reservoir/tank in a C3.

:iagree: Ima thinking the same thing here. C-3 engine compartment is not very "swap friendly."

My Brother in law did this on a C2 which is even more challenging than a C3. Also had a VA system. It was cramped but all fit. He did have a custom dry sump tank made for it.

OP: out of curiosity, how the hell did you convince the dealer to let you keep the old engine? Unless things have changed in the 25 years since I worked for GM Parts, they always wanted the warranty items back.

possibly in the back? somewhere near the tire carrier area. Better weight distribution and cleaner install. Especially since the oil lines are already on the bottom of the motor? Keep it dry sump!

or possibly where your vacuum reservoir used to be.

The lines for the tank exit the oil pan on the right side. No place to install a proper tank and vent can. Honestly, I don't think a stock or semi stock suspensioned C3 on street tires can generate the cornering that would require a dry sump engine.

Won't fit. The last one I did, it was mounted behind the passenger seat bulkhead. Battery was on the driver side. As you can see, this Corvette has a fuel cell.

I have my electric fuel pump inside my tire carrier. Lot's of room in that area with a stock gas tank. But after searching some past threads it looks like BeeJay removed his vacuum canister up front that would be a possibility as well.

nice car you have posted there:cheers:

It will fit. Put it here.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...2303b643b0.jpg

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Looks good. Will it fit an a/c car? What are you using for a vent can? Got more pictures?

Hi guys. I'm going to be lazy and just cut and paste what I just posted on the C6 Z06 forum.
Bee Jay
Thanks for all of the positive comments guys. I started the tear down and got the heads, oil pan, and oil pump off. Like I said, I'm new to this LS stuff. I've been very impressed with my 200,000 mile GMC 6.0 liter truck. But losing this LS7 in less than a couple of weeks had me doubting. I've done several small blocks, I built my 79 L-82 into a 383 LT4 Hot Cam killer, and I've done a 454 big block. But this is my first LS engine build. You can see the 5 & 6 rod caps are discolored, and you can see what the spinning of the rod bearings did to the crank. Can the crank be repaired? Can the two discolored rods be saved. Stupid Question: How do you rotate the crank?

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