I'm in the LS camp, an LS build no matter which one is still an LS. If you have gone to the work of putting in a 4.8 you have already accomplished the hard part of the swap. It gives the next guy the ability to just swap in a more powerful version if he wants. They probably won't but they have the idea that they could.
I had an LT1 FC at one point in my life and wouldn't mind owning a LS1 FC that is done nicely one day. My only issue is I prefer the TR6060 over the T56 now.
SVreX wrote:Keith Tanner wrote: If you're using an iron block 4.8, though, it's a truck engine. That's going to hurt perceived value for sure.I've been thinking about this... With old school small blocks the benchmark was the 350. Everybody wanted a 350. But that started as a truck engine. There were people (like me) who appreciated the 327 for what it was- a 350 with much better revs and top end. The 4.8L is to the 5.3L much like the 327 was to the 350. I get what you are saying, but a great revving, dyno proven LS is still an LS. There may be some folks who look down their nose on it, but it's still an LS. And all LS stuff can mate to it nicely.
The aluminum blocks would probably help resale a little bit but they also cost quite a bit more, i wouldnt smay being a truck motor would hurt it as much as i would say being an aluminum block car motor would help.
The availabilty of low cost truck variants that make almost as much power as the famous car engines is one of the big reasons ls swaps have become so popular, and i assume people looking at the ls swap vehicles, especially at the lower end of the cost spectrum would uberstand this and not expect an aluminum 6.2.
I bet an auto would affect resale more than an iron block would
Just get a 4.8 stab a t5 behind it, and avoid drag radials and dig racing, until you find a cheap T56.
Im pretty sure people are putting t5s behind low budget ls swaps and they are surviving under normal use.
Another option is to go with the 5.3 and mate it to a t5 out a f-body with the right bellhousing
In reply to SVreX:
A "raggedy uz"?!?!? I am offended sir!
In reply to Opti:
Can you give me any clues where you are finding 243/799 heads for $300-400, or LS6 cams for $100?
I am seeing rebuildable cores for that, but not serviceable heads.
Trackmouse wrote: In reply to SVreX: A "raggedy uz"?!?!? I am offended sir!
Wear your offense proudly. It works for you. 
In reply to Opti:
I think your comments about perceived value of aluminum blocks and auto transmissions are dead on.
General rule I have about race cars and cars with engine swaps is it is much cheaper to get one done by someone else than start from scratch.
Good discussion here about the engine and drivetrain options- thanks guys.
What about the platforms from a handling perspective?
Miata is the benchmark- it's the Answer, and I know it well.
Can an FC get close?
Sounds like the FC has a weird automatic camber adjusting feature, which sounds unpredictable to me, so I'd probably delete it. I'd also be dealing with a bit more weight, and more weight up high, and a slightly longer wheelbase. But can it rotate? I've never driven one.
Late apexing corners will probably do it, along with a limited slip diff.
Looking forward to finding one of these beasts already built in the very near future. Ls vs other v8's is a critical value addition as is the manual vs auto. Non LS v8's swaps of the flavor I'm hunting seem to go for at least 30-40% less. Iron vs aluminum is important but less so than the other factors. Hope to be posting some pics of the new V8 swap beast here soon... Looking at one next week on a biz trip out of town and may drive it home if it's as sorted as it appears on the interweb...
In reply to 84FSP:
Is it a Miata or a Rex?
SVreX wrote: In reply to Opti: Can you give me any clues where you are finding 243/799 heads for $300-400, or LS6 cams for $100? I am seeing rebuildable cores for that, but not serviceable heads.
Just search the LS1 sites. Did a quick search on LS1tech for 243s. Found a clean set for 300, found a rebuilt set for 500 and a lot for a little over 400.
http://ls1tech.com/forums/parts-classifieds/1825823-243-heads-new-ls3-springs.html
About 4 months ago when we were putting together the 6.0 for my friend I found 3 LS6 cams for under 150, on LS1tech.
Id look for heads on LS1gto since all the GTOs had 243/799s heads, and hunt for the other parts on LS1tech and craigslist.
The aluminum truck blocks may be coming down, while looking for the 243 heads I found an aluminum 5.3 shortblock for 250 dollars, I dont know if thats a smoking deal or going rate currently, but its WAYY cheaper than Ive ever seen any of the other aluminum blocks. So may do some looking for those to.
I generally search craigslist/ls1tech/ls1lt1/ebay/ls1gto and then low ball the E36 M3 out of people, sometimes it takes me a while to find what I need for what I want to pay, but Ive got some pretty good deals.
SVreX wrote:Keith Tanner wrote: If you're using an iron block 4.8, though, it's a truck engine. That's going to hurt perceived value for sure.I've been thinking about this... With old school small blocks the benchmark was the 350. Everybody wanted a 350. But that started as a truck engine. There were people (like me) who appreciated the 327 for what it was- a 350 with much better revs and top end. The 4.8L is to the 5.3L much like the 327 was to the 350. I get what you are saying, but a great revving, dyno proven LS is still an LS. There may be some folks who look down their nose on it, but it's still an LS. And all LS stuff can mate to it nicely.
Wasn't the 350 also available in cars? To me, that's the Corvette displacement. All that 327 stuff was before my time 
The 4.8 and 5.3 LS engines only ever came in trucks, ignoring the FWD-only LS4 that won't bolt up to a proper trans. And you can't say "iron block" with using the prefix "boat anchor" 
When I had the 5.3 engine in my car, it was called a truck engine. Even though it had different heads, different cam, different intake, different accessory drive and different oil pan. Basically, it was a truck short block with a bunch of yummy stuff on it. "Truck engine" carries a bit of a stigma when you're looking at a sports car and the iron block definitely is a step down from aluminum. We're talking perceived value here, and the perception of V8 swapped sports car is always "nose heavy pig that understeers tragically". We know that's not the actual case, but it's the knee-jerk reaction. And having an extra 125 lbs or so on the nose doesn't help there.
It would be fun to build a short stroke LS engine for wild revs. I do love the sound of those old 289s or 302s at the Mitty, wailing away at ridiculous RPM for a pushrod engine.
SVreX, I have a GM Hot Cam and a set of blue valvesprings on my desk here. I've advertised them in the past for no takers, drop me an offer if you go LS. I can deliver to Atlanta.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
Interested in the cam...
I'm pretty sure the oil pan and water pump on that project came from Keith.
Is that where they went? I know I sold some LS parts to someone on the board :)
The cam and springs:
http://www.jegs.com/i/Chevrolet+Performance/809/12480033/10002/-1
Same cam and springs used in the LS376/480 crate engine. It's all got 50 miles on it, looks basically brand new. The springs are stock LS3 springs, which superseded the yellow LS6 units. Should wake up a truck engine.
Ok, it's official.
I have agreed to buy the makings of an LS RX7.
Coming soon, Rex's Rex. 
In reply to SVreX:
Excellent can't wait to see the project come together.
It should be easier to find cheap wide wheels to fit the rx7 vs the Miata.
Sort of.
I can find just about any size wheel I want for a Miata in my garage. That's reasonably easy.
SVreX wrote: Sort of. I can find just about any size wheel I want for a Miata in my garage. That's reasonably easy.
You need a bigger garage, I can find both easily but I can never seem to work wide Miata wheels into the budget.
In reply to Andy Neuman:
No, I most definitely do not.
Mine is a 4 car with 2 additional bays for crap plus a 2nd floor.
I thought the package included a set of Mustang Cobra wheels.
Either way, congrats!
If you decide on a manual trans, a T56 will break the bank unless you are really lucky. If you don't need overdrive, m21-22-23, or Super T10 transmissions will work just fine.
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