LSA supercharger on 6.0 Iron block

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

I've searched far and wide, both here and LS1tech and havn't been able to get a good answer on this. You can get the lower portion of the LSA (CTS-V) supercharger from GMPartsdirect for about 1500 and the top cover for under 1k. I know there are other miscelaneous parts that would need to be sourced along with the front drive assembly and a heat exchanger fabbed to work but is there any other reasons people aren't doing this? It seems like a pretty cost effective way to get a good power adder for much cheaper than the magnuson kit.

Side note: I'm pretty sure all of the 4th Gen motors have rectangular ports (think LS9s may be a bit different) but I already have the LS3 heads for my LQ9, will those work with the LSA blower or is there anything different? I am having my engine builder install a forged bottom end right now for use with a blower but I want to know if the LSA blower is an option. The engine is going into a 68 camaro and I think looks pretty damn good in the installs I have seen of the complete LSA from a cts-v. Any advice or links would be greatly appreciated! I am currently in afghanistan so my internet is incredibly slow and I don't have too much time to research so if anyone can point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it! My goal is to have the motor and all the parts I need to complete the project waiting in the garage when I re-deploy so I can make up for lost time! I am pretty against naming projects unless they are rediculously bad $%* but I should call this thing project "FINALLY"

[tooblue]

Show the part numbers you researched. Are you trying to get all of the blower pieces (LSA)? I am quite sure the complete blower assembly that sits on the LSA motors is well north of the total prices you posted. Roger

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

Supercharger- 12625145
Cover- 12631035
If you add up every single part that attaches to the motor as part of the supercharger assembly it adds up to exactly $3,190.08. That does not include the aftercooler and resorvior. Much of it though may not be needed. I made an excel spreadsheet based on this diagram
http://parts.nalleygmc.com/showAssembly.aspx?ukey_product=2670897&ukey_assembly=376556
then I priced each part out at GMPartsdirect.com to get that total price. But I am not sure if those first two pieces come with some of the little knick knacks like hoses and fittings and whatnot. I have read several threads that say they think the supercharger comes as an assembly with more than just the bare manifold. Hard to tell though without somebody actually trying it out.
I'm really curious about this though. It would be good to be able to buy things a piece at a time and maybe only total around 4K??? Please somebody correct me if I am wrong. I know the TVS2300 GMP sells as a kit is rediculously expensive. Wish they sold this one as a kit! Bet they are afraid it would hurt their sales on the LS9 blower.

Anybody know how to attach an excel doc to the forum??? I've been trying but it's givin me fits

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

All that and I didn't fully answer your question. YES, I would like to get the whole LSA blower to work on an LQ9 forged block in a 68 Camaro

[wing_0797]

I Can't understand were you can get an LSA Supercharger for that cheap- Because I would be doing it! lol

http://www.crateenginedepot.com/LSA-Supercharger-19244095-P9958C0.aspx





I've searched far and wide, both here and LS1tech and havn't been able to get a good answer on this. You can get the lower portion of the LSA (CTS-V) supercharger from GMPartsdirect for about 1500 and the top cover for under 1k. I know there are other miscelaneous parts that would need to be sourced along with the front drive assembly and a heat exchanger fabbed to work but is there any other reasons people aren't doing this? It seems like a pretty cost effective way to get a good power adder for much cheaper than the magnuson kit.

Side note: I'm pretty sure all of the 4th Gen motors have rectangular ports (think LS9s may be a bit different) but I already have the LS3 heads for my LQ9, will those work with the LSA blower or is there anything different? I am having my engine builder install a forged bottom end right now for use with a blower but I want to know if the LSA blower is an option. The engine is going into a 68 camaro and I think looks pretty damn good in the installs I have seen of the complete LSA from a cts-v. Any advice or links would be greatly appreciated! I am currently in afghanistan so my internet is incredibly slow and I don't have too much time to research so if anyone can point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it! My goal is to have the motor and all the parts I need to complete the project waiting in the garage when I re-deploy so I can make up for lost time! I am pretty against naming projects unless they are rediculously bad $%* but I should call this thing project "FINALLY"

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

Haha, I know! That is kind of why I started a thread to get a better idea of if I was crazy or not.
Thanks for that link!!! Keep in mind the $3100 I stated earlier does not include fuel rails, intercooler, or injectors that the complete assembly from crateenginedepot had but does include the wiring and a whole lot else. I figured out how to get that price sheet uploaded. Had to convert to Word doc. Please take a look at what I put together and then PLEASE tell me that the extras will add up to over 6k so I can stop researching it and move on to lookin for a used Maggie.


