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LTX and LSXPutting LT1s, LS1s, and their variants into Third Gens is becoming more popular. This board is for those who are doing and have done the swaps so they can discuss all of their technical aspects including repairs, swap info, and performance upgrades.
Although I think it is fair to say that it only gets super cheap if you REALLY TRY to keep it cheap. Not going to happen by accident. It is quite easy to spend $10K - $20K doing a proper job.
Although I think it is fair to say that it only gets super cheap if you REALLY TRY to keep it cheap. Not going to happen by accident. It is quite easy to spend $10K - $20K doing a proper job.
Definitely easy to spend a lot. Personally I don’t have that option lol.
I plan to add my costs up on mine eventually but for now just a guesstimate is that I’ve got around $1500 in just the ls swap. It ain’t fancy but it runs, about the only thing I haven’t bought yet is a proper air intake. It can get very expensive though.
i would say it is literally impossible to do in any area that doesn't have complete ls pulls for $200-$300 with everything required,which tbh is 97% of the known world.
price this in Canada,you will thank god you don't live there because as i said before a 300,000+ km 5.3 is 85% of the budget MINIMUM......and the selection of them
is thin (limited as hell and usually absolute crap)doing a re-ring and re-gasket is almost mandatory if you have close to half a million km.
another thing that is not mentioned and commonly forgotten is time/labor.i work usually 6 days a week and free time is not free and extremely limited.
tbh time is the most valuble thing we have and shouldn't just be written off ,when you get to be 55+ the time you have left starts having new priceless quality to it.
what is the estimated labor required to do a full ls swap including harness,electronics,fuel system,getting guages working,exhaust etc ? the thought of required
man hours to do this decently is frightening and huge
Last edited by 1986BANDIT; 12-07-2019 at 06:05 PM.
the cheaper it is the more time you spend trying to make it cheap so its a matter of gauging what is more valuable to you time or getting something done NOW.
its a hell of a teeter/totter and if labor is never thought of the $1000 figure is kind of disingenuous and unrealistic .this is especially true when you consider limited availability of parts and considerably higher cost /lower quality based on region/location.a part in the USA is exactly DOUBLE+ in Canada or more after adding in shipping,duty,currency conversion etc.
if labor is never thought of the $1000 figure is kind of disingenuous and unrealistic
That's weak sauce. Just admit they were right and move on. I don't know how they do it either, but they do. Bet if I wanted to learn they would teach me too.
My car was free.
My 5.3 was free, actually I got a couple of them free. One still sitting on the ground, useless, nobody wants it. Can't even give it away.
the swap still cost 20k fml
Its mostly oil, trans fluid. Damn trans needs 15gallons or something. Stupid oil pan holds 99 quarts.
No one ever includes the cost of the liquids
It's easy to put a stock LS in a car. But then you just have a regular car
It's easy to put a stock LS in a car. But then you just have a regular car
Everybody is in a different place in life. A low dollar build is just as exciting as a high dollar build when dreams are fulfilled by the work of your own hands.
Everybody is in a different place in life. A low dollar build is just as exciting as a high dollar build when dreams are fulfilled by the work of your own hands.
But this is a conversion. Somebody that owns a 3-phase tig welder, gas shielded mig, machine shop tools like bandsaw, lathe, drill press, etc...
If you have all of that machinery ($100,000+) you maybe can do a '1k LS swap'
If you DON'T have all that machinery then you have to buy or rent it or barrow it. Which takes all the fun out of the conversion.
It means you need to buy conversion parts; pre-made motor mounts, pre-made trans stuff. Pre-made items.
Which takes the 'work out of your own hands'
In other words, if you don't have $100,000 in equipment, you aren't going to be 'having any fun working with your own hands'
It doesn't make any sense to suggest otherwise. Thats called a catch 22
Now you went all Charlie Brown again with the Whua whua whua whua whua nonsense.
Alright, listen, this is somebody's build thread - their personal story - and I'm not the highlight of that story so I'm checking out and giving back the thread to them.
To the idea of how much is your time and labor worth- you know some people actually enjoy working on cars? Lol...but I get it. I don’t spend my every second of free time wrenching either.
