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Thread: E34 $1500 or Less Budget LS Swap

  1. #76
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    I don’t know anything specific about those turbos but I can guarantee you that the turbine is going to be way too small. Those are sized for OEM quick spool up on a 3.0L. They’re going to choke something nearly twice as big. Four of them would probably be closer to fitting your needs.

    I think turbine size is something pretty frequently mismatched. I sure did it by putting a GT42 on a 383 SBC in a past project. Exhaust backpressure was 3x boost pressure on the dyno. I never got off a clean pull for unrelated reasons but it was done making power by 6k RPM. It really needed a GT47 or equivalent turbine.

    Check out the Holset turbos that came on the Cummins 5.9L. The turbine might be a little too big for twins on a 5.3 but they’re common and cheap. Also, there may be some OEM Garrett applications for truck diesels that will work in a single setup if you swap to a smaller turbine housing A/R. A GT42 on a 5.3 would be one quick spooling MF’er and not choke too early like in my case. IIRC, they came on 12L Detroit Diesels.




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  2. #77
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    Quote Originally Posted by BigL350 View Post
    I don’t know anything specific about those turbos but I can guarantee you that the turbine is going to be way too small. Those are sized for OEM quick spool up on a 3.0L. They’re going to choke something nearly twice as big. Four of them would probably be closer to fitting your needs.

    I think turbine size is something pretty frequently mismatched. I sure did it by putting a GT42 on a 383 SBC in a past project. Exhaust backpressure was 3x boost pressure on the dyno. I never got off a clean pull for unrelated reasons but it was done making power by 6k RPM. It really needed a GT47 or equivalent turbine.

    Check out the Holset turbos that came on the Cummins 5.9L. The turbine might be a little too big for twins on a 5.3 but they’re common and cheap. Also, there may be some OEM Garrett applications for truck diesels that will work in a single setup if you swap to a smaller turbine housing A/R. A GT42 on a 5.3 would be one quick spooling MF’er and not choke too early like in my case. IIRC, they came on 12L Detroit Diesels.




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    I was doing a lot of research today and for twins (simplicity of exhaust) I saw the GT2872 with a .62 A/R sounded to be a good sized for flow and also seems to be small enough exterior to fit in the cramped space between the frame and engine.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  3. #78
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    I approve of this message!

    I've been thinking about a similar budget swap myself, but for a three series. I just NEED to drive a cammed V8 again!

  4. #79
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wheelman99 View Post
    I approve of this message!

    I've been thinking about a similar budget swap myself, but for a three series. I just NEED to drive a cammed V8 again!
    If you got the time and space to part out a truck it will be worth while! But there is a big emphisis on time. I still have no end date in sight with all the other things I am doing to this car. Especially being able to powdercoat at home, just about everything gets powdercoated. That adds a lot of time in prep-work. I need to get a white board and get a list rolling of everything leading up tp the first burnout.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  5. #80
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    Quote Originally Posted by XCRN View Post
    I was doing a lot of research today and for twins (simplicity of exhaust) I saw the GT2872 with a .62 A/R sounded to be a good sized for flow and also seems to be small enough exterior to fit in the cramped space between the frame and engine.
    You may get the hp you’re looking for with twin GT2871r’s but with high back-pressure upstream of the turbine. If you were going with GT35’s, then ok, start playing with A/R to get them to spool where you want. Fast spool-up won’t be a problem with GT28’s. Backpressure will be, so go with the highest A/R available. If the price is right it’s worth trying them. You have a lot of upgrade options if you’re not happy.


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  6. #81
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    Quote Originally Posted by BigL350 View Post
    You may get the hp you’re looking for with twin GT2871r’s but with high back-pressure upstream of the turbine. If you were going with GT35’s, then ok, start playing with A/R to get them to spool where you want. Fast spool-up won’t be a problem with GT28’s. Backpressure will be, so go with the highest A/R available. If the price is right it’s worth trying them. You have a lot of upgrade options if you’re not happy.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    I will do a little more research on that for sure. I cannot really buy anything too expensive at this point since the engine is not even in the car so there is no point in dropping money into them. Unless there is one hell of a deal that does not come around too often. That is how this entire project has been, don't really need a part yet but price is right so screw it.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  7. #82
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    Don't suffer from mission creep! Focus on getting it in and started. There are tons of bolt on for Chevy to keep you happy for a while. And frankly its going to be fun just to drive it.