Or, even better yet... tell me I am on to something! Thanks for the replies.

Adam

[wing_0797]

Well seeing how the whole kit is about 6k closer to 7 and the prices you made are half of that it might be worth it- to get a supercharger for a little less, with all the nickle and dime parts your going to probably end up closer to 4k by the time its all said and done still cheaper but I'm not sure how much the drive assembly is going to add to that also the stronger rod bolts, and rods etc. No one will know unless someone dose more research or nose dives into the build lol trial and error only way to learn-

[wing_0797]

Here is the LSA Drive assembly http://www.summitracing.com/parts/NAL-19243525/ so were hitting 4k now

[tooblue]

INTERESTING approach, looks like you have it all listed as far as a price / part listing. Hopefully that would be everything needed to assemble the LSA blower. I wonder how much the shipping would be on all of the components listed? Could be worth it if that is not a big factor in the price. I know many of GM parts ordering sites really tax heavy on the shipping side of things. Most of the sites will charge shipping per part not per order. Roger

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

you bring up something very interesting I had thought about... but maybe I should think harder. lol... If I get time today I am going to place everything into the cart, calculate shipping... and then see what the price would look like. I'll let ya'll know. I have seen other threads started where people thought about buying it a piece at a time but nobody wanted to be the first to try it out. I think I may just be the one to take the plunge. If nothing else I can help other people out in the future.

Thanks for the help

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

Roger,
You definitely saw the flaw in the plan. I simply added the supercharger and the cover to my cart and that alone had over $600 worth of processing fees and shipping immediately putting it over 3 grand (the cost of the parts from the dealer). That was one of the biggest let downs to date on my build. Thought I was on to something!

Gonna have to do some rethinking on some other parts I had priced on GM Parts Direct also... Big let down when you think someone is giving you a really good deal only to find out they get their's in the end!

Looks like I am back to searching "for sale" threads and ebay for a used blower that will work on my application. Thanks again for bringing that to my attention before I used those prices to plan for my build. Anybpdy have any leads on a used blower? lol

Adam

[wing_0797]

Well If you want to spend some time building your engine the piece by piece method is not a bad Idea yes in the long run your going to spend the money But you'd have what your looking for, And it wouldnt break the bank because your piecing it togeather a few pieces at a time intead of like 10 or so different pieces that have to be bundled in shipping fees- If your going to by the pieces in bulk yes shipping is going to hit you over the head but if you separate it IE buy the base few weeks or months later you have more cash saved by the top and some misc. items etc. do it like that its possible to have your complete LSA blown 6.0, or continue to save save save and shell out 14 grand or so for the LSA LOL

[wing_0797]

I too am on deployment in afgahnistan I am building a 1971 cutlass pro touring car- I currently have a 5.3l and a T56 but I need a bigger engine I am looking for the good deals too lol, Its an expensive road

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

Wings,
It is an expensive road! I spent two years in Korea before coming straight here with only a few months in between so I have had a LONG time to get parts together. Well on my way. Got the motor, trans (also T56) and most of the parts to make it all work minus the fuel system. I hadn't planned on a supercharger at first but you can't go wrong with the power and throttle response without the downsides of needing to run a thumping cam.
Even with the added shipping and "processing" costs from GM Parts Direct it is still considerably cheaper than buying it packaged so I think I am going to start buying things a bit at a time till I have the complete system. My engine builder also specializes in LS motors so he has a TON of parts lying around to cut costs down. He's been awesome!
I got 6 months left in the Stan so I got some wiggle room to get the rest of the parts. Gonna cruise the classifieds when I got time for a few more weeks and see if I can find a good used system, but if not I'll take the plunge and start buying it piece by piece. I'm itching so bad to get at my car I almost want to start a build thread of just the parts I've accumulated, lol!
Haha, good luck with your build and stay safe
Adam

