Angel16

Greetings gentlemen. Angel16 checking in. Other than my introduction post this is my first post. As my intro says, I'm about to begin a ls6 build to be used in a 87 grand national daily driver. Assume the car is procured. I'm still getting all my ducks in a row before I start. My question is this: is it better to buy a complete used ls engine online OR to get a bare block and build from scratch? My budget for the engine alone is $5,000. Now I plan on putting a turbo on it once I figure out whether I'm buying or building. I know every mod leads to another mod. Once I get started on the engine and see what output im at I'll move to matching parts. For now I'm just worried about the engine. Build from scratch or buy used. I'd just like to know the pros and cons of each. Is my budget on target. I don't want to put more than 5k into the engine but I'll do what I must. My goal is to get between 600-650 hp and 550- 600 ft ibs of torque. The car will be a daily driver with occasional strip time. This is my dream car so I'm willing to put my all into it. I'd just like to know which is a better choice for my application. I'm not technically illiterate and the thought of building my own engine is something that interest me. Id just like to not end up in over my head. Thanks in advance for any answers.

sawblade99Z

iTrader: (1)

Considering you're planning to go with FI, I would think it would be smarter to build it from scratch. I don't know how much boost a stock LS6 can handle, but if I were you I would build the motor from the ground up. I'd prefer to have the peace of mind of knowing it would handle whatever I intended to throw at it, while also doing it right the first time around. Some of the later F-bodies came with an LS6 block I think ('01-'02?) so that seems like it would be the cheapest starting point. Plus, you'd save a little money by not buying all the stock parts you won't have any use for. Granted...it's always a lot easier to spend someone else's money, so what do I know haha. Someone else with more expertise will chime in I'm sure.

ToxicWS6

if your at $5k limit id look at the short blocks some of the sponsor sights sell and get it speced how u want with forged pistons and possibly rods, around $3k ISH,(unless u wanna build the whole thing from scratch urself) throw a cam kit in it for $700-800 and and get a set of 243 or 317 heads depending on what CR ur looking at getting and what pistons u end up with, all and all if u got a forged short block and went ARP everything ud be at about 4-5k all said and done, little things will nickel and dime u bad, but if u did that it could handle ur power level assuming u run appropriate turbo mods also

i just finished my ls1 347, has stock crank, arp 8740 rod bolts forged rods and pistons, 243 heads ARP studs,ill have 9:1CR and ls9 gaskets, im aiming for 16-20psi and around 800rwhp with it but theres so many different combos out there its kinda up to you too,

defiantly do some research on this site, ive probably spent a good few months planning mine for what i want and in my budget range before i started

conan

iTrader: (5)

5k for the entire engine (oil pan to intake manifold ) or just the short block. Does it have to be aluminum or would you consider going iron block ( about 110 pounds heavier than aluminum) ???

Sinister_Z28

If u wanted to buy a short block i would give Thopson Motorsports a call. Kyle has alot of budget friendly stuff is very knowledgeable has out standing customer service and he keeps his word. Thats my two cents. Good luck and let us know what u decide to do.

garygnu

try to buy a used LQ4 ls engine ,it is the lower compression 6.0 engine .you can get one for under $1500,get a custom cam for a turbo.

Angel16

Okay since reading all of you alls responses I've done tireless research and come to the conclusion that THERE ARE TONS OF OPTIONS FOR EVERYTHING FROM MIDS FOR A 4 CYLINDER ENGINES TO SUPERCHARGING A SPACE SHUTTLE ENGINE. The options and prices are endless. But now I'm starting to question my budget. My TOTAL budget is about $12,000.00 I'm not trying to go over that for the total build right now. So the 5k I have set aside for the engine seemed about right. But what I've found out is I need to account for the less sexy but more important things when building an engine. What I mean is I was focused on things like engine blocks, internals, heads, cams and all that jazz, but not so much things like fuel systems andECMs. Cams really through me for a loop. I have to build the engine to handle a certain amount of power before I get that power. I just want a strong engine that can handle the turbo I want to put on it later. I prefer an aluminum block but i won't cry over having an iron block. Both have their pluses and minuses. I think I saw a post that mentions an LQ4 block with 317 heads gives me a CR if 9.5 which, again, after my research would be great for FI. I don't want to be a cam freak but I want one that will support my goals and fit my setup. When building an engine where do you start? Block first? Then internals? Then valvetrain and heads? Intake? Exhaust? Guess I'm just trying to process the ocean of information out there. I said in my original post I'm not ignorant of cars and their technology. However its a vast difference between knowing different parts and being able to explain what they do and are to somebody VERSES knowing how to build a complete setup. Taking all that information and making it apply to something real. Let me put this in all caps: HATS OFF TO YOU GUYS WHO DO THIS DAILY AND MAKE IT LOOK SO SIMPLE. you guys really got my respect.

mr.beachcomber

Given that you intend to build an engine with more power/boost than a stock LS9 and that you indicated that you don't have any previous experience building/blueprinting a high performance engine plus the $5K target figure given for the engine build, a rebuilt, low-compression short block (such as the LQ4 engine mentioned previously) with forged components would be the best way to go. Check in the "Forced Induction" forum for some ideas of what you really need. (I prefer cast iron blocks, but YMMV.)

Also I would respectfully suggest that you first find a local tuner shop that is wiling to work with you on this build. (You will need a tuner no matter what give the boost/power levels you want to use/attain.) Unless you optimize the tune for your engine's cam/injectors/boost combination, you'll always run the risk of leaning out the engine at some point in the power curve. The tuner should be able to help you pick the best turbocharger cam and injectors plus rework your fuel map as well as the ignition timing to suit your application.

Hope this helps! Good luck with the build.

Blackpanther99

iTrader: (8)

I would start from scratch and build the block yourself with the correct parts and such.

SilkyJ

After trying to go the build from scratch route, I think I'd just buy an engine