  8. #83
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sleepyhead97 View Post
    Don't suffer from mission creep! Focus on getting it in and started. There are tons of bolt on for Chevy to keep you happy for a while. And frankly its going to be fun just to drive it.
    You are right, I do go back and forth on whether to just get it going as is or have my dream car done up front. Engine wise my goals can easily be supported by stock 5.3 compression ratio I would think and with gen 4 rods it could handle what I would throw at it. So engine internal wise I would not need to change anything going from NA to FI except for maybe a cam.

    I got a stock LS1 cam for $20 but I am not sure how that will do with 650hp turbo tune. Same for injectors and fuel pump. I want to find a set of 60 or 80# injectors but they are not cheap so I only want to buy injectors once and I am having a shockingly difficult time finding LS1 or 6 factory fuel rail and injectors for cheap. I see quite a lot of LS6 intake manifolds with rails and injectors for $450 so I might just do that and move the LS1 manifold to my XJ Cherokee when I do that swap.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  9. #84
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    Engines are air pumps. If I were to upgrade anything it would be exhaust. Make sure it will handle your future needs.

  10. #85
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    I am having a shockingly difficult time trying to find a decently priced gen 4 rotating setup. I found a set of reconditioned LS2 rods with new bushings for $120 and I found these pistons that are supposedly "genuine oem" but the price seems low for that especially since they are cheaper than the cheapest Rockauto piston and it is on ebay. But I am not too familiar with how GM prices really are. Anyone have thoughts on these?

    https://www.ebay.com/i/113154341746?chn=ps
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  11. #86
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    Fake or fell off a truck. Looks the part though.
    Is this an "unpopular" choice?
    Ask to see the packaging
    Last edited by ross1; 02-27-2019 at 01:11 PM.

    If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

  12. #87
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    I decided I am going to use Summit forged pistons with gen 4 rods. I am getting all the stuff to get the bottom end machined. I find the crank that came in the aluminum 5.3 and found the inner 2 rod lobs look off. I REALLY doubt this is normal but before I scrap the crank I figured I should ask. In the attatched picture you see how the 2 connecting rod pivots look offset. You can see that inthe shadow from the flash. Is this normal on these engines?
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    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  13. #88
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    Doh!

  14. #89
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tim Mc View Post
    Doh!
    I thought it was impressive how it wore down that far om not just that pivot but one more as well. I knew it had spun connecting rod bearings in the rods but did not realize how bad it got. Im picking up for $200 a 4.8 today from a co-worker. All I wanted was the crank and I could probably sell other parts off of it. So the plan for bottom end now is stock 4.8 crank, gen 4 rods which can be had re-manned for $300, Summit Racing forged pistons. Hopefuly I can get this to spin higher and more reliably. If I can get it to spin up to 7500 without breaking something, that would be great!
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  15. #90
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    Quote Originally Posted by XCRN View Post
    I thought it was impressive how it wore down that far om not just that pivot but one more as well. I knew it had spun connecting rod bearings in the rods but did not realize how bad it got. Im picking up for $200 a 4.8 today from a co-worker. All I wanted was the crank and I could probably sell other parts off of it. So the plan for bottom end now is stock 4.8 crank, gen 4 rods which can be had re-manned for $300, Summit Racing forged pistons. Hopefuly I can get this to spin higher and more reliably. If I can get it to spin up to 7500 without breaking something, that would be great!
    I feel like dropping down to a 4.8l bottom end is not a good idea. You can buy a good 5.3 crank for that price. You will loose torque and HP right out of the gate with the reduced stroke. Like 20 hp minimum. With all the hard work you are doing, I would get the most out of it.

    But.. Maybe you have a plan that fits the 4.8?
    Last edited by Sleepyhead97; 03-02-2019 at 09:45 AM.

  16. #91
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    Quote Originally Posted by XCRN View Post
    I decided I am going to use Summit forged pistons with gen 4 rods. I am getting all the stuff to get the bottom end machined. I find the crank that came in the aluminum 5.3 and found the inner 2 rod lobs look off. I REALLY doubt this is normal but before I scrap the crank I figured I should ask. In the attatched picture you see how the 2 connecting rod pivots look offset. You can see that inthe shadow from the flash. Is this normal on these engines?
    was there a bearing left at all?