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

Oh and my car is also gonna be pro-touring. For Christmas my wife gave me a picture of the complete front coilover kit from Ridetech she got me! That made for a great Christmas!!The sand "flurries" really added to the spirit of the holidays, lol

[wing_0797]

I might go the LSA Blower rought too, sounds good compared to procharger or magnacharger- I'm looking at doing full ridetech suspension and maybe there tiger cage. I do all the work on my car with no formal training just gettting in there and reading different bits of information its hard working on a vehicle alone lol I've had to do the engine the trans the pushing the car all of that alone good luck with your build too- what are you building? and you be safe as well-









Oh and my car is also gonna be pro-touring. For Christmas my wife gave me a picture of the complete front coilover kit from Ridetech she got me! That made for a great Christmas!!The sand "flurries" really added to the spirit of the holidays, lol

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

I'm building a 68 Camaro, my wife bought it as a wedding present for me 3 years ago. Mostly a giant pile of parts right now, lol. All I have really gotten done is a start at smoothing the firewall and some body work. I am doing the full ridetech suspension as well. So far I have the strong arms, spindles, and coilovers. Just need the rear airbar and the tru turn steering kit to complete it. I do all of my own work as well. I actually worked in a garage for 5 years during high school and college so I learned a LOT. Built my first car when I was 16 (73 mustang convertable) Hot roaded the motor, love it. But that has been my inspiration to go LS on this one. As much as I love the mustang I don't love constantly adjusting the Holly every time the weather changes a few degrees. Also, built a custom suspension on my 2003 sonoma with dana 44 axles front and rear and that will be getting a 5.3 when the camaro is done.
The only thing I am not doing on this one is the motor work. Found a guy that does nothing but build blown and turbo LS motors and has been awesome. I've been going back and forth with him for a year and a half now and he has found me an LQ9 block, LS3 heads (and intake but I am no longer going that road obviously), T-56, clutch, chifter, ecm, whatever accessories I want, peddle, throttle body, all the other good stuff as well as make me a wiring harness for just about the same price as if I sourced it all myself and put it together. i can't really argue with that! But now he is going to source me forged rods and pistons since I will be mailing him a blower.
Great to hear someone else is trying the LSA blower route. If you get home before June get started right away and post a build thread to make my life easier! haha. Let me know if you need any of my info. I've been researching for years now and have just about every important post from here and pro-touring saved. I also have multiple PDF's saved and excel docs with complete parts lists and costs. One thing the Army has taught me is planning everything out! If you don't have it (I have 3 LS swap books) But the best I have found would have to be "the complete swap guide" by joseph potak. I think it is the newest one out there, I actually pre-ordered it a year ago and got it last spring. Best guide out there. Send me a PM with your info and we can communicate on email. If your stationed near me then I will be happy to lend a hand. Trust me... I know how much it sucks trying to drop an engine in by yourself. Not impossible, but not fun either. I'll bring the six packs.

Adam

[wing_0797]

Deff. Was not fun putting in my engine and trans by myself I tried to get it running for deployment but no dice, Now I'm going back too square one. I want a larger engine, I'm considering stroking the 5.3 to 382 but for that price I can get a tricked out 6.0 or a 427 stroker short block from schwanke- I'm going to try and get the body work done, and I want to box and powder coat the frame. Add poly body bushings I think theres nothing like building a car that dosnt have 40 or 50 years or so of grime and dirt just primer and powder coat. A 68 camaro is way more high profile then my cutlass they have tons of aftermarket you can get billet everything you can get carbonfiber everything they make all things for the 68 camaro easy. For cutlass I have to search and fabricate it sucks really I am planning to build it drive it a bit and sell it to get a chevelle I want to autocross an A-body there are not many 70-72 A-body's doing it. LQ9 blocks have more Hp just because the piston's are different- I deff. need a 6.0 it would be nice to get a 6.2

