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Yet another S30 LS Project, engine swap kits opinions


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Hey, I've been lurking at builds here and other sites and picked up great tips. Chassis is all done, full length connectors, seams welded 8 pt cage, T3 coilovers and suspension. Needs brakes, diff, ( I have the upgraded stub axles and companion flanges, and cv axles). What motor mount kits do you guys favor?

CRX, Hokeperformance, Dirty Dingo, Hawk Motorsports or JTR?

 

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I'm a huge fan of Hoke Performance. I don't have his LSx mounting kit, but if I were to do this swap, I would buy his kit. Hoke Performance has always been very professional in doing business, and I've only heard great things about his products. No doubt this would extend into his LSx kit. 

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Turbo 930 you are correct, I needed to have the seats in first to check clearance. I love my seats but I'm going to have to go to a smaller JAZ seat. Hoke's look like quality pieces but I've yet to see a trans mount I'd call perfect. Most likely due to the variations in the S30 chassis through the years. Appears the CX long tubes are recommended by many, even other LS swap builders.

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Personally i'm in the middle of my build now with dirty dingo. Product looks great, offers a lot of adjustment forward/aft ( almost 2" i'd say) they bolt in to the exsisting eng mount studs on the crossmember. could also weld them up afterwards if you wanted i suppose. They can be ordered with a wrinkle black finish and we're like 170-180$ shipped iirc.

 

as far as tranny mounts go, idk i made my own. a lot cheaper and a lot more sturdy to me. 3/16th plates and angle iron and 3/4 square tube and bolted thru the frame rails

 

Headers are stockers that have been worked over to custom fit. after i decide turbo or supercharged i'll make my own custom headers or not. Idk right off hand any set of headers that have been proven to work with DD mounts in the 280 and clear steering with no work.

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Received my Hoke Performance mounts today.  Very impressed!  Definitely a no compromise way to install the LS1/T56.

Please give a review after your install. I'm curious about if any trans tunnel mods are required. What model S30 do you have? I have a 71 and noticed my factory transmission "wing" mounts are removable. Not sure if they were on all models.

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I used the JCI kit on my build and the install was straight forward. But I would use the Hoke kit if I were building now. Mainly because it leaves better clearance for turbo piping. I think your car looks fantastic. I'm now having to retrofit a cage in. Wish I had done it first.

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I used the JCI kit on my build and the install was straight forward. But I would use the Hoke kit if I were building now. Mainly because it leaves better clearance for turbo piping. I think your car looks fantastic. I'm now having to retrofit a cage in. Wish I had done it first.

Thanks RebekahsZ, I've followed your build and your cars performance is impressive. Cage and frame connectors were my first mods. I still need the diagonal bar. Seat placement is very important as how far the drivers body is clear from whacking into something. I was never a fan of the JCI mount as I don't care for the headers or transmission mount.

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Edited by bigwillie67
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Do you mind sharing more pictures of your cage?  This is one of the next steps on my to do list.

I definitely will once I get home I'll snap some pics. It's an 8 point cage tying the front and rear shock towers together. Stands had to be made on the floor pans as the metal is super thin. I also have full length frame connectors which I purchased but if I'd do it again I'd make my own.

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I went the cxr route...... If I did it again I would do hoke. With that said, I've been happy with my choice overall. I just think Hokes stuff is really well built and designed well.

What did you not like about the CXR kit? As far as I know Hoke doesn't make headers for his kit but recommended the CXR long tubes.

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I definitely will once I get home I'll snap some pics. It's an 8 point cage tying the front and rear shock towers together. Stands had to be made on the floor pans as the metal is super thin. I also have full length frame connectors which I purchased but if I'd do it again I'd make my own.

Thanks I definitely want to see what you did.  Was it a prefabbed cage or did you bend and build it yourself?  

 

I went with the Hawk's motor and trans mount.  Honestly, they are a solid piece, but it takes a lot of fabbing to get it to work.  The motor mounts fit his Hawk's (American Racing) headers.  I had to notch the frame to weld on the mounting plates, and then the mount that connects the crossmember to motor to frame had to be cut to make it look aesthetic.  

 

The trans mount was a chore.  It had to be tacked to the thin trans tunnel but was fulled welded on the frame from below.  I'm not sure what you want to spend, but if I did it again, I would have just made my own mounts.  Most of the details are in my build thread.  

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I'm totally happy with my CXR kit..... It works great for me and I'm happy with the quality.  with that said, Hoke is building stuff that seems just a tad better than everything else I've seen and if it was available at the time I probably would've gone that route. But to be totally honest, I have no regrets with my CX racing application.

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Do you mind sharing more pictures of your cage? This is one of the next steps on my to do list.

The metal on these cars are super thin. I have no idea how any S30 survives 300ftlbs of torque and doesn't twist up like a soda can. Even the welds on the subframe to suspension attachment points look suspect. Any choice you make as far as a cage choose your seats first, get in a driving position and measure. If you drive on the streets without a helmet you don't want to bang up any body parts in the even of a accident or roll over. Door bars just won't work with the seats I have, not even swing outs. My car will be mostly street driven with some occasional auto cross or drags. Can't believe I've got 10k in this car already with no engine trans fuel system brakes or chassis harness. 2 years of pushing it around my small garage.

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Edited by bigwillie67
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I'm totally happy with my CXR kit..... It works great for me and I'm happy with the quality.  with that said, Hoke is building stuff that seems just a tad better than everything else I've seen and if it was available at the time I probably would've gone that route. But to be totally honest, I have no regrets with my CX racing application.

I've been thinking about the CX kit but my trans tunnel doesn't have the upper wings. They were bolted in from what I can tell and didn't come with my car. I picked it up as a roller. Who did you use for a drive shaft and did you have to make adjustments on the pinion angle?

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