LS Swap in 1970 Z28

[juicypop]

I purchased a 1970 z28 it has a 383 alum head stroker motor with a 4l80e transmission.


I want to put a ls3 with a t56 in the car. This car has vintage air installed also. Here is my question and appreciate all the help I can get cause I know nothing about cars nothing at all. LOL


If I bought this motor right here just for instance http://houston.craigslist.org/pts/5368735912.html what else will I need to buy to make the ls swap work?


I mean everything have to buy like ecm, alternator, and anything else.


Also can vintage air be compatible with the newer LS motors?


I am trying to work out a budget to make this happen. Also any shops on here that do this type of thing because will be paying for it to happen I do not work on cars.


I appreciate any feed back or help you can give me.

[fishface]

Several guys here that have done this a lot more than I who can help. I am in the process of putting a crate ls3 in though and some things to add in would be: different oil pan, mounts and headers, reworking wiring harness and tune. New if not included. Radiator and fans, front accy drive or brackets to enable you to use what you have there, fuel tank with pump and lines if not using external pump and regulator. No reason your Vintage Air wouldn't work, you should be able to retain your current compressor I would think. That wouldn't be a bad price on the one you showed, especially considering you could sell your 383/480 combo. Good luck with it and do lots of research here and on Lateral G, LS1 Tech etc. Lots of good guys in the know to help you out.

[juicypop]

I am a member on all three sites and have it posted to get as much feedback as possible. Thanks

[amargari]

I put an LS6 into my 73 Camaro and I have a vintage air setup. I used the Holley AC bracket with my A4 compressor but I think they have a bracket for the Sanden compressor as well. You will need an ecu and a harness as well as a fuel system with an electric pump. Below are some pages documenting the LS6 install into my car.

http://www.apiem.com/camaro/LS620140908.asp

http://www.apiem.com/camaro/LS6PT220140922.asp

http://www.apiem.com/camaro/LS6PT320140929.asp

http://www.apiem.com/camaro/LS6PT420141006.asp

[juicypop]

I put an LS6 into my 73 Camaro and I have a vintage air setup. I used the Holley AC bracket with my A4 compressor but I think they have a bracket for the Sanden compressor as well. You will need an ecu and a harness as well as a fuel system with an electric pump. Below are some pages documenting the LS6 install into my car.

http://www.apiem.com/camaro/LS620140908.asp

http://www.apiem.com/camaro/LS6PT220140922.asp

http://www.apiem.com/camaro/LS6PT320140929.asp

http://www.apiem.com/camaro/LS6PT420141006.asp

Thank you.

[reedld]

What's wrong with the 383 stroker? With a modern 4 spd auto, vintage air....sounds like a great setup! Switching over to the ls3 6 spd would be really awesome as well, but since you have none of the parts yet AND you will be paying labor for the swap...ill be willing to bet you will be in this for at least $10k for the swap.

You are best off by buying a complete car or an engine that has the accessories, pcm etc. the fbody pan works best in the second gen. The f body accessories work as well as the vette ones. The vette ones fit and look better in my opinion (clear steering linkage on our cars). Truck, fbody and vette accessories are all different and cannot be mixed and matched. Someone here was selling a set for$550 recently...I almost grabbed them. Anything vette related is going to cost more. You will need the pcm unless you switch it over to carb...and then you will need some external way to run coils like the edelbrock system.

Truck, Tahoe, trailblazer intake and accessories are real high and you will have issues with stock hood.

In my opinion, the best way to solve the fuel issue is to mod a 4th gen fuel bucket and put it in your 1970 tank. No need for baffling.

Engine mounts and headers...some are better than others...some are cheaper than others. Advice: search search search....read read read. Lots of people have done the swap into a second gen. LS stuff will cost you so it is best to start making a list. Read here and jump over to ls1tech in the hybrid section.

[STV-R33D]

Boy, the car that motor was in got hit HARD, the TB was ripped right off the intake! Who knows what went down into that motor? The only way to do it right is to have that motor tore down and inspected. You would have over a grand easy just in labor and gaskets and it still needs a TB and a intake among other things. I just spent the last two years putting a used LS2/6l80e into a 1971 Firebird and the hidden cost are endless.

