Anybody swapped in an LS1?
I'm kicking around engine options for my recently acquired '87 1/2 ton 4wd, The TBI motor that's in it, while reliable, is seriously lacking in the power department. I thought about stroking the engine, but the factory heads would have to be replaced, stroker kit, machine work, etc., and the bill starts to add up. I am also considered building the 454 that I have laying around in my garage, but that conversion also starts to add up via a new transmission, mounts, removing the a/c box, machine work, rebuild kit, etc. By the time I've invested that much money, time, and work into one of these two alternatives, I could buy a complete, turnkey 5.3/4L60E or 6.0 vortec/4L80E (best trans I ever had) with computer, harness re-wired etc. for ~$2500-3000. However, I don't know if anyone makes motor mount kits and various other adapters that would be necessary.
If anyone knows anything about this swap for this generation of truck, I would be most grateful for any info. I put an LT1/T56 in my '69 camaro, so I understand most of the hidden costs that add up, particularly with port injection swaps, but I want to break this down to see if it would be only marginally more expensive than the two aforementioned options. If it is, I would rather have the clean power and reliability of the new combo. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks.
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