Not Another Cheap V8 Swap... (Pic Heavy)

[E30Whore]

Not Another Cheap V8 Swap...

Alrighty guys..... I got carried away on the interior. Still waiting for more go fast and suspension parts when I ordered these from a local performance shop. Whats impressive is that it all arrived inside of about three days.

Not much mechanically has been done lately however, now that the rust holes were repaired, figured id throw the carpet back in. Once I get the transmission fitted then I'll get the interior together.

Not pictured:
-Refreshed carpet
-Planted Seat Brackets $250
-NRG Quick Release Hub V3 $150
-NRG Shorty Hub $150

BMW ZHP 6spd Knob $89

[ATTACH]106590[/ATTACH]

Renown Tri-Stitch Suede Sport Wheel $280

[ATTACH]106591[/ATTACH]

Audi RS5 Replica Sport Seats w/ White Stitching (Leather Option) $1,699

[ATTACH]106592[/ATTACH]

With parts starting to arrive daily at this point, i'm starting to get a little overwhelmed and anxious at the same time...

SWAP METER: $17,004

[E30Whore]

Not Another Cheap V8 Swap...

I met E30_Dad on Facebook, he refurbishes gauge clusters and rebuilds them. I almost attempted to do this myself before I saw his work. I was sold! Diego (E30_dad) does amazing work and even though it's not cheap, I am a firm believer in the details so I shipped him my cluster. Turnaround time was about ten days and well.....check it out for yourself. The work speaks for itself!

Spec's on Refurbished Gauge Cluster:

-Replaced Batteries
-Replaced Gears
-Replaced SI Board
-Painted ///M Red Needles
-Custom RPM Bar
-///M Decal
-LED Lighting Upgrade
-High Polished Lens Cover
-LED Shift Light
-Painted Background

Price: $739 Delivered

[ATTACH]106579[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]106580[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]106581[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]106582[/ATTACH]

SWAP METER: $14,386

[z28]

I just noticed that my post is all jacked up hahaha, i guess thats what happens when you are half asleep.

That harness is definitely a good investment for sure, im gonna have to add it to the list.

[E30Whore]

Is that harness plug and play to make everythong work including stock gauges?

That clutch twindisk clutch is the one i should of go e with instead of the ls7 clutch.

It does! The harness is made up of BMW connectors on one end and GM LS connectors on the other. It literally just simply clips into the appropriate spot with no cutting/splicing allowing your OE dash to function as normal.

This was probably one of the single best investments I made during the life of this build.

[z28]

Is that harness plug and play to make everything work including the stock gauges?

That twindisk clutch is the one i should of gone with instead of the ls7 clutch i have.

[E30Whore]

Not Another Cheap V8 Swap... (Pic Heavy)

Here's my If i were you I would feel it out and see what you think. Since you engine is an 06 its a gen IV which has great rods if you decide to go turbo which with out a doubt is the weakest park of LS motors. People are pushing 900 wheel on stock gen IV rods. You have all the components for a great turbo motor, except for the cam which is not ideal at all. You could literally get new 80# injectors, bigger fuel pump, use the stock truck exhaust manifolds which I assume you still have and strap on a s475 or something around a 78/75 turbo and make 700 wheel with boost under 20lbs on your exact motor. And beat on it all day!

Also as a side note note really sure how a cam a large as the one you have will do on a 5.3 might have some scavenging issues.

Now lets talks staying NA I think you will love the powerband of the 5.3 in the e30 especially with a good diff. With that being said I can almost guarantee you will want more :devil:. The power bug with an LS bits you hard. My car stated off as a near stock 6.0 and now makes close to 450 whp and its completely streetable, you get use to it quickly. The e30 is easy to control and predictable with the power. On nitrous @ well over 500whp it gets a bit hairy but really because the powerband isnt super linear, its near instantaneous torque.

So if you think you wanna stay NA go with bigger displacement or stroke the 5.3. If your leaning towards turbo which in the long run given your current motor set up would probably be cheaper then stick with the 5.3. No matter your decision I would encourage you to finish what you have started and enjoy it get use to the way the car handles and drives. If you decide to go for more power do your research and start saving the pennies!

According to Tick Performance, they seem to think that cam would work well. When communicating to them earlier on in the "research phase" of things I was told its a mild cam. Since then, several people have told me its aggressive. They knew what block I had, hope I didn't set myself back by getting that cam.

