Project V8- VT951's Bitchin' Camaro
#46
Three Wheelin'
for me, there really was no choice. the only ls1's i found were selling at upwards of 2K for a stock engine...part of the senior project i wanted to do was to build an engine, so i bought a torn down LT1 block for 400 bucks, and put the rest of the money into mods like are listed in my sig, as well as into parts needed for the conversion.
I was able to get away with only about 3K in the conversion overall (not including the trans i still need to replace or the paint i sprayed on it this summer etc) so i'm happy with it. It was definitely a learning experience and i think an LS swap would be much easier because of the wealth of info that gt1 (greg) and the admin over at 944hybrids have come up with and shared with all of us. For the LT, a lot of it was trial and error.
Let's just say that you guys are doing the right swap at the right time!
Good luck!
#47
Mark
#48
Three Wheelin'
remember...no 944 is the same, they all are slightly different in frame, crossmember and body, so some people have very few problems with a notched oil pan, others will have to drop the crossmember over an inch and notch the pan, as well as remove or dent in the hood support to make the engine fit...so it is not necessarily what you do, but what you car is.
#49
Thanks for the kind works guys; I enjoy helping with the conversions and hopefully I can save you some time and $$.
Greg that picture of Pat's engine was 5 years ago right when I finished the conversion, it was really detailed and sano!. I can't wait to get yoor firewall plate and fix my trouble. Alan's swap will allow the engine to sit low due to the smaller diameter of the manual rack, the reinforcement on the back of the hood will have to be trimmed and the throttle body will be relieved for clearance. Making the uprights as shodt as possible and "fitting" the pan around the rack and x-member is crucial for getting all the clearance. If you must shim staying less than 8mm will not have a negative effect on the geometry. I met with a guy today who is doing a custom hood to clear his new FAST intake on his 951-I will keep you posted on the progress this could solve the clearance issues on the 944 LS1 conversions.
Greg that picture of Pat's engine was 5 years ago right when I finished the conversion, it was really detailed and sano!. I can't wait to get yoor firewall plate and fix my trouble. Alan's swap will allow the engine to sit low due to the smaller diameter of the manual rack, the reinforcement on the back of the hood will have to be trimmed and the throttle body will be relieved for clearance. Making the uprights as shodt as possible and "fitting" the pan around the rack and x-member is crucial for getting all the clearance. If you must shim staying less than 8mm will not have a negative effect on the geometry. I met with a guy today who is doing a custom hood to clear his new FAST intake on his 951-I will keep you posted on the progress this could solve the clearance issues on the 944 LS1 conversions.
#59
Drifting
can I be the driver
good thread, I'm giving this V8 thing a 2nd thought; there's plenty of people here into V8's and stuff and a few people who have swapped LS1's into RX-7's - so I could get a hand or two if I needed it; looks like Renegade kit is only $2k (probably a little more with some other extra parts) - biggest problem would be locating a cheap LSx ... not sure I should even be using "cheap" ...
good thread, I'm giving this V8 thing a 2nd thought; there's plenty of people here into V8's and stuff and a few people who have swapped LS1's into RX-7's - so I could get a hand or two if I needed it; looks like Renegade kit is only $2k (probably a little more with some other extra parts) - biggest problem would be locating a cheap LSx ... not sure I should even be using "cheap" ...
#60
Intermediate
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Long Island, NY
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A 5.3L truck engine can be had for about $500 to $800 depending on what is included, swap out the intake manifold, headers, and oil pan you have an LS1 for a lot less money. And with the iron block the engine supposedly can handle more power