Since your not doing any of the work my advice is to get a crate motor and trans with the complete harness, gas pedal, and ECM. This will save you a lot of labor costs. Make sure whatever motor you buy has the F-body oil pan.

[tazimm]

I am currently working on a 71 Z28 swap (found the bare shell at a body shop, no drivetrain, but had all the paperwork from the original owner, POP, order sheet, ect). I decided to make it look fairly stock but swap an LS for drivetrain. I used the BRP Hotrods swap kit to put a LSX454/Tremec into it with their 2" longtube headers and 4th gen oilpan (and MAST windage tray due to the stroke on the 454). Their kit worked great and fits very well! I used the Holley brackets with a vintage air set-up for AC, and Flaming river rack and pinion for steering. All of that went together fairly easily with a little problem solving here and there. I mocked everything up and then blew it apart for paint. It is back and I am currently re assembling everything, hope to hear it run in the spring. Let me know if you have any other questions or want some pictures of the set-up.

Good luck!!!

[juicypop]

What's wrong with the 383 stroker? With a modern 4 spd auto, vintage air....sounds like a great setup! Switching over to the ls3 6 spd would be really awesome as well, but since you have none of the parts yet AND you will be paying labor for the swap...ill be willing to bet you will be in this for at least $10k for the swap.

You are best off by buying a complete car or an engine that has the accessories, pcm etc. the fbody pan works best in the second gen. The f body accessories work as well as the vette ones. The vette ones fit and look better in my opinion (clear steering linkage on our cars). Truck, fbody and vette accessories are all different and cannot be mixed and matched. Someone here was selling a set for$550 recently...I almost grabbed them. Anything vette related is going to cost more. You will need the pcm unless you switch it over to carb...and then you will need some external way to run coils like the edelbrock system.

Truck, Tahoe, trailblazer intake and accessories are real high and you will have issues with stock hood.

In my opinion, the best way to solve the fuel issue is to mod a 4th gen fuel bucket and put it in your 1970 tank. No need for baffling.

Engine mounts and headers...some are better than others...some are cheaper than others. Advice: search search search....read read read. Lots of people have done the swap into a second gen. LS stuff will cost you so it is best to start making a list. Read here and jump over to ls1tech in the hybrid section.


After getting quotes on what needed to be done I decided to just keep the 383/4l80 e combo.


Boy, the car that motor was in got hit HARD, the TB was ripped right off the intake! Who knows what went down into that motor? The only way to do it right is to have that motor tore down and inspected. You would have over a grand easy just in labor and gaskets and it still needs a TB and a intake among other things. I just spent the last two years putting a used LS2/6l80e into a 1971 Firebird and the hidden cost are endless.

Since your not doing any of the work my advice is to get a crate motor and trans with the complete harness, gas pedal, and ECM. This will save you a lot of labor costs. Make sure whatever motor you buy has the F-body oil pan.

I have the 383 motor out of the car now at the machine shop looking it all over as we speak.


I am currently working on a 71 Z28 swap (found the bare shell at a body shop, no drivetrain, but had all the paperwork from the original owner, POP, order sheet, ect). I decided to make it look fairly stock but swap an LS for drivetrain. I used the BRP Hotrods swap kit to put a LSX454/Tremec into it with their 2" longtube headers and 4th gen oilpan (and MAST windage tray due to the stroke on the 454). Their kit worked great and fits very well! I used the Holley brackets with a vintage air set-up for AC, and Flaming river rack and pinion for steering. All of that went together fairly easily with a little problem solving here and there. I mocked everything up and then blew it apart for paint. It is back and I am currently re assembling everything, hope to hear it run in the spring. Let me know if you have any other questions or want some pictures of the set-up.

Good luck!!!

Awesome man!

[davidomilligan]

I am just finishing up the swap on my 71 you need to budget about 5000 of labor for a shop to do this conversion plus parts and ls3 with a t56 is going to be costly as well I'm guessing your quotes were in the 15k range?

[camarodude87]

Id look into BRPhotrods.com. They have most of what youll need. Im running their motor mounts.

[andrewb70]

Holley has by far the best engineered LS swap components second gens.

Andrew