    If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

  17. #92
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    Quote Originally Posted by ross1 View Post
    was there a bearing left at all?
    There was little the resembled a bearing, but it still somehow existed. The amazing part there was another lobe like that on this crankshaft. I still keep going back and forth which engine to rebuild this aluminum block with and I am kind of debating the turbo thing being this is my first ever engine build and first time doing a swap like this. I have both a good 4.8 and 5.3. It would be cool to do something like the old school high revving 327 with the 4.8 crank but I do not want to bore the block out that much but there is so much more for the 5.3 crank as far as rotating assembly is concerned.

    It also comes down to the other LS project. My XJ Cherokee will be getting the other engine in more of a stock form. So I was thinking the 4.8 would be"good" for "gas mileage" for the brick. It does not need anything special beyond just a fuel injected V8.

    So many variables to consider. I just wish there is more stuff I could do to the car itself right now but it is WAY too cold for me to want to be in my garage. The subframe is out being modified for the rack and pinion so I can get the engine back in. Still working on the harness (mostly the fuse block). I think I am going to modify the rear subframe to add the camber and toe adjustments. I have the V8 remote booster bracket taken apart, mostly powdercoated, and ready for rebuild.

    I really hope this is the last week of this crap weather so I can get the fuel tank out, then start cleaning the underside and coating.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  18. #93
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    Given the cost to repair that crank(if possible) I'd just junk it and use the longer arm since you plan on a whole new rotating assembly anyway. No replacement for displacement.
    Turbo-schmurbo, high compression and a stout cam. Put it together right and it'll rev like you want.
    One has to wonder what that engine sounded like with two rod bearings done in like that. Someone got their money's worth out of that Chevrolet.
    Last edited by ross1; 03-05-2019 at 12:25 PM.

    If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

  19. #94
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    Quote Originally Posted by ross1 View Post
    Given the cost to repair that crank(if possible) I'd just junk it and use the longer arm since you plan on a whole new rotating assembly anyway. No replacement for displacement.
    Turbo-schmurbo, high compression and a stout cam. Put it together right and it'll rev like you want.
    One has to wonder what that engine sounded like with two rod bearings done in like that. Someone got their money's worth out of that Chevrolet.
    It was cheaper just to but a whole engine for $200. Plus I can sell the many sets of truck intakes and accessories I have acquired to make it free. I kind of want to clean the crank up and powdercoat it red white and blue just because. But I was wondering how they did that to the crank and nothing else was that damaged. It must have been reved to the moon with hardly any oil. I did find a picture from tearing this down last year. I knew it spun rod bearings but I never really looked at the crank until now.
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  20. #95
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    Talk about driving it into the grave.
    Remember that all the metal ground from that crank has circulated through the oil pump and I'm sure some has made it past the filter. I'd love to see the filter from this one.
    Be very careful if using any other lubricated parts from that engine.

    If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

  21. #96
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    Quote Originally Posted by ross1 View Post
    Talk about driving it into the grave.
    Remember that all the metal ground from that crank has circulated through the oil pump and I'm sure some has made it past the filter. I'd love to see the filter from this one.
    Be very careful if using any other lubricated parts from that engine.
    When it warms up I outside next will see if I can find the old oil pump in my garage since I am now curious. Atleast the bores are good and given it’s an LM4 which is basicly a small bore LS6 block, I have plenty of room for cleanup if needed. It is just a completely bare aluminum block now and will be cleaned so anything hiding in any crevices will be gone. Almost bought a bare 6.2 block for $300. That would have been a cool thought.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
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  22. #97
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    In cause I want to do this to my car too, at some point. Already have the LS1 block for mock up. Being mine is a 6-speed car already, I am good for brake stuff.

    Now, I gotta finish my Bronco first.

  23. #98
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    Quote Originally Posted by marshallnoise View Post
    In cause I want to do this to my car too, at some point. Already have the LS1 block for mock up. Being mine is a 6-speed car already, I am good for brake stuff.

    Now, I gotta finish my Bronco first.
    Would be easier with a V8 chassis for sure, might have been smarter but I have been an idiot my whole life so I am use to life being difficult.

    Coyote or LS in the Bronco?
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
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  24. #99
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    Quote Originally Posted by XCRN View Post
    Would be easier with a V8 chassis for sure, might have been smarter but I have been an idiot my whole life so I am use to life being difficult.

    Coyote or LS in the Bronco?
    Cummins 6bt!

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  25. #100
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    Quote Originally Posted by marshallnoise View Post
    Cummins 6bt!

    Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
    WOW! I was not expecting that. Now that will be different and awesome!
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

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