LS1 Build Questions

[noonzor]

Well here in edmonton alberta im gonna start planning for the cold as F winter months early, and in a couple months ill be rolling the chassis out and covering it for the cold months so i can begin the engine build.

So my plan is a supercharged ls1 for my c10. now by no means do i consider myself an engine guru or overly knowledged about engine building. so i figured i'd look to my brothers online with questions on block/piston/cam etc.... choices.

The truck will be street capable but built for the 1/4mile track, and i do not plan on spraying it.

Please Help! Thankyou!

[glock35ipsc]

How much money do you have..... I mean, how fast do you want to go?

Check out the projects sections at ls1tech.com, ls1truck.com, and performancetrucks.net. There are guys routinely running turbos and nitrous through 70,000+ mile junk yard stock engines, and running hard!! The 5.3's and 6.0's are stout engines and will takes a lot of punishment. With a cam, heads, and manifold swap 500hp is easily in reach.

Personally I would look for a 5.3 or 6.0 instead of an LS1. You are going to be paying a lot more money for the LS1 and only getting about 10-20hp more than a 5.3L. You can get a 5.3L with under 75k without accessories, harness and PCM for $200-$500. Complete with all accessories, harness and PCM plus extras for under $1000.

[swb85]

Agreed, give a budget and we'll make a parts list.

A guy in my area put a stock 5.3 with a cam in a 3rd gen firebird with a t76 turbo and has gone mid 10's in it. Motor only cost him $300!

[noonzor]

holy ****! hmm... well maybe i should rethink then. well i REALLY want the ls1 build, ive got a buddy runnin an ls1 in his 86 blazer, and another buddys got one in a 84 camaro, and a guy i work with has the same truck as me and he's doing one too, so we're kinda lookin to do the ls1 club deal haha.

maybe what ill do is start a budget build for a quick motor just to get the truck streetable, and then take my time building the ls1 for when the truck is almost complete.

starting to rethink my plan of frame up, and just leaving the chassis stock (with some new brakes and lines, as well as fuel cause the in-cab tank is just not right) for now, and just going back in the winter months and upgrading.

[glock35ipsc]

Just remember, the LS1 and the 4.8/5.3/6,0 are ALL LS-series engines, they are pretty much the same as most all parts will interchange. Biggest difference is the LS1 is a 5.7L, and an aluminum block. The aluminum block is only 70# lighter than the steel blocks. Unless you are racing it, the weight is negligible on the street.

I would take a 5.3 or 6.0 ANY DAY over an LS1. Use the money you save to put back in your motor and smoke your buddies overpriced LS1's!

Here is my 5.3L. Put an LS6 intake on it, and most people would never know the difference.

[noonzor]

....ive got a boner! i love engine porn haha, yeah good call. so say i do go for the 6.0, is there certain casting numbers im looking for? i plan on buying an engine piece by piece and building it with a buddy that works at a local speed shop. say i lay a budget of.... 5g down. what are my best bets?

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

Just remember, the LS1 and the 4.8/5.3/6,0 are ALL LS-series engines, they are pretty much the same as most all parts will interchange. Biggest difference is the LS1 is a 5.7L, and an aluminum block. The aluminum block is only 70# lighter than the steel blocks. Unless you are racing it, the weight is negligible on the street.

I would take a 5.3 or 6.0 ANY DAY over an LS1. Use the money you save to put back in your motor and smoke your buddies overpriced LS1's!

Here is my 5.3L. Put an LS6 intake on it, and most people would never know the difference.

[glock35ipsc]

Bone yard 6.0L (2000-2006), Yank stall converter (2600-3000 rpm), cam/springs/push rods (Thunder Racing, Vinci, or GM), mild port/polish on heads, use truck intake or LS6 intake (truck intake will produce the most low end torque, but the LS6 gives you more at the top. DON'T use an LS1 intake), dyno tune (if you have access to a chassis dyno) or a good mail order tune, good open cold air intake, and good exhaust. That right there will probably easily smoke all your buddies LS1's, but you might be a touch over $5k. But not by much if you ship around.

Bone yard 6.0L $1000-$1500. Cam will run $300-$500 depending on who's you get. Springs and push rods $225. Yank converter $400-$500. LS6 intake from eBay or Craigslist $300. Tune $100-$500 depending on who does it. Rework harness free (do it yourself)-$300

That's about $3800 figuring that high end of those. Plus incidentals. Should easily be under $5000. If you can find an engine with under 75,000 miles or so, there is no need to tear it down, just run it. These LS engines are a far cry from the old Gen I small block Chevys. Guys are bolting turbos, superchargers and nitrous on 75,000 mile + 5.3 and 6.0 engines everyday and making 10 second passes. These things are stout, and held waaaay back from the factory.

If you want more.... Magnacharger, or a turbo (although these will eat your $5k right there). Then, if you still want more, spray it.

[Wild83C10]

glock35 has got it right. I have even seen guys rip 5.3s out with over 100k worked the top end then threw a turbo on it and it runs 10s all day long. If you have patients, shop around and have some fabrication skills you can build a good turbo kit for under $2k. With a turbo you can even leave the stock heads on and even a stock cam. It will idle and cruise just like a stock truck but still run past all your LS1 friends.

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by Wild83C10

If you have patients, shop around and have some fabrication skills you can build a good turbo kit for under $2k.

Hmmm, this has my gears turning. I need to learn more about turbos. I figured it would be more. I don't know squat about them as far as how to set one up, but would love to put one on Fred sometime.

