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What's the Most Popular V6 Engine for Light Weight Crawlers Currently?

Sean said:
Wow, then they really need to update their website. What have they moved on to (if you know)?
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Bebop said:
Solid source for J series harnesses :

J Series Harnesses | PJ’s Customs, LLC

PJ's Customs, LLC offers custom J Series swap Harnesses for off road racing vehicles.
www.pjscustoms.com www.pjscustoms.com
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Not sure what they moved on to but this is a great engine and as people stated it light, makes good power and is very reliable BUT be 100% all in on this motor as Hondata does not support this engine. Anything beyond stock form or trying to tune for turbo/etc. will run you into full standalone ECU. Aem was bought out by Holley and is no longer supported which was a very reasonable standalone. Last I looked motec was one that supported it but thats $2,000+.

So while a great engine be ready to spend both on adapters and a full standalone ECU.
 
Plenty of other companies make great standalone ECUs that will run a J engine no problem.
For a lot less than $2000.


BTW, Motec is A LOT more than $2000.
 
Wuz-A-zuk said:
Not sure what they moved on to but this is a great engine and as people stated it light, makes good power and is very reliable BUT be 100% all in on this motor as Hondata does not support this engine. Anything beyond stock form or trying to tune for turbo/etc. will run you into full standalone ECU. Aem was bought out by Holley and is no longer supported which was a very reasonable standalone. Last I looked motec was one that supported it but thats $2,000+.

So while a great engine be ready to spend both on adapters and a full standalone ECU.
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The feeling I got from their website stuff and youtube vids was that they moved on to just selling UTV SxS parts.

I have seen a few buggy guys run them, stock computer with cut down harness, but most of those guys aren't trying to do anything fancy. Apparently the EFI system is old enough that it won't care that there isn't the correct trans behind it anymore.

Are there newer versions of this motor that are easier to come up with a tuning solution?
 
Sean said:
If you were getting an adapter for one of those, who would you source it from? I realize it's just an adapter plate...just wondering if you have a preference for a particular brand.
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Speedway motors has one for $80

www.speedwaymotors.com

GM 2.8/3.4 V6 TH350/2004R/700R4/4L60 Transmission Adapter Plate

Mates 60° Chevy V6 to Chevy Turbo 350 transmission. Approximately 1/8” thick. For TH350 transmission application.
www.speedwaymotors.com www.speedwaymotors.com

You should run a 3.4 quad cam :flipoff2:
 
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Ghetto Fab. said:
The feeling I got from their website stuff and youtube vids was that they moved on to just selling UTV SxS parts.

I have seen a few buggy guys run them, stock computer with cut down harness, but most of those guys aren't trying to do anything fancy. Apparently the EFI system is old enough that it won't care that there isn't the correct trans behind it anymore.

Are there newer versions of this motor that are easier to come up with a tuning solution?
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Newer J-series: not really.

For desert cars, we use them all the time. Work great and suuuuper light (something like 300lbs fully dressed WITH cast iron manifolds) and extremely compact. Not rock crawling, but they handle dunes well from an oiling perspective and (like most Honda engines) they don't need a lot of radiator to keep cool.

LV is still better IMO, but hard to beat the Hondas for availability/cost. Motor dies? $300 for another.

There are some oddities to figure out cooling manifold wise, but the information is definitely out there.
 
Rockwood said:
Newer J-series: not really.

For desert cars, we use them all the time. Work great and suuuuper light (something like 300lbs fully dressed WITH cast iron manifolds) and extremely compact. Not rock crawling, but they handle dunes well from an oiling perspective and (like most Honda engines) they don't need a lot of radiator to keep cool.

LV is still better IMO, but hard to beat the Hondas for availability/cost. Motor dies? $300 for another.

There are some oddities to figure out cooling manifold wise, but the information is definitely out there.
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I don't suppose you'd have any links to info? I've attempted to search for sand car info, but can't seem to find much. I like the idea of using one of these, but its complexities in adapting keep turning me away.
 
JR4X said:
V6’s are close to 4 cylinders long because of the staggered cylinders and shared rod journals. If a V6 is shorter in length than a 4cyl it’s due to other factors not related to bores. The overlap is 1/2 a cylinder on each end of 3. 3 + .5 + .5 = 4.

