Is it still worth it to swap in a SBF?

I've been daydreaming about project cars and engine swaps lately, and as a loyal Ford guy who has a couple of 5.0 blocks and some other parts sitting around, I was thinking of assembling one to put into an E30 or FC or some such thing. But the thing is, unless I get a decent set of heads, I'm limited to about 230-240hp. And for the cost of just those heads, I could get a junkyard GM 5.3L truck motor which makes 300hp in stock form, has aluminum heads and can be had with an aluminum block, has tons of support, doesn't have a big distributor sticking out the top of it. I understand that I'd need to rebuild the truck motor and get an LS1 intake to make it fit in a lot of cars, but at best, it seems like building one of these motors is about the same cost as building a 302.

So, I guess my question is, unless you are a fanatical Ford loyalist, why would you use a 5.0 in an engine swap at this point?

If I built my 5.0 RX7 today, it would have a LSx in it.

No question

If you had no motor at all - the bowtie gets the nod but if you have the parts lying around to finish a running car with a SBF, why not? The shorter motor helps improve over the stock balance same as an LS. The extra heft from the iron heads makes it about even to an S52 swap in overall weight. 240HP with v8 torque is plenty good power in an E30. You will still want for tire in the rear. You can still do the heads and a big cam someday later when the craigslist fairy bestows them on you for pennies.

For my E36 . . . It was MASSIVELY cheaper to put a 302 in.

My fully rebuilt 302 with GT40P goodies + cam + T5 + swap kit = $1500

If JTR's up and coming swap kit is priced right, I may reconsider!!

I run 275 Rcomps on a 4500lb car and need more tire. Stock explorer motor with a small cam. It's still a good amount of HP. I've been temped to yank the 302 out and toss it in my 318ti.

I wasn't specifically saying an E30, though that would be one contender, for sure. I was speaking more in a general sense, it seems like the LSx motors have become cheap enough that the 302 is hardly worth it anymore. And I certainly appreciate that a 302 makes more than enough power to be "fun" in a light car, but more is always better, right?

Although I know I shouldn't even dream of spending money on car stuff that isn't essential right now, I still do.

I have been trying to figure out how to run 11s for cheap and still be daily drivable in the e30. Then just today I decided to research what size tire will fit in the e30 fenders. This isn't conclusive, but it seems like 225s are about the limit on this car.

I'm no tire guru, but I would imagine it would be very very very difficult to run 11s on street 225s. Not only that, but all the supporting mods to handle this power is crazy. I bet it would cost three times as much to run an 11.0 than a 12.0 and still be daily drivable and reliable.

Then I realized that v8 torque probably would be a handful in this car, and I started to look at small displacement v8s like the 1uz, or even an sr20det swap.

The SBF seems to make way more torque than horsepower. I'd like to give that up for some revs and a wider torque curve.

So what I'm hearing is that the LSx is probably the better option if you're starting from scratch, but a 5.0 still produces enough power and torque to be lots of fun in a lightweight car, so if you have one (or most of one), it's still a viable option.

Don't get me wrong my 5.0 is so much fun and is a blast to drive. 3 times the horsepower and 4 times the torque with little to no weight disadvantage. Mine weighs 20 lbs more than stock with the SBF

If you already have 5.0's around, why change? If you didn't have ANYTHING, I would probably do the 5.3.

aussiesmg wrote: Don't get me wrong my 5.0 is so much fun and is a blast to drive. 3 times the horsepower and 4 times the torque with little to no weight disadvantage. Mine weighs 20 lbs more than stock with the SBF

But going fast in a car with 50lb-ft of torque is such a challenge! Just think how much more skill and finesse that takes. That's one reason I'm hesitating. If I did fast lap times in my RX7 with a V8 everyone would say "Well, of course, that lunatic has 350lb-ft in that monster V8. If he had left the rotary in there, then I would be impressed!"

Taiden wrote: Then just today I decided to research what size tire will fit in the e30 fenders. This isn't conclusive, but it seems like 225s are about the limit on this car.

I have 245/50-15s at all four corners on mine but it did require a bit of massaging in the rear - which is difficult to do cleanly because it is double walled and flaring it out tends to cause a crease.

What wheel size and offset are you using? Good to know that 245s do fit.

I sometimes roll around at night dreaming of either nekkid wimmen or 1UZFE's with Supra 5 speeds behind them. Sometimes it's nekkid wimmen helping me swap a 1UZFE... " />

Canute wrote:

aussiesmg wrote: Don't get me wrong my 5.0 is so much fun and is a blast to drive. 3 times the horsepower and 4 times the torque with little to no weight disadvantage. Mine weighs 20 lbs more than stock with the SBF

But going fast in a car with 50lb-ft of torque is such a challenge! Just think how much more skill and finesse that takes. That's one reason I'm hesitating. If I did fast lap times in my RX7 with a V8 everyone would say "Well, of course, that lunatic has 350lb-ft in that monster V8. If he had left the rotary in there, then I would be impressed!"

Been there, done that, have the trophies, it was time for something more.

If you prefer a rotary, do that, a healthy 4 port 13B bridgeport can make 300 hp. Ask me how I know

aussiesmg wrote: Been there, done that, have the trophies, it was time for something more.

Yeah, know how that is.

If you prefer a rotary, do that, a healthy 4 port 13B bridgeport can make 300 hp. Ask me how I know

Yeah, but at what price?

Ah ha, now you see the rub.

Plus the fun factor is exponentially higher in a balanced V8 powered light car

Curmudgeon wrote: I sometimes roll around at night dreaming of either nekkid wimmen or 1UZFE's with Supra 5 speeds behind them. Sometimes it's nekkid wimmen helping me swap a 1UZFE...

You dream better than I. I'm usually having the "falling" dream again, or just wake up screaming something dumb like "we're all out of scallops!"

Taiden wrote: What wheel size and offset are you using? Good to know that 245s do fit.

20 offset 15x8s. They don't really fit - you have to move some sheetmetal out of the way and you might need flares if this is going to pass inspection in a nanny state. I peened them enough to get clearance but, seriously - I, like the Honey Badger, don't give a E36 M3. It is a race car.

nekkid wimmen is so much better than naked wimmen

LSX requires a more expensive transmission if you want a manual. 302 is happy with a cheap T5. You'll spend as much or more on a T56 for you LSX as you did for the motor and everything to put it in.

Gearheadotaku wrote: LSX requires a more expensive transmission if you want a manual. 302 is happy with a cheap T5. You'll spend as much or more on a T56 for you LSX as you did for the motor and everything to put it in.

And the T56 is heavier, too, right? Which negates some of the advantage of the lighter motor.

You guys have successfully convinced me that an E30 with a stockish 302 would still be big fun.

Which LSx is actually lighter than a 5.0?

I suspect due to the larger size the LSx is actually still heavier.

This shows the Ford engine to weigh 460

http://www.carnut.com/specs/engdim.html

This site shows an LS6 to be 497

http://www.funco-motorsports.com/v8_comparison.htm

with the T5 vs T56 we are well ahead with the Ford, plus it is smaller in length and width

ValuePack wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote: I sometimes roll around at night dreaming of either nekkid wimmen or 1UZFE's with Supra 5 speeds behind them. Sometimes it's nekkid wimmen helping me swap a 1UZFE...

You dream better than I. I'm usually having the "falling" dream again, or just wake up screaming something dumb like "we're all out of scallops!"

My sexy dreams always end up creepy. Like when all the hot girls magically transform into lizards halfway through and stuff.

The T56 is almost 2x as heavy as a T5 so yes, if weight is a big concern, a built T5 would be the way to go.