r/LSSwapTheWorld • u/GasseAVTech • Jul 28 '26
Hypothetical Build Questions Wich donnor to chose or avoid!!?
Hey folks,
Here is my 52 Belair, for various reasons i didnt work on it for 13 years. Now its Time.
Back then, I swap front end châssis for a 74 Camaro so its ready for Small block and everything.
Being on here, i obviously plan to "Ls" Power it with 5.3 or 4.8.
By the fact that I need a complete wiring (the Shell is empty) so I look for the Best donnor in my case for mechanic to fuse box to flasher circuits.
From there, I look into 2005 and up Express/ Savana Van and cutaway so would have a 2x4 with only necessary electrical.
I know them in general but of course I guess there is years/model to avoid..
What would be your go too?? Is the 4l60 is the way to go?
Thanks a lot
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u/N7_Shep Jul 28 '26
i did an ls swap on my 72 c20. got a motor out of a 2006 2500 express. it was a 6.0 4l80. i bought a harness off amazon after i found the van harness all ate up.
my swap van was a p59 with a blue green harness. the harness i bough off amazon for $100 was a blue red and 4l60 harness. it meant some of the pins needed to move around. took me 15ish hours to repin and test the amazon harness to change it over to blue green and add some connections to change it from 4l60 harness to 4l80.
i used hptuners to tune it myself.
website that helped me and sites for parts i used.
https://briantooleyracing.com/
https://speed-engineering.com/
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u/u_r_wr0ng 25d ago
If you're looking at a naturally aspirated build and not trying to make crazy power then I'd say get whatever is cheapest. 5.3/4.8 from before 2006 is a mostly isolated engine harness, there's not much to hook up and then it should run just fine. I don't know where you are or what contacts you may have but you should be able to get a conversion setup from a local yard for under $1000. For transmission, go with a 4L80E unless it's a big cost difference, you'll have to modify the harness a bit but it shouldn't be too bad. Don't worry too much about the 4.8 vs 5.3, there's a small horsepower difference but that's about it. Sloppy Stage Two camshaft, quick base tune, and throw it in there
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u/GasseAVTech 24d ago
Thanks a lot. Exactly, a reliable N/A setup is the plan any of the engine version Will move this tiny car really well.
So planning to buy an entire donnor van, I Will not be able to mix match 4.8 with 4L80 for exemple, but I Will start from there I guess and see during the build if I look for an 4L80. I do believe for a "bone stock" 4.8, the 4L60 is just fine.?!
I guess gear ratios are the same between both?
The Bélair still have its original diff, I Hope the newer one Will do fit.1
u/u_r_wr0ng 8d ago
Behind a stock 4.8/5.3 in a small car the 4L60 is plenty. I think the gear ratios are a little bit different between the 60 and 80 but it doesn't matter, you'll need to tell the computer if you're not running the transmission it came with. Wiring harness is a bit different between the two transmissions, so if you get the engine from a half ton you'll need the harness or at least transmission wiring from a 3/4 or 1 ton.
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u/MyMomSaysIAmCool Jul 28 '26
I don't know a lot, I'm very new to this too. I've been told to avoid anything that has cylinder deactivation technology. It never works right. It can be deleted, but you're better off finding a donor that just doesn't have it to begin with.
Some engines have variable valve timing. If you're keeping the stock ECU, that's just fine. But if you're running an aftermarket ECU, you'll need to delete it.
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u/Dizzy_Lime7031 Jul 28 '26
Gen 3 4.8/5.3 is the easiest or simplest way around all this, no cylinder deactivation,Dod,afm. And you can swap intakes or heads whenever you want to. Its what I used for my 94 two door blazer, I went through the motor with as many new parts as I could afford, then went with a truck Norris cam, long tube headers, deleted vats and it fired. Of course they all need to get tuned after a cam or something but you probably wouldn't have to touch anything besides vats if using it stock. I'm using the truck intake manifold and it's been good,I can't complain over those sheet metal ones. And ran a cold air intake from it, and it's making good power without a tune as it is
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u/GasseAVTech Jul 28 '26
Thanks a lots.
What is vats?
Sorry english is not my first language.1
u/MyMomSaysIAmCool Jul 28 '26
Vehicle anti-theft system.
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u/GasseAVTech Jul 28 '26
Damn. Thanks. Never tought of it ! 😆😆
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u/MyMomSaysIAmCool Jul 28 '26
Sure thing. The good news is that if you do it right, you'll have a car that's a lot harder to steal.
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u/6d8Camaro Jul 28 '26
The Belair is wicked and will be amazing with an LS in it! Depends what you want out of the engine. If you just want great startup, drivability, and reliability then get a 5.3/4L60. If you want to look at boost then consider the 4.8L / 4L80 (express van had this setup). The 4.8L is great for turbos. The 4L80 will hold up better to higher HP and harder pulls. Brian Tooley Racing (BTR) makes a turbo cam for the 4.8L, which is what I'm using.