Quote Originally Posted by fcman
You could do the 20b, but why? It won't make any more hp than an LS1 is capable of, most parts have to be custom made, as do some of the tools to work on them, the motor is very heavy compared to the LS1 (and thus affects handling), the motors still only last 70k miles and get shitty gas mileage.
Most LS1 swaps run mid-low 12's and good drivers can bring them into the 11's. It's gonna cost me a total of I can get LS1 crate motors for around $1000 a peice and trannys for $500. The total cost of mounting equipment comes to about $1000, so you're telling me you could do a 20b swap for $2500(mind you this is an fc, less mounting equip needed), most 20b swaps I've seen run about $10-13k and that's leaving the motor stock.

My picture is in a street car also, it runs on pump gas, has full interior and is expected to run in the 8s on radials but last time they were at the track, the rear-end locked on them .
Let me explain it this way. You may believe that you will run high 11's/low 12's on $2500, but you will find out it's alot more expensive than you think. You will not make more power than a decent 20B swap will without going with some sort of power adder or a massive build on the motor. For the 13K that you are speaking of, I can make a fresh built 20B put over 800 to the ground - safely and reliably for more than 70K miles. For your $2500 figure, you can only run an older LS1 in stock configuration. If your going to do the swap, get a newer more powerful LS1. You will need the tranny, harness, and ecu. Then you will need the subframe, a custom driveshaft, custom exhaust, oil coolers, better radiator, lines, fuel system, etc. You will end up spending a lot more than $2500 to make a lot of power. Personally, if I wanted the older LS1, I'd just buy a Trans-Am, Camaro, older Vette, etc. All of them are great cars, and it's a lot easier than a swap (aggravation of the car being out of commission, lost time, etc.). If you just want to do the swap because you want it, by all means go for it. I've got friends with various V8's in their FC's - and all of them spent a lot more than they thought it would be, and none of them are as fast as they thought it would be initially. But - all of them sound great. The rumble of the V8 really catches people's attention.