I'm doing a swap from a 1997 3800 to a ls1(motor/and trans) I have a salvaged 2000 camaro im getting the motor and trans from. What all will i need to swap, I started taking the engine harness out. I got to the firewall and noticed that their was a connector between the harness and the harness inside the car so i decided to just cut it out of rage. So now I have to completly take the harness out of the 2000. is the harness for the engine one main harness that goes from engine to dash? I need all the help I can get from taking motor/trans out , well everything. Thanks

 

You pretty much have to transfer everything from the LS1 car (engine/electronics/pcm, etc) to the V6 car.

Usually it's cheaper to sell your V6 and buy a used LS1 car.

Mike

 

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm in the process of transferring a Gen IV 6 Liter VVT motor (basically the iron block L92) with a M12 GTO T56 into a 94 Firebird. My shell ended up being free and I'm spending around $5-6k for the whole thing.... it will dyno 400rwhp too and have about 8,000 miles on the motor.

what kinda LS1 camaro can you buy for $5-6k ? A ragged or high mileage one, that's what kind.

 

Mmmmm... Nope. 98s under 100k are going for under $6k all day long. Look around.

 

but the 98's aren't 6 liters, don't have carbon fiber synchro'ed M12 T56's that come with steel shift forks from the factory, don't have variable valve timing, and don't have L92 heads from the factory and make 400+rwhp with bolt-ons...

it takes a pretty aggressive cammed LS1 to keep up with L92 headed 6-6.2 liter motors... (6.2L L92 aluminum block and 6.0L LY6 iron block). L92 heads flow like heavily ported LS1/LS6 heads

oh, and the LS1 after you cam it wont have near the every day driveability of the L92-based car or get as good fuel economy.

plus he's not gonna get crap for his old car very likely... If it were up to me, I'd keep the car and slap a L92 or LY6 in it, wire it up to keep the VVT, upgrade the suspension/chassis and call it a day.

 

Here we go again There are PLENTY of nice LS1 F-body's available in the 5-6k range and i'm not talking 120k mile ones either, do some research

Neither are 99's, 00's 01's and 02's....What's your point?

No, not really. I'll let Mike handle this one

Is that so? Funny thing is i get close to 300 miles to a tank on the highway with the mods listed in my sig, i dynoed at 430rwhp, i have an auto with a 3600 stall and i just got back from Orlando which was a 600 mile round trip with no issues whatsoever, where do you guys get this wacky info? Driveability feels almost stock, have you ever drove a modded LS1?

 

Nah... I'm not gonna bite.

 

oh, ok, 100k miles and probably not M6's. A quick search within a 100 mile radius of my area on autotrader.com shows TWO LS1 z28's; one with 150k miles and automatic for $6500, and the other that's heavily modified for around $9.5k with just shy of 100k miles

the point is that engine options are vast nowadays and you can get a lot for your money versus buying a whole new vehicle. If you WANT to use a motor that will make 400+rwhp with bolt-ons, you can. I purchased a LY6, 6.0 iron block with L92 heads and variable valve timing with PCM, full uncut engine wiring harness, drive by wire pedal with sensor and connector, and all accessories for $2140 out the door with 8,000 miles on the odometer of the truck it came out of (which i verified visually). This motor WILL make 400+rwhp with bolt-ons... now you show me one single cam-only LS1 that makes 400rwhp - it will require at least a F13 cam, full bolt-ons, valve springs, pushrods and possibly some head work. I owned a 2001 SS with just that and it made around 422rwhp, but you know what? the daily driveability was questionable for most people and it actually had a good tune (I loved the violent feeling of a cam though). I love the LS1 engine, it is and was a revolutionary motor, but the L92 is the next logical step up from it. Droves of people are using the L92 headed motors in their cars now...

Like I said, for me, cam-only it took a F13 with full bolt-ons to make the 400rwhp ballpark number. With heads that's a different story, but then again it's really comparing two nearly identical motors at that point Only what kind of port work does it take to get a 241 or even a 243 head to 300+ cfm intake? A lot, I'd imagine. The L92 head does that from the factory; that's part of the point

and I got 22mpg highway with my 422rwhp/412rwtq F13; it's all very subjective. According to Edmunds, the Camaro has a 16.8 gallon fuel tank... you got 300 miles to a tank at 430rwhp... that's just shy of 18mpg. To me that's pretty awful fuel economy. Now, let's look at what a bolt-on LS2 engine gets fuel economy-wise in a 4,000lb tank of a GTO and most will say around 25-27mpg on average, highway mileage. That's nearly a 10mpg increase with a heavier vehicle! The LS2 can also make the 400rwhp ballpark with just bolt-ons Though I dunno about torque.

so to anyone reading this, ask yourselves... if you had the choice, right now, of having a stock LS1 engine or a L92 (or even a "lowly" LY6) with VVT... which would you rather have?

Oh, also bear in mind that VVT motors typically make 80-90% of their torque at 3,000 rpm. This is why every major car manufacturer on the planet has employed VVT in their engines. Read up on what GM's VVT does... you'd be pretty amazed, and i really don't mean to be condescending... I just want more people on here to realize how awesome VVT really is.

 

Autotrader has crap.

Goto LS1Tech.com and search the For Sale sections. Literally tons of cars in there in that price range. Sure, you'll have to take a $100 one-way jet ride to get there and drive a few hours back to your house, but who really cares? It was worth saving thousands for me.

Getting back to the original topic. The original poster is undergoing an LS1 swap into his car. Why even get into an LS2/LQ4/LQ9 debate? I think everyone knows that you can pick up a junkyard LQ9 for $400, drop on some $600/pair bare L92 heads, the $360 L76 intake manifold (or an LS7), a decent cam, and made ridiculous power for cheap, but that's not the issue of the OP

Mike

 

well, that's what im saying - for him to just keep the car he has and swap the LS in, or sell the LS motor and buy the LY6 for (very likely) less money or roughly equivalent amounts of money; but with the 70lbs extra weight from the iron block. Oh and less miles - I opened up the valve covers from my LY6 and it looks brand new! haha.

Either way, keep whatcha got and swap it in