And personally I dont have a whole lot of interest in high hp numbers so a modded LS isn’t something I have to have. You look at a stock LS equipped thirdgen and think it’s no better than a stock small block third gen and I disagree. There’s several benefits but besides that it goes back to the fact that some people actually enjoy working on cars. It’s less about the finished product and more about the journey sometimes and not everyone has the money or even wants to dump that much money in a third gen.
To the idea of how much is your time and labor worth- you know some people actually enjoy working on cars? Lol...but I get it. I don’t spend my every second of free time wrenching either.
And personally I dont have a whole lot of interest in high hp numbers so a modded LS isn’t something I have to have. You look at a stock LS equipped thirdgen and think it’s no better than a stock small block third gen and I disagree. There’s several benefits but besides that it goes back to the fact that some people actually enjoy working on cars. It’s less about the finished product and more about the journey sometimes and not everyone has the money or even wants to dump that much money in a third gen.
Well said. Also, a stock 4.8/5.3 swap will still thump a stock L98 car. Good luck OP.
My last rant then i return your thread and i truly apologize for the hijack,i just get a bit wound when people state the impossible as fact when i know it isn't really possible everywhere.
for the record.i enjoy working on my car too(i love it in fact) but a grand gets you very little in this part of the world.that's all im saying.
it is not possible to do an ls swap for a grand were i am,3 times that is entry level.a sub standard ls is
almost that much then you need to address the fuel delivery,the exhaust,the mounts,the crossmember/oilpan,
THE ELECTRICAL NIGHTMARE.
im not denying you can do it,just be thankful you are one of the .5% that can manage it somehow.is your car functional now?
can you just jump in and go without having to tap this three times,connect these 3 wires,punch the dash,spin around counter
clockwise then say the lords prayer backwards in order to go around the block? i would love to do an ls swap but even a simple
vortec headed old school sbc carb swap is going to be double your estimate I HOPE.....
can you just jump in and go without having to tap this three times,connect these 3 wires,punch the dash,spin around counter clockwise then say the lords prayer backwards in order to go around the block?
Hey, I never told anybody that except my wife! How'd you know the secret combo to starting my car?!?!
You guys are great! I really enjoyed reading everyone thoughts on $1000 dollar LS swap. I always knew I was going to spend more then a grand on my project. Once I finish the drivetrain, I still have to address body, interior, suspension, then upgrades where I see fit. I was just talking to a buddy of mine that's LS swapping a Datsun, he was clowning because I haven't finished the car yet and he's almost done. I told him I would be done if it wasn't for this site. HAHAHA.... A lot of good/useful information on here, but my problem is every new tread I read I get off track and do something new to my car i.e...dash swap,smoothing the engine bay, custom door panels (that's not done yet), and so on. But I'm loving the journey though, despite the set backs, money spent, and ole lady scream at me to come inside. LOL
IM BACK! I know it’s been a long time since I have updated this thread but I been super busy with life, kids and the car. Happy to say I have put my first 100 miles on the car since I put it it together. I’m super excited and the car is fun to drive. Even thought it’s a stock 5.3 it’s a major improvement from the v6 it came with. I still have a long way to go but it feels good to she all my hard work thus far pay off.
Hard way to remove and I talk a transmission. Easy way! Best 80 bucks I ever spent! Back to the junk yard for another transmission. 🙄 Had to fab a shifter cable bracket from pieces from my old transmission and the 4l60. Worked out perfectly, shifts smooths and do not hit my headers.
Got my Stimulus check and decided to buy some big price items. My gift to myself as an essential worker. Lol I actually put the hood on by myself, I need more car friends that like drinking beer working on cars. Starting to look like a car again. Ditched the ugly truck alt and power steering bracket. Got this on Amazon for a little over a hundred. No clearance issue issues just had to change the belt, needed a new on anyway so no big deal. Lines up decent, I have actually got it lined up more since this last picture. I sure the paint and body guy will get it spot on for me.
Found these on Facebook market for 100 complete steal! 2in adaptor on all four. Torqued then down, drive around for a few miles and re tighten all the lugs. The rims and tires made the car look better.
Great update! Love the wheel and hood choices that you made. 100 bucks for that set of wheels is an awesome steal too! Hard to beat that. This thing is going to look real slick once its painted. Plans for that?
