[Connor1776]

I recently picked up an 02 S10 that I'm planning on doing an LS swap in. I'm hoping to save as much as possible in the short term and I was wondering if anyone has done a swap and kept the stock NV3500 trans and if so what motor mounts work best for it? I am planning on putting a T-56 in at a later date

 

[S10dude]

i have a 5.3 w/ NV 3500 in my truck now .....you have to regear diff as first gear is to low too use . s10 nv3500 is a close ratio , you can get a nv3500 from a v8 WT and it is a wide ratio ......works better

 

[Connor1776]

i have a 5.3 w/ NV 3500 in my truck now .....you have to regear diff as first gear is to low too use . s10 nv3500 is a close ratio , you can get a nv3500 from a v8 WT and it is a wide ratio ......works better

Thank, was it worth it to regear or would you recommend just going up to the t-56?

 

[S10dude]

i like the regear ....i'm not a fan of a 6sp

 

[oldeerslayer]

The title of your post is
LS swap on a budget
Budget and LS should never be used in the same phrase. They are contradictory words.
Like saying high performance 2.2.

 

[EZA]

The title of your post is
LS swap on a budget
Budget and LS should never be used in the same phrase. They are contradictory words.
Like saying high performance 2.2.

AMEN !!!

 

[Connor1776]

The title of your post is
LS swap on a budget
Budget and LS should never be used in the same phrase. They are contradictory words.
Like saying high performance 2.2.

I can dream can't I?

 

[EZA]

You can do it a lot cheaper if you have the skills and tools to fab needed parts. You can save a bundle by doing your own wiring harness. Some guys have gone that route so there should be plenty of information if you do a search "specific."

 

[Rhotpursuit]

I can dream can't I?

Just what is your budget??

 

[oldeerslayer]

I would only recommend doing you own harness if you really like working on electrical issues and have a thorough understanding on how each subsystem works. Just do one wire at a time. Only about 200 of them.

 

[Connor1776]

Just what is your budget??

It would be nice to spend less that $2500 but realistically around $3000. This is my first engine swap so I'm not 100% sure on problems I may run into or other costs I haven't accounted for

 

[jay27]

I was doing mine on a budget and it didn't work out, being in Canada is way more expensive but 3k American should be doable if you do most of your own work I would think.

 

[Harley]

I could do it for $1500, but I've done a few of these swaps now... and that's just the engine/transmission. Most guys also improve suspension, brakes, wheels, etc. when starting from scratch. Unless you have experience with these engines and engine swaps in general you will be exchanging time to keep the budget low. The first swap I started took me about 8 years. I helped with a few others along the way and couldn't help but tackle other aspects of building the truck at the same time, but if I had thrown more money at it, it would have taken less time.

Biggest task is sorting out the wiring harness on most swaps and if buying a pre made plug and play harness that's easily $1000 or more to the budget.

If you aren't able to weld or fabricate then you need to buy specialty swap headers or manifolds and pay someone to make your exhaust.

The phrase "while you're in there" will also be expensive. I'm not saying it is a bad phrase, but when going for budget you'll have to avoid saying it more often than not.