I'm leaning on keeping it NA at this point even though it wasn't my original intentions. Like you said, I'll drive and enjoy the car, learn the dynamics and see where I want to take it from there. My main goal upon completion of this is to get paint/body work knocked out. Further down the line, I'll jump back on the performance side of things..

This is my first in depth project. I've gotten in way over my head but I'm determined to see it finished with the same attention to detail and focus on quality near the end as I was when we started this..

I get mixed advice, what kind of hp numbers to you foresee with the 5.3?

I guess it's important to note (since I haven't yet throughout this build thread) that I'm NOT in the hunt for super high HP numbers or bragging rights of having a dyno King. In general, I'm really looking for a great driving car that can destroy some backroads and eat ///M3's on the track during weekend events. The driving experience is what I'm looking forward to. With that's said, what I have may be all I want/need out of this build. [emoji4]

[bmk]

I went with the Stage 3 "POLLUTER V2" 239/244 Cam. I read great reviews on it.

In the beginning, I was "attempting" to keep cost down. I am planning on turboing this car in the future, my friend Ryan convinced me the Iron Block would be better suited for when that time came. I did shop 5.7's for what felt like eternity and either came up short or people wanted way too much for what they had.

Its funny you mention the 6.2 block, I literally have a Jegs tab open on my computer now:

http://www.jegs.com/i/Chevrolet+Performance/809/12623967/10002/-1?CAWELAID=230006180000975262&CAGPSPN=pla&gclid=CKHdiKfLiswCFQFsfgod3X8PoQ

I was thinking of grabbing this block since I'm approaching completion, went way over budget and now doubt I will ever turbo this thing. While the car goes out for paint/body, I was contemplating swapping everything over and aborting my turbo plans. I have never driven a LS swap e30 and not sure if this will be plenty powerful enough or leave me wanting more.... Its a tough call.

Here's my If i were you I would feel it out and see what you think. Since you engine is an 06 its a gen IV which has great rods if you decide to go turbo which with out a doubt is the weakest park of LS motors. People are pushing 900 wheel on stock gen IV rods. You have all the components for a great turbo motor, except for the cam which is not ideal at all. You could literally get new 80# injectors, bigger fuel pump, use the stock truck exhaust manifolds which I assume you still have and strap on a s475 or something around a 78/75 turbo and make 700 wheel with boost under 20lbs on your exact motor. And beat on it all day!

Also as a side note note really sure how a cam a large as the one you have will do on a 5.3 might have some scavenging issues.

Now lets talks staying NA I think you will love the powerband of the 5.3 in the e30 especially with a good diff. With that being said I can almost guarantee you will want more :devil:. The power bug with an LS bits you hard. My car stated off as a near stock 6.0 and now makes close to 450 whp and its completely streetable, you get use to it quickly. The e30 is easy to control and predictable with the power. On nitrous @ well over 500whp it gets a bit hairy but really because the powerband isnt super linear, its near instantaneous torque.

So if you think you wanna stay NA go with bigger displacement or stroke the 5.3. If your leaning towards turbo which in the long run given your current motor set up would probably be cheaper then stick with the 5.3. No matter your decision I would encourage you to finish what you have started and enjoy it get use to the way the car handles and drives. If you decide to go for more power do your research and start saving the pennies!

[E30Whore]

Not Another Cheap V8 Swap...

RUST REPAIR SUCKS!

My brain was fried building "online carts" adding dollars and pinching pennies. I took a break and made it a mission to complete the rust repair. After about 8 hours, we cut out a few problem areas and patched the hole. Again, more amateur welding, don't judge me, at least the rust is gone. Once coated and parts are installed, can't see anything anyway.





FYI - New parts are on order! Now, the wait game....

[E30Whore]

I actually got double lucky.....after I jerked the motor and trans I sold the shell for $1500

That's a lot of swap cash. Sounds like you jumped into your build in the positive. That's awesome!

In the end it's about what you want. Mine is going to be a daily and should have no problem getting 300 to the ground with a lot more response. If I need more one day at least it will just be a plug and play at that point.

