Has anyone swapped motors in a PPV yet?

[IDLife Caprice]

Well I plan on following what you all come up with because in a week I will take delivery of the 2013 9C1 that had the "blown engine" on GovDeals.

Since I do not have the background on what LS-Swap works with XXXX... I am just going to dive into what went wrong and see where to go from there.

Since I live in the Houston area... and will be using the car for 99% highway use, having something strong yet livable mpg is the focus for me.

Suggestions?

Which Cam?

Most definitely will do the Kooks while I have it apart... no sense in doing work twice!

[bsparks72]

If you want a straight replacement for the whole engine, essentially the only other engine that is a direct replacement is an L76 out of a Pontiac G8 GT. One of the only differences is the injector size, as the Caprice version (called the L77) is Flex Fuel so the injectors are larger.

The L77 in the Caprice has the L92 rectangle port heads, unlike an LS2 that is older cathedral-port heads. The L77 in the Caprice used AFM, which I and many others do not like due to oil consumption issues and the crappy lifters that the AFM engines all have. They also run a pretty tame special cam because of the AFM. http://www.superchevy.com/features/0707gm-pontiac-g8/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If it were me and I felt like lightening my wallet a good bit, I'd find a pull-out LS3 (6.2) from a manual trans Camaro. Get an LS3-based tune (thus tuning out AFM), and go. If I was more on a budget, I'd find a truck 6.0 or 6.2, ditch the AFM and/or VVT parts if it has it (there are several combinations), add a decent cam, reuse all of your externals (accessories, intake, exhaust manifolds, etc) and go. An L99 6.2 from an automatic Camaro would work too, but then you're back to the crappy cam and crappy lifters because it's got AFM. A tune will be necessary in almost any configuration other than rebuilding what you currently have.

The main thing is starting with a Generation IV based engine, with a 58x reluctor. That means no older stuff like LS1/LS2/LS6 for a starting point.

I'd do a LOT of reading on the G8 forums, as they've been around longer, and just about anything that applies to a G8 driveline applies to the Caprice. A Caprice, after all, is pretty much a longer-wheelbase Pontiac G8 with different body sheetmetal. I haven't looked, but I bet by now all manner of LS-style engines have been swapped into G8s.

Oh, and I'm in Katy, so I'll help out locally if I can.

EDIT: I did actually read your post a little closer, and see that you're going to be putting a ton of highway miles. You may want to stick with AFM for the highway fuel economy, but it's really only worth anything if you keep your speed down around 70 and drive on flat ground. Otherwise, it kicks out and goes into 8cyl mode anyway. The easiest and cheapest way to get going and get the very best highway MPG would be to find a truck 5.3 with AFM (most have it in the last 5 years or so) and get a tune to match. That's almost blasphemy to go down to a 5.3, but it would work in your particular instance for your needs, and truck 5.3 engines can be found for cheap just about anywhere. Just a thought.

http://ls1tech.com/forums/generation-iv ... tions.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.grrrr8.net/showthread.php?t=7900" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[eagle-co94]

I still haven't come to a final decision yet on what motor I'm going with but I'm out looking and reading myself. I'll be posting up as soon as I have mine as we're in a similar boat. I bought my 9C3 with only 708 miles on it after it was in some sort of flood and the motor was locked up.

[xcidmigs]

why is no one just doing a rebuild on the existing motor they have? you could clearly throw a stroker crank in or camshaft upgrade etc while its all apart? If i had a 708 miles engine that was flooded I would just be blueprinting it and putting back together at home....

[bsparks72]

Nothing wrong with that at all...if you have the tools and know-how to build the bottom end, or have a local shop you can trust. I try to stay away from that myself, but have no problem swapping out the rest of the stuff.

[CrashTestDummy]

I'd be drawn between a rebuild, depending on what happened, and grabbing one of the nicer crate motors GM sells. That LS7 install that Henderson Motorsports did is very tempting, too. Of course, I bought mine as a toy, so mileage will be a secondary thought, but keeping your foot out of it, and not getting too greedy on the differential gears should still net you decent MPG on the highway. A decent intake, cam and longtubes can also help here.

[CrashTestDummy]

Nothing wrong with that at all...if you have the tools and know-how to build the bottom end, or have a local shop you can trust. I try to stay away from that myself, but have no problem swapping out the rest of the stuff.

I was talking to one of the officers at the Houston Police Academy about the PPV. He is a bit of a gearhead, with a pretty quick, VERY warmed-over Z06, and he said these LS*-based engines are stupid simple. He said if you've ever worked on a small block Chevy, then you have all the skills necessary to work on an LS* engine. They're just different, but quite easy to work on.

When we went to LS1 in our autocross car, I had to learn a LOT about the engine, getting all the LS-specific parts together, and opted to have the engine built. I'd probably do it myself if I had to do it again, although the engine we were putting together was pretty special (310 cu. in. LS1).

[bsparks72]

It's been too few and far between when it comes to bearing clearances, etc. for me to trust myself, be it on an LS or an old SBC. From the short block up, I've got it from there either way!

[IDLife Caprice]

Nothing wrong with that at all...if you have the tools and know-how to build the bottom end, or have a local shop you can trust. I try to stay away from that myself, but have no problem swapping out the rest of the stuff.

I think my first mod will be removing the AFM and changing the cam out. While I will be driving this a majority of hwy miles... my typical avg spd is far greater than 70 mph. Tuning is not an issue... my brother has a shop in the Northern Atlanta area with a new Mustang dyno and his tuning expertise is without a doubt, exceptional. DBW Motorsports.

Brandon, thanks for the help. If you made it to TX2K, I was driving the white IDLife GTR. I also had my Sugar Land Tahoe PPV there as well.

I too believe rebuilding the engine might be a great way to go but I simply want to make sure I am not throwing money after another future issue when I could be upgrading to a better option. I am not doing this as a money no option build... I have a tight budget on this and need to keep it down to getting it done right the first time.

Thoughts?

Thanks for all the feedback!

[eagle-co94]

I guess it really depends on how tight of a budget you're sticking to. The quickest route would be to just pick up a used L77, plug and play. You can find them for as little as $4k. You can probably find an LS3 for less than that though which is my suggestion. The money saved will cover your tune and then you'll have at least a 70 hp bump.