04 Rocko Taco

You know what...I've never seen it done...but I have seen them in everything else....a motor a lot of people in the truck worls have never even heard of...get you an SR20DET (they can also be made into SR20DETT) They are out of a japan only Nissan called a Sylvia. Go for the S15 sylvia, not the s14 or s13, because these are basically tuned 240SX's. The SR20 is super light, 2.0 liter, makes about 210 HP. they make a 2.2 and a 2.4 stroker kit for it.... plus the turbo(s) I have seen a VERY reliable SR20DETT (technically a SR24DETT) stroked out to 2.4 liters and running a twin turbo setup, and he rally races, and its pushing like 495 at the rear wheels on like 9 pounds of boost pump gas. (on race fuel he can run it up to like 18 psi or so, and crank out just over 600 at the wheels)

AND if your looking at the LS1, why not the LS6 Vette motor?

Yota82

SR20DET? Good luck making that street legal since it is a JDM engine not designed for CA emission standards. If the truck is going to be street legal you need all the SMOG crap on it like the whole evap system, canisters and pretty much anything that pertains to to emission control. LS1 even though is seems like a good idea, is probably not because on top of the cost of the engine, trans, wiring harnass, ECU and not to mention all the labor to put it in, you still have to worry about SMOG stuff, custom driveline and also a different rearend. The 8" toyota rear end isn't designed for a high hp V8. When you do engine swaps in CA. you have to take your car to the SMOG Referee, those guys are total sticklers. They will want all the SMOG stuff on and also the VIN # off of the car that the engine came out of so that they can first of all, check to make sure the engine isn't stolen and so they know what type of vehicle to SMOG your truck as. If you don't have that information than you can't register it and then it is not street legal. That is why an SR20DET will not work on a CA registered vehicle. Closed compitition vehicles that are SMOG exempt are a different story. Without a doubt a 3.4 swap will be the easiest to get it street legal. Buy a wrecked T-100 or Tacoma for cheap then you have the VIN#, wiring harnass, ECU, engine and trans and all the SMOG stuff that you need to make it legal. IMO CA. emission standards are BS but you have to play by their rules, bottom line. Unless you move out of state then you can do whatever you want.

Bumpin' Yota

(the LS1 is a vette motor too )

one word - cost. The LS1 is still a good chunk of change cheaper than the LS6. The LS2 has the same output as the LS6 but is newer and thus even more expensive. And the mack-daddy of em all, the LS7 is ungodly expensive - 14k for a crate motor LS7. For 14k id go buy an older T100 and drop a 572ci in it...lol

04 Rocko Taco

Not arguing because I dont live in CA....
I hadn't given a ton of thought to the smog requirements....but SoCal is the home (and according to most, the birthplace) of import racing...your going to tell me that none of those guys are registered and legal? I KNOW of LOTS of SR20 powered vehicles in California, its the single most common swap in 240Sx's...and now that the drifitng scene is gaining momentum and notierity, there are even more of them...Is there any way you can become SMOG Exempt and still be street legal, not just for closed competition? I think here in Ga, you can pay some ungodly fee, and do whatever you want..emissions be damned.

Edge 3.0

Yep those SR20's can't be smogged out here legally. Many of the people out here are driving them illegally in the hopes that they won't be pulled over. Kind of risky if you ask me.

Yota82

Agreed there are a lot of people in CA with SR20DETs mostly not street legal but there are ways to make it pa$$ You know what I mean?

04 Rocko Taco

I know thats right. lol. I had an old Mx6 racecar, and it never passed emissions herein Ga even...I laid a $50 on the passenger seat and told the tech doing the test that it wouldnt pass, and if it did I would be so happy I rpobably wouldnt miss the $50 on the front seat...passed...and I never missed the 50. lol.

Yota82

Edge 3.0, my dad is trying to sell his 03 S2000, just dumped down the price to 21K. You can have the engine out of it naturally asperated 2.0 DOHC VTEC 4 banger 240hp @9000rpm, 6 speed manual RWD. It'd be fun! LOL!
http://www.tradeexpress.com/details.aspx?adid=18730908

Edge 3.0

LOL that would be a fun little experiment. Kinda pricey, but it would definately be fun .

I have been putting a great deal of thought into it, and I think the 3.4 is my best bet. Though it has less horsepower than the LS1, I think it will be cheaper, easier to swap, and in the end more reliable. I wonder what the weight difference would be... Anyway I think the 3.4 with a few simple mods maybe able to suit my needs....unless someone can convince me otherwise to consider a different option

Yota82

for your truck you have to use a T-100 oil pan and pick up tube.

Edge 3.0

Now all I have to do is figure out if I want to swap engines first, or 3/4-link the rear of my truck, or maybe even the new Total Chaos race kits. Horsepower vs. Suspension in a play truck.....hmmmm I know the one with the better suspension will be faster off road, but then again having the extra power and torque (overall driveability) of the 3.4 would be pretty nice both on and off road.