FCdemon

Any good info from people who have done the swap (and not bench racers) would be appreciated.


I know these are diverse questions, but all are ones I have not found answers for by searching. Thanks!

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How have you guys done the cooling system? Is it necessary to use an upright radiator? Can I use the Koyo radiator currently in my FD?

How can the FD speedo/cluster work with the GM engine parts?

From what I've read, Hinson is the way to go for fitment, but I guess there are some serious quality issues with his stuff. Has that been resolved yet?

Where is the place to source a LS1 and T56 for less than $4K? Are they just going for that much these days or am I crazy?

What kind of power can be made with a 5.7 LS1 with a cam and long tube headers with no cats, well tuned with HALTECH E6K? Is a Walbro in-tank enough fuel pump for this kind of power?

How hard is it to keep A/C and is it possible to keep PS with the LS1 swap?

wingsfan

I used my koyo in an upright position at the front of the engine bay.
Maybe not, but it won't fit in the stock orientation

Yes

You will need an interface of some sort to correct the signal off of the VSS. I used a Dakota Digital SGI5A

No idea if they fixed it or not, but I had like the 4th or 5th kit off the presses and the welds look fine on my stuff. It's some of the more recent stuff that's had issues'

Look on ebay and craig's list. I bought mine off of ebay from "fparts" which is the screen name for Contemporary Corvette, a yard in PA. Keep your eyes open and you gcan find a good deal. you probably won't get a 2001 or 2002 for that, but you never know. As long as you buy a 99+ motor you should be OK. If you plan on modding the motor at all you don't want a 97 or 98. There are several part and wiring changes post 98 that will make your life complicated if you buy a 98 (the 97 only came in a few vettes)

You won't use the Haltech (that would require massive amounts of customization). You'll use the GM PCM and tunining software (HP tuners or EFI Live). It's very advanced for a stock offering

You can approach 500rwhp with the right combo of parts. Check this thread at ls1tech out

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showpo...2&postcount=59

480 ish rwhp with cam, LS6 intake, heads, longtubes, and hiflow cats

It should be good to at least 500rwhp, and maybe even to 600rhwhp

PS is easy, AC will require some customization. The PS just needs a custom hydraulic line to go from the pump to the steering rack. Some people use a spring to drop the pressure, but I didn't and everything seemed to work just fine.

Nobody sells a working AC solution, so you'll have to fix that up on your own. Several people have managed to integrate AC though, so it can be done.

You'lll get a bigger audience over at www.torquecentral.com under the v8rx7 subforum. There's plenty of info to be gleaned over at ls1tech as well.

Good luck with the swap.

owen is fat

you can make just shy of 450hp at the crank in a 01+ LS1 with a cam and valvespring upgrade and ported TB... on stock manifolds. thats around 385 to the rear wheels!

add heads or headers and see even more power.

and I'll second the idea that the stock chevy computer is a wonderfully programmable management system, no need for haltech or motec or megasquirt.

wingsfan

I made just slightly more than that (~388-390) with a TR230 cam, and LS6 intake, and I doubt I was maxed.

I would guess that with a nice set of AFR or ETP heads, a matched cam, JTR headers, and a FAST 90/90 setup that 500+rwhp is attainable

FCdemon

Hey guys, thanks for the answers so far. I do have to disagree about the ECU. From what I've read, wiring the motor with a Haltech would be far easier than doing the GM harness, and laptop tunability and full engine control is a definate plus. No need to work with hacking software or anything. Plus, haltech's stock sensors happen to be GM so it will not require anything special. And I already have one mounted in the stock ECU position

I'm basically thinking about ditching my current single turbo project for a LS1, but the immediate problem is getting the money together for the motor and Hinson equipment. Hopefully soon..

wingsfan

Nothing's easier than plug and play with a factory wiring harness.

And HP Tuners (www.hptuners.com) or EFI Live (www.efilive.com) will both give you laptop connectivity, tunability, full engine control and datalogging ability.

It's not that the haltech won't work. Using the GM computer is simply easier, and will allow user support if you run into an issue. I don't know of anyone (in this hemisphere anyways) that uses a Haltech to run their LSx motor.

People generally use the stock computer, or an ACCEL DFI, FAST, BS3, or Megasquirt setup.

FCdemon

1 more Q:

Are LS1s all Fly by wire or are they cable throttle?

wingsfan

The Vettes are FBW. The F-bodies are cable driven.

You can swap one TB for the other though, so if you find a good deal on a vette motor don't pass it up. The Vette exhaust manifolds and belt driven accessories also won't fit, but you can always swap them out for the F-body stuff. PM LS6 FD over at TC if you want details on what's required to get a working LS6 setup.

FCdemon

thanks, wingsfan.

FCdemon

thanks, wingsfan.

gnx7

iTrader: (10)

TorqueCentral is where you should head over to for searching and ?'s.

Hinson quality issues are solved... they have good customer service.

Ported heads are worth 30-50rwhp depending upon how much you spend over the flowing stock heads ($1K-2200). An LS6 intake ($325 used usually) came on '01+ setups but is interchangeable with any year and is worth about 15-20rwhp over an LS1 intake. The FAST 90/90 costs about $1300 and nets another 20-25rwhp when ported.

As suggested get a '99+ setup.

Going beyond ported heads/cam/LS6 intake/ported TB/long tube headers is when it gets REALLY Expensive. ie 402 stroker is about $4K for the shortblock (block/crank/pistons/rods), then needs the FAST 90/90 to breath, and a good set of heads.

I used a 23K mile '99 LS1, then added milled AFR 205cc heads, TSP 233/239 112LSA cam (this makes sense when you read more about LS1's), Katech rod bolts, LS6 intake, ported TB, underdrive pulley, JTR long tube headers, 3" cats/Xpipe/dual exhaust. #'s in sig are on 91 octane and still going strong about 15K miles later and 6+ hours of road racing time on it!

ls1tech.com is a great place to learn more and search about combos/prices etc.

FCdemon

wow.. very impressive numbers, and great info gnx7. incidentally, what is a FAST 90/90? A bigger throttle body?

Mdessouki

iTrader: (7)

yes a larger 90mm throttle body and higher flowing intake manifold. The Holley 90mm tb works without any modification, unlike the Fast tb.

88IntegraLS

I was able to locally source an ~80k mile LS1 / T56 (probably from a 98 camaro) for $3k from a salvage yard. I almost went that route.

FCdemon

yeah, I'm thinking that http://car-part.com/ is where I'm going to find my motor pullout, because I'll be needing smog equipment, ECU, harness, etc.

jimlab

Not to mention making interfacing with the stock tachometer and speedometer a breeze.

No changes necessary for the tachometer, since the LS1 ECU has a "4 cylinder equivalent" tach output, and you can adjust tire diameter and rear gear ratios in the ECU with the software mentioned to "tune" the speedometer to some degree, especially after changes in either one.

As Drew mentioned, you'll still need a converter like the Digital Dakota SGI-5 (SGI-5A was their tach signal converter, I believe; now SGI-8) or Granatelli GranSpeedo (an even more flexible lap-top programmable unit) to condition the speed signal to work with the stock gauge, but at least you won't have the trouble I was facing of figuring out how to convert the raw output of the T56 VSS to something usable when using a stand-alone ECU.

FCdemon

The speed signal has to be doable, but hey.. I'm most likely going to be selling the haltech anyway, since I want to go for smog legality. Having the stock gauges work is quite important... I love their look and would really hate to have to put generic ones in there. After all, keeping the FD body and interior stock is important to me.. otherwise I'd save myself the trouble and go buy a Z06.