Engine decision, LS1, 5.3, or 4bt?

that is true but for the price and the quality of the engine, i think its possible for under 1k to get a 5.3 or 6.0 ls motor. dont forget reliability over a stroked engine.
some people may let it go for a really good price just to get some cash now also.
 
If your looking for some big horse power,EFI,and light weight. GM's 6.2 should do it. Makes over 400hp from the factory. I know, I work on them, they have shown to be strong and reliable. Pretty good mpg 18-20.
 
THE LINK said:
If your looking for some big horse power,EFI,and light weight. GM's 6.2 should do it. Makes over 400hp from the factory. I know, I work on them, they have shown to be strong and reliable. Pretty good mpg 18-20.
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Those go for 3-5000, I think thats out of his budget.
 
Honestly man, stock motors are the way to go for a trail rig IMO. Tried to upgrade thing and it just gave me headaches. Stock is sweet and in most cases...alot cheaper.
 
obviously, I want to stay as cheap as possible. I've been collecting parts throughout the years and finding deals. Now that the buggy is so close to being finished, I need to just go ahead and get a decent engine so I don't have to spend the $$$ twice

As of now, I'm looking at the 351W stroker option or the 6.0 option. Honestly, by the time I spend the $$$ on the stroker, I could have spent the $$$ on the 6.0 and had a good late model EFI
 
Well, looks like the EFI setup on the 351 is high $$$ unless I can grap a junk yard setup. Plus, I still have to go through the 351 and freshen it up.

Weighing the costs, it looks like a low mileage used 6.0 may be the cheapest option at this time and the best bang for the buck. Plus, it had good factory power and is easily upgraded if I want more power later on.
 
bcammons21 said:
that is true but for the price and the quality of the engine, i think its possible for under 1k to get a 5.3 or 6.0 ls motor..
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Big big difference in price between a 5.3 and a 6.0....you want a 5.3 I can grab one for about $600. I'm not quoting magazines or what i think...these are things I know (rare on this forum btw).
 
i mean ive personally seen a friend get an ls1 for under 1 g with about 60-70k on the clock, granted it came with a totalled car to go with it, so i mean anything is possible but this aint a pissing match, but either way id go ls style like you were talkin bout.
 
as of now, a good running efi 351W is the top option and def. the cheapest.

If that doesn't work out as planned, then I'm back to making a different decision. If I'm going to be spending $1500 on a setup, I'd rather go with an LS engine, 6.0 perferrably

thanks for all the help. I may can fab something, but I don't know crap about engines, so this thead helped me out a little without spending 35 hours searching and reading, etc.
 
rockcity said:
as of now, a good running efi 351W is the top option and def. the cheapest.
If that doesn't work out as planned, then I'm back to making a different decision. If I'm going to be spending $1500 on a setup, I'd rather go with an LS engine, 6.0 perferrably
thanks for all the help. I may can fab something, but I don't know crap about engines, so this thead helped me out a little without spending 35 hours searching and reading, etc.
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now if we can convince you to ditch the manual and get a th350 or 400....behind an LSx, then you'd have a really reliable, modern, powerful set up.
 
bcammons21 said:
i mean ive personally seen a friend get an ls1 for under 1 g with about 60-70k on the clock, granted it came with a totalled car to go with it, so i mean anything is possible but this aint a pissing match, but either way id go ls style like you were talkin bout.
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no pissing match...I too scored an LS1 for less than a grand, it's just rare. The price range I'm giving is the "pick up the phone and get one today, price".
 
BIGWOODY said:
now if we can convince you to ditch the manual and get a th350 or 400....behind an LSx, then you'd have a really reliable, modern, powerful set up.
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Bingo...

You are looking for realistic and in your price range for a nice modern motor you can get a 4.3, 5.3 or 5.7. Just take a look on ebay. I know for a fact that 5.3's and 5.7's are selling cheap these days.
 
Well, as of now I have too much invested in the T18 and it bolts up to a 351, so I'm trying to stay with it as of now. If I get in it and hate it, maybe I'll consider others but not at the moment.

The key here is to go forward and get this buggy finished, not back up and start changing everything. I've already changed enough and I'm ready for it to be finished.

I don't really know autos as I've always used manuals wheeling. Plus, I already have everything installed and its ready to go (rebuilt trans, new slave cylinder and MC/pedal already installed, new clutch, D300 adapter installed, etc. etc.)
 
Just small food for thought...i was adviced by many of my friends that i should build my buggy with a newer more reliable motor than the TBI 350 i had in my cruiser. Went against the advice and stuck the 350 in. 6 months later the 350 (which i spent waaay too much money on trying to get it to run the way i wanted) is history and 5.3 is in the buggy. :rolleyes:

351 may be all you ever need but if its not then i promise you will despise every second of putting the new motor in. :lol:
 
Well, I've been running on 6 cylinders in my wheeler rigs, so the V8 will be a step up for power. Plus, with the new efi 351 in there, its cost is reasonable as compared to the GM engines. With the little it will cost, if it doesn't work, then I can pull it, sell it, and will prob. have zero loss except a little time (buggy is already setup for SBF). If it doesn't work, I'll spend the $$$ on the 6.0

If anyone knows me, I'm a budget builder and if I can get the efi 351 in there for little to nothing, then, thats the ticket, especially if it has reaonable power and has a decent amount of aftermarket performance parts availabe. By the time I sell the LP parts and spare SBF parts, it should offset the cost of the efi 351, so I should be about even with cost, hopefully.

we'll see what happens.

Nice, this thread was intended to help me find other affordable/powerful options but has basically put me back on the efi 351. However, it put the 6.0 right up there at a very close #2. So, if the 351 doesn't work, the 6.0 will be next.
 
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