When did LS1 intakes become so expensive?

So I guess I haven't looked at this stuff in a while, but I've been looking up parts for the Camaro in order to do a 5.3 swap and jeebus have these things jumped in price. I rememebr when they were $50 all day long, apparently that day is long past, the cheapest on fleabay is about $270, with stock LS6 intakes going for more than a FAST intake, that's crazy IMHO.

Guess I'll be looking at doing an LT1 swap instead. With the cost of the 5.3 + F-body oilpan + Fbody accesories + F-bofy intake. it's over or close to $1500. I can get a donor LT1 car with T56 for $1000.. sheesh.

time to do some junkyard crawling?

I just found four LS1 intake manifolds on Ebay from $99-$200, and a stock LS6 intake on LS1tech.com for $400...

So the 50 Im getting out of a crusty ls1 intake is probably low?

If dude flakes tonight ill get a shipping quote for you...

When people started putting them in everything is my guess.

Didn't someone on here recently purchase one from Europe because it was way cheaper than one here in the US?

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Didn't someone on here recently purchase one from Europe because it was way cheaper than one here in the US?

UAE, iirc

i used to get them for $25 and pass them along to friends in need.

forget the lt1 swap, don't let an intake chase you away from ls power.

i went ls6 intake shopping and gave up.

t25torx wrote: So I guess I haven't looked at this stuff in a while, but I've been looking up parts for the Camaro in order to do a 5.3 swap and jeebus have these things jumped in price. I rememebr when they were $50 all day long, apparently that day is long past, the cheapest on fleabay is about $270, with stock LS6 intakes going for more than a FAST intake, that's crazy IMHO. Guess I'll be looking at doing an LT1 swap instead. With the cost of the 5.3 + F-body oilpan + Fbody accesories + F-bofy intake. it's over or close to $1500. I can get a donor LT1 car with T56 for $1000.. sheesh.

5.3s have gotten so popular the 4.8 is the hot ticket now for swaps and then add boost. Id run the LS6 intake if you can find one cheap, Im finding them for about 200-300 or run the truck manifold if you have room, they make alot of midrange and you can get them for next to nothing.

Might want to look into the ls2 intake. They have cathedral ports , and my buddy who owns an LS2 Gto said they are cheap because everyone thinks they are E36 M3. From what Ive seen they are about on par with the LS6 intake, even though the have the 90mm throttle body, because gm switch manufacturing methods. The LS2s are glued together and poor sealing causes bleeding between runners or something like that loosing power. There are threads all over LS2gto.com on porting them, its easy and supposedly worth about 10-15 hp, so if you find a cheap take off LS2 I wouldnt hesitate to port it and run it.

If you can find an LT1 T56 car for 1K buy it, part it out, make your money and use the profits to buy your LS engine. LT1 T56 alone is worth 1K-1500. Rear is easy worth 200, interior is worth a couple hundred. Probably sell the LT1 quick for 600, then all the small stuff worth 50-100. Then scrap the shell. Just put up a parting out thread on LS1tech and craigslist.

I have seen some LS6 intakes going for crazy money because they are fully assembled and the owner things the fuel rails and 76 mm throttle body are worth something.

All in all the LSx parts for cars are going up because of swaps, buddy was gonna throw away some LS2 manifolds, told him to sell them to the swap guys, after looking he should be able to get 100-200 for them.

My guess is it became worth more when hot rodders found they had a glut of 4.8 and 5.3 truck motors to swap into things, but found they needed an intake that would clear the hood.

MadScientistMatt wrote: My guess is it became worth more when hot rodders found they had a glut of 4.8 and 5.3 truck motors to swap into things, but found they needed an intake that didn't look like e36 m3.

If I know hot rodders...

I would just run with the truck intake if I could, but unfortunately it won't fit under a 3rd gen bonnet. And yeah I'm still undecided on if I want to do 4.8 or if I can find an aluminum block 5.3.

I may just do like Opti said and buy this LT1 car and part it out to get some more funds for the swap. Though I really was just going to stick with the WC-T5 I have in the car if I got a 4.8 and wait till it esploded to do the T56 swap. I'm just curious if the swap can be done for under $1000

Good lord, there must be a goldmine of LS Juan intake manifolds hidden somewhere in evansville......we used to swap E36 M3loads of those out for ls6 intakes back before the ricers started swapping lsx's into everything. Most of the time, the owners didn't want the ls1 intakes anymore, so they were thrown away.

The "Swap errythang" crowd is completely to blame here, its also why you can't snag a ls1/t56 combo for sub $1500 anymore.

last time i checked you could never snag an ls1/t56 combo for sub 1500.

I got a friend who finds E36 M3 like that all the time in scrap piles. last haul was 6 or 8 T56s for scrap value.

A part from a relatively low volume engine that hasn't been put into a new car for a decade now, but is still a desirable bolt-on upgrade for all of the closely related ultra high volume engines...

Supply < Demand

Opti wrote: I got a friend who finds E36 M3 like that all the time in scrap piles. last haul was 6 or 8 T56s for scrap value.

Your transmissions. I want to buy...your transmissions. Sell them to me.

Sell me your T-56! Ha ha ha!

Will wrote: I just found four LS1 intake manifolds on Ebay from $99-$200, and a stock LS6 intake on LS1tech.com for $400...

I used to buy them off of firebird/Camaro forums (ls1 tech) for about 20-30 bucks then toss them on ebay and they would sell for 80-120. I stopped because they started becoming not worthwhile, maybe I should do that again.

Yeah I wanted to swap a 4.8 or 5.3 with an auto into the W116 but meh. They're way too expensive now. Maybe a LT1 from a caprice wagon or something.

LS swaps are every where these days. I keep hoping it will slow down so I can get in on the goodness with and rx7 but that doesnt look like it will happen.

Last I checked 4.8s were still dirt cheap for an engine that will make 500+ reliable horsepower without removing the heads.

patgizz wrote: last time i checked you could never snag an ls1/t56 combo for sub 1500.

Ebay, 2004-5ish...it was still in that range though. S54's seemed to go for about 3k back then too.....

Kenny_McCormic wrote: Last I checked 4.8s were still dirt cheap for an engine that will make 500+ reliable horsepower without removing the heads.

Yep, I picked up a 4.8 last year for $460 with all the accessories.