looking for LS swap vendors in il/wi

[fitzhume1221]

been thinking about going with a stand alone LS engine/trans combo in my 62 suburban project and was wondering if anyone knows of any places to purchase these combos in southern wisconsin/northern illinois. I've seen plenty of companies advertising selling these with limited warranties, but they've all been across the country.i see pacific fabrication advertising a lot on this site and it seems like they've had a lot of orders and seem like a good shop, but was hoping to find something/someone close to home..

[Advanced Design]

You can search through here....http://car-part.com/mobile/index.htm

and you should be able to find what you are looking for in your area.

[PGSigns]

Check with American Pick-up here on the board. He may be able to get you what you need.
Jimmy

[BR3W CITY]

Originally Posted by fitzhume1221

been thinking about going with a stand alone LS engine/trans combo in my 62 suburban project and was wondering if anyone knows of any places to purchase these combos in southern wisconsin/northern illinois. I've seen plenty of companies advertising selling these with limited warranties, but they've all been across the country.i see pacific fabrication advertising a lot on this site and it seems like they've had a lot of orders and seem like a good shop, but was hoping to find something/someone close to home..

Here's the deal with buying LS swaps in WI; I have had personal relationships with most of the "larger" hot rod shops who sell ready-to-run packages, and every single one is a ripoff (this is not true of ALL RTR, but just those being sold in my area). See, there is a tendency for some less reputable shops to just pick up cheap donors from the Auto Auctions @ 7mile, and sell the engines as "warranty'd takeout" engines. All they are is junkyard motors, but your paying 2x the price for the assumed piece of mind...however good luck getting them to honor anything, other than maybe tossing a few more junkyard parts at the problem.

Now, with that out of the way... we DO have a few very nice sources of engines in the state, but you'll want to drive a bit further north. If you look at car-part as was suggested, you'll see listings by a few yards north of the Milwaukee Metro.

Rhine is my first choice, they catalog and store all motors in a warehouse, fully drained and 95% inspected. My first purchase even had been fully capped and plugged in all open ports, and stored in a pallet. I don't believe they are selling full pullouts, however because they catalog things, you can track down matching assemblies if they haven't been sold.

Kirchayn is another option, on the west side of Cedarburg. They are more of a pull-per-request type, but with a heads up, they can set you up with various engines and trans. They aren't as selective, but they do seem to have a fast rotating stock, with less total in stock at one time.

On the south end of the state closer to you, there is a yard just north of Pleasant Prairie. They are NOT the place to get an LS swap. Its 99% beat-to-hell chicago cars with obnoxious mileage. They are a pick-n-pull however, so for things like TAC modules or parts in which you need to SEE the donor or locate a specific clip/retainer/bolt they are fair.

Do not be afraid to locate the parts yourself. Even tho its seems like work, if you research and put your own time in, you gain a firsthand knowledge of the components in your vehicle for future troubleshooting.

I'm a Milwaukee local, but I also operate part time from a few facilities in the North Elgin IL area and have contacts in both places should you need any further help.

[fitzhume1221]

all good info, thanks!!

[fitzhume1221]

you mentioned most shops selling complete takeouts are charging you twice as much, so what should one expect to pay for say, a 6.0/ 4L65e trans with computer and harness? i know the prices obviously vary with mileage, year, etc, just hoping for a ballpark.

[Aruba1]

A shop in Atlanta charges $2300 for a 5.3L, auto transmission and custom harness setup. Delivery included.

[BR3W CITY]

Originally Posted by fitzhume1221

you mentioned most shops selling complete takeouts are charging you twice as much, so what should one expect to pay for say, a 6.0/ 4L65e trans with computer and harness? i know the prices obviously vary with mileage, year, etc, just hoping for a ballpark.

For a 6.0 with a trans, I wouldn't spend more than $2-2500 if its really complete. Truthfully, I wouldn't get super hung up on the harness either unless your gonna do that part yourself. No reason to pay a premium for something thats gotta get ripped apart anyway.

If you have specific plans like a built trans or anything, then consider that when buying your parts.

For reference, I payed under $800 for a 6.0 with under 60k, complete pan to intake (tho I was missing the power steering bracket which they normally would include, but I didn't catch it at first). I only payed $300 for a 4l80e, which I could have kept stock but then stuck like $1500+ and then a converter into.

Too many shops are offering "great deals" on "complete" swaps which are just pullouts...and want $3500+...and they STILL need tuning and fuel system and all that jazz.

[youngrodder]

I too was looking for an LS set up in MI. I decided to buy a whole (running) car. The idea will be to harvest as much off it I can and reuse for my project then sell off the rest to try to get as close to my purchase price as I can.

The reason I went this rout is it is always a crap shoot that the person is not screwing you by selling you a junked motor. This one I drove 70 miles home so I knew it was good. An inexpensive LS car is not really easy to come buy because most shops do the same thing.

Happy hunting
Marc

[fitzhume1221]

all good info, been going crazy though checking everywhere to find what I'm looking for at a decent price!! I'm not trying to go cheap but also don't wanna spend a ton either. so if anyone knows of anyone selling anything like what I'm looking for(6.0/4l60 or 80e) in the northern illinois or southern wisconsin area, send em' my way! thanks!

[Nasty N8]

Have gotten a couple complete pullout setups from Scotty @ Chubby kid street cars in Milwaukee. 4145261296

I can help you with harness and parts need too.