IMG_5331.jpeg
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I'll give you that it's not much on similar engines (say v6 vs 4cyl Tacoma) but they still are shorter. I have a hard time seeing the volvo inline 5 being the same length as a small v6 like the 3.6 gm mentioned.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
I'll give you that it's not much on similar engines (say v6 vs 4cyl Tacoma) but they still are shorter. I have a hard time seeing the volvo inline 5 being the same length as a small v6 like the 3.6 gm mentioned.
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From TurboBricks (this is likely the older 2.5L motor):

white block dimensions

could some one please help me out with the dimensions of the 5 cylinder white block. i'm looking for the lenth, hight, width, also the mesurment from the front to the engine mount (if mounted rwd). also the width from one mounting point on the engine mount to the other side. would be a great...
turbobricks.com turbobricks.com
didn't realise how difficult this would be to answer until I began to measure up an engine.
The 5-cylinder whiteblock is approximately 25" tall from sump to cam cover.
It is approximately 25" long at the crankshaft and 23" at the head, but roughly 27" allowing for the distributor.
Now it gets trickier..... it is around 14" wide at the flywheel end (not allowing for starter or exhaust) but 20"+ at the front allowing for water pump and alternator etc, but there is scope for reducing this dimension a little.
No stock mounts were fitted to the engine I measured, but the block itself is roughly 10" wide between the mount fixings, and these are positioned between 3.5" and 11" from the front face of the block. If you're mounting it for RWD you should have plenty of options for making your own mounts to suit to pick up on these fixings.
Out of curiosity I measured it up against a 6-cylinder whiteblock and this proved to be only 3.5" longer than the 5-cylinder, and obviously no distributor to have to allow for either.
Hope this helps a little.
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From Modern Camaro:
www.moderncamaro.com

LFX External Dimensions

www.moderncamaro.com www.moderncamaro.com
What are looking at putting it in? LLT & LFX have same dimensions.

26" wide at top widest (oil filter housing sticks out drivers side), 26" height with oil pan and intake manifold. and 26" long with crank dampner.
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So 26" long for the V6 vs 23-27" (depending on where you measure) for the I5.

Aaron Z
 
YotaAtieToo said:
I'll give you that it's not much on similar engines (say v6 vs 4cyl Tacoma) but they still are shorter. I have a hard time seeing the volvo inline 5 being the same length as a small v6 like the 3.6 gm mentioned.
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My 3rz fits in the same space designed around a LS without much room to spare. Hindsight I should have sold my toyota stuff and put in a LS from the start.
 
aczlan said:
From TurboBricks (this is likely the older 2.5L motor):


From Modern Camaro:

So 26" long for the V6 vs 23-27" (depending on where you measure) for the I5.

Aaron Z
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Maybe scroll down a bit, when you google :flipoff2:

from the back of the flywheel to the harmonic balancer is 49cm and if using Camaro intake length is 63.5cm convert that to inches
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So 25" at the intake but 19.3" at the crank, which is what matters in a crawler when trying package axles, steering, ect.

This is why a V6 makes the most sense for a crawler seems to be the best combination of size, weight and power .
 
Ghetto Fab. said:
I don't suppose you'd have any links to info? I've attempted to search for sand car info, but can't seem to find much. I like the idea of using one of these, but its complexities in adapting keep turning me away.
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Harness stuff:



Harvey can just sell it to you as well.

MMS makes the trans adapter. The coolant manifold I can see if I can dig up.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Maybe scroll down a bit, when you google :flipoff2:



So 25" at the intake but 19.3" at the crank, which is what matters in a crawler when trying package axles, steering, ect.

This is why a V6 makes the most sense for a crawler seems to be the best combination of size, weight and power .
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Not sure I'm following. On the cars I've built...the intake and the oil pan have been the main things I needed to shrink down in terms of height. If the T5 inline 5 is the size stated above...it's still very competitive with the V6, though in the US I'd imagine it's harder to get parts and source engines than say a Honda or definitely a Chevy V6; especially in order to get a turbo'd R Volvo engine making over 250 hp.
 
Rockwood said:
Harness stuff:



Harvey can just sell it to you as well.

MMS makes the trans adapter. The coolant manifold I can see if I can dig up.
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Thanks very much for posting....

The Honda swap looks very interesting and seems like it's a LOT lighter (at the stated 300# fully dressed) than the Chevy 3.6L (as an example) at a listed 485#.
 
Sean said:
JFYI on a harness for the LFX: Keisler Automation

So with the 60° bellhousing....who's trans adapter are you planning to mate up the trans?
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I was going to use one of the transmissions listed, all of those have a factory 60 deg bellhousings you can use. Of course a custom torque convertor is needed. Patooyee on the old board had some great tech on the 904 and thats what he ended up doing. Going to a 90 deg trans is simple enough with the cheap trans adapter too. The only OEM setup would be the 6l50, which doesnt have a ton of info out there, just that its lighter than the 6L80 and it did come in the 15-16 colorado with factory 4x4 adapter.. but unsure of spline count or what tcase came behind it
the_white_shadow said:
I have a 2017 LV3 in my new buggy backed by a 700r4/Atlas 4.3. Non-portal 4ws car with 5.83 gears. I paid $750 for my LV3 on facebook with a bad lifter. Deals are out there. I deleted all the DOD/AFM shit with a BTR truck norris jr cam. I cut the oil pan down about 3.5" and welded on a plate. Its cast aluminum and welded fine. No issues with oil pressure loss yet in extreme vertical/downward scenarios. I run a remote oil filter.

With the cut down pan and stock intake, i dont feel like its overly tall.