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

I would definitely start with the 6.0 if the budget allows. Starting with the 4.0 bore opens up a lot of possibilities including the L92/LS3 heads. You also have a better starting platform to reach big CI numbers that are more expensive starting with the smaller bored 5.3. But if your budget allows go for that 6.2! That was out of my budget to start with but I justified it to myself by saying that staying with Iron was my tribute to the old school of a 60's musclecar, lol. At least it briefs well. 6.2's are a lot easier to find now though since more and more trucks/SUV's are showing up in the boneyards with them, I got my motor 2 years ago so they were MUCH harder to find at a good price.
The camaro has been my dream car since I was a kid and my wife surprised me with it. There is a TON of aftermarket support but I like to do as much as I can with my own hands, tools, and welder instead of buying every last piece. Lol. I like the idea of as much as possible, I am the only one with my exact car. (hard when your talking about an LS first gen these days though). Quick pic of my car as it sits now, shell bodywork done minus floors (new quarter, drip panel, trunk, well.... most of the shell replaced and primed with a start at smoothing the firewall. This is how a pic of how I left it in the garage for storage.
53158

Subframe is off, still have a body bushing mount to fix before frame gets finished up and powdercoated and I can start getting it ready for the new motor/trans. The more I talk about it, the more I can't wait to get back and start working on it again.

[wing_0797]

That's the level of build I want to do for all my cars, although I dont have the know how or ability to take my own body off the frame. I love building cars I am working on opening an Automotive shop- Camaros are so easy to work with. I cant wait to get started either I have Corbeau seats planned new set of wheels disc brakes- 442 hood it will be good to make some progress, you already look like your body is straight and everything just needs to start being assembled then sent for final paint. They make new bumbers, fenders, and fesler as well as Anvil make some cool parts for your year camaro.

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

The 442 hoods are sexy. I am going away from the norm and using the origional 68 Camaro SS hood and not the 69 SS cowl hood. I like them and it is different, plus it is one less aftermarket part I have to fit to the car, origional stuff lines up so much easier. The body is in great shape (now) and I have new doors, fenders, floorpans. Basically a giant jizsaw puzzle of parts to piece together and make work. Some fabrication is still needed to fit the floorpans, custom dash/gauge mounts, trans crossmember, possibly subframe mods to fit the engine, and of course now I am wishing I installed mini tubs so that may be coming down in the future.
Taking the body off the frame really isn't hard even on a full framed car (depending on the shape of the bolts holding them on and how much rot there is, not to mention how many friends you have over... But definitely worth it to get the body mounting locations fixed to prevent HUGE problems in the future. How much were your seats? I have NO idea what I am doing for them. Probably end up cruising the boneyards till I find something that is comfortable, looks good (musclecar like), and the brackets are at least close to the right height, then fitting them and getting uphulstered to match the rear. There are some nice OE seats out there that just need a little love.
I am planning on the Rushforth Superspoke wheels and possibly the Baer T4 brakes.... But we will see, lot of $$$ Those may need to wait a few years down the road. Coud be some TTII's and C6 brakes till then.
Let me know if your hiring! lol... I've been tellin my wife I want to get out and open a speed shop. Not sure she is takin me seriously... YET

[wing_0797]

I like the 442 hood, a protouring 71 cutlass isnt normal I beileve there is one, then theres project sabre, I havent seen any others. 68 camaro's are nice I like all the hoods that come on them the body lines are real muscular. Detroit speed makes minitubs for the 68 camaro- The seats I am going with are the Corbeau LG1 they are about 700 for a set, depends on the material you get them in they are good seats so I have heard and comfortable. The gauges I am going with run off of GPS They are by speedhut- I like rushforth wheels as well they are a little bit steep at 3K for all four rims depending on the width you select. There is also Formula 43 and New Gen- Vintage wheel works, Most of them are a little cheaper but not by much. I plan on 18x11 in the back with a Fab9 or M9 rear end and posi. I'm looking at going with formula 43 just because I like them. I wish that I knew how and had the ability to do my own bodywork I got quoted for 5000 to take my body off the frame and get everything square. 1200 to do the frame, I cant find anyone that dose boxing or that can put the HPI chassis brace in. I found that on ebay you can get a full set of wilwood brakes 12x19 for about 16, I kind of want 13 and 14 but the size of the brake dosnt matter much to the stopping power. As far as back seats I might not have any but I am not sure I have to many ideas in my head lol. I am planning on getting the name copy righted for my buisness when I get back- I just need to check the market and see the best place to live and the car scene and all. My buisness is based on passion If you have a passion for muscle cars, speed and performance, are honest with a good work ethic there's always a place in my shop. Finding people with a passion for cars is hard nowadays- most people real skills or not are just trying to pay the bills. They don't care about the customer or there car they just want to do an average job and make the customer happy enough to pay them. At my shop shotty work wont exist, for instance all rust being replaced with metal instead of fiberglass etc. Oh modern glass innovations makes flush mounted glass-











