Buying & engine swap

[B0wm4n]

I've got a budget or around £45k - £50k, so was wondering (given all you guys experience), would it be better to buy a car for around early £30k (2000-2001 car) and then get an LS7 & new tranny fitted from Schwartz or spend the budget on a newer car (2007-8) and live with the SBC thats in it.

Edited by B0wm4n on Thursday 3rd July 17:01

Edited by B0wm4n on Thursday 3rd July 20:53

[GTRCLIVE]

If I were to build another for myself then LSX all the way engine is so much better than old SBC...
But buying a say 28K GTR/Can-Am and changing the engine would probably make more sense, and end up maybe being cheaper... But make sure the car has AC, Big brakes and full roll cage if a GTR...

[Steve_D]

Depends entirely on what you want to do with it.
If you want it to go shopping in then the SBC will probably cope. If you want to run the ring or pop a 1/4 at Santa Pod then you will have so plan accordingly.

Steve

[B0wm4n]

Car will be a weekend warrior with track days and the occasional visit to the ring. Going to meets, shows the usual thing. (maybe the odd trip to work so I can show off :-) )

Edited by B0wm4n on Thursday 3rd July 18:38

[Steve_D]

An SBC will do fine provided it has been breathed on a little rather than just a standard crate engine.
Let us know what you find.

Steve

[TuxMan]

Buy a nice car and upgrade the engine !!! LS is the way to go forward ,does not have to be a LS7 any will do a great job !!

[kylemrushall]

An LS from JS imo, but i would built the car around the engine if the budget will allow??

[B0wm4n]

Im not planning on building, I was thinking of a good s/h one and replacing the engine & tranny

[Rusti Evo]

3 months ago I bought a well known and respected car with all the right bits on ( cheers Gary! ) This had a 535bhp AS SBC in it and the performance, tractability and soundtrack was astounding.

However I need to do buckets of trackdays in the car and the advice was that if the motor isn't built to a high track standard it won't poke up with that level of abuse so I'm currently replacing it with an LS 7.

Only time will tell if it's a good thing. I guess a lot of non-pistonheads will think that replacing a decent 500 odd horse engine with another just more modern one is a pretty effiecient waste of 20 odd grand .........

If you can treat a 30k SBC car with great respect and can put up with it's "characterful side" like galactic oil consumption etc. it still remains astonishing value for money.

[crafty]

TuxMan said:

Buy a nice car and upgrade the engine !!! LS is the way to go forward ,does not have to be a LS7 any will do a great job !!

+1...everyone raves about the LS7 and it is indeed a great engine, but the remainder of the range are also great engines and great value for money.

[B0wm4n]

Given that the car I buy has a SBC fitted with a suitablt dated block, the MOT on that car will not require CATS and have certain CO emissions apllied to it.
If that engine is swapped out of a new LS7 say, will that require CATS and how do the MTO station pick up on it?

Cheers

[Steve_D]

B0wm4n said:

Given that the car I buy has a SBC fitted with a suitablt dated block, the MOT on that car will not require CATS and have certain CO emissions apllied to it.
If that engine is swapped out of a new LS7 say, will that require CATS and how do the MTO station pick up on it?

Cheers

A registered car with an SBC block dated before 1973 will have visual smoke only as the emissions test requirement.
If you change the engine for a different one you will send DVLA your amended V5C showing the replacement engine number and its cc.
I don't think there is anything that will trigger any change to the test requirement. Looking at the DVLA web site the only time you will enter into anything more than the V5C update would be if you were putting a smaller engine in a car and wanting DVLA to reduce the amount of tax you pay.

Steve

[B0wm4n]

Talking of Road Tax, I assume if I find a car registered before march 2001 it will be cheaper to tax :-) or do those rules not apply to "Self Build Cars".

Edited by B0wm4n on Friday 4th July 14:29

[LuckyP]

B0wm4n said:

Talking of Road Tax, I assume if I find a car registered before march 2001 it will be cheaper to tax :-) or do those rules not apply to "Self Build Cars".

Edited by B0wm4n on Friday 4th July 14:29

Just popped out to get mine. £185 12months and mine was finished in June 06

Edited by LuckyP on Friday 4th July 14:43

[B0wm4n]

LuckyP said:

Just popped out to get mine. £185 12months and mine was finished in June 06

Edited by LuckyP on Friday 4th July 14:43

Bargain :-)

[Steve_D]

The 2001 on tax rules are based around the emissions figures produced during type approval of the production car.
As the Ultima is not a type approved vehicle it is taxed as PLG (Private Light Goods) with two tax bands...up to 1549cc and over 1549cc

At 6700cc mine is above and taxed at £185.


Steve

[gtr-gaz]

Rusti Evo said:

If you can treat a 30k SBC car with great respect and can put up with it's "characterful side" like galactic oil consumption etc. it still remains astonishing value for money.

I think that about sums it all up!

I know Ted prefers the carbed SBC, which is one of the reasons why there were'nt any LS7's at Stoneleigh this year. Sitting at the traffic lights in an SBC Ultima, the whole car is shaking with power, where as an LS7 you might just as well be sat in an M3!

Stuart, you will be the first to upgrade to an LS7. Keep us up to date with the results? It will be interesting to see how the power compares.

[craig7l]

crafty said:

TuxMan said:

Buy a nice car and upgrade the engine !!! LS is the way to go forward ,does not have to be a LS7 any will do a great job !!

+1...everyone raves about the LS7 and it is indeed a great engine, but the remainder of the range are also great engines and great value for money.

in a position deciding either Gen4 Ls3 or Ls7. The price difference is approx $6000 between the two.
In a 900kg car will extra power (60bhp) not mostly be in a "lost" zone for street use anyway?
swaying towards LS3 at the moment.. any thoughts?

[Rusti Evo]

gtr-gaz said:

Stuart, you will be the first to upgrade to an LS7. Keep us up to date with the results? It will be interesting to see how the power compares.

Andy Burrows says I will see ""significant"" power increase going from AS 535 to LS7 540hp. Looking forward to finding out!!

Also going to have JP repackable Goodwood friendly silencers - sub 98 db it's reckoned.

Will post some snaps soon

[LS7427ci]

I build an LS3 427ci engine with a very nice price tag and still come out 600+hp's