Tuning them for a manual transmission was the biggest unknown for me. They never came with a manual trans here in the states. I ended up messaging some people selling their trucks in Mexico to get a VIN for a silverado with a LVx engine and manual transmission. This VIN allowed my tuner to pull the code and flash it to my ecu. Mexican silverados also dont have DOD/AFM from the factory. They are lucky.

Im using an off the shelf Howell conversion harness. No issues there.

With the cam and tune it made like 175/209 on the dyno through the drivetrain. It rips on the trail when i need it. Definitely get it tuned before taking it out on the trail.

Im pretty sure they no longer offer the LV3 v6 in the new silverados. They were replaced with the turbo 4-banger they now offer.
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Yep, same thinking and the oil pan mod is good to know. There was someone on the old board that said the LT car accessories bolted on as well to shorten the overall length down a few inches too.
 
Sean said:
Not sure I'm following. On the cars I've built...the intake and the oil pan have been the main things I needed to shrink down in terms of height. If the T5 inline 5 is the size stated above...it's still very competitive with the V6, though in the US I'd imagine it's harder to get parts and source engines than say a Honda or definitely a Chevy V6; especially in order to get a turbo'd R Volvo engine making over 250 hp.
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Intake and oil pan are easy enough to modify if you're going all out anyway. Crank pulley to bell distance, not so much when trying for max up travel and low ride height.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Intake and oil pan are easy enough to modify if you're going all out anyway. Crank pulley to bell distance, not so much when trying for max up travel and low ride height.
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Ah....now I get it. I scrolled down in the linked thread on the T5; not the V6. Duh. Thanks for the explanation.
 
I have a few gm part numbers to try if you know anyone at your local dealer. The first two are for replacement service engines, so likely do not come with manifolds, and I'm sure there's a core charge. The third is for a full LV1 engine assembly although nothing comes up on google. The fourth is the gm marine lv1 engine assembly, although not much for that on google as well. I was told the marine engine actually has a better crank than the van/truck version. This is what is used for the pro-spec engine packages. Also, it sounds like the lv3/1 is done after 2023/4 for use in anything on road, but they're still making the lv1 marine engine. Best of luck.

12728741 my18-20
12708189 my21-23
12704593
12695947
 
I may have a line on an LV3 right now. I should know more this weekend.

I really like the idea of the 3.5L Hondas but it seems mating them up to a TH400 is going to be a lot more expensive than the Chevy 4.3L (for obvious reasons). So, I either pay more for a Chevy engine at the onset, or pay more for the adapter/starter/tq converter to go with the Honda along with apparently less aftermarket support (though I do wonder how much is really out there for the red-headed step child that the LV3/1 seem to be to the other LT V8s).

That said, maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way: There are tons of 3.5L Hondas in yards nationwide for reasonable prices with fairly low miles. The same can't be said of LV1/3s. They are out there, but not common....at least not currently. Maybe long term the Honda makes more sense b/c of availability.
 
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YotaAtieToo said:
Personally I like the idea of a cheaper engine if possible. Just figure this sport, low oil pressure or hydrolocking is very possible and the last thing I want is some hard to find expensive engine.
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Kinda why I'm questioning the 4.3L. You'd think 'Chevy'....should be relatively easy to find and reasonably priced, but most of what I'm seeing is $3500-5k. A new one is $6600 and change with a $2500 core charge from Chevy.

Most reman engine places are only talking about the old 4.3L 190hp version.
 
Sean said:
Kinda why I'm questioning the 4.3L. You'd think 'Chevy'....should be relatively easy to find and reasonably priced, but most of what I'm seeing is $3500-5k. A new one is $6600 and change with a $2500 core charge from Chevy.

Most reman engine places are only talking about the old 4.3L 190hp version.
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Probably just a numbers game, I can't say I've even seen a newer 4.3 before. Most any 1500 that era came with at least a 5.3.

Which makes me think, what's the big wieght savings from an aluminum 5.3 vs aluminum 4.3?
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Probably just a numbers game, I can't say I've even seen a newer 4.3 before. Most any 1500 that era came with at least a 5.3.

Which makes me think, what's the big wieght savings from an aluminum 5.3 vs aluminum 4.3?
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Exactly. And the Express vans usually got the 6.0L V8 option...so the 4.3L is pretty rare.

It's not so much the weight as the smaller footprint.
 
IowaOffRoad said:
1702525229291.png

GMC V6 engine - Wikipedia

Neither popular or lightweight, but I'd still like to see a crawler with one.:laughing:
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Smallest v6 at 5.0L sure have decent grunt just off idle.
The 305E was equipped with a two barrel carburetor and produced 170 hp (127 kW)gross at 4000 RPM and 263 lb⋅ft (357 N⋅m) gross at 1600 RPM in 1969.
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On a serious note, how is it like to wheel with “300hp” v6 (or even i4)? They nearly always have weak bottom end, and finally “wake up” when revving 5k plus rpm, where they’re rated 300 hp.

Think “vtec” stuff lol

1704571872950.gif
 
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