285-295 hp for under 600 bucks

[stormwolf1972]

i was reading on a truck forum about a guy who swapped a 5.3 votec v8 into his 93 f-body....uses ls1 crossmember and the motors can be had from car part.com for anywhere from 500 to 600 some with tranny 4l60e like the one already in the f-body..some with wiring harness....anyone here ever tried it?

[Merlin]

no that i know of, but with all of the projects that are going on, why not try it?!

[kidcamaro98]

i was actually thinking about that a week ago lol....cause my mom has a 2000 silverado Z71 and its got the 5.3 vortec in it...so i was looking at that, then looking at my car and was thinking if its ever been done before...its a pretty beefy V8 and not as big as a 350 so it would save that little extra room to throw some boost in there and have a fast F body.....i dunno how much a vortech 5.3 would run tho with all the wiring components

[stormwolf1972]

check car-part.com and sort by price...i found them for 500 bucks.....for a 285-295 hp engine....i am gonna do it to one of my V6 94 firebirds real soon

[...rallyred]

moving to swaps...

lmk where you can find an operational 5.3 vortec with tranny for $500 along with all the crossmembers, electronics, etc.

i think you are in for a surprise when you find out all the extras that pile up that you will need to make the thing actually run...

[stormwolf1972]

i didnt say the crossmembers were included...if i do this i am going with tubular crossmembers anyway to reduce unsprung weight....and i already mentioned where to find them....500 to 600 for the engine and 2 i found had trannys included....add wiring harness and ecm and there ya go....shouldnt be too hard to find...it was in chevy and gmc trucks

[06camarodude]

Yeah, a motor swap isn't as easy as a lot of people make it out to be. There is a lot of extra expenses that can push a project from the projected $600 up well over $1,000.

On the other hand, this is also a pretty common occurence, for someone to swap a different motor into their car. I know a guy who's thinking of doing this same thing, he's got a motor from a Tahoe or something in his garage he's working on for his 97 Camaro RS, if I'm not mistaken. I'll let him know that you are thinking of doing the same thing, maybe you two can collaborate on some ideas. What's your email address so I can give it to him?

[stormwolf1972]

email is stormwolf1972 at yahoo.....i found one complete motor within 200 miles for under 400.....already have a 4l60e out of a vette....same tranny that goes in the trucks..all i'd need then is the ls-1 crossmember wiring harness and ecm....defintly going to need custom headers and exhaust but this is a cheaper alternative to an ls1 or lt1 swap....slightly smaller motor but it can be bored out to 5.7.....many ls-1 parts may swap over just like with the old 305-350s...and there are tuners for this ecm that claim up to 330 hp....definetly doing more research right now and i'll keep everyone posted on what i find out

[...rallyred]

well good luck, try to document as much as you can for people who may want to come after you and will want to know the nuts and bolts of the operation... no pun intended :grinno:

[stormwolf1972]

oh i will...parts and prices....me and my dad have been rebuilding gm muscle for over 20 years...just another project for us....but a fun one for me....the 72 and 79 camaro and the 72 camino were his......this one is mine all mine..also helps that he does it for a living and works in a machine shop...lol

[06camarodude]

I gave my friend your email address. . .

[stormwolf1972]

ok after talking to some of the guys at tacreations....the intake wont fit under the cowl....it would need an ls1 intake..but that is the only problem fitment wise

[VendettaV6]

Would a 5.7L Vortec out of a mid 90's Suburban with a 4L80E Automatic transmission fit in a firebird?

[stormwolf1972]

beats the crap out of me?...i am thinking of going junkyard hopping one day real soon and taking a tape measure with me....lol....measure a few motor heights againt the room we actually have under the damn cowl.....am i the only one who hates that thing?..... and there are a few aftermarket tubular crossmembers available for the f-body...the makers of at least one of them says they will custom fit motor mounts for any motor combo we can think up...as long as it will fit

[Grimm]

Would a 5.7L Vortec out of a mid 90's Suburban with a 4L80E Automatic transmission fit in a firebird?

It is still TBI? If it is, then I'm gonna say "no" because that motor is hella tall.

[06camarodude]

ok after talking to some of the guys at tacreations....the intake wont fit under the cowl....it would need an ls1 intake..but that is the only problem fitment wise
You can probably pick up an LS1 intake pretty cheap, I know a lot of people that swap theirs out for the LS6 intake. . .

[stormwolf1972]

yeah the intake isnt that hard to fin....lot of em wrecked in junkyards here in good old back ass wards mississippi.....also need the acc.brackets too though i am told...found a running 5.3 for as low as 300 bucks though so it would leave a lot of money to find the other parts....still might come out cheaper than a complete lt-1 or ls-1 swap...i am still checking into all the prices

[GT Jon]

Why not get a crossmember from a wrecked LS1 F-Body and skip the tubular crossmember. I've read stories of people breaking those things in DD conditions, and by the time you reinforce and gusset them enough to make them strong, the weight is equal to a stock crossmember.

:shrug:

EDIT: Also, a tubular crossmember won't reduce your unsprung weight. Tubular A-Arms would, however:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsprung_weight

[stormwolf1972]

control arms combined with k-frame = 85 pound loss from front end...full throttle performance..i ahve looked and taslked to them about it already...this thing is better than a stock unit all around

[GT Jon]

That's what they'll tell you.

[stormwolf1972]

oh and by the way...the control arms are connected to the crossmember so it does reduce unsprung weight

[silver6_maro]

Yeah, a motor swap isn't as easy as a lot of people make it out to be. There is a lot of extra expenses that can push a project from the projected $600 up well over $1,000.

On the other hand, this is also a pretty common occurence, for someone to swap a different motor into their car. I know a guy who's thinking of doing this same thing, he's got a motor from a Tahoe or something in his garage he's working on for his 97 Camaro RS, if I'm not mistaken. I'll let him know that you are thinking of doing the same thing, maybe you two can collaborate on some ideas. What's your email address so I can give it to him?

THATS ME!!!

Ive had this motor sitting in our shop for a while now, and was thinking of doing the same swap into my 97 camaro rs...im looking into how much money it would cost to do the whole thing....obviously we know that the intake would have to be a ls1-ls6 intake, and the crossmember neds to be a v8 one and trying to locate a cheap wireing harness and computer.....

does anyone know an approxamate cost for the whole swap, cause if its too much im going to save the money, and just buy an LS1 camaro instead

[silver6_maro]

oh yeah, and this also means that i may as well build the motor up while i have it out, and get some basic bolt ons.....so you think this would put the price of he swap over the limit???

[JJSimon904]

i was actually thinking about that a week ago lol....cause my mom has a 2000 silverado Z71 and its got the 5.3 vortec in it...so i was looking at that, then looking at my car and was thinking if its ever been done before...its a pretty beefy V8 and not as big as a 350 so it would save that little extra room to throw some boost in there and have a fast F body.....i dunno how much a vortech 5.3 would run tho with all the wiring components


...still a small block so its the same physical size as a 350.

[GT Jon]

oh and by the way...the control arms are connected to the crossmember so it does reduce unsprung weight
You have no clue what UNSPRUNG weight is. Do you? Good day sir, and good luck on your project.