Powering up my LQ9

[SilverGT3RS]

Hey everyone. I’m currently running an 04 Escalade LQ9 swap in my 67 C10. I’m running the GM PCM with a custom tune, long tube headers, etc

I bought the truck with the swap already done, and was told the truck has a aftermarket cam and upgraded stall. However, the previous owner did not know the specs on either one. He said the owner before him dynoed the truck at 400hp or so. I have not dynoed the truck but honestly it doesn’t feel like 400 hp.

I can definitely tell it’s an aftermarket cam because it does have a slight lope in the idle. Overall, the truck sounds good at idle however a small issue is the unknown cam specs have been a bit of a pita with trying to tune the truck.

Overall, this is just a fun rat rod truck build…I just installed Wilwood brakes, new Eaton posi/4.10s and other fun stuff. I don’t need crazy hp, maybe 500-550 ponies. Enough to fry some tires at will. LOL.

I’m getting ready to pull the engine to do some work in the engine bay, so while it’s out I’d like to explore either pulling the cam and trying to determine what make/specs it has or just go all in and upgrade the cylinder heads and put in a cam where I know the specs and model of what I'm installing, along with a bump in hp where I’ll be in my preferred range.

If I go with new heads, I’m assuming I need to run some AFR205s/L92s or similar?

Any ideas on camshaft? Looking at some BTR stuff in the 224/230 .553/.553 110 to 233/248 .630"/.615" 111.5 range.

Thanks in advance!

[LS short box]

So a I hate to be Debby downer but a 2004 6.0 is 20 plus years old. Have you done the basics like a compression test? What trans and if auto what stall?
Head wise L92's are hard to beat cost wise. No matter what you will need aftermarket valve springs and push rods for the cams you listed.
I would talk to BTR about vacuum for power brakes per the cams listed above.
So 500-550 hp at the crank or at the rear wheels? If you want that at wheels a stroker may be in your future.

[SilverGT3RS]

Originally Posted by LS short box

So a I hate to be Debby downer but a 2004 6.0 is 20 plus years old. Have you done the basics like a compression test? What trans and if auto what stall?
Head wise L92's are hard to beat cost wise. No matter what you will need aftermarket valve springs and push rods for the cams you listed.
I would talk to BTR about vacuum for power brakes per the cams listed above.
So 500-550 hp at the crank or at the rear wheels? If you want that at wheels a stroker may be in your future.

Thanks for the reply. Engine is strong….compression is great, no oil usage and AFAIK there are no issues of consequence. Engine has approximately 75k miles on it, which is nothing for an LQ9.

I’d like to achieve 475-485 at the RW. With cam and heads, along with all the goodies I have this should be easy to achieve. I’m just trying to get some opinions on heads and cams to explore before starting to call around to BTR, Texas Speed, and probably a couple other places.


Running a 4L80e for the trans and I believe the stall is 2800 or so. Another piece of the puzzle the previous owner didn’t know about.


I do plan on checking with BTR about the cams listed but from some general research that doesn’t seem to be an issue across several different models like Vettes and F Bodied using those cams. I’m also looking at TFs “Sloppy Seconds” cam too.

[Accelo]

"He said the owner before him dynoed the truck at 400hp or so. I have not dynoed the truck but honestly it doesn’t feel like 400 hp."

Everyone has a Corvette Motor and 400hp. It it isn't backed by documentation it's BS.

I have never had a Tuner inquire about cam specifications. The motor knows what it needs and the Tuner just provides what it requires.

If you are lucky you may be able to identify the cam by the identification on the end of the camshaft. For your HP goal you will need to know for sure what camshaft and springs you have.

When you purchase the heads Inquire about which camshaft they recommend. They will have a good idea what cam to purchase, with the heads, and likely motor dyno sheets to help you out. They will help you with the compression ratio also. You will need 11:1 compression ratio and and a rev limit of 6500 or better.
475-485 at the RW is a lofty goal but not out of reach. I like to pick my camshaft and then purchase the one under it in size. That has worked well for me.
Anything over 400 RWHP will be a sh@t show unless you have tubed the truck.
Drive fast and take chances!
LOL.

[mongocanfly]

Find someone that does dyno tuning..it made a unbelievable difference on my 81 with the LQ9 over a laptop tune

[Joyridin]

My L83 puts out about 480 hp at the crank. With 3.73 gears, 28" tall tire (13" wide) and a 3400 stall, it will fry the tires until you let off the pedal.

I agree with Accelo, knowing the cam specs and tuning the engine are 2 different things. Something isn't set-up right if you cannot smoke the tires in a 2wd truck.

[Accelo]

Getting a little off topic but a great article on the L83 is here;
https://www.motortrend.com/features/5-3l-l83-dyno-test/

480hp (-20% loss to the rear wheels) is 384hp. (nominally)

You can see why 475-485 at the Rear Wheels is a serious endeavor.
Your requirement is 100hp over that. Be ready to spend some money and turn some rpm to make that goal.
I believe you may be happy with less than that, after factoring in the budget requirements.

If smoking tires is your goal, pay attention to Joyriding's comment;
"Something isn't set-up right if you cannot smoke the tires in a 2wd truck."

[SilverGT3RS]

Originally Posted by Joyridin

My L83 puts out about 480 hp at the crank. With 3.73 gears, 28" tall tire (13" wide) and a 3400 stall, it will fry the tires until you let off the pedal.

I agree with Accelo, knowing the cam specs and tuning the engine are 2 different things. Something isn't set-up right if you cannot smoke the tires in a 2wd truck.

