Aftermakrket EFI or LS Swap???

[NEWFISHER]

Originally Posted by theastronaut

I must be really messed up to do a carb'd LS swap...

or spend $2400 for the Edlebrock system on a 350 when you could do 1 1/2 injected LS swaps for that

I think my new in box Holley projection was $1000 a couple years ago and I thought I was crazy to buy another one after using it on a rock cawler/street 4x rig. Still haven't unwrapped it

[theastronaut]

I had a friend that was selling his 4.8/4L60e with standalone harness/ecu for $700 bucks. There are deals out there for LS swaps, I found an almost complete 5.3 for $150, and a T56 for $700.

[jmack91z28]

Originally Posted by theastronaut

I had a friend that was selling his 4.8/4L60e with standalone harness/ecu for $700 bucks. There are deals out there for LS swaps, I found an almost complete 5.3 for $150, and a T56 for $700.

Yeah, they're getting so plentiful anymore, they are very cheap. I've found a guy locally off craigslist who buys up 4th gen F bodies and parts out the LS1's and transmissions for a decent price, not a steal, but decent price. That's always a good route too. I'm going that route for a good T56 to swap out with my saginaw when the time comes.. maybe...

This is what I love about this forum. Everyone just had a civilized discussion about multiple completely different opinions. Some love fuel injection, others swear by carburetors. On any other website this would have been a huge fight, mothers would have been insulted, sexualities would have been questioned and members would have been banned.

It's so refreshing being here.

[earl84]

Originally Posted by jmack91z28

Yeah, they're getting so plentiful anymore, they are very cheap. I've found a guy locally off craigslist who buys up 4th gen F bodies and parts out the LS1's and transmissions for a decent price, not a steal, but decent price. That's always a good route too. I'm going that route for a good T56 to swap out with my saginaw when the time comes.. maybe...

This is what I love about this forum. Everyone just had a civilized discussion about multiple completely different opinions. Some love fuel injection, others swear by carburetors. On any other website this would have been a huge fight, mothers would have been insulted, sexualities would have been questioned and members would have been banned.

It's so refreshing being here.

Amen, brother. I LOVE this forum.

[whitedog76]

A wrecked low mile truck with an LS would be ideal. My cousin just bought a 99 2wd with only 110,000 miles on it. It was wrecked in the front and both bags blown out, he only paid $1000. He plans on swapping into an S10. The truck runs and drives good.

Oh and brakes are a big issue for me. Haven't heard of the Hydra Boost Brakes, but sounds like something I should look into. (my truck doesn't stop for crap and she already has front discs)

As far as brakes, a dual chamber vacuum booster and dual master cylinder would do wonders. Most master cylinders out there are 1 1/8", but you can use a 1 1/4" from a 73-87 C20 if you need more braking.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/1963-6...Kit,46342.html

[66LSx]

ooops.... hit a milestone last night

[Sean C]

Originally Posted by whitedog76

As far as brakes, a dual chamber vacuum booster and dual master cylinder would do wonders. Most master cylinders out there are 1 1/8", but you can use a 1 1/4" from a 73-87 C20 if you need more braking.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/1963-6...Kit,46342.html

Hey thanks! Yeah I just want more stopping power. I like knowing my vehicle can compensate(ish) for other people's bad driving

[Sean C]

Originally Posted by 66LSx

ooops.... hit a milestone last night

Aaaaaaaand I hate you...making it look so easy! Good work and awesome progress! Can't wait to get working on my truck

[Sean C]

I thought I was just going to keep things simple and go with an EFI setup for my truck....ALAS...I'm doing an LM7 T56 swap. Anyone know what I need to do to mate the LM7 to the T56?? Input shaft?

[siggyfreud]

I think a T56 from behind an LS1 from like an Fbody would mate up without any need to change stuff over.

[Sean C]

Originally Posted by siggyfreud

I think a T56 from behind an LS1 from like an Fbody would mate up without any need to change stuff over.

I was hoping to go with a later (00+) T56 since they handle more power. Anyone know what the earlier T56s are rated at?

