Bought a 69 Now Need Swap Advice

[glassman]

If your on a "budget" with an LS swap the best thing to do is draw it out on paper (all the parts you will need) and be patient. I did this and now its paying dividends, i'm really glad i did it. Despite all the information out there, when doing it on a budget, you will still run into problems, at least i did. My swap ran into the 11k range, but you can do it for closer to 5 or 6k if your good.
My tank i used, new, was sh$t, so i splurged on the Ricks, but there are plenty of mods you can do to your own tank for waaaaaay less $$.

Another suggestion is go with a truck block, there iron short blocks as opposed to aluminum and you save about 2500 in the grand scheme of things.
And there's plenty of GOOD info out there, oof course there's plenty of bad too but most of us here can read through the b.s.

Good luck and keep her slideways.....

[OBeer-WAN-Kenobi]

Originally Posted by glassman

If your on a "budget" with an LS swap the best thing to do is draw it out on paper (all the parts you will need) and be patient. I did this and now its paying dividends, i'm really glad i did it. Despite all the information out there, when doing it on a budget, you will still run into problems, at least i did. My swap ran into the 11k range, but you can do it for closer to 5 or 6k if your good.
My tank i used, new, was sh$t, so i splurged on the Ricks, but there are plenty of mods you can do to your own tank for waaaaaay less $$.

Another suggestion is go with a truck block, there iron short blocks as opposed to aluminum and you save about 2500 in the grand scheme of things.
And there's plenty of GOOD info out there, oof course there's plenty of bad too but most of us here can read through the b.s.

Good luck and keep her slideways.....

Yeah, I've done other swaps, though nothing fuel injected, and I've realized that whatever your first guess is at cost, you might as well double it as you'll run into all kinds of piddly stuff that costs money. I'm hoping for around the 5K-6K mark as you said. I think they key is to avoid any "splurges" that you don't need...haha. $10 here and $20 there add up.

I can afford to be a bit patient. I'd like to get the swap done this winter though if possible....I just figured there'd be deals around this weekend.

I'm fine with an iron block, especially for adding boost later; unfortunately, then you have to buy all of the F-body accessories, intake, oil pan and such which brings the prices pretty close right?

I can fabricate anything I'll need but sometimes it's not worth the time when someone else already figured out everything and you can just buy it and bolt it in.

[Rybar]

I would frequent the forums of LS1tech for a dropout motor and tranny combo. If your on the classifieds there daily you will find a good deal. Try to find a motor most suitable for you. Do you want an LS1, LS3 or LS3 or an iron block LQ4/9 or L92? Get the motor with all the accessories, wire harness and computer. Then start researching fuel tank, motor mounts, headers, radiator and oil pan. Theres other small supporting mods too like fittings, gas pedal, intake pipe etc. I found (with every aspect of my build) that every time you try to cheap out it ends up costing you in the end with crappy parts, workmanship or wanting to improve the area of the car you cheaped out on. So I would really focus on getting the right parts first time around.

Oh and congrats on the purchase.

[OBeer-WAN-Kenobi]

Originally Posted by Rybar

I would frequent the forums of LS1tech for a dropout motor and tranny combo. If your on the classifieds there daily you will find a good deal. Try to find a motor most suitable for you. Do you want an LS1, LS3 or LS3 or an iron block LQ4/9 or L92? Get the motor with all the accessories, wire harness and computer. Then start researching fuel tank, motor mounts, headers, radiator and oil pan. Theres other small supporting mods too like fittings, gas pedal, intake pipe etc. I found (with every aspect of my build) that every time you try to cheap out it ends up costing you in the end with crappy parts, workmanship or wanting to improve the area of the car you cheaped out on. So I would really focus on getting the right parts first time around.

Does $4850 (shipped to my door) for a complete swap/pullout LS1 and T56 plus all the accessories, harness and ECM sound like a decent deal? 61,000 miles.

I have been watching for parts cars for months, way before I found the '69 but haven't found anything under $6500.

Personally, I'm not too fussy on the motor itself as I can always work on it and upgrade it as I go. It's the accessories, intake and the pan and the peripherals that I'd rather get as a package deal as that stuff can get expensive fast. From what I understand, getting an LS1 is the best way to get the most stuff that actually fits.

[Rybar]

Originally Posted by OBeer-WAN-Kenobi

Does $4850 (shipped to my door) for a complete swap/pullout LS1 and T56 plus all the accessories, harness and ECM sound like a decent deal? 61,000 miles.

I have been watching for parts cars for months, way before I found the '69 but haven't found anything under $6500.

Personally, I'm not too fussy on the motor itself as I can always work on it and upgrade it as I go. It's the accessories, intake and the pan and the peripherals that I'd rather get as a package deal as that stuff can get expensive fast. From what I understand, getting an LS1 is the best way to get the most stuff that actually fits.

What year is the motor? Doesn't sound like a killer deal to me. I paid $3800 + shipping waaaaaaay back in '04 or '05 for a pullout 2002 Z28 motor and T56 trans with about 50k. I think you can get a brand new LS3 and T56 for $9-10k range which is what I would go for if you can swing it.

[OBeer-WAN-Kenobi]

Originally Posted by Rybar

What year is the motor? Doesn't sound like a killer deal to me. I paid $3800 + shipping waaaaaaay back in '04 or '05 for a pullout 2002 Z28 motor and T56 trans with about 50k. I think you can get a brand new LS3 and T56 for $9-10k range which is what I would go for if you can swing it.

It's a 2002 firebird. Yeah, I don't think it's a steal or anything. Did your pullout come with everything though? Ideally, I'd like to get most of what I need in one shot though it may not be possible.

I can't swing the $9-10K. Right now, I have $5000 left over from the difference of selling my other car. Obviously, it's going to cost me more but after the "bulk purchase" it will be smaller stuff that I can buy as I go which won't hurt as much with my bonus coming and an income tax return. It's a good time of the year to be working on this.

I just paid over $800 for gas to heat my house and garage....now that hurt! Don't want to work on the car without heat though!

[glassman]

thats a pretty fair price. i paid 3200 for an LS1 out of a 42k mile GTO. with acc & harness & computer, so figure your getting a 2000$ tranny on top of that.

So hardware, exhaust, cooling, fuel and your there. Can maybe get it done under 7k...it'll be close though

[OBeer-WAN-Kenobi]

Originally Posted by glassman

thats a pretty fair price. i paid 3200 for an LS1 out of a 42k mile GTO. with acc & harness & computer, so figure your getting a 2000$ tranny on top of that.

So hardware, exhaust, cooling, fuel and your there. Can maybe get it done under 7k...it'll be close though

Yeah, maybe it's not too bad. I'm trying to price other; more piecemeal, options right now and that price is starting to look better and better. Found another complete car for $6200 but it's got 116k on it. I just don't know if I could part out the rest to make up the difference.

[INTMD8]

Thats a fair price for an LS/T56. They were cheaper and easier to come by a few years ago. Even though the engines themselves are getting older they are in higher demand now.

One thing I'll mention is if you really want to run it flex fuel and you want to use a GM ecm you'll want a newer engine with a 58x reluctor wheel. Then you can use an E38 ecm along with a fuel composition sensor.

Other options are to switch the reluctor wheel and cam gear in the LS1 to run a newer ecm, or use aftermarket engine management with flex fuel capability.