[Wild83C10]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

Hmmm, this has my gears turning. I need to learn more about turbos. I figured it would be more. I don't know squat about them as far as how to set one up, but would love to put one on Fred sometime.

Check out theturboforums.com there are a few guys running 5.3s in trucks with home built turbo kits. Borg Warner turbos are the best bang for the buck. I just picked up a used S475 for $400. New they sell for $600. Corky Bell has a good book, maximum boost.
Turbo $400, Wastegate: $200ish, BOV: $200ish, headers: $150 if you make your own, hotside/coldside: $100-$200?, intercooler: $300-500. You don't need an intercooler, but it will help if you want to run pump gas. You could also buy some shorty headers and flip them for cheaper. There's probably a couple of things I'm missing, but that's the big stuff.

[noonzor]

haha man thats cool, yeah ill check into it for sure. definitly thinking turbo....twin turbo would be sick.... many pump gas twin set-ups out there?? haha

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by Wild83C10

Check out theturboforums.com there are a few guys running 5.3s in trucks with home built turbo kits. Borg Warner turbos are the best bang for the buck. I just picked up a used S475 for $400. New they sell for $600. Corky Bell has a good book, maximum boost.
Turbo $400, Wastegate: $200ish, BOV: $200ish, headers: $150 if you make your own, hotside/coldside: $100-$200?, intercooler: $300-500. You don't need an intercooler, but it will help if you want to run pump gas. You could also buy some shorty headers and flip them for cheaper. There's probably a couple of things I'm missing, but that's the big stuff.

Sweet, thanks for the info!

On the intercooler, what about running E85 (105 octane), think a guy still need one then?

[Wild83C10]

An intercooler always helps, but you can either run E85 or a menthanol injector, just can't run as much boost.
One company now sells a sensor in the fuel line that will alter the tune if it senses E85, race gas or regular gas. Just have to run big injectors for the E85, a lot bigger then for regular gas.

[Wild83C10]

Originally Posted by noonzor

haha man thats cool, yeah ill check into it for sure. definitly thinking turbo....twin turbo would be sick.... many pump gas twin set-ups out there?? haha

ton of TT run on pump gas, just have to watch the boost levels. An intercooler and meth injection would help though.

http://www.wrenchrat.com

[noonzor]

excellent. ive got my eye out for a good 6.0L block right now, but i just learned a buddy of mine might be selling his BBC out of his camaro, so i might pick that up instead if the price is right!

i have always dreamed a small block twin turbo set-up though!

[glock35ipsc]

Meh, I'd go for the 6.0 long before I'd go for a BB.

[noonzor]

agreed, but as always it comes down to cost, and if i put the bbc in for now while i build "the dream" sbc tt at least ill be driving it sooner.

[swb85]

If you shop around enough you can find killer deals on LS stuff. Complete 6.0 longblocks can be had around here for ~$800. I only gave $200 for my 6.0 block and crankshaft. Since you like engine pron......

[glock35ipsc]

Oh baby!

I just found a 5.3 long block on CL today for $250 obo, I think I'm gonna try to get it and throw it in the shed for now.

[noonzor]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

Oh baby!

I just found a 5.3 long block on CL today for $250 obo, I think I'm gonna try to get it and throw it in the shed for now.

or ship it to me??

[Alex1]

No E-85 in Canada my friends - actually theer is ONE pump located about 5-6kms from my place (in all of the country!) BUT to fuel up you MUST have a flexfuel vehicle. E-85 has not caught on here at all.

Check out the turbo site, that's where I got all my info for my BBC twin turbo set up I'm putting together.

Good luck.

[noonzor]

Originally Posted by Alex1

No E-85 in Canada my friends - actually theer is ONE pump located about 5-6kms from my place (in all of the country!) BUT to fuel up you MUST have a flexfuel vehicle. E-85 has not caught on here at all.

Check out the turbo site, that's where I got all my info for my BBC twin turbo set up I'm putting together.

Good luck.

any pics of the set-up so far?

[noonzor]

Originally Posted by swb85

If you shop around enough you can find killer deals on LS stuff. Complete 6.0 longblocks can be had around here for ~$800. I only gave $200 for my 6.0 block and crankshaft. Since you like engine pron......

......good thing im home now where i can change my shorts! nice build, engine looks deadly!

(cant see the pics on this site from my computer at work)

[Wild83C10]

If or when my turbo blows up my short block I will be switching to a 5.3 or a 6.0 LS motor. Tough as nails.

[Super73]

I can't say I have seen too many 400+rwhp 5.3/80E/12bolt NA setups. My little alum 5.7 was making 428rwhp through an 80E/12bolt with a factory LS6 intake and stock ported TB. The bore on a 5.3 kills them NA. That's also the killer for the 5.7 vs a 6.0 or even 6.2.

The larger bore allows some unshrowding of the intake valve allowing better flow. Look at any head that has flow data for both a 3.9 and 4.0 bore and you'll see the numbers go up quite a bit. The larger bore is always going to be easier to make power with if staying NA.

If I was building a NA motor or even N20 motor for a 200-250hit, from scratch on a semi budget, I'd go find a LS3 block, shove a set of diamond pistons in it with the factory crank. Pick up a set of used ported heads and spec a cam based on that. Sure you might be in the longblock at about $3,500-4,000 but you'll also be 70lbs lighter and where better can you have it than right over the front end. You'll also be ableto hit it hard with a 250 hit.

Lack of weight over the front makes large differences when trying to make something work.