Has anyone seen an LS and 4L60E in an FMJ body car?

8v-of-fury

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I just want more power and the added efficiency of those LS motors. I'd use a 4.8 with the weaker trans, leave it completely stock and also add a smaller single turbo to the mix. Completely not for huge power or racing lol. But I think a solid 300whp would make an M-body quite the smooth enjoyable ride. Keep the cloud-9 suspension so it would grunt the nose up on acceleration too ;)

Anyway, what do yall think? seen it done? LS swap kits? i have no idea
 

Duke5A

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I think you're a good excuse for blasphemy laws.

I'll give you that LS is cheap with tons of aftermarket support, but if you want Chevy, buy a Chevy. There are plenty of pathways in Mopar Land to achieve modern drivability in an M. And 300 WHP can be had with a mild NA build - a 5.7 Hemi with bolt-ons will get you there.
 

Oldiron440

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There's a lot of parts for swapping the LS but you probably on your own as to what works for this swap. As far as blasphemy don't worry about it ,The LS has been swapped into late model Challengers.
 

charlesvolare

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Not mine, but I saw this on vacation once years ago. I had just gotten my Volare and thought it was pretty cool to see another one in the wild. Didn't notice the LS badge on it until I was looking at the old pics a few months ago. No idea if it actually had one or not, but I think I may remember it having a roll bar and some other goodies you wouldn't need unless you were pushing out power. I know this doesn't help you much but this may very well be an LS in an F-body that someone has done. Or they just wanted to put an LS badge on their car, wish I would've realized it and looked more into it at the time.
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Duke5A

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Getting down to it, as said, you're on your own. You're not going to find any swap kits to make this work, so fabrication cost would completely negate what you'll save using the cheaper LS platform. That is why I said keep it Chevy. If this were a Jeep, you could open a catalog and get everything you need.

There are swap parts that can make a 3rd gen Hemi fit though, plus it'll bolt to the existing transmission or you could go 518 if you want the four speed. You won't gain anything going with an electronically controlled transmission over a hydraulic one, so a pre-1996 518 would fit the bill and be considerably cheaper.

If you can fabricate though, everything I said goes out the window.
 

Jonnyuma

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I considered a similar swap briefly when my buddy decided to call it quits w the tri-power 389 in his '62 Catalina convertible and swap in an LS... easier to tune to make power and a dam sight less fussy than the 3x2 setup.

After about 5 min (as I said... "briefly") I decided it was almost unworkable for a shadetree hack like me and abandoned the idea. It did, however, plant the seed that sent me in a new direction: looking towards 3g Hemis and Magnum engines vs stroked LA small blocks. So the Walter Mitty moment wasn't a complete waste of time.
 

Oldiron440

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From what I've read and been told by my engine building buddy's the LS is just so much cheaper to make run...and easy to make 400+hp.
The thing I'm not krazy about is the looks, it's got to be one of the ugliest v8s. Needs a big plastic cover!
 
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Duke5A

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From what I've read and been told by my engine building buddy's the LS is just so much cheaper to make run...and easy to make 400+hp.

Yeah, I got to admit I'm plenty envious of how the Chevy guys got it. Mopar is sure expensive.

The thing I'm not krazy about is the looks, it's got to be one of the ugliest v8s. Needs a big plastic cover!

Haha, a face only a mother could love.
 

8v-of-fury

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Hey now, swapping parts is what car modding and hot rodding is all about ;)

Don't get me wrong, it is semi-blasphemous, but this isn't a numbers matching 70 cuda or something worth anything.. This car has spent its whole life in Toronto, Ontario. It drove every winter up until, i'd say at least 2005 when my grandmother (original owner) stopped driving in the harsher parts of winter all together. It was taken care of, so the rust is truly minimal.. but there is some regardless.

3rd gen hemi is a very possible thing, i just never really thought about it. Purchase price of a running hemi donor seems to be quite a chunk more money though. however mating it to use the original 904/driveshaft/7.25 would be super budget oriented. I'd likely keep the 2.2 gears then as well and just grunt around on torque. Maybe change up the TQ converter..

Okay, say you've helped move my mind towards 3rd gen 5.7. Honestly at the end of the day, a stock 5.7 would probably fit the bill.. lol
 

Oldiron440

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You had me until the 7.25, if I had to choose between a 140 hp 318 or a 400 hp LS I'd go with the LS. If you could do a gen 3 for roughly the same money I'd definitely go gen 3. But either way you're going to have more in the swap than the car would be worth.
 

jasperjacko

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If you build most fmj's, you'll have more in them than they're worth.There is value in the fun factor, and uniqueness
though.
 

8v-of-fury

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Yeah, that is the point. lol. Basically nothing on this page would be worth an engine swap if you're gonna use that logic. come on now ;) lol I don't know what these go for around you, but here in mint condition its only a $2500 cdn car :p

Yeah just looking up prices of trucks/cars in the area for me locally.. I can get a 05/06 sierra/silverado 2500 6.0 2wd running and driving vehicle for $1200 CDN. The comparable ram? $12,000 and basically don't exist. Ugh, thats a decision maker!

The biggest issue really is fitting the trans in the tunnel.. cause i am pretty sure the M's have a very small tunnel from how it looks in the car.
 

Poly

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There shouldn't be a problem declaring a capital loss on sale day.
Anyway, what's with the 5.7 Hemi ? Always thought the 6.1 without MDS is the heavier duty plant.
 

80mirada

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6.1 was the hotter engine, but the early 5.7 will make 360-375 in a swap with no performance mods. They are relatively cheap and there are a couple of inexpensive controllers available
 

Oldiron440

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I've seen a 5.3 LS truck motor with 185k from a yard not have any cylinder wear, the pistons were replaced with standard bore higher compression pistons, a mild cam and I think a Edelbrock intake with a Holley carb and MSD timing controller. This thing was very mild and made 440 hp on the dyno.
 

Oldiron440

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My buddy's that I work with on my junk have gotten into FI and boost now with there chassis dyno work. Having looked at the bottom end of the Coyote, LS and the gen 3 it's not hard to see why there so popular. All three will handle more power than any other factory blocks. The heads are great and part availability is outstanding.
You could put a stock 375 horsepower gen 3 in your F body and get better MPG than a slant 6, forty years has made a big difference in what is being done. Given another forty and electric motors will be the swap.
 

89.Fifth

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Personally I would go with a nice 360 or Hemi and a 4L60E behind it. I can't seem to find an A500 around here anywhere.
 

Duke5A

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Personally I would go with a nice 360 or Hemi and a 4L60E behind it. I can't seem to find an A500 around here anywhere.

Why in the world would you use a transmission that is going to require a bell housing adapter and separate computer control? That's $1500 right there! A 42RH isn't that hard to find, even in the rust belt.
 
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