Got the exhaust done. Please for now with the outcome for the price I paid. I been listening to the car with open headers for long that for a few days I thought I had made the car to quiet with the flow master Mufflers. I must say it sounds good at idle and going down the highway.
After much reading and debating I decided to pick up a pair of sub frame connectors. Sorry I don’t have any install pictures. I was in my zone working on the car. I am pleased with the quality of the product and it was easy to install. Some things had to be manipulated with a hammer and “C” clamp due to the car being jack in the wrong spots before I got it. But overall I can feel and hear the difference from installing them.
I know its been a while but I have been working on the car off and on for the last few years. Sadly my Grandfather that gave me the car passed away last year. I really wish I was able to finish the car and take him for a ride in it. On the other hand I determined to finish the car by next summer! So what I been up to since then?
New interior ( well new to me) I got a sweat deal on the whole set from a nice guy on FB Market Place
door panels
carpet
leather seats
and a few interior plastic pieces
4th Gen rear end from the junk yard. It was cheaper to go this route for the disk breaks then the kits.
I started working on the body of the car. I have no major rust other then where paint chips and dings are. No major body damage either. Due to the clear coat failing I decided to go down to metal for the car, started off with 80 grit and worked up to 320 grit with a sander. After I was happy with the body I sprayed it with 3 coats of UreChem DTM Epoxy. Full disclaimer...This is my first time touching a paint gun, I used my 19 gallon air compressor and a LVLP gun that was recommend by a youtuber by the name of Underground Paint King. I does all kind of videos of him painting cars with small compressors and LVLP guns. I do plain on upgrading to a 60 or 80 gallon compressor before I base and clear.
I painted my 3rd gen with a 21 gal harbor freight compressor and that was primer, sealer, single
coat and 2 coats of clear. You can def do it but it takes longer. I picked up a 60 gal husky in 2020 for $450 on sale floor model and it’s a night and
day difference. I’m in the process of painting a C3 vette with it that I got from my dad who passed in 2020. I also made a pact that I was going to finish it in 2 years and I’m getting close near to 2 year mark this summer. Just keep chipping away at it!
Lookin' good, can't wait to see the finished product. I have a 29 gal Harbor Freight compressor I recently bought to replace my old unit (couldn't get parts for it) I kept the old tank thinking It may be useful to augment the new unit I wonder if that would be as good as having a 60 gal. compressor. Any thoughts???
Lookin' good, can't wait to see the finished product. I have a 29 gal Harbor Freight compressor I recently bought to replace my old unit (couldn't get parts for it) I kept the old tank thinking It may be useful to augment the new unit I wonder if that would be as good as having a 60 gal. compressor. Any thoughts???
Not really, I did that with twin 21gal tanks manifolded together and had both motors run at the same time to see if It could keep up. You don't really get double the flow in a setup like that. If you used two tanks and a single motor it would just take longer to fill up but once it was full you would have a larger reservoir of air to pull from till the compressor kicked on but then would take twice as long to fill up. Dual 21 gal tanks and dual 2.5hp motors kicked on almost as much as a single but I got better airflow due to the volume increase so I kept it up. My 60 gal barely keeps up with my painting and I haven't run it constantly yet like multiple coats back to back kinda thing. If you tie in both tanks for storage you can have a larger burst of air which will help with things like impact tools etc for short bursts and then you just wait for it to fill up.
Today I fitted the new fender I got from eBay. It took some massaging and had to make a new brackets on the bottom of the car to get it line up.
For some reason this day I did not want to sand anymore, so I went with aircraft stripper . Didn't take all the paint off the way I wanted it to, but it did make it easier to sand of with 80 grit, 180, 220, 320.
By no mean am I a painter, but I think I did good laying down the primer. Seeing the car all one color was a great feeling.
Last edited by Destro Camaro; 05-28-2023 at 08:27 PM.
With the primer on the car I was able to see the imperfections in the car. Door digs and and a few dents that I was able to pull and hammer out, I didn't want to fill the car up with body filler so I took my time and got the metal close as I could back to straight.
Last edited by Destro Camaro; 05-28-2023 at 08:32 PM.
12-07-2019, 05:17 PM
