Newbie with the easiest question in the world...

**JeffTheViperMan** · 07-27-2009, 08:37 PM

Hi everyone.

My name is Jeff and I'm from Central PA. I'm a Viper owner - but I'm not looking to start any controversy!

I simply have a super-easy question that anyone with an LS1 motor can answer with a few minutes and a tape measure!

I'm trying to find out the LENGTH of the LS1 motor, from the back of the block (tranny mating surface) to the fore-most component (probably a pulley...) I'm not worried about coolant hoses or wiring as those can be rerouted. Metric measurement would probably be best - to the closest millimeter you can eyeball.

I'm doing some research on the Factory Five GTM and am trying to research alternate engine options, but want to establish the length of the LS1 as a baseline, understanding that "longer" engines might require additional modification. I can get TONS of specs on the LS1, but engine length is never a spec people think to provide!!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much.

Sincerely,
Jeff K.

**KahanaReef** · 07-27-2009, 08:40 PM

http://paceperformance.com/index.asp...=Custom&ID=586

Will this help?

**JeffTheViperMan** · 07-27-2009, 08:54 PM

Holy crap... Yeah it does!

I wish it had the LS7 on there to compare against - they built a GTM with an LS7 in it and had to modify the firewall.

But this is a great start. I'm assuming it's millimeters on top with inches in parenthesis. 29 inches long seems kinda small, but maybe not.

Thanks Kahana - I appreciate it.

Jeff

**KahanaReef** · 07-27-2009, 09:09 PM

No problem

**ls1fan74** · 07-29-2009, 02:13 AM

nice link- so what exactly did you say ur doing, is it for school?

**MYSCZ06** · 07-29-2009, 02:40 AM

sounds like he his building a GTM Kit car which usually uses a C5 Corvette as a donor and he is thinking about a different motor to use instead of the LS1/2/3/6

**JeffTheViperMan** · 07-29-2009, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by MYSCZ06

sounds like he his building a GTM Kit car which usually uses a C5 Corvette as a donor and he is thinking about a different motor to use instead of the LS1/2/3/6

That's precisely it. No offense to the Chevy guys whatsoever, but I thought it'd be pretty neat to drop a Hemi 6.1L from the SRT8 vehicles into the Factory Five GTM. FFR suggested that I would have to modify the firewall (if you want to call it that - it's actually the area behind the seats) because the engine might be longer than the LS1.

In fact, the two engines are the precise-same length - 28.75 inches. However, the 5.7 itself sits 6 inches higher than the LS1, and the 6.1 is even taller (I haven't found a precise measurement of the 6.1 yet.

Looking at pictures of the GTM, the LS1 sits barely an inch beneath the Lexan "window" between the seats and the engine bay. Whereas I suspect that a good two inches of the height is in the oil pan, the other four+ inches are going to be atop the crankshaft, and thus would block that window and hinder rearview. Now, to most people, that's no BFD. But I'm considering the GTM to replace my daily driver (in about 5 years when the DD is near-death and the GTM is built) so I need to consider all aspects.

Sorry that became rather verbose. I sincerely mean no insult to the Chevy guys though - my other idea is to get a brand new Chevy Camaro SS. I rented a V6 model a few weeks ago (even passed up the option to take the new Challenger!) and really enjoyed driving it around. My only problem with the Camaro is the purely insane "market value adjustments" that dealers are putting on them - over 10K for a V6 model!!!

Jeff

**0rion** · 07-29-2009, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by JeffTheViperMan

That's precisely it. No offense to the Chevy guys whatsoever, but I thought it'd be pretty neat to drop a Hemi 6.1L from the SRT8 vehicles into the Factory Five GTM. FFR suggested that I would have to modify the firewall (if you want to call it that - it's actually the area behind the seats) because the engine might be longer than the LS1.

In fact, the two engines are the precise-same length - 28.75 inches. However, the 5.7 itself sits 6 inches higher than the LS1, and the 6.1 is even taller (I haven't found a precise measurement of the 6.1 yet.

Looking at pictures of the GTM, the LS1 sits barely an inch beneath the Lexan "window" between the seats and the engine bay. Whereas I suspect that a good two inches of the height is in the oil pan, the other four+ inches are going to be atop the crankshaft, and thus would block that window and hinder rearview. Now, to most people, that's no BFD. But I'm considering the GTM to replace my daily driver (in about 5 years when the DD is near-death and the GTM is built) so I need to consider all aspects.

Sorry that became rather verbose. I sincerely mean no insult to the Chevy guys though - my other idea is to get a brand new Chevy Camaro SS. I rented a V6 model a few weeks ago (even passed up the option to take the new Challenger!) and really enjoyed driving it around. My only problem with the Camaro is the purely insane "market value adjustments" that dealers are putting on them - over 10K for a V6 model!!!

Jeff

sounds like a good candidate for a 408. What are you going to use for engine management on the hemi?

**JeffTheViperMan** · 07-30-2009, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by 0rion

sounds like a good candidate for a 408. What are you going to use for engine management on the hemi?

Actually, Mopar makes an EMS for the HEMI's, but it's really only needed if I start doing a lot of power upgrades on the engine. Since the GTM will still use the cats and such, there's really no reason why the factory PCM won't work.

But that end of the homework I haven't delved into just yet.

**MYSCZ06** · 07-31-2009, 05:31 AM

A Hemi Powered GTM...Hmmm that would be cool...thats the thing about those cars you can do whatever fits!! keep us posted!!

**davidws62000** · 07-31-2009, 06:47 AM

whats the cost of the gtm kit car without the motor and tranny

**davidws62000** · 07-31-2009, 06:51 AM

20k then another 20k to finish

**JeffTheViperMan** · 07-31-2009, 08:56 PM

Originally Posted by davidws62000

whats the cost of the gtm kit car without the motor and tranny

The kit with a few options runs about $23,000 with shipping.

You can get a Donor C5 which will give you everything you need for anywhere from $8K to $15K - most say $10K as a good average. You also need a Porsche trans - $3,000.

Body work can run up to $10K or more - I've read that the GTM needs a LOT of body work before you can even assemble the exterior panels as they are all oversized.

$45,000 is probably a good estimate to plan for, but many will tell you that they've spent up to $60,000 for a custom interior (the "stock" interior is somewhat bland, and also includes no sound system whatsoever,) better wheels/tires, engine enhancements, etc.

My estimates were about $7,000 for the engine, about $5,000 for the needed Chevy parts (no need for a full donor car) and $6,000 for the beefier Porsche GT2 tranny (the G50 recommended by FFR is only good for 400 horse, and I was going to build the Hemi up to about 500.)

Sorry for the wordy answer.