Project Mayhem version 2.0

[geberhard]

so you have a carb, why not try a carb , msd ignition, some reasonably priced headers and a pan swap. And cant traditional SBC trannys be mated to LSx? I mean gee whiz one reason I have not even gave LSx a look for either of my cars is because it costs so dang much. I mean its great some people can swing it but after engine,trans,parts, mods for parts to fit my cars we are talking 5k to 10k range and I dont really want to have that much in BOTH cars at first and be able to drive it.
So many people keep harping on LSx yet I see the prices NOT coming down at all and if anything going UP. I mean God help me but $850 to $1000 headers? Please its bad enough that swap sbc headers for my Monza are now up to almost $500, makes me glad I have my little tig welder,,Ill figure out tubing and rebuild what I need ,,or design new ones and build them.
But good luck which ever way you go.
Was wondering,,,why not figure out issue with old engine,,,might be simple fix. Seen many an engine that got ran with antifreeze for several days before owner found it and they lived after fixes.

I think you have been spending too much time on Pro-touring high dollar build threads :D I am surprised more people here are not buying complete cars and parting them out to net a zero cost powertrain plus extra change in your pocket if you buy wisely and re-sell the parts from the car. Sure the market for LS1's is hot, and the price you have on that GTO setup already out of the car is a killer deal. but the market for salvage or junked body 4th gens is not too bad 9I have been seeing them in the $2K-5K range with a lot of recouperable value. Do not want to murk the thread, but to illustrate, I picked up the beauty below cheap (bad clutch), and started parting out. IWth very little effort I have recouped most of the purchase price already and still have a long list of parts I am waiting to sell after I remove the powertrain. Thee are also other things you can use such as the big brake ls1 setup that is excellent and a fraction of the cost of other brake kits out there... Just something to think about. You can also utilize the radiator and dual fan from teh same donor car so further offload in costs...










Warning... hope this pic doe snot pollute the thread








Nothing against the MSD Carb idea, but realistically why? Simplicity is great and all, but you can have a harness built along with PCM flashing done by someone for about $400 including performance mods. Cheaper than the MSD setup, you will have likely more power and gas saving as well.

Also from your list below, there are items you can get away without (I am focusing on keeping within your budget), and still work VERY well.