Where to buy LS motor?

[88suburbanoverlan]

Hey guys, I finally blew up my 350 motor and threw a rod so it’s time for the old LS swap lol.

Looking to do a 6.0 or 6.2 but having trouble tracking down a remanufacture at a good price- does anyone have any suggestions?

I found a 1999 6.0 out of a Tahoe at the junkyard and apparently it had a turbo on it stock (which I didn’t know was an option they had)
But I’d like to explore other options through companies with a warranty on whatever I get. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to look?

 

[TotalyHucked]

A) Tahoes never had 6.0s. B) a '99 Tahoe would've been a 350 small block OBS truck, never had an LS to begin with. C) There never was a turbo LS from the factory.

What are your goals for the truck? Daily driver, race truck? 2wd performance or 4wd? What's your budget?

I picked up my low mile 5.3/4L65 from a local junkyard and went through it myself. Most reman places are gonna want a core back.

 

[PeteJr]

Hey guys, I finally blew up my 350 motor and threw a rod so it’s time for the old LS swap lol.

Looking to do a 6.0 or 6.2 but having trouble tracking down a remanufacture at a good price- does anyone have any suggestions?

I found a 1999 6.0 out of a Tahoe at the junkyard and apparently it had a turbo on it stock (which I didn’t know was an option they had)
But I’d like to explore other options through companies with a warranty on whatever I get. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to look?

My buddy put an LS in his '65 truck and is building one for his '67 Chevelle he's building.
He found a low price complete '06 Yukon with a 5.3 for a great price. Got the engine and transmission, wiring harness and other items.
Then he's selling what he didn't use to a wholesaler for the body parts etc.

As you know just doing an "LS" engine opens up a lot more avenues for things you'll need, not just an engine swap.

 

[88suburbanoverlan]

After doing my research, I am pretty firm on getting a 6.0 or 6.2.
I am very aware of what I’m getting into with all of the additional things I will need but right now my main focus is on finding a good motor to start building on since I am on a budget and the remanufactured ones I am finding are three to $4000 which is a little outside of my budget

I was hoping to find a good company for the remanufacture but as I’m sure you guys know there are several out there and I’m just not sure which one to trust that would have the best product and price

 

[88suburbanoverlan]

Eventually, I’m going to do aluminum heads and a supercharger. My rig is four-wheel-drive and I usually put highway miles on it but I’d still like it to be capable for some light off roading

 

[Hunter79764]

x2 on finding a donor vehicle, maybe a wrecked yukon denali or 2500 truck. Reman motors are going to be pricey, and the whole idea of the LS engine is that you don't have to rebuild a 150k engine, it's good to go as-is if it was taken decent care of.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Just FYI, all LS motors come with aluminum heads except for the early bastard child 6.0s. If you find an iron headed 6.0, those have longer cranks too. Stay away from those.

Honestly, myself and a couple buddies have gotten bit by reman places. I'd trust a junkyard motor over a reman any day of the week. If you could find a wrecked donor HD with a 6.0 or 6.2 with fairly low miles, that's the route I'd take. That will also get you the motor cheaper if you buy it from an individual or an auction or something similar. People know about the LS/LT swap craze, so you're gonna pony up for any of the 6.0/6.2s. I see low mile pullouts here all the time for $5k+ with a trans and engine harness/computer.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Just FYI, all LS motors come with aluminum heads except for the early bastard child 6.0s. If you find an iron headed 6.0, those have longer cranks too. Stay away from those.

Honestly, myself and a couple buddies have gotten bit by reman places. I'd trust a junkyard motor over a reman any day of the week. If you could find a wrecked donor HD with a 6.0 or 6.2 with fairly low miles, that's the route I'd take. That will also get you the motor cheaper if you buy it from an individual or an auction or something similar. People know about the LS/LT swap craze, so you're gonna pony up for any of the 6.0/6.2s. I see low mile pullouts here all the time for $5k+ with a trans and engine harness/computer.

If you're willing to come to the Houston, Texas area, I have a 6.0 in a 2006 Yukon XL Denali, complete vehicle with a 4L65E and 3.73s in the diffs. Denali is AWD but you would have everything you need to transfer the engine and trans included, like the wiring harness and computers.
If interested, please PM me for more information.

 

[SquareRoot]

I am on a budget and the remanufactured ones I am finding are three to $4000 which is a little outside of my budget

"Budget"

 

[TotalyHucked]

"Budget"

Lol I remember when I was on a "budget" for my swap too

 

[SquareRoot]

My next project will go a different route. Buy a 89-91 K5. Find reputable custom shop. Tell them to install new GM LS3/Trans package and associated ECU. Install aftermarket axles, paint, bodywork. Send me the bill. Done. I got $30k set aside. I can wait but I know what I want.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Around here you'll need to triple that bill

 

[CalSgt]

Last summer one of the junkyards in Reno had a handful of LS motors for what I thought was pretty cheap. All of them had the major sections of the wire harness, PCM’s, transmissions and transfer cases. Two 5.3’s for $8-900 ea
Two 6.0’s for $1200 ea

 

[TotalyHucked]

That's how it used to be around here before so many tuners and LS swap shops popped up. Now you've gotta pony up $1800+ for a known good 5.3/auto combo and $2500+ for a 6.0 combo.

 

[Hunter79764]

Hey, budgets can happen, you just have to be realistic, make a plan, and stick with it. Just saying "I've got $X I can spend" isn't a budget.
And I've seen budget swaps for $500, $5000, and $50,000 that were all "in budget" if that's what they planned from the start, I've also seen $5000 "budgets" turn into $15,000 unfinished projects with lots of duplicate parts laying around.