If I bought the LT could I engine swap for a v-8 engine down the road?

[PD123]

I don't have the money to afford the insurance and gas cost of the SS, unfortunately. I can afford the LT, though. Would I be able to get the engine swap later when I have money. I don't know much about cars, but I know people who do engine swaps and other junk to cars all the time. I just want to know if the chassis would be compatible for it. I'm sure this sounds like a stupid question, but I am ignorant.

[a6pk2go]

Save your money if you're going to go that route. The V8 platform is a lot better set up plus it will come with a awesome brake system.

[kalel]

I don't know a lot about these things, but you probably wouldn't want to use the Aisin tranny with the v8 power.

[BLACK SUNSHINE]

It would be cheaper for you to buy the V8 rather than swap over. But to answer your question, yes, you could. It just wouldnt be economical. You would be better off sellign the V6 later and buying the V8.

[SSOOCH]

Anything is possible if you have the money. I suggest you buy your LT, enjoy it for a four years then trade up for a V8 model.

[stovt001]

Originally Posted by BLACK SUNSHINE

It would be cheaper for you to buy the V8 rather than swap over. But to answer your question, yes, you could. It just wouldnt be economical. You would be better off sellign the V6 later and buying the V8.

Unless you can do everything yourself and get all your parts used, you'll waste a ton of money going that route. Save up and buy later if you want the SS.

[Cyberfan]

Originally Posted by PD123

I don't have the money to afford the insurance and gas cost of the SS, unfortunately. I can afford the LT, though. Would I be able to get the engine swap later when I have money. I don't know much about cars, but I know people who do engine swaps and other junk to cars all the time. I just want to know if the chassis would be compatible for it. I'm sure this sounds like a stupid question, but I am ignorant.

I think the 6 speeds are different, meaning the one for the V-6 is not designed for the higher horse V-8.

How would that be cost efficient after you pay for the new engine and swap it? Wouldn't it be cheaper to pay the higher insurance costs now and get a V-8 with the good warranty? Engine swapping will toast your engine and drive train warranty also which could be VERY costly to you if something bad happens before 100,000 miles. And how easy is that engine-swapped car going to be to sell down the road? Much harder than a stock SS for a lot less $ IMO.

Why not get the V-6 and trade for a V-8 one later when you could afford the gas and insurance. Or find a 77 or 78 Vette (they are dirt cheap) and put your new V-8 engine in there. That seems to make a lot more sense to me.

[KatarHol]

Don't get the V6. Spend V6 money and get the most perfect late model 4th gen V8 you can find or a '04-06 GTO.......or be patient and buy a used SS in a year or two.

[rolnslo]

And this thread is a prime example of why hot rodding as a hobby has gone down the tubes over the last couple of decades....sigh...

Honestly, buy what you can afford to now because, depending on where you live, emissions laws will nearly prevent you from doing an engine swap in the future.

If you can't afford the SS, get the v6. When you have more money, either get an SS and get rid of the v6 or spend the money to make a v6 into the V8 you wanted. The basic pieces are there in the v6, everything you'll need to do the swap can be purchased and bolted in later. Hell, the entire front engine & suspension cradle assembly drops out with just 8 bolts.

Besides, given the direction our country is headed with fuel economy standards, your next engine swap won't be for a v8, it's going to be for a battery pack and a couple of 500hp electric motors. Oh, and maybe a small 4-banger to act as an onboard generator.

[Big_Country]

Go with the V8 now. I am kicking myself for not doing that with my 4th gen. I wanted to save some money (both up front and with insurance) but the amount of money that needs to be spent now to upgrade to the V8 is going to kill me. You will need to replace the entire drive line, suspension and brakes. As I am finding out, it will be cheaper for me to buy a used Z-28/SS then to upgrade my current car as others have mentioned.

[PQ]

I agree with the panel. Buy the V6 and drive it til you can afford the motor upgrades that you want. At that time you can weigh you're options as to wether or not to do the upgrades or trade up for an SS. If you know someone well enough, you could possibly get even more power than what is offered now. By waiting, you can just save money in the meantime.

[PD123]

I was planning on putting things like a supercharger and an intake in the v6 to make it competitive. Also, from what I've been hearing. This v6 is going to turn some heads with its performance for a v6. 300 hp seems to be a lot for a v6. I would love at least for a time to roll up to the richer people with the stock ss and beat them with the v6 with mods.

[Mr_Draco]

Go with the SS now. If needed wait for 3-4 months so you'll have a bigger down payment.

As for insurance and gas, I'm 24 years old with a clean record. I just went to the insurance company to pay my car insurance and got a quote for the new Camaro. The SS will run me about $100 a month while the LT will run me about $85 a month, that's just a $15 difference a month, less then $4 a week. I can spend an extra 5 mins a day at work and cover this extra cost. The SS gets roughly the same mpg as my '97 Z28 so there will be no difference for me but I figured that for me the LT would save me about $20 a month on gas.

Sit down and crunch some numbers and figure out the actual difference between the two. You'll be surprised how small of a difference it really is between the two cars and if you can't afford that difference then should you really be buying a new car atm?

[Edrock]

Pay close attention to the sig...nuff said.