The 442 hoods are sexy. I am going away from the norm and using the origional 68 Camaro SS hood and not the 69 SS cowl hood. I like them and it is different, plus it is one less aftermarket part I have to fit to the car, origional stuff lines up so much easier. The body is in great shape (now) and I have new doors, fenders, floorpans. Basically a giant jizsaw puzzle of parts to piece together and make work. Some fabrication is still needed to fit the floorpans, custom dash/gauge mounts, trans crossmember, possibly subframe mods to fit the engine, and of course now I am wishing I installed mini tubs so that may be coming down in the future.
Taking the body off the frame really isn't hard even on a full framed car (depending on the shape of the bolts holding them on and how much rot there is, not to mention how many friends you have over... But definitely worth it to get the body mounting locations fixed to prevent HUGE problems in the future. How much were your seats? I have NO idea what I am doing for them. Probably end up cruising the boneyards till I find something that is comfortable, looks good (musclecar like), and the brackets are at least close to the right height, then fitting them and getting uphulstered to match the rear. There are some nice OE seats out there that just need a little love.
I am planning on the Rushforth Superspoke wheels and possibly the Baer T4 brakes.... But we will see, lot of $$$ Those may need to wait a few years down the road. Coud be some TTII's and C6 brakes till then.
Let me know if your hiring! lol... I've been tellin my wife I want to get out and open a speed shop. Not sure she is takin me seriously... YET

[FatfreeGTO]

When I had to get a bunch of OEM parts I went to GMpartscenter.net. Prices aren't as low as gmpartsdirect.com but they have a flat $7.99 shipping on any size order. I priced the supercharger and cover with the numbers you listed.

Supercharger- $1759.00 vs $1510 for gmpartsdirect
Cover - $1060 vs $910 gmpartsdirect

Hope this helps you out even if just for future purchases.

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

FatFree,
Thank you so much for that tip! I am going to check it out as soon as possible. If that is true about the flat shipping then it will definitely be cheaper than GMPartsDirect! They were charging over $300 a piece for the supercharger and cover alone! All said and done it was barely cheaper than runnin to the nearest dealer. I'll post back my findings in the next couple days. Things are gettin busier after the holidays so not as much time.
Thanks again,

Adam

[FatfreeGTO]

No problem Adam glad to help. Like I said I used it when I had to order a bunch of parts for my swap. I did a price comparison between the 2 sites and while the prices are similar in the end I liked the fact that I wasn't being "lied" to about how much it would really cost, and a whole lot cheaper then the local dealer as well. It was an easier way to plan out what I needed and budget accordingly.

I tried buying parts through the dealer and even with a friend that worked their trying to get a discount for me they wouldn't match the online prices, or even come close to it for that matter...

Only minor issue with this site was the shipping time, but it really isn't a big deal if you plan accordingly. I've just become used to getting things from rockauto or amazon in 2 or 3 days that it was weird having to wait about 1 1/2 weeks for something to arrive. That would be my only complaint if I had one.

Good luck with your build!!
BJ

[dhutton]

When I had to get a bunch of OEM parts I went to GMpartscenter.net. Prices aren't as low as gmpartsdirect.com but they have a flat $7.99 shipping on any size order. I priced the supercharger and cover with the numbers you listed.

Supercharger- $1759.00 vs $1510 for gmpartsdirect
Cover - $1060 vs $910 gmpartsdirect

Hope this helps you out even if just for future purchases.

In my experience GMpartsdirect charges 15% for shipping which makes them roughly the same or even slightly less.

[T.K.]