With everything I learned throughout this build, I wouldn't mind building another one. I'm conflicted because this is just a "fun car" so if I were to spend the money again, maybe a different chassis. After all I spent on this car, I would upgrade it by swapping blocks out like mentioned above before building another car :neutral:

[E30Whore]

Holy crap....it's coming at me so fast I don't know what to comment on.....love how you are detailing it though. This is what I wish we had to go by in starting this build. There have been threads but none have been a pure step by step. Great write up!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great Feedback! That's exactly what i'm trying to do man. I searched and found several helpful build threads but they fell short on the details and expenses. This actually cost me time and money because several things we had to "wing it" with trial and error. If your reading it in this post then you know it fits right, the first time! In my opinion, when researching something like this, you want to know cost, timeline, how hard it is and whats entailed to complete it.

[90e30ls]

I went with the Stage 3 "POLLUTER V2" 239/244 Cam. I read great reviews on it.



In the beginning, I was "attempting" to keep cost down. I am planning on turboing this car in the future, my friend Ryan convinced me the Iron Block would be better suited for when that time came. I did shop 5.7's for what felt like eternity and either came up short or people wanted way too much for what they had.



Its funny you mention the 6.2 block, I literally have a Jegs tab open on my computer now:

http://www.jegs.com/i/Chevrolet+Performance/809/12623967/10002/-1?CAWELAID=230006180000975262&CAGPSPN=pla&gclid=CKHdiKfLiswCFQFsfgod3X8PoQ

I was thinking of grabbing this block since I'm approaching completion, went way over budget and now doubt I will ever turbo this thing. While the car was out for paint/body, I was contemplating swapping everything over and aborting my turbo plans. I have never driven a LS swap e30 and not sure if this will be plenty powerful enough or leave me wanting more.... Its a tough call.

In the end it's about what you want. Mine is going to be a daily and should have no problem getting 300 to the ground with a lot more response. If I need more one day at least it will just be a plug and play at that point.

[90e30ls]

If I found a Trans-Am for 1800, I would have jumped on it too. Good luck with your swap! So far, besides some minor headaches here and there, this isnt going to bad..

I actually got double lucky.....after I jerked the motor and trans I sold the shell for $1500

[E30Whore]

A little curious with the budget you have why go with the 5.3? You can find 6.0 and even aluminum 5.7 for not much more than what you spent. You pretty much replaced everything that was originally on the 5.3. Heck you could have gotten a 6.2 short block for under a grand.

PS awesome build, what are the specs on the Cam. Im also running a tick cam and love it.

I went with the Stage 3 "POLLUTER V2" 239/244 Cam. I read great reviews on it.

In the beginning, I was "attempting" to keep cost down. I am planning on turboing this car in the future, my friend Ryan convinced me the Iron Block would be better suited for when that time came. I did shop 5.7's for what felt like eternity and either came up short or people wanted way too much for what they had.

Its funny you mention the 6.2 block, I literally have a Jegs tab open on my computer now:

http://www.jegs.com/i/Chevrolet+Performance/809/12623967/10002/-1?CAWELAID=230006180000975262&CAGPSPN=pla&gclid=CKHdiKfLiswCFQFsfgod3X8PoQ

I was thinking of grabbing this block since I'm approaching completion, went way over budget and now doubt I will ever turbo this thing. While the car goes out for paint/body, I was contemplating swapping everything over and aborting my turbo plans. I have never driven a LS swap e30 and not sure if this will be plenty powerful enough or leave me wanting more.... Its a tough call.

[90e30ls]

Holy crap....it's coming at me so fast I don't know what to comment on.....love how you are detailing it though. This is what I wish we had to go by in starting this build. There have been threads but none have been a pure step by step. Great write up!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[E30Whore]

Alrighty, If you haven't done so yet, I recommend you start selling your parts. this can take a while so at least post some quality "For Sale" ads. Price aggressively if you want them gone now. I had no idea what to price half this stuff at so I Googled them. After about three weeks, over a hundred discussions with strangers, I sold practically everything I yanked off the car. BOOM!

Exhaust +200
Smiley Headlights +75
Dive Boards +50
Axles +50
3.73 Diff +350
Partial 5sp Swap (Trans, Drive Shaft, Shift Linkage) +375
M20 Motor +300
Sport Seats +850
Rear Seat +175
Mtech Wheel +150

Cash Generated: $2,275



Its been about two weeks since I last visited the shop. On my To Do List is to order the following:

Brakes
Coilovers
Axles
Diff
Suspension Refresh Kit
Seats
Steering Wheel