Project SicMonte

[NOT A TA]

Put in another SBC and drive it.

[howehot]

Why not look for an LS2 or LS3 with a manual, swap cams and get both wishes fulfilled. Check local salvage yards and craigslist. I picked up my LS1/4l60e for $1400, both had been rebuilt. Engine had Mahle forged pistons, ARP fastners and ported heads. I installed a hotter cam and LS6 intake. Tranny I had beefed up for assurance and spent $700 on it. Deals are out there, you have to be patient and alert.

You will have added costs for exhaust, programming, serpintine system, and incidentals, but the results will be worth it.

Dan

[gsxrken]

Put in another SBC and drive it.

Agreed 100%. You have a great thing going with incremental upgrades all along the journey WHILE using the snot out of your car. A lost year and $15k won't be worth it and at some point you may look back and say I should have just got a track rat, a Z06, or a classic Camaro if I was going to join the forever-on-jack-stands crowd.

You could be back on the road in a weekend with a sick SBC crate motor.

[carguykeith]

Man that's a tuff one, the kind of racing you are doing needs a manual trans but it seems silly to not be going with an LS. I like the idea of picking up a used LS with a manual trans or even better a wrecked car that you could part out to recoup some of the cars cost.

I say put together a spreadsheet and see what kind of total cost an LS would be, then make up your mind.

[fonz3482]

I currently work on a late model race team. We run 604 gm crate engines as per our rules. They are around $4,000 shipped to your front door new. Nice motors, with alot of good pieces push about 405hp. Also alot of roundie-round divisions change there rules frequently, making current drivetrain components, and motors non useable anymore, or illegal. In our series they recently started teching cars alot better, and newer technology to do so. SO alot of the cheaters cant come to the races, or put there motors for sale. I know a guy with a 604 crate that only has 2 races on it, that he spent $10,000 on the motor to make it the way it is, and now he can't run it because he would get d.q.'ed. The stock crate pushes 405hp like stated above, his crate on a 2 barrel is pushing 465hp., with a 4 barrel and a different cam, probably @ 490. I heard he's looking for around $4000 for it. I guess what Im getting at is check a local roundie- round track SOON. The seasons ending shortly, and alot of guys will look to dump there stuff off to buy brand new. I know we have a $20,000 late model dry sump motor sitting in storage because our local track dumped the late model series, So our new track and series forced us to goto the 604 crate. It needs a freshen as it was run 1 full season, but still ran fine when pulled, he's probably gonna dump it and get 1/4 of the price for it, especially now that no one locally can use them in there race cars. I believe some one told me the dry sump motor with a 4 barrel on it, changed the cam, and ran that beast, it would make 500hp no problem. So Check around, maybe someone has a nice piece just laying in there race shop! I inquired on these motors and what there capable of because I have a monte I want to build, but I just cant swing the cash right now for them.

[sr73bu]

You have some top quality accessories for a SBC already, i say stick with SBC for that reason. Look into some roller internal components if money allows you too. SBCs are tried and true... though LS motors are all the rave and Great motors i think you'll avoid unexpected costs and most likely make more power by saving on those costs with a good Ol SBC. My 350/t56 combo is great...and to be honest when is finally lets go I'll most likely build another one.
I kind of look at it like this: High budget- go LS, get top self parts and never look back.... Low Budget your going to be driving a mostly stock LS due to the cost of the accesories you'll swap to run it. For probably a little bit more money (low-mid budget) you could use everything you've got and build a nasty little SBC...just my 2 cents

-Sean

[ed1le]

Do you necessarily need a "new engine" or would a refresh of your current engine suffice? Pull it, check it out and you may find some new bearings & rings combined with freshening the block & crank is all it needs. Then, you could do the 6-speed swap and start building the LS engine & collecting parts while still enjoying the car.

[SickSpeedMonte]

^ What he said.

[bonecrrusher]

Blow up the SBC - and get a LS motor.... lol.

[SS PUNISHER]

Unless you are gonna do s aluminum block ls to save weight I'd stay old school sbc and throw that t56 behind it.

[diesel25lrs]

Doug- It was great meeting you and your girl this wknd! By the way you were running laps-I don't think you need a new engine... :-)

[SicMonte]

Doug- It was great meeting you and your girl this wknd! By the way you were running laps-I don't think you need a new engine... :-)

It was great meeting you too!!

Funny you say this...the oil pressure was good all weekend...weird.

[SicMonte]

How are you supposed to save money and move up in life....if you have a car that constantly needs attention and $$ to keep it going?

After RTTH I am not sure what I need to do...

The motor actually ran great (had decent oil pressure...not sure why though!)...the trans performed perfectlly...but my rear left something to be desired. My stock 7.5 was causing me serious traction issues and I already have an 8.5 but it needs to be built.

I am at a crossroads in the car world.....

[xxxturbo6]

How are you supposed to save money and move up in life....if you have a car that constantly needs attention and $$ to keep it going?

After RTTH I am not sure what I need to do...

The motor actually ran great (had decent oil pressure...not sure why though!)...the trans performed perfectlly...but my rear left something to be desired. My stock 7.5 was causing me serious traction issues and I already have an 8.5 but it needs to be built.

