If i were to do an engine swap

[JohnnyC]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

3.9L <3

Doesn't that motor do like 260hp stock? I wonder what kind of aftermarket it has? If it's VVT that would be sick.


VTECH CAMARO FTW :naughty: :stp:

[CHEVYINSIDE]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

Did it myself my own shop . labor cost nada . about 2 days in labor

[cantrip]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

oo, i would need someone to do it because 1) i have no idea what im doing and 2) i want it to be done right. haha.



hey, you live in nj, thats pretty close, want to do it for me? haha.

[mloaks]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

yr gettin good advice...

If u just got the car, keep it; if its in good shape and has had reg oil changes and care (trans flushes if auto), a 3800 should have at least another 100k miles of good service left.

If you want a V8, save up and buy an original, forget the swap if yr a novice...

[CHEVYINSIDE]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

yah i did the swap and kept all the emmsions equipment so it smogs ok . i'm gonna find out next month if i pass inspection . i've talked to a few inspectors and they say v6 or v8 should pass the same as long as no odb2 codes . i might be willing to do it agian to help someone out . just depends how busy i am . just finshed doing the 1998 + camaro dash conversion also . any one who tells you sell it and buy another just doesnt want to do the work . or have the knowledge .

[00 Silver 6]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

any one who tells you sell it and buy another just doesnt want to do the work . or have the knowledge .

no, i just dont own or have open access to a shop... it would also cost a small fortune to acquire all the tools/lifts i would need. for people that dont have open access to a shop, its more cost efficient to sell your 6 and buy an 8

[CHEVYINSIDE]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

sorry not trying to sound harsh . i Just hear a lot of people say oh you shouldnt do it , not worth it , vin wont match , insurance issues and what not . i personaly love havin the lt1 in my car . it really isnt that hard to do it . there are no real hard mods that have to be done . it's all pretty much bolt on and plug in . this time it took me 2 days next time it would probly take less . dont need a lift realy just gota get the car about 3 feet in the air in the front . no real speacl tools everthing one would have in a basic tool set would get it done . i just happen to have more tools than most . but hey thats how i make my living .

[SilverRS96]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

any one who tells you sell it and buy another just doesnt want to do the work . or have the knowledge .

I have the knowledge and am willin to do the work...but i mean y swap out somethin that he says is mint just to have a stock LT1 car where its gonna cost a whole ****load more than just goin out and buyin a LT1 formula or TA...with the money that he is goin to spend on the swap he could have just as easily gone out and bought a LS1 fbody...the install is where the breaker is for him it seems...since he doesnt have all the skills or garage to do it in its gonna make the whole thing expensive

[CHEVYINSIDE]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

i looked around here before i decided to do it and i couldnt touch an unmolested lt1 ,m6 with ttops for under $7500. any ones that were under that had a ton of mileage . so the $3000. it cost me it was well worth it . mine has headers , cai ,full exhaust and the hypertech to correct the speedo . goes fast enough for me. a stock lt1 inst all that slow it's still consevitvly 285 bhp and 350 tourque .

[cantrip]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

yea, i have looked around at v8 fbodys and to get one that has very low miles and in good condition would cost an extreme amount of money. if thats how much the swap would cost then yea, id obviously rather just buy a better one. but i doubt swaps cost that much.

[JohnC]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

I say go for the swap! I've been thinking about and researching swap possibilities for years now. I'm finally going to nut up and commit to it really soon. You have to do some true soul searching and ask yourself some questions though if you plan on commiting your ride to the swap though. First of all do you really love this car? or are you going to trade it first chance you get 2 years down the road? Do you want the pride of owning a "fast as a LS1" modded V6'er using blower,turbo, N20 etc. or would you rather lay down those numbers from the get go without mods? I mean there is a lot of pride in saying "this little V6 can put that stock LS1 or LT1 to shame", but throw on some bolt on's on that V8 and you'll spank em. I've been lurking on this board for quite some time now and have seen one of 2 things happen with most members. They either trade their F-Body in for some other type of platform and lose intrest all together or they trade it for that LS1 or LT1 style and move on to diffrent boards like LS1tech.com. So I'll repeat my question to you again "Do you have a true love for this car and want to make it long term thing?" or will you change your mind in the future. Owning the car or in the middle of the contract on the note also weight heavily on this decision. Either way put some deep thought into it.

As for the technical part of it don't sweat it and do it yourself. Unless you live at an apartment complex or somthing. But if you have a house with adequet space I say go for it. There are plenty of guides out there on how to do it, it's really straight forward. Also decide if you want LS1 or LT1. Since you have a 97' I would recommend LT1 as thats what was offered that year. As long as you find a complete 97 engine and tranny setup its all plug and play. As far as tools go, just ask friends and family, you never know they might have what your looking for. But if you can't borrow from them part stores like Auto zone and Advanced auto offer tool lending programs that help. Also haurbor freight tools offer an inexpensive route. The main thing is planning the swap from start to finish, which requires lots and lots of research. Knowing the cost of all the parts and tools ahead of time help you acheive that nice finished product. It's not a cheap process as it will cost you anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 for the whole thing. Don't think just because you got a great deal on the engine and tranny setup that the costs stop there because they don't. It will nickle and dime the heck out of you and I think thats were most people that have tried this get hung up at, trust me I've put the calculator to it and have also read many posts were the person was frusted with the swap because they didnt research it enough and had to buy a bunch of unexpected parts. I've rambled on enough for now but hopefully you get the picture.

John

[CHEVYINSIDE]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

yah , i found out along the way what i was missing . the guides seem to leave out small things, stuff you would overlook . i was likey i had a yard near me pull one out of a 1997 camaro so i got all the stuff i needed. . but like i didnt get some parts to to make the a/c work took some creative work t get that going . wiring wasnt to bad but i needed to keep my emmissions also so i had to make that work to . air pump had to be wired in . you know small things like that but it'll throw you off till you figuire it out .

[3.8Fbody]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

Im personally saving to buy a V8 camaro, while still keeping my V6 as a daily yet fun driver.

[96greenmachine]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

u guys mentioned a 383? lol could u get a 383 in a newer fbody and still use the computer and emmissions? i think that would be cool in our cars...

[Vanquish]

Re: If i were to do an engine swap

Not sure if you have any Corvette shops around you, but the one here, you can get an LS1 with tranny that has about 25k miles on them for $3500. I happen to think that's a great deal, and pretty much unbeatable. I would look in the yellow pages and find the nearest Corvette shop to you and give them a call and see if they have any barely used ls1's laying around.