ToplessZ Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 Well I have been looking into the vortec ls1 based truck engines for awhile as they are quite a bargain. I am wondering a few things about them though. Are the ls1 style intakes swappable onto the truck model ls1 based blocks. How about the ls1 ls6 heads can they be swapped onto a truck block. What about beefing up the internals and getting rid of the ls1 springs and pushrods. Are they the same parts in both engines. Im looking to buy a vortec 5.3 or 6.0(if im really lucky) and would like to upgrade it. Looking into possibilities. Thanks for the expertise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 get a copy of the april 2004 " HOT ROD MAGAZINE " starting on page 42-43 is quite a bit of usefull info on that subject basically says the engine your looking for was available in 99-present GM trucks/suvs, caddy AWD escalade and 03-present chevy AWD ss pickups look for (hollander #5460) the 02-03 engines have better flowing heads average price $4000plus with computer and wiring , add $1000 for a trans included Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 You might also log onto http://www.ls1.com or http://www.ls1tech.com. You can get a lot of help from those guys as that is what they all live & breathe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToplessZ Posted February 27, 2004 Author Share Posted February 27, 2004 yeppers already have the hot rod mag long time subscriber....anyhow the 6.0 is probably out of my price range. The 5.3 is definatly more affordable and a good deal on a budget. Just thinking about what I can do with it. But definatly would like to find the 6.0 who knows maybe ill get lucky and find a good low mileage ls1 for cheap....yeah right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 jared, Frequent that LS1tech website. I saw an LS1/T56 combo for sale on there for $1,700 about a week ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zgeezer Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 I've had a 2002 LM7 out back for a year. Here's what I'm doing. The truck pan is rear sump and deeep. Too deep for road clearance. Therefore, buy a camaro pan on E-bay ($50.00). The exhaust manifolds are shaped differently than the LS1, they exit to the back and down... they seem to fit, but it will be close to the firewall. If not, then jump for another $150 on Ebay for Camaro units or spend a lot of money for aftermarket headers of some sort. The Corvette units look good, but I don't know what clearance might be like. I understand that the heads on the LM7, which are aluminum, have smaller combustion chambers and smaller valves than the 2.0" LS1 items. All the reading I've done seem to indicate that the valve ports are the same size and configuation as the LS1. Of course the block is iron and heavier than the aluminum LS1. The accessories, with the exception of the AC compressor, mount diferently: the alternator, for example, is mounted high on the driver's side. The truck intake manifold is simply butt ugly (sorry OJ) when compared to the LS1. It stands higher. The folks at Street Performance in Mena AK tell me there is little difference in the plenum volumne between the two. The LS1 manifold will bolt to the LM7, but there are a number of fitment problems arising from the fact that the LS1 manifold mounts down lower than the truck unit. There is interference with the accessory belt drive idler pully. It's difficult for me to explain, but the problem is obvious when you have the LS1 manifold in hand and are looking at the LM7. This stymied me for a year as I thought I'd be replacing the entire accessory drive elements and crank pully with LS1 parts. There is a post somewhere on LS1.com to the effect that the simple answer is to whack off part of the idler mount and lower the pully by an inch or so. Street and Performance have recommended this approach. Given all this, one might ask why bother? Go with an LS1. The answer is economic: my engine, complete with ecu, all accessories, and automatic transmission, with confirmed 13,000 miles, set me back $1250 delivered to my door. Other than the LQ4 6.0 engine, these truck engines don't have sex appeal or horsepower (285-295 for LM7). Finally, in California a truck swap into a smogable car is VERBOTEN. Even if you import all the smog controls, California smog law specifically forbids truck engine swaps into passenger cars. So, if you expect to use the truck engines and seek the blessing of a California smog referee, he had better be both your brother in law and blind. I'll send you some photos by pm if you are interested. GW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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