OK, before the rocks start flying......o No: I'm thinking about going to the LS style motor from my current Stage 1 455. I really want to drive the car more, but the gas milage (with my HEAVY foot) Sux bad. Like in the 8mpg range. Being that the GS Cali only came with a 350 (Mine is long gone) and a TH350 & open 2.73 rear. The loss to our Buick community is not great. I'm leaning towards a 5.3 or 6.0 with a 6 speed. The double OD with 3.31's should be great on the highway (50 miles round trip from work) and looks to put me in the 27-30 mpg range and still have the performance I want. Of course this is still a "corporate engine" and I will be painting it Buick Red, with functional ram air from the GS Hood! Also going to convert GTO valve covers to read GS or GS Califonia. So, has anyone else done this swap on a Skylark A-body? I've been all over the LS1Tech website and found plenty of Chevelles and LeMans conversions to try and mimic. How about the 6 speed? Tunnel fabrication? Fuel lines, pre-bent would be great! I will be swapping the 1971 Stage 1 and a TH400 into the GN and offering that up on the board this winter(?). I also will be offering up the 4 speed set up with blown M-20 (fixable??) this winter as well. This would include the Bell, flywheel, complete clutch set-up, z-bar, linkage, actuating rod, but no pedels, also the M-20, shifter & linkage, trans mount. Have not thought about a price on that stuff, but if interested do the math & send a PM to me. Thinking that if done right this could be ideal for driving long distances. If it didn't work out I can always build my '72 455.... Jim 1969 GS California 455 Stage 1 / Muncie 4spd / 3.31 12 bolt "Passes everything but gas stations" 1982 Turbo Regal Was 454/TH400 Now just "parked" no driveline
Only the 6.0 and larger LS motors will accept the L92 rectangular port heads. Keep that in mind if you're looking to get 500 normally aspirated horsepower (which is fairly easy with a 6.0 or 6.2 motor).
3.31s would be to high of gear imo i think with a 6 speed you would want atleast 373 6 speed auto or manual
There's always MFI for the Buick 350: Buick 350 EFI System Even better yet, and probably a lot more cost effective, is the Retrotek Powerjection III unit. I just wish I could get an idea on what kind of fuel economy improvements something like this would have.
before i put any rear axle gear i would look into what gears came from the factory vettes with auto matics came with 256 and i believe 6 speeds came with 3.08 so 3.73 would be high and first gear would be real short
No reason it should not "work out". You can follow all of the same instruction that the Chevelle guys use. It is all the exact same stuff. There is endless tech and people to answer questions on LS1Tech.com. As for which engine to choose, I had a 5.3 given to me and I still went with the 6.0. The heavy car will thank you. Also, if you can, get the LQ9. It has more compression than the LQ4 which will help with the fuel economy and power.
Thanks for the updates. I did the math on the 3.31's and came out fine. Don't want to be shifting all the time with too short a gear. The other possibility is a 6 speed 4L65E. Course that adds to price, but the overall fit is better than the factory 6 auto. The flip side is price (always money), so if I go back to an automatic, the regular 4 speed OD may have to be used to get this moving. So far I have been looking at wrecked Vettes and F-bodies. 5.7 LS1's with 6 speed manuals. Looks like the price is around 2500-4000 depending on location & damage. Since I don't have a commercial lot, the car needs to roll under it's own power. (delivery & fees run around $1200). Thinking I can pedel the carcass to a racer or on evil-bay and recoupe some $$$. I'll get started on my GS teardown around Veteran's Day (give myself a day off for retiring!). I'll post the 4 speed stuff right away. Someone will get most everything to convert their BBB/Auto to stick (tranny needs a rebuild ray: ). Also, if I recall correctly, the driveshaft will need to be cut. If anyone knows on this please let me know. Anybody want a BBC '64 Nova? Jim
I am using the Vette belt driven accessories on mine. The F-body and GTO accessories usually hit the steering box on a-bodies. You can use the truck accessories but the alternator sits way up high.
I am curious about the MPG's. Keep us posted on that. If it gets that 30 you mention, then that would be a great combo for an extra driver in the Buick fleet. The 5.3 in my pickup gets 16.
I'll be posting the results of my first gas mileage test as soon as this tank of gas is done. Granted, I installed my PJ III onto a mild 455, but it should be a good ballpark for you 350 guys.
I have my eye on that setup to put on the turbo car, so post everything you can. I'm subscribed to your thread..
