[FLYNLOW]

What is so particularly difficult with the LS1 swap? Everything is available to make it a drop in. Mounts are available, headers are available, fuel tanks are available... Besides the motor mounts, what do you have to change with the LS conversion that you wouldn't have to with the Pontiac?

[68gtoMN]

Originally Posted by FLYNLOW

What is so particularly difficult with the LS1 swap? Everything is available to make it a drop in. Mounts are available, headers are available, fuel tanks are available... Besides the motor mounts, what do you have to change with the LS conversion that you wouldn't have to with the Pontiac?

How do you plan on getting the gauges to work?

[als67goat]

Originally Posted by FLYNLOW

What is so particularly difficult with the LS1 swap? Everything is available to make it a drop in. Mounts are available, headers are available, fuel tanks are available... Besides the motor mounts, what do you have to change with the LS conversion that you wouldn't have to with the Pontiac?

There are plenty of cross members and motor/trans mounts to bolt it in the car but the shifter is in the wrong place. It's 7 inches back and centered so you have to move your console. You have to deal with switch from mechanical to hydraulic clutch. The coolant flows in the opposite direction in LS1 so you need different radiator and fan. There are issues with fitting ac compressor without notching the frame. Issues with getting the gauges to work. The gearing on the T56 requires your rear end to be in the upper 3's so that you're not turning 700 rpm at 70mph. Many LS1 require fuel rail mods to convert to return style plumbing. You have to set up electric fuel pump and plumbing.
My goal is to have efi benefits and an overdrive for cruising speeds. All of these LS1 issues are surmountable but I think I can get these in an easier way with an efi kit and tremec TKO600 trans on a poncho 400. And then I have the benefit of having a close to stock appearance under the hood and what I believe would be better value to the car. Or hell maybe I'm just lazy.

[FLYNLOW]

Originally Posted by als67goat

There are plenty of cross members and motor/trans mounts to bolt it in the car but the shifter is in the wrong place. It's 7 inches back and centered so you have to move your console. You have to deal with switch from mechanical to hydraulic clutch. The coolant flows in the opposite direction in LS1 so you need different radiator and fan. There are issues with fitting ac compressor without notching the frame. Issues with getting the gauges to work. The gearing on the T56 requires your rear end to be in the upper 3's so that you're not turning 700 rpm at 70mph. Many LS1 require fuel rail mods to convert to return style plumbing. You have to set up electric fuel pump and plumbing.
My goal is to have efi benefits and an overdrive for cruising speeds. All of these LS1 issues are surmountable but I think I can get these in an easier way with an efi kit and tremec TKO600 trans on a poncho 400. And then I have the benefit of having a close to stock appearance under the hood and what I believe would be better value to the car. Or hell maybe I'm just lazy.

The switch to a hydraulic clutch is painfully easy. Add a bracket, drill a hole in your 4 speed pedal, insert bolt. Clutch is done. LS1tech is down at the moment so I can't look to see what they are doing for shifter positions in 1st gens - the stick in my car comes up perfectly within the auto center console but I have an automatic 2nd gen console. I did actually make a bracket to move the stick back slightly to be perfectly inline with the steering wheel. The LS1 is NOT reverse cooled. Fans - you were planning on running a mechanical fan with your EFI'd Pontiac? Either way, fans and a radiator from a 4th gen are cheap. The A/C compressor situation can be solved easy enough, you can notch the frame which is pretty easy, ditch the A/C, use a Corvette setup, or pick up a relocation bracket from several companies. My 3.08's and cammed LS1 seem to get along nicely, its 1400RPM@70 and 25MPG. The only LS1 that would need fuel rail mods are 98's. You'll need electronic fuel and plumbing on your EFI'd Pontiac.

Gauges? You can adapt your stock temp and oil pressure gauges, your tach will work with simply telling the computer to change pulse counts to a traditional V8 and your speedo will work with a converter box.


I have nothing against an EFI'd Pontiac, I think it would be cool. But, the LS conversion is likely to run harder, longer, be trouble free, and get better mileage while saving several hundred pounds on the front end.