I am at a crossroads in the car world.....

Doug,

After our talks and personally riding in your car this past weekend here are my suggestions..

* Rebuild that same engine and BEEF it up some! This engine has given you 8 yrs of reliability so far and you already have the accessories so this would be your "Cheapest" route but this time around just make it more bad a#s.... Keep in mind that a LS engine won't necessarily make you faster or the car faster, It will possibly get better gas mileage. Going LS will cost more to get done and you probably won't stop there so you will still want a t56 to go with it...

* Keep that trans

* Take the 8.5 rear end and have a Tru-trac installed and put that in your car..

* Get rid of that oil pan and go with a Canton baffled oil pan.

And the other things we talked about over the weekend... You car is pretty cool just the way it is and your doing a great job with Less! If there is Anything I can do for you just let me know...


SW.

[SicMonte]

Doug,

After our talks and personally riding in your car this past weekend here are my suggestions..

* Rebuild that same engine and BEEF it up some! This engine has given you 8 yrs of reliability so far and you already have the accessories so this would be your "Cheapest" route but this time around just make it more bad a#s.... Keep in mind that a LS engine won't necessarily make you faster or the car faster, It will possibly get better gas mileage. Going LS will cost more to get done and you probably won't stop there so you will still want a t56 to go with it...

* Keep that trans

* Take the 8.5 rear end and have a Tru-trac installed and put that in your car..

* Get rid of that oil pan and go with a Canton baffled oil pan.

And the other things we talked about over the weekend... You car is pretty cool just the way it is and your doing a great job with Less! If there is Anything I can do for you just let me know...


SW.

I hear what you are saying and I agree with all of it. Only issue I forsee is that my current motor is bored our.060 over already....so I it needs to be bored out any more I will need another block. Good think a buddy of mine has a newer style sbc block for me that was a factory roller cam...woop woop!!

[Stg1Regal]

Yours Monte still has the 7.5 in it and you been beating up on it all these years? Wow Doug wow... Thats awesome!! means it was built right , that means if you built it to last , and the rest of the car was built that same thought in mind, your ride should last.

Im with Scot W. after riding in you car, work with what you got, no electronics with the LS, no muss no fuss there. Maybe do a F.A.S.T EZ-EFI , for the mileage and tune for your driving habits..

Yes go with the 8.5 rear, & upgrade the rest.

I got aways to go with mine, to compete at you and Scot's level... but watch out!!

Again thanks for the ride along... felt good to feel what a G-body can be built to do.

[TheBandit203]

Yours Monte still has the 7.5 in it and you been beating up on it all these years? Wow Doug wow... Thats awesome!! means it was built right , that means if you built it to last , and the rest of the car was built that same thought in mind, your ride should last.

Im with Scot W. after riding in you car, work with what you got, no electronics with the LS, no muss no fuss there. Maybe do a F.A.S.T EZ-EFI , for the mileage and tune for your driving habits..

Yes go with the 8.5 rear, & upgrade the rest.

I got always to go with mine, to compete at you and Scot's level... but watch out!!

Again thanks for the ride along... felt good to feel what a G-body can be built to do.

So an 8.5 SS rear can hold up to the rigors of autoX? And Mr Reed I will need your help in the near future for my 455 regal swap!

[Norm Peterson]

Yours Monte still has the 7.5 in it and you been beating up on it all these years? Wow Doug wow... Thats awesome!! means it was built right , that means if you built it to last , and the rest of the car was built that same thought in mind, your ride should last.

Unless you include "Pro Solo", which has a for-real drag strip start against a car beside you running a mirror-image course to yours, autocrossing isn't all that tough on the rear, parts breakage-wise. What autocrossing is tough on is the clutches or cones (power-on, the clutches/cones want to lock, but the tight turns want to make them slip more than they have to in most street driving). The cones in an Auburn are perhaps a little more durable than clutches (and I think you can get a special racer-oriented version of one of the Auburns through Sam Strano).

FWIW, I ran several years of street driving plus three full seasons of autocrossing with 7.5"/7.625" Auburn and Richmond Gear stuff that I installed myself, with zero durability issues.


Norm

[Stg1Regal]

TheBandit203


Just read your going to a Buick 455 Big Block in your Regal,
You should check out discussion board called www.v8buick.com lots of guys doing the Big Block Buick swap into their REgal here in this part of the forum

http://www.v8buick.com/forumdisplay....Powered-Regals

I will help you anyway I can...ask away..... Then set your ride to handle as good as Sic Monte's so I got someone to compete against thats equal to mine.

[xxxturbo6]

TheBandit203


Just read your going to a Buick 455 Big Block in your Regal,
You should check out discussion board called www.v8buick.com lots of guys doing the Big Block Buick swap into their REgal here in this part of the forum

http://www.v8buick.com/forumdisplay....Powered-Regals

I will help you anyway I can...ask away..... Then set your ride to handle as good as Sic Monte's so I got someone to compete against that's equal to mine.

You will want to set your car up with a large V8 cause my little 6 cyl car is the underdog at these v8 auto-x events! LOL