There are a couple of guys buying crate LSA and swapping to the ZL1 tophat (cover). I bet you can find a good price on a new never used take off. Or you could buy the ZL1 tophat. I'm actually looking at possibly swapping over to the ZL1 myself.

[uxojerry]

Im researching a blower motor for my next project and study several websites and their builds. If you go iron 6l there is room to grow later to a forged 408. An LSA blower may not have steam for a 408. Lots of guys do an FI build with power adders at the minimum, only to change them out later when they want more power. You may want to also consider LSA heads over LS3s. They are getting very popular and dont cost too much extra.

An LSA blower on a 5.3 seems interesting and should have enough steam left for 388ci at a later date. There is no right or wrong answer, but room to grow seems a logical approach.

[MonsterCarlo]

Probably won't work on a 5.3 because the LSA blower intake manifold is made for rectangular port LS3/L92 style heads which are made for 4.00" bore blocks and the 5.3L has cathedral (LS1) style heads.

[Jesserimz]

I've searched far and wide, both here and LS1tech and havn't been able to get a good answer on this. You can get the lower portion of the LSA (CTS-V) supercharger from GMPartsdirect for about 1500 and the top cover for under 1k. I know there are other miscelaneous parts that would need to be sourced along with the front drive assembly and a heat exchanger fabbed to work but is there any other reasons people aren't doing this? It seems like a pretty cost effective way to get a good power adder for much cheaper than the magnuson kit.

Side note: I'm pretty sure all of the 4th Gen motors have rectangular ports (think LS9s may be a bit different) but I already have the LS3 heads for my LQ9, will those work with the LSA blower or is there anything different? I am having my engine builder install a forged bottom end right now for use with a blower but I want to know if the LSA blower is an option. The engine is going into a 68 camaro and I think looks pretty damn good in the installs I have seen of the complete LSA from a cts-v. Any advice or links would be greatly appreciated! I am currently in afghanistan so my internet is incredibly slow and I don't have too much time to research so if anyone can point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it! My goal is to have the motor and all the parts I need to complete the project waiting in the garage when I re-deploy so I can make up for lost time! I am pretty against naming projects unless they are rediculously bad $%* but I should call this thing project "FINALLY"



Hey guys! I'm going to chim in ....
Well i have been watching this forum for a bit. I have recently acquired a brand new ZL1 LSA supercharger for dirt cheap (2400) all in for a complete supercharger. Not to bad lol so then i went an purchased a used rebuilt LQ4 6.0l iron block. Then went to the gm dealer and bought brand new L92 heads with solid stainless valves. Ditched the .510 lift spring an bought a set of comp cams duel valve springs with titanium retainers an locks. 7.400 push rods. Gmpp .51 head gaskets.. So thats just a start for me but now im broke lol. I plan on using the ls9 lingenfelter ported snout, 70lb injectors, lid spacer. Lsa accessories, lingenfelter harmonic dampener with 18% overdrive Pulley. Hoping for 600hp thru a 4wd trans in a 6500lb truck... So i have brand new .510 lift springs, 57lb injectors and a zl1 lsa snout all brand new for sale....

[BeerB8AmmoGRITS]

Sounds like a fun build, I didn't see your cam specs listed or headers but I think it's fair to assume you'll blow well past the 600hp mark with everything you listed. You doing anything to that bottom end? The lq4s are pretty stout stock and have lower compression but your still probably gonna be pushing it! That supercharger with an overdrive pulley is gonna be making some decent boost and with a heavy truck the stock bottom end might not last too long. I went through the same dalemna with mine and ended up throwing forged rods and pistons at it just to make sure.

[Jesserimz]

Hey man thankx. Cams out for custom grind had a vette shop pick my cam! 1 7/8 long tubes with free flowing exhaust no cats no mufflers!!! No need for e test where im from. But im guessing it will be spring befor i have all the toys to finish this build. Then to the dyno for some tuning. Cant wait dude im getting excited. An as for the bottom end i guess will find out what to much boost will or wont do. Sometimes u just get a good one an sometimes the pin was pulled long ago lmao. Foot down hope for the best if not back to the drawing board lol

[camarodude87]

any updates?