6.0L LSX/T56 in 1991 Z28 convertible *Almost ready to fire!*

[BlueZee28]

Since I egged the other mods to let us get a "projects forum", I figure I should probably post mine up.


The count down to D-Day has begun. The scheduled time to remove the 305/700R4 are tentatively going to be in the middle of June or beginning of July. If I weren't planning on driving it in my wedding next month I'd be taking it out right now.


The swap grocery list:

6.0 LSX / T56 combo

-2000 LQ4 block
-ported and polished aluminum 317 casting heads
-Cam of choice (deciding between two) : TSP 228R or TSP Torquer V.2
-LS1 intake (will probably opt for an LS6 by the time I put the motor in)
-ARP hardware throughout
-LS7 lifters
-PRC valve springs
-COMP chromoly pushrods
-ported LS6 oil pump
-T56 trans
-aluminum driveshaft
-Walbro 255 lph fuel pump
-full wideband tune, with dyno time


So far what I've accomplished is disassembling the entire block. I sold the cast iron heads so that I can use the 317's. I have the pistons and rods out, and as soon as I rent a puller from AutoZone, the harmonic balancer and front cover will be coming out along with the crank, to make room for my 20,000 mile LS2 Corvette crank. All new bearings will be put in with the crank and cam.

I'm working on getting the heads ported and polished right now. I know a friend who's in really close with a porter and is trying to get me a great deal. We'll see where that leads. I'm trying to pick up some side jobs with painting cars and stuff to help make some more money for the swap. There's still a lot of work to do before I can start buying the accesories and cross member, swap motor mounts, and such.

[BlueZee28]

Picture time:

[NevadasCrimson]

i cant wait to see this thing done :] and i want a video thats a must haha

[BlueZee28]

Knowing me, I'll probably have the car dyno-tuned and road ready, drive it around town a few times and then be like "oh ya, by the way, my swap is done, here's a video" haha

[1LE HAWK]

Can't wait to see this project completed....good luck, Nick!!! She's going to be a beast.

See ya on the road,
Matt

[Bowtiebruiser]

Thats going to be a killer 3rd gen man very nice

[BlueZee28]

I did some more work on the block tonight and got the harmonic balancer, front and rear covers, crank, and cam out of it.

I'm going to have the pistons checked out and make sure they'll hold up with the amount of power I'm striving for.

[Etown_RS]

Would you mind if I came over to hug the engine before you installed it? haha
You getting the Stainless Works LTs to go with that?
Are the 317s the aluminum truck heads?
If so, have you considered milling them (or thinner head gaskets) to help bump up the SCR?
Or would that interfere with PTV clearance with the cam your going with..?
You might want to look into fly-cutting the pistons since you already have them out.

[79-Z]

Whats wrong with the crank that cam with the motor? I believe the crank holds up to 800hp if its the same as my brothers lq4. Hes puttin a single turbo lq4 in his 89 and hes keepin his stock crank. I believe the stock bottom end should hold up to that heads and cam combo easy. Unless you sprayin it id just clean the block-rods-pistons-re-ring the pistons, new bearings, polish crank and let er go

Also id run the Vindicator cam but that may just be me

Good luck with it meng

[egott_91]

I totally hate you Nick. I wish I would have had the money to put a 6.0/T56 in my 3rd gen. I wouldve kept it then! I'm so jealous and can't wait to see her finished!

[Giovannetti]

glad to see you excited about the upgrade but the car will be worth soooooooooo much more with the original motor and tranny but good luck homie. Glad to see we still have lsx peeps out there!

[Etown_RS]

The crank that came in the engine won't bolt up to a flywheel that'll mount to a T56, IIRC.
The car may be worth more, but I think Nick is doing what I am doing- building a fun car that he likes without intention of selling.

[BlueZee28]

Originally Posted by Etown_RS

Would you mind if I came over to hug the engine before you installed it? haha
You getting the Stainless Works LTs to go with that?
Are the 317s the aluminum truck heads?
If so, have you considered milling them (or thinner head gaskets) to help bump up the SCR?
Or would that interfere with PTV clearance with the cam your going with..?
You might want to look into fly-cutting the pistons since you already have them out.

Haha if you want to come up for my GTG it won't be in the car yet. I may have the 305 out by then though. I'm probably going to go with the Hawks LT's. And yes, the 317's are the aluminum version of the heads that came on this motor. They came on 2001+ LQ4's. I will probably go with a thinner gasket to bump the compression ratio, because that is easily reversible if I decide to boost it later down the road.

Originally Posted by 79-Z

Whats wrong with the crank that cam with the motor? I believe the crank holds up to 800hp if its the same as my brothers lq4. Hes puttin a single turbo lq4 in his 89 and hes keepin his stock crank. I believe the stock bottom end should hold up to that heads and cam combo easy. Unless you sprayin it id just clean the block-rods-pistons-re-ring the pistons, new bearings, polish crank and let er go

Also id run the Vindicator cam but that may just be me

Good luck with it meng

Originally Posted by Etown_RS

The crank that came in the engine won't bolt up to a flywheel that'll mount to a T56, IIRC.
The car may be worth more, but I think Nick is doing what I am doing- building a fun car that he likes without intention of selling.

Like he said, the crank in this block (1999-2000 LQ4) is about 0.4" too long on the back end, and it won't work with a 4L60E, T56, or any other trans that would normally bolt to a Gen III block. So I'm putting an LS2 crank in it, a new flywheel, and going the T56 route.

And also like he said, it may be "worth less" in some peoples' eyes. But all that matters is how much it's worth in my eyes. I have ZERO intention of selling it (ever). It's already got an appraisal for $12,000 that is being used with my insurance coverage, and I may or may not get it re-appraised after the swap. Pro-touring-esque cars tend to go for the big bucks just as much as stock cars in the St Louis area, so I really don't believe this is going to hurt the value much. All I'm doing here is making the car more fun for me. That's all that matters.

[Etown_RS]

From what I've seen, LS_ swapped engines usually go for more than the same car with stock drivetrain.
Luckily for me, my plans for power making exclude use of LTs so I can spend that money elsewhere. They are a really nice set, though.
What GTG do you speak of? At any rate, it'd be a heck of a drive for me.

[BlueZee28]

My GTG that's in the events forum