[67chevelle406]

Ok we are getting a 68 Camaro with no drivetrain. It will be pretty much for my wife we were thinking about putting a LS motor in it then redoing the 406 in the Chevelle and doing alitte mor racing with it. The big problem is my wife would like to have it on the road this year and ask about putting the 406 in the Camaro and biulding another for the Chevelle since a lot of it will be changed anyways. We want the Camaro to be a nice driver so I was thinking of doing this and putting 3.31 gears in to keep RPMs down for the long drives. The 406 runs good,its streetable,and already together so it may not be a bad idea. What do you think? Sorry for all the ?s and long post but opinions may help. Thank you. The 406 combo is in my signature.

 

[creeper72]

I think you have a good plan to keep a turn key motor together and drop it in the wifes car. KEEP the wife happy ! Very important
You would probly get more bang for your buck building your new motor from scratch.
Maybe a BBC or carbed LS1 ????

 

[blasttime]

Listen to your wife. Then Max them credit cards on your new build shop till you drop. lol

 

[Busted Knuckles]

Sure, if she's antsy, give her the 406. Great engine for a Camaro, IMHO.
Betcha she'll want the LS, though, when she feels it's power!
Or, if you hang around here long enough, it'll morph into a 540 or larger!

 

[cv67]

Listen to your wife. Then Max them credit cards on your new build shop till you drop. lol

Heck yeah! Give her the old motor and do the nice one for yourself.

:hurray:

 

[67chevelle406]

Thanks for the opinions. I think it sounds pretty good too but I can't tell my wife you guys said her plan was smart lol. I was thinking of the carbed LS or BBC also I have looked into the LS motors alittle they seem like a good package that can make good power possibly cheaper because the heads flow well easy to carb and go fast with drivability. If I do that then she will want an LS too then there goes more money lol a wife that's into cars does have it ups and downs

 

[johncolvin]

Personally, after doing the LS swap, I wouldn't go any other way. You never have to tune the carb, pump the gas pedal to start it, etc. Get in, turn the key and drive while getting 20MPG. The swaps are really not to expensive if you do your homework and are able to do most of the work yourself. I would say I have less than 2K in my LS swap - I needed a new oil pan and shipped my PCM and wiring out to be worked on and still came is right at 2K. You can always go with a 5.3L or 6.0L which seem to be cheaper than the 5.7L.

Good luck.

 

[BossHogg69]

406 in the wife's Camaro, 427" stroker LS with L92 heads in the 'Velle, then everyone's happy :hurray::beers:

 

[67chevelle406]

Personally, after doing the LS swap, I wouldn't go any other way. You never have to tune the carb, pump the gas pedal to start it, etc. Get in, turn the key and drive while getting 20MPG. The swaps are really not to expensive if you do your homework and are able to do most of the work yourself. I would say I have less than 2K in my LS swap - I needed a new oil pan and shipped my PCM and wiring out to be worked on and still came is right at 2K. You can always go with a 5.3L or 6.0L which seem to be cheaper than the 5.7L.

Good luck.

Who does the computer and wiring harness and also what did you do for the fuel system? I have seen the $1100 tanks and some for $600. I have also heard of people putting a sump in the stock tank and runnimg an external electric pump but say they run into problems picking up fuel. Thanks for the help.

 

[Euell Florett]

Personally, after doing the LS swap, I wouldn't go any other way.


You never have to tune the carb, pump the gas pedal to start it, etc.

Get in, turn the key and drive while getting 20MPG.


The swaps are really not to expensive if you do your homework and are able to do most of the work yourself.

I would say I have less than 2K in my LS swap - I needed a new oil pan and shipped my PCM and wiring out to be worked on and still came is right at 2K.

You can always go with a 5.3L or 6.0L which seem to be cheaper than the 5.7L.

Great summary! :thumbsup:

You saw where things were headed & hitched on to LS power/benefits before most of us that are now coming behind you. :yes:

 

[Euell Florett]

Who does the computer and wiring harness and also what did you do for the fuel system?

I have seen the $1100 tanks and some for $600.

I have also heard of people putting a sump in the stock tank and runnimg an external electric pump but say they run into problems picking up fuel.

Thanks for the help.

It'd be great if Team Chevelle had a specific dedicated forum for LS Engines & Swaps. :yes:

We should/could be the "GO-TO" website for info on swapping LS engines into A-bodies. :hurray:

 

[johncolvin]

Who does the computer and wiring harness and also what did you do for the fuel system? I have seen the $1100 tanks and some for $600. I have also heard of people putting a sump in the stock tank and runnimg an external electric pump but say they run into problems picking up fuel. Thanks for the help.

So there are a few ways you can do the fuel cell on the cheap. I picked up a sump kit (Craigs L $20) and had a radiator shop weld it on ($100) my stock tank. An external walbro pump and 2 fuel filters with a combination of AN fittings, teflon braded hoses and hard lines to complete my fuel lines. Some of the braded lines and fittings get expensive, but if you shop at a few different stores, you can find the best price. I've had no problem picking up fuel even when there is only about a gallon in the tank - so I wouldn't let that bother me. Sometimes you can hear the fuel pump, but not for long when you jump on the gas
Thunderstuck502 (I think) did a write up of an internal pump. There are lots of options, this one worked for me.

