LS engine in a roadster

[FormulaGod]

I went to the FF factory this past Saturday and took a very informative tour by a very helpful young man. I have an LS3/tranny combo that I picked up from a friend a while back, and would love to have that monster in a roadster. I was going to drop a deposit, but I found a problem. Problem is, FF makes no accommodations for a SBC/LS in the roadster. I also didn't get much help in regards to drive shaft info or rear info. I searched here, and found very little useable info. Any help out there? Prior to dropping a deposit or ordering the kit, id sure like to get as much useable info as possible.
Thanks in advance.

[McObra]

Take a look at ffcars.com. They have a sub forum for roadsters with Chevy engines.

[2FAST4U]

You will have to custom make headers and engine mounts

[CraigS]

Since everyone seems to love the LS engines it would seem to be easy to trade yours for a Ford. Don't get me wrong, the LS is a great engine, a guy I know has one in a Miata, but why in a FFR?

[Avalanche325]

Of course it can be done like stated, the other forum has an area for insane people. (Just joking):p

You can't expect it to de a drop-in, just like you wouldn't expect to be able to drop a Coyote into a Corvette. You also can't expect FFR to be able to tell you anything about installing an engine that the car was not designed for. Just like your Chevy dealer can't tell you about the driveshaft in a Coyote powered Corvette. BUT, it has been done and the FFR community has people that are more than willing to help.

There is nothing wrong with an LS at all. But putting one in an FFR roadster is an "engine swap" and will take some extra work. It will also make your market very small if you decide to sell in the future.

It will be your car, and you can do what you want. That is the beauty of it.

[MPTech]

Talk to Mike Marshall in the Coupe forum, he installed one in his Daytona and it is an Auto-x beast! Very cool setup.
I would think if you were putting a non-standard engine, in a roadster, you'd probably want a non-powder coated frame and locate your engine mounts to set your engine where you want it (maybe set back a couple inches!). I've seen Hemis, Viper v10, BMW v12, and a T-Bird Turbo v6 installed.
I also wouldn't be comfortable with ordering a driveshaft length from someone else's measurement. Install the engine, install the rear-end and take your measurements, that's what I did, because my transmission length was just a little different than standard.

[MTSCustoms]

We built a MK4 with an LS1/T56 . A lot of parts will need to made one-off. For engine mounts we used the 4.6 mounts with one end extended. Make sure you run corvette accessories or the March pulley system, or the harmonic balancer wont clear the frame. For headers, you will need to get a set of 302 fox body shorties, and a set of LS1 flanges and have them welded on and customize the j-pipes. You will probably need to add cats to the j-pipes to pass emissions for the year of the LS3. The trans mount will need to be modified, and you will need to use the wilwood pedal box. You will also need a custom driveshast. I went with an F-body radiator, but there may be better options.

We are located in Tyngsboro, MA. Feel free to come and check my cobra out if you need any help or have any questions.

[frankeeski]

You don't have to go to another forum to find info on a Chevy install. While maybe not a new LS motor, Randy paved the way for many others with a Chevy powered Factory Five Roadster, Follow this link to his blog.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?4-I-wanted-a-Chevrolet-powered-FFR-Roadster-and-so-it-started!
Here is a pic of his under hood configuration.
http://ourffr.com/finished%20052.jpg