LS1 swap guys, help me out!!

[Tfish]

I know there are a few guys doing the LSX swap into these trucks and wanted to get some advice from ya before I pull the trigger on and engine/trans setup. I would ultimately like to do and ls1 swap possible an ls2-3 down the road for the selectable 8-4 cylinder while cruising.

Right now I could probably track down an LS1 with tranny wire harness ecu... but I'm tempted to look at the "LQ" engines since they are the same just cast instead of aluminum... and are a LOT cheaper and easy to find!

Anything I should look for specifically or transmission preference? I have heard the 4l60e's are kinda weak and a better option might be the 4l80e... Let me know what you guys think!!

[killer71]

we've done a few of these drive trains just as you mentioned and never had any issues with the 4l60e. I guess it depends on what your gonna be doing with it.

[Tfish]

Originally Posted by killer71

we've done a few of these drive trains just as you mentioned and never had any issues with the 4l60e. I guess it depends on what your gonna be doing with it.

Ya, I'd like to turbo charge my setup down the line and am just worried about blowing out the 60e. I know you can build them up but the 80e seems a lot stronger even compared to a build up 60e...

[killer71]

we haven't tc any of our drive trains yet but my daily driver is well over 400 hp and i haven't had any issues with durability of the 4l60e. We're doing a 6.2L with the 6l80e and with mods should be around 600 hp. if the tranny doesn't hold up you can always do a quick swap. If you were shooting for anything over 600 hp you might plan on beefing it up.

[Tfish]

Thanks that's good to know. Maybe a 4l60e will be fine for right now and I'll worry about beefing everything up later in the build. Any preferences on LS's or LQ's? I'd like to find a complete out of 1 vehicle that way I don't have to mix and match harnesses and ECUs.
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[jocko]

if you're considering upgrading to an LS2 down the road, why not save/wait and go the LS2 route first and not spend money for a motor twice? Or, if you go the LQ route now, are you planning on turbo-ing it and then not swapping to an LS down the road.

Hard choice I'd say - I am sure we'd all prefer the LS2 up front, but the money you'd save by purchasing an LQ would probably pay for your turbo. Not a bad idea.

[BR3W CITY]

I prefer lq just for availability, and since they are often "truck engines" they go more ignored on CL and local markets vs the LS nameplate.
If you want to turbo, find an lq4. Most displacement, and lowest compression to start.

IMO a 4l60e would need to be relatively built up to do the power levels you want reliably. There are guys running big power through them, but I think a number of factors come into play. How built and how well built is the tranny? Are you running a TB or other similar device? How much tire?
A 4l80e will hold more power in stock form, but when it comes to getting one "built" the costs go right back up there.

[Tfish]

Originally Posted by jocko

if you're considering upgrading to an LS2 down the road, why not save/wait and go the LS2 route first and not spend money for a motor twice? Or, if you go the LQ route now, are you planning on turbo-ing it and then not swapping to an LS down the road.

Hard choice I'd say - I am sure we'd all prefer the LS2 up front, but the money you'd save by purchasing an LQ would probably pay for your turbo. Not a bad idea.

Yea, I'm on a budget right now and would love to save for the LS2 but I have so much more stuff I need to buy so I'm trying to spread the money where I can. LQ's are a lot cheaper and once its in, swapping to an LS motor will be a simple bolt in and some wires. Another nice thing is when I do swap out for something else, I should have no problem selling it again and getting at least 80% back of original cost's.

Originally Posted by BR3W CITY

I prefer lq just for availability, and since they are often "truck engines" they go more ignored on CL and local markets vs the LS nameplate.
If you want to turbo, find an lq4. Most displacement, and lowest compression to start.

IMO a 4l60e would need to be relatively built up to do the power levels you want reliably. There are guys running big power through them, but I think a number of factors come into play. How built and how well built is the tranny? Are you running a TB or other similar device? How much tire?
A 4l80e will hold more power in stock form, but when it comes to getting one "built" the costs go right back up there.

Yea, I'm heavily leaning to the LQ's plus you can swap the intake manifold and they look just like an LS motor and like you mentioned, it will be turbo friendly with low compression ratios. I might run the 4l60e temporarily and turn and sell once the turbo setup comes around. I like enjoying my vehicle while its in progress so if I get to a good solid ground, that gives me time to save more money and enjoy the truck on the warm nights!

Do you have a build thread on your conversion? I would be interested to see your progress and what things you ran into to make the swap!

[skoffice]

I'd suggest an LQ4 if you plan on going with a turbo down the road, since the compression is slightly lower. If you plan on going crazy HP with the turbo you will need to get forged pistons anyway, so either the LQ9 or LQ4 are fine. Like you said the only differences from the LS2 is basically the alum block, and the accessories. You can get the truck accessories to work with the car intake if that's what you desire. I would STRONGLY suggest going with a 4L80E now, if you plan on more than 500 horse in the future. There's maybe a couple hundred bucks in difference from the 4L60E, and just a little more difficult to locate locally. You have to modify your harness when you go from one to the other, and the flexplate. So why not just do it right from the start ya know? The 4L80 will easily handle as much horsepower as any built 4L60, 65, 70. Look for a one paired up to a LQ4 out of a 3/4 ton work truck and you have a good starting point. If you can get the harness with it, then send it out to be modified, or do it yourself if you have the patience, you can save some big bucks.

I'm in the middle of a LQ9/4L65E swap right now, I'm only expecting a max of 450hp so the 65 should hold in for a little while, plus I have like a 3600 stall so that's going to kill it faster haha. If you have any questions I'll answer as much as I can. My best advice for you now, If you really are serious about turbo and higher horsepower, make all your decisions based on that. You don't want to be doing things twice. Set up a bad ass fuel system, build a bad ass rear end, get a bad ass tranny, a bad ass radiator. Cuz it never hurts to UNDER power somthing

[Tfish]

Thanks Mods for moving my thread, I should have looked for an engine forum room before starting

Originally Posted by skoffice

I would STRONGLY suggest going with a 4L80E now, if you plan on more than 500 horse in the future. There's maybe a couple hundred bucks in difference from the 4L60E, and just a little more difficult to locate locally. You have to modify your harness when you go from one to the other, and the flexplate. So why not just do it right from the start ya know? The 4L80 will easily handle as much horsepower as any built 4L60, 65, 70. Look for a one paired up to a LQ4 out of a 3/4 ton work truck and you have a good starting point.

Thanks for another solid opinion, I guess its time to use my tax refund the best way I can and start looking for a LQ4/4l80e combo! Now if only i had more garage space!! Good luck with your swap! I'd love to see pics of your conversion as well so I get an idea of how much I'm biting off before I start ripping everything apart. I'm guessing the moment I start this portion of my project it will be down until everything is bolted up/welded in and wired up along with all the brakes/fuel/rear end to equalize the whole truck.

Thanks everyone for all the great input!! I have much to learn and the amount of knowledge within this forums users is invaluable!!!

[skoffice]

Here's my sorta "build thread" haha. I don't have a whole lot of details involved but I'm sure there's some things that could help.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=385486

[Tfish]

Thanks for the build thread, looks like it fit perfectly. Can't wait to see more progress on the truck! I'll have to ask around and see if some of the local scrap yards here have anything worth grabbing. Now the decision of which to sell... My Turbo AWD Eclipse or the Crotch rocket... Both are paid for and I think I just need to focus on one project and free up some garage space and money!