Junkyard LS Swap, The Cheapest Solutions

[RDF1]

The wiring really is a piece o cake. When I was younger I always wondered how my dad was so good at being a master electrician..
Learned to not look at the whole mess of wiring. But in sections and what each section does.
I've long forgotten bout carbs, this is 2018 haha.

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[NightRunner]

Another thing that comes into play against wiring/PCM is the tuning aspect of things. I'd much rather hold onto a carburetor setup so I can avoid multiple re-tunes for performance upgrades in the future. Tunes cost about $600-$800 a pop for LS engines down here in Dallas. When the time comes that I upgrade the cam, headers, etc. the carb will be much more easy to tune vs. having a retune done on the PCM. Not only that, using a carb will be easier than buying new injectors and a fuel rail down the road in case fuel delivery on my current mods ever becomes an issue. Hell, even buying a bigger carb would be cheaper than new injectors, fuel rail and retune when you think about it.

Just my two cents...

 

[RDF1]

Black Bear performance is $250 for a tune I think and free future updates.
But yea I understand about the changes are easier with the carb.


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[NightRunner]

The main thing I'm trying to do right now is get a 4.8 running and driving in my truck. I'm being mindful of the future when I spend lots of money on performance parts but as it sits right now I just want to get the engine and transmission playing nicely with each other and make sure everything is going to run right. That'll make performance and the possibility of upgrading to a 5.3 or bigger easier down the road. I just want to get familiar with the LS platform right now so I'll kind of know what I'm doing down the road. Carbs are second nature to me and I love playing with them, so it's safe to say I want that familiarity when diving into the unknown here.

Sure, I could buy aftermarket parts for the SBC and try and make it fast but I think it's pretty much accepted that you'd be hard pressed to build an SBC that'll outrun an LS. Not impossible, just not easy either.

 

[RDF1]

Sounds like your in denial and just need to buy tuning software.. haha.
For speed just get the 4.8 going and put a 250-300 shot on it. Vola..

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[NightRunner]

I've thought about learning things myself. It's not the computer part that scares me, as I work IT down here in Dallas. It's the math behind the tuning itself and, again, the wiring. I'm sure if I sat myself down with a couple of books on tuning and experimented on it for a weekend or so, I could probably get a decent base line tune setup for the truck. If/when I bring nitrous into the equation, it'll be conservative. Maybe 100 shot. Something small just for a little bit of fun. Definitely not trying to melt the engine.

 

[RDF1]

If you can do IT, tuning isn't difficult.
There's no math in it if you let the computer do it for you. Just need a wide band oxygen sensor and a few hours of tinkering around.

I know if you buy EFI live from Black bear performance they will include a free tune for you as well.. I'm sure most places will do the same too.

Ive been using efi live for 13 years and just now tinkering with HP tuners on a twin turbo 5.3 in a old Impala. It's alot of fun.

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[NightRunner]

$600 really isn't a terrible price for the tuning software and tune included. I just worry about the wiring more than anything. I've seen some real disasters when it comes to rewiring on an engine swap. And with $600+ for pre-made swap harnesses it kind of pushes me back to carb. But damn, that EFILive is starting to look more attractive.

 

[arrg]

You'll need to find a solution to hook up your TV cable if you retain your old transmission whether you go carb or go with the 4.8's injection setup.

 

[NightRunner]

TV Made EZ has that covered, under $200 will get the TV Cable functioning with the 700r4/4L60 setup. That was one of the first things I looked into when jumping into the LS swap world.