The truck runs decently for the most part outside of running a bit rich and a stumble when coming to a stop….unfortunately I live about 4 hours from the nearest dyno tuner, so I’ve been relying on tuners to help me over the internet. I should have clarified that. I used “smoke the tires” kind of tongue in cheek…the truck will roast them now, but that’s easy in a 2wd truck as many pointed out.

For me, the fact I don’t know the cam size and stall size is irritating. When I couple that with a few other issues I’ve corrected on the truck I have a bit of skepticism that everything was well planned out. In other words, I believe the original modifying owner may have thrown some stuff together with the hope it would make a lot of hp.

The plan is to get it to the dyno at some point, but for now I’ve been tweaking it by tune files.

I’ll be talking to BTR and Texas Speed today and will update the thread with their recommendations just in case anyone is interested.

[SilverGT3RS]

Just an update for anyone interested.

Spent quite a bit of time with Texas Speed and Comp Cams today.

Texas Speed recommended the following:
Bald Eagle Cath Head cam 227/234 .600/.600 111LSA
PRC 227 Heads with a small bump in compression.
42-60 pound Injectors

TS said this set up alone was dynoed on a similar LQ9 at 545-555 hp.
Swapping out truck intake to a FAST intake added approximately 18-22hp.

No issues with power brakes or AC etc


Comp Cams tech was basically recommending one of their cams- the 281LR-HTR13. 231/239 .617/.624 113LSA
Trick Flow 225’s
Upgraded injectors.
FAST intake

Said their testing on similarly equipped LS3 with Fast Intake netted around 570hp/530 TQ
Said the LS1 should be very close to that.

Also said there was some testing posted on YouTube with similar setup that had even higher numbers.

Good stuff.

Talking to BTR tomorrow.

[Joyridin]

Might want to call Cam Motion also. They make a lot of the cores for BTR and others.

[mongocanfly]

when i bought my BTR cam. it came in a competition cams box

[LS short box]

Those cams listed above are going to be pretty lumpy at idle. IMO if you choose one or the other I think a 3600 stall TC is in your future. I like and buy either Yank or Circle billet converters. Either can set them up to drive almost like a stock TC.
I would and maybe you already have included your tuner in your parts selection including the injectors and see what he thinks combo wise.
Just as a side note there are a couple of somewhat local tuners that I have used and have done a great job tuning my LS swaps. Both have told me the same thing in regards to engine HP. Some folks spend a $1000 to chase 10-15 HP.

[SilverGT3RS]

Originally Posted by LS short box

Those cams listed above are going to be pretty lumpy at idle. IMO if you choose one or the other I think a 3600 stall TC is in your future. I like and buy either Yank or Circle billet converters. Either can set them up to drive almost like a stock TC.
I would and maybe you already have included your tuner in your parts selection including the injectors and see what he thinks combo wise.
Just as a side note there are a couple of somewhat local tuners that I have used and have done a great job tuning my LS swaps. Both have told me the same thing in regards to engine HP. Some folks spend a $1000 to chase 10-15 HP.

I definitely like the Circle stall convertor….been reading a lot of good reviews on them.

I appreciate the feedback on the cam…it’s really the toughest thing to try and get right, at least for me. I want an aggressive sound, but still want driveability. Obviously since I’m rodding it out I don’t need a daily driver type set up which takes some pressure off.

On that note, both cams are actually somewhat smooth for the most part compared to what I thought they’d be when I heard the specs. Luckily the internet has about 4-5 clips of both LS trucks and cars running the cams that were suggested. The Texas Speed cam is the smoother cam, although without a doubt you know there’s something in there. Recommended stall was 2800 with that cam.
Comp Cams suggested 2800-3000 stall for the cam recommended from them.

I don’t think 2800/3000 stall is crazy and I don’t want to go much north of that.

[Joyridin]

I would be very careful about listening to videos of cam sounds. Within reason, you can make a mild cam sound pretty wild with a bit of tuning, but it may not run really good.

[biketopia]

I would give Summit Racing a call. Their Pro LS line of parts are top notch and their cams are no slouches and really hard to beat for the money.

The truck intake is one of best factory intakes out there, period, unless you upgrade to a the TBSS/NNBS intake. A FAST intake is going to cost you around $1000, for 20HP...

Don't get hung up on a dyno number, LS make great power, but they hit those big numbers WAY up in the RPM range. Be honest with yourself about the goals and use of the truck. Have you driven a non ABS/TC Stability Control truck with 450-500hp at the tires on the street? It can be a handful real quick and make the truck not enjoyable on the street. My old camaro makes 510ish at the crank, needed close to 4k stall...rowdy and not as fun to drive as I thought it would be.

450HP at the crank is easily obtainable with a cam, mild head porting and a good tune, or swap a known cam in to ease your worry, an Ebay turbo and have 700hp without changing anything else besides injectors and fuel pump.

[Accelo]

"Said their testing on similarly equipped LS3 with Fast Intake netted around 570hp/530 TQ. Said the LS1 should be very close to that."

The 6.2L / 376 cu. in and the LS1 350 cu.

That is 26 cu difference. Equates to 26hp difference everything else being equal. (1hp per cu inch)
That's a 4.5% difference. I guess it depends on what you call "very close"?

In your example the motor is making 1.5hp per cu. That would be extra 39hp attributed to the larger displacement.
Or almost 7% more hp.

An interesting fact is the new Corvette Z06 makes 2hp per cu inch. It does rev higher to get to this figure.