[siggyfreud]

In my experience it's really hard to say what they'll handle, as most of the time it's more about how you drive that power than how much there is. You can break a T56 on the stock HP if you're doing 4k dumps or powershifting it. There are quite a few guys running in the 400-500whp range on the stock trans just fine, but they probably finesse it more. I would think the LS1-backed T56s were rated at 400 or so.

[CaliberNick]

I put an MSD atomic EFI system on the ZZ4 crate 350 SBC in the '69 Camaro and now the thing starts, runs, and drives like a modern car. It may have it added any power, but it was one of the best things I did to the car. Only took a few hours to put in and only required basic hand tools. Highly recommend it if you want to turn any carb engine into a daily driver.

[theastronaut]

LS T56 used in 98-03 F-body's are rated at 450 tq and need no mods to bolt up to any LS motor. The LT1 T56 is not compatible without changing parts.

[Sean C]

Originally Posted by theastronaut

LS T56 used in 98-03 F-body's are rated at 450 tq and need no mods to bolt up to any LS motor. The LT1 T56 is not compatible without changing parts.

Awesome! I think I'll be hitting a little over 400hp and 420 tq. I'm really excited for the LM7.

Caliber:

I decided that, for the price of EFI, I can get more power out of the LM7. Awesome reliability and the fun of the T56 is going to be a blast!

[siggyfreud]

Sounds like a great build.

I'd be dropping a T-56 in mine except for two reasons:

1. I can't imagine shifting would be that comfy as a tall person in the somewhat compact cabin space.
2. My wife can't drive stick, and she's super excited for me to complete this so she can drive it too.

Since all my other cars have been sticks I feel I owe her one .

[SS317]

Sean C,
I've been going through the same decision process as you. I have a good 350 with a 700R4 I installed a while back. I've been leaning toward the Holley Terminator EFI because I like to tinker a little. I also want to upgrade my 350 to a 383 and I can still use the Holley EFI when I do.
I like turning wrenches, it's my de-stress time, so putting in the whole new motor takes away all of the fun of doing all of those mods myself.
I know in the long run it will be a little more money, but I'm good with that.

[patrickk1]

A GM TBI EFI conversion can be done pretty cheaply (under $400) with junkyard/ebay parts. Tuning is pretty easy and there was a site online where a tuner shows you exactly how to re-tune the chip yourself. Having said that, I only paid $900 for my last complete lq4 w/ 54k miles from an 05 van with the complete wiring harness,2 computers, both style throttle bodies and 3 sets of coils.

[awbrown]

theastronaut no you are not crazy , I have everything to do the same swap,manifold ,front cover distributor etc.. .. I have a 6.0 I just have not built it yet because i am not sure how big i want it ............

[patrickk1]

Originally Posted by awbrown

theastronaut no you are not crazy , I have everything to do the same swap,manifold ,front cover distributor etc.. .. I have a 6.0 I just have not built it yet because i am not sure how big i want it ............

I am also a fan of the carb swapped lsx's. I have a carb'd ls1 in a 37 Ford that weight 2300lbs. The only reason I'm not putting a carb on my 64 w/ the lq4 I have is because I plan on driving it year round (in Masachusets/Conneticut/Vermont) in every weather condition imaginable, plus I might end up just keeping the 305 V6 in it and doing the GM TBI swap. Not that people didnt drive around with carbs in those condition before electronic fuel injection was around.

I regularly see 5.3 and 4.8 motors for sale for $500 or less, sometimes with a transmission. I think either motor w/ a centrifugal supercharger would get great mileage. I had a supercharged lq9 in an escalade that would get 22mpg as long as you were cruising at highway speeds and kept your foot out of it. And this was with 22" wheels and a tire diameter between 31-32".

[jjzepplin]

I am eventually going with the bolt on EFI due to being able to do it in a weekend. If I do an LS, which I DO want to do, It will be in a ground up build. Maybe the Blazer some day.

[awbrown]

The bolt on atomic efi is the easiest of them all , but a properly adjusted electric choke quadrajet has got to be the second best option for a daily driver .. On my 63 you hit the gas once it starts and you are ready to go ,properly adjusted electric choke coil , the proper adjustment on the choke pull off and it is good to go ....