Motor swaping?

Alright, i was bored and was thinking "wouldn't it be awesome to sell my LS1 and buy some larger engine....that would be cool". My questions are these: 1. What are the limitations to what engine i can drop in (i've looked at the engine bay...i'm not sure what else can fit in there), what else do i HAVE to change to get it working (i know i'd want to get a new rear end...12 or 9 bolt or whatever it is, but i wouldn't race untill i got one), i couldn't afford a new one...what should i be looking for and how much, and how much could i get for the LS1 (46k miles, good condition)? I know this will cost a lot even if it can be done, but if i find the passion to do it, i could save up for this summer, and do it this summer. The thing is, i am a junior in highschool and if i don't do something like that this summer, i wouldn't do it at all b/c college afterwards = no huge spending. I know i am sorta crazy for wanting more....but i am just like that. I am not even serious about doing it, i just wanna see if it is worth even really looking into.

before you sell it answer me something do you have any mods on the car or engine?? if not I would suggest that you not sell it b/c in the Oct. 2000 issue there is an article about an ls1 that S.A.M (school of Automotive Machinists) built that will run a 11.474 @ 120they added alot of stuff like a 12bolt rear and headers they ported the heads and ran drag radials thats really fast especially for a car you could still drive on the street. you already mentioned buying a rear so thats no biggy plus you would save cash not having to buy and build a new motor plus you would skip the headache of trying to shoehorn in a bigblock (if thats the idea you had) If you conciter the idea I think you should keep it and mod the piss out of it. I really doubt your running faster than an 11.474 now and if you are your the man and swap away. :D

Lol, at this point i am trying to figure out what i want to do with my money. I was thinking cam, and some small things. Then i was thinking clutch, gears, intake, ect...The reason i want a bigger engine (yes, a big block) what size is possible for the engine bay, what else do i have to change? Ya i could mod out the LS1, which i will probably end up doing, but i was looking at chevelle's and saw a few with 454's and it just makes me want a bigger engine.

Well let me see as far as a big block, in an issue of Car Craft (Dec. 2000) they made an article that showed what you would need to swap in a big block to a ton of different cars, they didn't have the newest gen. of birds but they did have the 82-92, do you know how close the engine bay size is ( I think it's pretty close) anyway they have a chart and it says a 396-502 will fit the only parts they have listed for the swap are either hedman or hooker headers. I think it would take alot more than that to swap on in (maybe these are the only "model spacific" parts for a swap of this type) I totally agree with you though I often wonder what mine would be like with a 502 then it scares me and I stop :D

Ya, looking at the chevelle's with the huge engines just makes me want a huge engine as well...just because. I guess i gotta make sure of which engines can fit, what parts i'll need, and if i can find any used engines (newer ones of course). I dunno if i'd push it to a 502...thats a bit much....although cool..hmm.....i'd be happy with a 454:) heheh, but i gotta see that costs of all this, somehow i think it might be cheaper to just buy a messed up chevelle and restore it a bit:)

yeah it might take a lot of work to put a big block into a new firebird if you want to remain "brand loyal" you can build a 455 like they did in Car Craft it made 501.3 hp@ 5200rpm and 575.3 ft.lbs. of torque@3600rpm if you could ram it in there that would be one ass kickin bird. not to mention that thats just the start with a big block you could s/c it or hook it up with some spray and you'd have some really fast and crazy s**t on your hands. :devil: now your making me want a big block:)

oh your probably right a Chevelle would probably be cheaper, but how cool would it be to say you own a big block 'bird.:D

Brand loyal can take a back seat:) i want a big block! I'd actually consider just selling my bird and getting a chevelle expcept A. My parents would shoot me first rather than let me sell my car (i haven't had it long) and B. I like it too much. I am also thinking about getting the engine bored (would make it a 383 or so i believe), but thats not the same.

Bore it out 30 over and put a 400 crank in that bitch and poof, 383. Do that instead of screwing up the engine comp.

Dropping a big block into the engine bay is a waste of time/money in my opinion. Old carb motors are easy to tune, but they are becoming outdated, and they will not pass emissions if you plan to mod it at all.

If you're looking to build a nice motor, buy a 6.0L Iron truck block out of the new trucks. The engines are based on the 5.7L LS1, and with a stroker crank and bore, you can get em punched out to 427ci.
Check out www.LS1Tech.com
They can answer any of your questions.

There are a bunch of these big cubed LS1s running into the 10s and even 9s Naturally Aspirated. You could also concider a 383 All Bore