LS Engine install guide

[chucknorris]

For a fair and balanced argument, it would also be good to find out what an LS3 install costs if you go down the AB route, i'm talking about the engine, loom and ancillaries (basically what Amerspeed supply) AB's certainly does look more 'Bling' if i am to be honest what with all the anodized parts etc.

[356Speedster]

What would be good to know is how much a stock AS LS3 engine will cost, on your doorstep in the UK. The website base price is for USD.... what does shipping cost? How are customs charges calculated? It'd be good to know from someone who has ordered one in personally, or has had one quoted. Without guessing shipping, 20% VAT wil have to be added as a minimum, so I'd be guessing at £14K ball park??

Options for a UK home builder are predominantly: AS direct, a crate supplier (e.g. PWP) plus "fettling / finishing" or a 3rd party package supplier.

I chose the last option and got a complete, box fresh, ready to install, correct wiring loom, nothing missing or extra needed package, that was IVA compliant and dyno'd, for significantly less than the £2-2.5K touted at the end of Pg3. Was it worth it? Oh my God, yes! It was no hassle, went straight in, is fully supported by a great local team and the savings paid for a lot of other parts. For me it was all pros and not a single con..... a no brainer.

Each to their own and that's the beauty of these things. I got a great package, no hassle and saved a lot of money, what's not to like

[deadscoob]

I wont knock AS, there are many happy owners with their products. They do provide plug and play setups, fully endorsed by the factory of course, so you pay a premium. A lot of builders want that peace of mind.

There are alternatives as Mark says, I've also used them and the only downside I can think of is not having deep enough pockets to buy more of their beautifully made parts.

[belfo]

Guys,
I have discovered that there are two styles of AC compressors used on the GM crate engine setups: one is fixed and the other is variable displacement. From what I understand, most kit cars and aftermarket hot rod units require a fixed displacement. See here for brief explanation: http://www.vintageair.com/2012catalog/2012%20Vinta...

The latest CTS-V kit comes with the fixed-displacement A/C unit: http://www.crateenginedepot.com/Accessory-Drive-wi... (compressor is #19130461). However, that's not what I'm seeing the AB fitting match up with: https://www.facebook.com/autobionics/photos/pb.215...
vs.
http://edrinkeperformance.com/ac-compression-for-f...

Pete's car has a variable displacement unit that works with the AB fitting, but this is because he did some swapping with a local for his AC parts rather than them coming as part of the CTS-V kit: http://www.buyautoparts.com/buynow.asp?partnumber=...
(casting number shown: http://www.smcautoparts.com/89019337-A-C-Compresso... )

You can get the CTS-V (or Corvette) kit without A/C and then add-on the variable-displacement kit separately. Do I want the fixed or variable?
http://www.crateenginedepot.com/Accessory-Drive-Sy...
http://www.crateenginedepot.com/Accessory-Drive-Sy...
http://www.crateenginedepot.com/Accessory-Drive-AC...

Chris

Edited by belfo on Monday 23 May 23:22

Edited by belfo on Monday 23 May 23:25

Edited by belfo on Monday 23 May 23:25

Edited by belfo on Monday 23 May 23:26

[GTRS]

Just been quoted $19000 for the LS3 from A.S. so there's quite a significant saving via the PWP route.

Reading through Pete's build guide the install seems pretty straight forward.

The only question is:

What AC Compressor/bracket is required to fit a PWP LS3 into the Evo Coupe chassis and
still be able to fit the Factory exhaust?

[F.C.]

Why not order the AC and bracket direct from the factory?
Sure it will be a bit more money but I'd bet it's worth it to avoid sleepless nights and take the doubt out of your build.

[GTRS]

The factory don't sell the bracket. It's the engine supplier AS that sells the bracket as part of the engine the package. As a few builders have gone the PWP route I thought I'd ask how they got around the ac compressor/factory exhaust issue.

[GTR-P]

AS used to get all of their ancillary parts such as brackets, pulleys, AC compressor, Alternators etc... from a company in America called Street and Performance out of Mena, Arkansas. Unfortunately, they closed the business in November 2016. AS may still have inventory of the parts that you need.

[845ste]

post photos, please, of the piece you need

[GTRS]

I don't have any pics yet as I still need to make decision on engine supplier. I know that other builders have had issues with installing some of the ancillaries when not going the AS route. I wanted to go down the pwp and factory exhaust route. Before purchasing I want ensure I do not trip up with installing the ancillaries.

[GTR-P]

Why not ask AS if they would sell all the ancillary parts to you less the engine?
I think that you would pay a premium for it but at least you'll know that everything will fit.
That's what I did a few years back. (I ended up selecting Katech Engineering for my LS7 engine stuff)

[GTRS]

Yes that's what I have done. Been quoted $2395.00 plus shipping for the following:

alternator
A/C compressor
pulleys
drive belt
mass air tube
Ultima oil sump
water pump
air filter
all sensors

[GTR-P]

You may also want to order:
Electronic throttle assembly (I can't remember if it was supplied by the factory or by AS)
Engine harness - If AS is still supplying them
ECU (Typically an E38 with a base tune) - If AS is still supplying them

[356Speedster]

I think you can simplify things and save some cash....... PWP can supply the motor at the best price and they can also supply the run kit. However, you might find that a call to AB will give you what you need. AB can supply an Ultima ready LS loom, ECU (with tune), run kit and correct spacers for the full size GM AC compressor.

[deadscoob]

Was gonna say exactly what 356 has said.

However a katech ls7 would be lovely lol

[drdrdrt]

These guys sell some brackets and A/C compressors.
http://www.kwikperf.com/products.html

[GTRS]

That's great thanks. So there are solutions out there for the pwp supplied engine.

[drdrdrt]

Holley also makes some very nice accessory drive brackets:
https://www.holley.com/products/ls_power/accessory...

[chucknorris]

Hi sukhjeevan, I can't remember if I mention which ancillary kit I bought from PWP, but I'm fairly sure it would work with the factory headers. I'll look at some photos of the factory exhaust and let you know.
But the main things are that you can get the crate engine, the ancillary kit and standard ecu all from PWP but the ecu loom needs modifying and you'll need to get a spare belt pulley and make some ac bracket spacers.
These are all really simple and if any of my engine install guide isn't quite clear, just message me and I'll only be too glad to help if I can.
Cheers
Pete

[chucknorris]

Oh and you have to check which sump they are supplying with the engine as PWP get the whatever version of LS3 they can at the time of ordering, this can mean you end up with the deep sump which is too deep for our cars, so ask them to check at time of ordering as I didn't know there were different versions and had to get them to order a shallow one for me afterwards which cost between £400 and £500