GTObsessor

iTrader: (2)

I'm looking for people with respectable knowledge relating to FI, its strain on a stock engine, and the way they can effect a well-cared for high-mileage LS1.

My situation:
It looks like I'm going to have some mod money coming to gether soon and I have a choice - either get a build low-comp. 370ci motor built for boost and wait (possibly years) for an APS kit to bolt up to it, or I could buy the APS kit now and be able to afford the odds and ends to make sure everything's in order and done right, while keeping the boost under 7psi. *I do plan on a complete 370ci longblock in the future, but it will be a while.

My stock LS1:
Currently has ~109k mi. on the clock, burns ZERO oil, good power, no problems. Gets M1 5w30 every 3k to 3.5k miles and seems to be perfectly solid. Only issue here is that it does push a bit of oil out of the passenger side valve cover and is starting to leak some oil from the timing cover gasket it seems. The car is a DD and is driven ~12k mi. a year - mostly easy driving with rare track duty and some street duty.

So, the question is: build motor now and wait for boost (we're talking for years possibly), or buy the APS kit now (doing everything right, no shortcuts) and keep the boost at or under 7psi.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my situation.

RooRnZ28

iTrader: (14)

i say build the motor/drivetrain now and wait as long as you can for the boost. i was in the same boat as you when i bought my STS kit, and i wish i would have waited. when you get into boost, things break much easier and when you least expect it. if you dont have the funds to cover the unexpected costs, i'd say wait until you do..... i am telling you this from experience, so learn from my mistakes!

Cchris1109

iTrader: (11)

talk to shawn at VA speed, he can hook u up pretty cheaply, he'll probably respond to this thread

basically my engine is a turbo cam/heads motor with lower compression, but im pretty sure it will make more power than stock

edit: forgot to say, go with motor first!

stevieturbo

Common sense says build a strong motor first.


If you dont care about that, just get it blown now

smoke20

iTrader: (2)

build your car like you would a house -- foundation first -- trans, eng and rear end -- then add the boost later.

deadmanTA

iTrader: (7)

Go for the motor first. These kits and others are already popping up in the sale sections. As they get used the prices are going to come down, so you might not have to wait as long.

SStolen

iTrader: (22)

If you really had the will-power to hold the boost back, I'd say you'd be perfectly fine with the stock motor at 475rwhp @ 7psi or so. Problem is, you won't; nobody does. It's just too easy to simply 'turn up' the boost.

GTObsessor

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the input so far guys. It's appreciated. I wonder where the best place to get a FI longblock would be? Don't want anything radical - if it was a stock cube motor, I'd be happy with forged rotating assembly, 6.0 heads (ported if not too much $$), and a Z06 cam. Any ideas on who has the best deals?

Edit: Looking for a 650rwhp goal if that makes a difference.

DeltaT

iTrader: (5)

More brakes before more power too.

Your car looks great!

Jim

GTObsessor

iTrader: (2)

Thanks - brakes are definately part of the plan, but not on top of the list. I'm going to do the C5 conversion with some good pads (gonna ask Sam what he thinks would be best). I don't think I'm gonna need a big bad Brembro setup or anything like that.

Karpellarpy

iTrader: (3)

you mentioned the car was a dd, but do you have another vehicle that you don't mind driving? If you have another vehicle, I'd say go ahead and boost it, but stay conservative on the boost level, and have fun till the motor dies ... then build yourself a boost motor. If you can afford for the car to go down, why replace what's not broken yet? I've got 167K on my ls1, and have had it boosted at 8 psi for 20k miles. I just upgraded the valve springs and pushrods when the turbo went on to avoid valve float. Will it die ... i'm sure eventually, but it's not broken yet, and I have another vehicle I can drive once it does go down. Was it risky ... yeah, a little, you could boost it and immediately have the motor die, or drivetrain parts die ... and you have to blow the budget to get it back on the road. A compression test and/or leakdown test would let you know how healthy your current motor is now, and could help you make a more informed decision.

GTObsessor

iTrader: (2)

Nope, no second vehicle. I have family and a fiancee I can rely on when my car's down but it gets to be a bit of a pain for them and wouldn't want to lean on them for any length of time so I think I'm gonna have to do this right the first time.

As for motors, I'm looking at the TSP 370ci Longblock ~6k and should suit my needs pretty well from the looks of it.

ss01layinwheel

take it from me dude build the motor and wait on the boost...I put a D1SC on my stock motor with 30k on it and blew #7 and #5 pistons to pieces a month later and had to wait 6 months to rebuild the bottom end. then i ripped the teeth off the ring gear and had to wait a month to fix the rear, then i broken my trans and had to wait another month to fix that..

it pays to have a lil paitence trust me

will82

High mileage and DD? Motor first.

Websy21

iTrader: (34)

Look at it this way, take out your perfectly good working motor now and sell it for money put towards the car. They go for decent money, since yours has more milelage it wouldn't benefit you as much but still. This is what I did and now have to sell my trans and rear too. Over 3000 grand on stock parts If you blow up the stock motor now and spend the money on the power adder you'll most likely have to sit and stare at the car while saving for the motor. Or like some and sell the car as a roller or part it out b/c they can't afford to finish or lost desire. If you have the dough do whatever you desire but I almsot through my kit on my stock motor but thought about it some more and decided it was best to build everything else first or in this case everything at once. Good luck.

jmdgto

try bob at epp. he did my car a gto with 645 rwhp, 582 rwt , stroker motor. look at the 809 rwh cts he did which is posted now. he is the best.