hi,
this is my first post at this site, (i've lived at camarov6.com for like 9 months now tho) and what a post it is!
basically, i wanna ditch the v6, cuz its gettin old and if i turbo it i'll probably spend as much time and money as if i drop in a new motor. so this is what i wanna do: take out the 3800, and put in an LS2. i know the 4L60E (auto) wont like all that newfound horsepower so i wanna put in a 6-speed as long as my engine compartment is gonna be mostly empty and since i'll need a new computer anyways.
question time: what else do i need to change out? will the 3.42 i have in there hold up? the driveshaft too?
-what sorts of complications will i likely wind up with?
-will it fit with new motormounts?
-i like, no.. LOVE, the sound of a motor with a big cam. what cam should i get for it (i'm pretty sure that the cam is the same from the LS1's.
-where can i get a good ECM for it? I'm hopin to go aftermarket cuz if i wanna tune it in the future for whatever reason i know those are a hell of alot easier then the OEM ECU's.
-i cant imagine going to an LS2 would be that much different from swapping to an LS1 from a v-6 so are there any good guides out there?
-comments?

thanks so much in advance for any help you guys can offer!

 

The general opinion of the forum is going to be to tell you to sell your car and buy one with the V8 already in it.

The swap is possible, but you'd better have a complete V8 donor car(wreck) to get all the necessary parts from. It's alot more than simply the motor and transmission. The way to go is to drop the entire engine cradle out the bottom, complete with the front suspension and swap it out with the one from the donor car. *Everything* is different. You could then put your V6 stuff back in the wrecked donor car and sell it as a V6 parts car. The whole project might end up costing you under $1500 and a few days labor, assuming you do it yourself. Say you spend ~$4000 on a low mile V8 LS1 wreck. Sell it as a V6 wreck after you do the swap for ~$2500. This could make sense if you have the facilities and do all the work yourself. If you plan on paying a shop to do it.... forget it. It'll cost a fortune.

If you want more detailed information on that project, try using the search feature because it has been covered here many times.

Does your V6 car have the sport option package with rear disc brakes? Does it have a limited slip differential option code G80? I know my V6 car has drums in back and no limited slip. She's a one-wheeled-wonder.

 

well besides the complete LS1 car you need the LS2 crate package. you also need to swap over the oil pans and most likely the ENTIRE fuel system including the tank.

 

yeah, i have the y87 pack w/ the limited slip in the back. I know it'll take a long time but its kind of a sentimental thing. this car and me have been thru alot and i've fixed/redone/learned so many things on(from) it, that i would really be heartbroken to just toss it for another one. I'll have another daily driver and a garage to put the thing when i'm not workin on it. thanks for the advice tho, i never thought about gettin a donor car, but makes alotta sense. i'm all about goin with the LS2 tho. i got a place with all the equipment to do everything BUT engine work, so if/when i get to all this, the only thing i'll have to get done for me would be the cam change. it'll take a while but it'll be worth it in the end. good experiance for bigger better things.