The BEST Way To Do A CHEAP LS Swap!

Essentially: -get your hands dirty -have friends -dont be a dick

Long story short, I've been building and swapping LS's for 15 years and it can be done cheap. My formula ? Cheap engine running off a carb and scrounging the junk yards. I picked up a Gen 4 2009 LY2, 4.8L on a trade for an old MSD 6A box I had from another project. Bolted on a BW T5 World Class behind it with a stock hydraulic throw out bearing. Cut an inch off the stock oil pan and pickup and welded it back together, cut the outlets off the stock exhaust manifolds, reclocked and tucked them and dropped the engine into a '88 S10. Used the stock TBI fuel pump and tank and added a bypass fuel regulator to feed the carb. Intake was picked off Ebay for $200 and had to buy a MSD 6LS box to fire the ignition. An F-Body donated the radiator and fans and the accessory drive was completed with a idler kit from ICT Billet and a LS3 tensioner. I downloaded the blueprints for the engine adaptor plates and a friend with a machine shop built them for me for a 30 of Labatt Blue. Basically it all came together for a little over $1600. It will peel the hides for an 1/8th mile and it handles better than you would think. Tons of smiles per mile, cheap.

1. BUY A GREAT DONOR CAR OR TRUCK. 2. BE A GREAT FRIEND IN THE CAR CULTURE.

Won’t be cheap without a person with hands on experience and knowledge doing it himself

This is a great idea to make cheap LS swaps!

TOTALLY AWSOME VIDEO AND EDUCATION. THANKS FOR SHARING. I LEARNED SO MUCH.

1500 bucks for a 6.0/ 4L80e 62 GMC. I bought a 06 Silverado with a 6.0 and 4L80 that had hit a cemment support for a drainage culvert and bent the frame for 1k. Pulled the 105,000 mile engine and trans and all the wiring and electric accelerator pedal and put it in a 62 short wide GMC truck. Put the computer in an 04 Silverado and got the anti theft to unlock and put it back in the old GMC. I made my own motor mounts and did my own wiring and trans cross member. A friend gave me an aluminum radiator that I made fit, and I ran the stock plastic water pump driven fan on it. I currently have the 06 Silverado fuel tank in the bed to run it. The first long drive was 90 miles to get the computer worked at a tuner place. It did fine in limp mode but got horrible mileage. Drove back at 20 mpg. It's got a 2.78 12 bolt under it, and at 85 mph, it's only turning 1800. Drives up hills with the converter locked up just fine. Will annihilate the tires so bad I had to put 500 pounds in the back to drive around in the rain, lol. I've got about 1500 bucks in it, including the 62 GMC truck, and it is my daily driver now. It is one of my best projects. I just wish I could find another doner truck to get another 6.0 out of as cheap as I did that one.

Wish I had a friend like this guy

I've seen some great builds that started out as a budget build. My current build is a budget build.

Great video, short and to the point.

I like these guys. Thanks for the video 😊❤

Great info and Tips 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾🔧 ing..

Im trial fitting the stock manifolds tomorrow on the 67 malibu. I thought of cutting and welding them if necessary. Got lots of cast rod. Try my first cast weld.

It’s cool that you guys are where you are; there’s not many, if any at all 2WD up here in the NE. Important Q: cheapest rock-bottom way to delete VATS?

Thanks!

LY6 with some LS3 heads must be the best bang for buck and can make good power.

Wow wonderful job... I have a 1983 cutlass and need a swap

5.3 Was the route I was going 2 go several years ago but I went 1986 casting block carbureted 4 barrel 700r4 T top monte I'm happy it's dependable, reliable runs good and alot of fun and complements I went for the handling and traveling ability of the car

Im dealing with the same story. 2006 envoy Denali from a side street auction. Now 2 years later Imma do a swap. 73 k5 I think

Great decision on the Tahoe. Gd sh#t