Best Car for LS7 engine transplant?

Best Car for LS7 engine transplant?

Author
Discussion

urquattroGus

Original Poster:

1,845 posts

189 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
Might seem a strange way of looking at it, but I keep on dreaming of putting one of these into something and reveling in the high displacement, big power and sound with lots of tuning potential.

It seems that as you can buy a crate engine or one from a donor car (probably too rich for me) there are so many official GM and aftermarket parts you can use.

So, anyone got any wacky ideas??

Or would you say buy one with a Corvette Z06 attached to it, or go for one of the other LS engines? Not very keen on LHD and the plastic fantastic interior of the Corvette.

A bit of a daydream, but last time I started out like this I ended up with an engine swap and 450bhp in my now sold urquattro.

Crusoe

4,068 posts

230 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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Mazda rx8, already kits out there. Double the power and increase the mpg at the same time.

trickywoo

11,705 posts

229 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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MX 5

SX 200

Rover P5

A TVR

Westfield

marcosgt

11,011 posts

175 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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Crusoe said:
Mazda rx8, already kits out there. Double the power and increase the mpg at the same time.
Got a link to one that actually works?

EVERYONE says this whenever the RX8 is mentioned, but I've NEVER seen a workable road-going conversion.

I have a mate who's in the (very slow) process of dropping one into a Marcos (unless he's given up...). That'll be quick...

M.

Al U

2,311 posts

130 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
Maybe not exactly a wacky idea as they are commonly done, but this is probably the best car or the most desirable car I can think of with the conversion -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ULTIMA-GTR-720-BHP-LS7-V...

Troubleatmill

10,210 posts

158 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
urquattroGus said:
Might seem a strange way of looking at it, but I keep on dreaming of putting one of these into something and reveling in the high displacement, big power and sound with lots of tuning potential.
There is very little tuning potential to an LS7. ( compared to the LS3 )
GM designed the engine to win at Le Mans.
Pretty much all the work has been done for you.

(All those nice German V8 engines seem to need some kind of Turbo to make the same power )

You can improve the stock air intake. ( it is a bit of a compromise on the Z06 )
You can add a lumpy cam.
Doing anything forced induction is a bad idea as the cylinder walls are paper thin.

Why not just get and LS3 at almost 1/3rd of the price and spend the rest on your engine mods.


Coldfuse

518 posts

193 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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Find a cheap S2000 to shoe horn one into? Make sure the body is good and swap the engine over?

Esseesse

8,969 posts

207 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
Something nice but let down by the engine.

4WD Alfa Brera?

Or something that is normally too costly for a mortal to run.

Find a Maserati QP in need of a new engine?

urquattroGus

Original Poster:

1,845 posts

189 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
Troubleatmill said:
There is very little tuning potential to an LS7. ( compared to the LS3 )
GM designed the engine to win at Le Mans.
Pretty much all the work has been done for you.

(All those nice German V8 engines seem to need some kind of Turbo to make the same power )

You can improve the stock air intake. ( it is a bit of a compromise on the Z06 )
You can add a lumpy cam.
Doing anything forced induction is a bad idea as the cylinder walls are paper thin.

Why not just get and LS3 at almost 1/3rd of the price and spend the rest on your engine mods.
I stand corrected. Yes, some of the reasons were that having read stuff and watched videos it seems like great engine out of the box!?

In the states they seem to change the heads and cams for 600bhp?

The LS3 is maybe more sensible but I love the idea of 7 litres and the upgraded internal etc....

So could buy and Ls3 and easily tune to 500bhp?

Rover P5, now that would be pretty badass.

SuperVM

1,098 posts

160 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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The Samberg FD RX-7 kit is supposed to be good.

jamieduff1981

8,022 posts

139 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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A Chimaera. You'll need a Tremec gearbox too as the LS ruins T5s. You'll also want at least Nitron dampers but probably Ohlins to go with the new engine, as well as beefier brakes.

SturdyHSV

10,083 posts

166 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
marcosgt said:
I have a mate who's in the (very slow) process of dropping one into a Marcos (unless he's given up...). That'll be quick...
You probably know already, but your mate should talk to Topcats Racing. TVR / Marcos specialist (they race and win with a pair of Marcos in Britcar etc.) and they've done more TVR LS swaps than you can count hehe

Instead of the LS7, use the money to get an LS2 or LS3 and put a TVS2300 on it. Will make 600+bhp all day long thumbup

Magic919

14,126 posts

200 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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Monaro or VXR8.

gsd2000

11,515 posts

182 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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FD RX7, just check out craig's at DynoTorque

It's mental

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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Troubleatmill said:
There is very little tuning potential to an LS7. ( compared to the LS3 )
GM designed the engine to win at Le Mans.
Pretty much all the work has been done for you.
Lingenfelter might disagree with the first statement.
Katech designed and built Corvette's race engines.

Veeayt

3,139 posts

204 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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This thread needs this car

Mr Tidy

22,065 posts

126 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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Can't remember if it was a GM lump or maybe Ford, but there was a thread on here started by a PH'er who had put a 5.7 litre V8 in an E46 3 Series Coupe - he badged it a "357".
Otherwise looked pretty standard - nice sleeper!

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
LS1 into Mazda Miata is quite a common transplant in the US (relatively of course). There were about 10 of them all corralled together at Petit Le Mans last year.

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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SuperVM

1,098 posts

160 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
Mr Tidy said:
Can't remember if it was a GM lump or maybe Ford, but there was a thread on here started by a PH'er who had put a 5.7 litre V8 in an E46 3 Series Coupe - he badged it a "357".
Otherwise looked pretty standard - nice sleeper!
BikeAlarmBlair and it was converted at the aforementioned Dynotorque. I believe he does a lot of the wiring on conversions for Craig.