I used wait4me performance to re-program the ECM and label the wiring harness for me. It was under $300 and well worth it. There is also tons of people that do the wiring themselves - at the time, I didn't feel like messing with it. Most wiring diagrams are available online for free. I think if I do another LS swap, I could do the wiring on my own no problem. Orginally I was intimidated, but after doing it, it's pretty simple. If you do your own wiring, maybe find someone local that can do the ECM re-program for a few bucks. But to have your ECM programed you need to know tire size, rear end gear ratio and a couple other things that are listed somewhere on these sites.

The only real major cost for me was the oil pan. I purchased a pan from autokraft for around $400. It fit awesome and looks even better. I was able to sell my old pan for $100 so that covers some of the cost. Others have used Hummer pans, cts-v pans, etc.

I also made my own motor mounts. I would imagine that in the last 2 years they have only gotten better, so I might just buy them the next time around. It wasn't hard, I just really don't have the proper tools in my shop and it took longer than is should and provided some comical moments
I also made my on trans crossmember. I used the stock crossmember and was able to flip it over, drill a couple of holes and weld on a couple supports and it worked great.

ls1tech.com is your friend. Lots of good info over there. I usually share what I've done across both sites. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask them here, there or PM me. I did over a years worth of searches and learning before I found a donor car and got started - so I've read about everything.

 

[67chevelle406]

trying to figure out how people are doing LS swaps for $1500-$2000. we have been looking about the best deal i have seen was an LS 5.7 with a tranny,wiring and accessories for $2800 and some 5.3s with a harness and accessories but no tranny for aroun $1000. i have found several 5.3swith 100,000miles just motor for $450 i could get the kit with a carb intake and msd for $670,some mounts and electric pump and exaust but would still have $3000 in it by the time it was running. i still like the idea of the LS motors and still probly cheaper than a sbc may do one for the camaro and when its done sell the 406 and do one for the chevelle too.

 

[cv67]

Magazine buildups can do the swaps for less lol

Lots of things "just laying around" seem to pop up.


Maybe one day Ill have an LSx. Just sounds like a nickel and dime you to death project or Im super ignorant to what it takes.

 

[Aaron]

I dont want to piss in anyones corn flakes,,,but I have both .... a SBC in my chevelle and a 6.0 LS in my truck....I cant deny the performance of the 6.0 and all..

Here is how I look at it.

A few questions:

Is your Camaro a drop in? Just need a motor and tranny?

Does the Camaro have a wiring harness?

Do you have any engine blocks laying around?

Here is what a LS will need to me:

1. Wiring and time to splice it into car wiring.
2. Headers
3. Throttle hookup
4. oil pan
5. mounts
6. What kind of internal parts
7. Any machine work

If you do a BBC or SBC....your going to probably buy more internal componets....but not have to worry about trottle linkage or stuff like that....

I think you have to use what you have to make something cheaper....just not sure a LS is cheaper for most hot rodders.....

 

[cv67]

Interesting..more to think about. Its all the little stuff that adds up looks like.

Im with the above doing a swap for $1500 nfw unless someone is super resouceful, good with fabbing/wiring or its cobbled together. Just not seeing doing it for anywhere near that amount?!

 

[johncolvin]

When I did my conversion, I purchased a flipped 2001 Camaro Z28 - so everything I needed was in the car. It cost me $1600 for the car and I've sold off over $600 in parts and have some more to go - so that helps offset the cost. I would check out the pick 'n pulls in the area. I can't imagine they area asking much more (probably less) than $1000 for a 5.3 or 6.0 out of a wrecked truck with less than 50K miles. Another couple hundred for the transmission. It might cost a little more for the harness, ECM and throttle cable (most yards around here would just throw them in if you are spending $1200). I also used the stock headers and saved $400 - $1000.
ECM re-program and wire is $250 (less if you do it yourself)
Motor mounts are $100 (less if you fab your own)
Oil pan is $400 (may not need depding how it fits)
Fuel Setup $200-$400
misc hoses, wiring, etc $200

That is how you do the swap for less than $2500. LS1tech.com has a write up on how to do it for even less.

 

[70cst10]

LS without a doubt!

 

[71 chevy]

what would i do??? honestly here is what i would do

if it is going in the camaro-

6.0 $1000
modded pan $100-$150
carb intake $350
msd 6010/6012 $320
mounts $40
headers $600

add your carb and fuel pump and go

 

[67chevelle406]

When I did my conversion, I purchased a flipped 2001 Camaro Z28 - so everything I needed was in the car. It cost me $1600 for the car and I've sold off over $600 in parts and have some more to go - so that helps offset the cost. I would check out the pick 'n pulls in the area. I can't imagine they area asking much more (probably less) than $1000 for a 5.3 or 6.0 out of a wrecked truck with less than 50K miles. Another couple hundred for the transmission. It might cost a little more for the harness, ECM and throttle cable (most yards around here would just throw them in if you are spending $1200). I also used the stock headers and saved $400 - $1000.
ECM re-program and wire is $250 (less if you do it yourself)
Motor mounts are $100 (less if you fab your own)
Oil pan is $400 (may not need depding how it fits)
Fuel Setup $200-$400
misc hoses, wiring, etc $200

That is how you do the swap for less than $2500. LS1tech.com has a write up on how to do it for even less.

I'm no doubting you or calling you a lier I just can't see any deals out yet its also only one day of looking too so I may find something better. I think there is more demand for them now too that may make the good deals hard to find buying a wrecked car would be the best for sure like you said selling of other parts will offset it some. I have alittle time so I'm going to keep looking still very interested in it actually for both cars eventually.