Regarding MPG. Remember that you 5.3 in a P/U is lugging around 5500+ lbs. I'm only running 3600 lbs. A ton is a lot of weight when fuel milage is concerned. I do a lot of highway driving, so the an LS motor with FI & O/D should really shine. Since this is a Buick rig, I'm also addicted to the torque! Been looking for the best of both worlds. I know that the '86-'87 Turbo Regals are getting this MPG (if they aren't standing on it) with a few mods. So if I get between 25-30 mpg it accomplishes my goal of being able to drive it on a regular basis. Right now I am using a 1/4 tank of fuel for a 50 mile drive. Combo is 455 Stage 1, dual exhaust, Holley 750 & a muncie w/3.31 rear gears. Tach is running at 2600-2800 rpm at 60-65 mph. So if we figure 4.25 gallons used, divided into 50 miles round trip, I get 11.764705 mile per gallon. This swap will more than double my fuel range. Regarding the accessory swap: The reason I've been looking at 5.7 Corvettes is this swap issue. I did find someone making a relocation kit for accessories using the more common truck stuff. May go that route if I can find a reasonable corvette. Steering box: This should work for everyone. A Jeep Cherokee steering box (2 turns lock to lock) is a direct replacement for an A-body steering box. It does have metric end though. You will also need a rag joint from a "metric" GM truck to reattach the steering. Just swap over your A-body pitman arm!
I have a 01 camaro z28 with 5.7 and 6 speed as my daily driver. with 3.42 stock gears I was getting 24-25 mpg. I also have a 6 speed in my buick and it has a .64 final drive. it has 3.73 gears and at 60 the rpm is 1700.
On the C6 Auto Vettes that have 6 speeds (2006 and newer) have a 2.56 rear gear unless they have the Z51 performance package then they have a 2.73. If you find a manual 6 speed they will have 3.42 ratio. There are aftermarket ratios available but they are not reliable and require a professional shop to do the install because the rear end is a 2 piece pressed together that takes a very special press to assemble/disassemble. Also the 2006-2007 had the 6.0 LS2 (400 HP) and the 2008 and newer were a 6.2 LS3 (430 HP) unless you find a Z06 then it is the 7.0 LS7 (505 HP)
Most likely scenario is a 5.7 LS1 vette with a stick. Would be rearended to get the price down enough to afford the costs of parting it out. I'd imagine that there is going to be a market for the stripped hulk. Thinking that the c5/c6 suspension would sell easily. Might get the local junkyard to buy up the body/interior. Thinking that I would be about even at that point. Anyone into the fiberglass wonders? Jim
This is my other baby, but I don't know a lot about tweaking/parting them out. Mine is bone stock (7,500 miles) other than a battery tender and it runs low 12's and gets 25 MPG so I am not gonna mess with it. I can tell you if you do get a wild hair about independent rear suspension do your homework because I think it is the 2004-2005's have a weaker rear-end than 2007 and up, but even those break without too much flogging if you get wheel hop. If you get serious about finding parts I have gotten a lot of info at this forum. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/
Crystal Red Metallic. 2008 was the 1st year for it. That picture makes it look lighter than it really is, probably because that picture was taken in the bright Boca Ratton Fla sun, not the Washington State clear air hahah
What most of us first gen Camaro guys do is use a box from a late 80's Monte Carlo SS or IROC Camaro with FE2 special suspension package. There are two different boxes and special suspension must be in the option list as it will get you a higher effort box. Those boxes are available rebuilt with a lifetime warranty for around $125. Also, Lee Manufacturing offers inserts for the box which allow you to use your stock hoses. The threads on the two boxes are close enough that they work and the inserts convert the o-ring type seal of the late box back to flare. The IROC box is the same 12.7:1 ratio as the Cherokee box but gets your effort up to 30 max whereas the Cherokee is 26 max (stock is around 20 max). To me, the effort is where you get most of the benefit as it gets rid of that "steer with your finger" feel that was the hallmark of '60s power steering. I went from a 12.7:1 Year One restoration box to a 12.7:1 box for Monte Carlo SS on a '69 Camaro and it's the trick. Rock Auto is about the cheapest place to get the steering coupler and it'll come up under a mid '80s Chevy truck. Also one little side note on fuel economy.....you'll get a much higher return on investment with an OD than you will with EFI if compared to a well tuned carb. Borrow someone's LS1 car and run a couple of tanks of gas through it without ever shifting past fourth gear and it'll suck it down with the best of them. However, it's just about impossible to run a carb down around 1300-1500 RPM in a high load OD without EFI. Man, LS1/T56/computer/accessory pullouts are getting cheap.
