lsx_production

Alright guys, im new to the v8 world but not new to cars. Ive been in the import scene since highschool and now i have decided to take a dive into v8 and some power. I know im new hear and it sounds like a fantasy thread but i am being serious.

I am about to sell my current car which is paid off and possibly cash in 20-25k on it. NOW what i really want to do is build a boosted street machine that runs 9's but still can be daily driven. ive thought about buying an older camaro and dropping a lsx 376, ive thought about just getting a car with an ls1 and building the bottom end with lower compression pistons, etc. etc.

I want to do it on a budget and i will be doing most of the work myself. everything possible short of boring and all the machine work.

so for what i want:

1) i really want a sedan but i do have to budget which means i have to keep my options open.
2)boosted (procharged f-1)
3) build bottom end

please help me out guys and just share your expertise. thank you so much

ULTIMATEORANGESS

iTrader: (4)

LS9 with supporting drivetrain.

sreve

iTrader: (3)

Can cost a lot of money for 9s that won't break constantly.
You could save a lot by buying someone else's project.
Getting a roller with the suspension, cage etc. done could be a
real money\time saver.
http://www.racingjunk.com/ is full of cars for sale at a price
you could not build it for that. I hate that site I get on it and
there goes most of the day.

lsx_production

lol ls9...

what i was really thinking was a cts-v either early or late model and building to bottom end...thoughts?

usnfenix

iTrader: (11)

LSX 376 is a waste of money, the motor claims to be built for boost yet uses powdered metal pistons and rods and anyone with a smart mind repalces them with better quality stuff. a better performing motor can be built for less than the asking price of the typical lsx376.

again as said before, any v8 motor that runs 9's and still is a daily driver is going to be very, very expensive. also you will always be doing maintenance and upkeep and when you daily a car that runs 10's or 9's things will break quite often. the car will be down more often than you like for little dumb things. how often do you go to the strip or the track? if you dont go much at all running 9's is going to be a waste to you on the street. you will never hook on the street at all despite very expensive suspension mods including full slicks so it takes your daily driver bonus out the window, you will only able to launch it fully at the track and on the street you will have to baby the throttle and will never run a 9 or even a 10 probably without taking some huge risks on losing control and wrecking it.

it sounds like you want a v8 to daily, but be able to beat anything that happens to try and race you wether it be on the way to work or if your out on a sat night. the best advice i can give you is to get an LS based car, GM f bodys are a great place to start and have an excellent foundation for a beginner into v8's. if i were you look into 98-02 camaros and trans am's that are near stock or slightly modded. start slow with bolt ons and full exhaust, learn how each part complements each other on an ls1 and how the motor likes to perform and operate. very different from import motors. the ls1's sweet spot has always been the cam, and responds very well to a good matched cam and heads setup. cammed ls1's have taken down more heavily modded cars for years. not saying its the do all end all combo but it performs very well. start slow and build up from there. find a power level that works perfect for you instead of ramping up right away to 9's. my car does not run 9's and is just a medium level cam with a high stall and basic bolt ons but it is more than enugh to hold its own on the street out here. good luck with your build and if you need anything on ls motors the community here will help.

Johnnystock

iTrader: (6)

Buy something already modded, like a fbody with full exhaust(1 7/8 headers) and especially a 9inch. The stock rear end suck and it will drive you mad. 9inch are really, really expensive. 4th Gen would have been the best car out there with a better rear end.

Listen to me carefully; GET A C6 Z06!!!!!! Or buy a car already modded from A-Z. Or else, you will burn a lot of cash that you you will never get back. Sorry but after 7years of investing in a car, it was REALLY FUN, but unless you are making 200 000$/year or have a garage and doing everything, or racing for living, its not worth it. I did a lot of mods myself on my Camaro and it still, I was broke year after year(with a triple digit salary).

FYI, nobody in town never beat me with my H/C/N2O Fbody..There is always a faster car outhere, but a H/C/N20 Camaro or T/A will destroy 99% of the stuff...

C6 Z06 FTW!!! No way around it..I could have bought almost a brand new C6 Z for the price of my car plus the mods...just saying.

lsx_production

why a c6 z06? i heard they had weak cylinder walls. I might as well buy the new stingray?

redbird555

iTrader: (14)

ya the c6 z06 ls7 doesnt like a lot of boost. however any car that you pump nuckin futs amounts of boost in to get 9's isnt going to be pleasant to drive or very reliable...

I 2nd the c6 z06 option. Sure the new stingray will be nice but there wont be any mods for it for a while thanks to gm locking the new pcm and the fact that the first year for any car will usually have bugs.

A c6 z06 can be had for high 30's or mid 40's and the car is built for power, stock will run mid 11's and trap in the mid 120's. Slap on bolt ons and low 11's/ high 10's is a given. Add a H/C package and you will have a DD able car with 600whp that would run low 10's an get you very close to your goal

lsx_production

locked pcm? why would they do that with greg banish soliciting his position so much in his tuning vids and literature? will hptuners not be able to tune the vehicle from the get go?

1320Chicken

iTrader: (4)

Are you prepared to do everything necessary to run a 9 second car? (Cage, license, diapers, and other safety equipment)

It sounds like you want the novelty of saying you have a 9 second car, which has been stated before is useless on the street. Cool as hell but useless.

If I were doing it and wanted a sedan I'd look into a lt1 caprice or impala and build a 6.0 for a turbo or supercharger to swap in. No two ways about it building a boosted ls platform is pricey.

lsx_production

just seems weird to me, this dude is runnin 9's with pretty much just a supercharger and a little higher octane fuel...

1320Chicken

iTrader: (4)

It's a mid 12 car stock
A good converter is worth .5
10 bolt will never take a 1.47 sixty foot

I have seen stock fbodies run anywhere from 13.3 to 14.0. There are just too many variables to consider comparing a ls1 to a new 5.0

I have considered building a track only car out of a fox body. You can invest a little in the stock 8.8 to survive the launch of a 9 second car. They are lighter and have a four link style suspension. I think you could put a stock ls1 in with good converter and gear combo and go low 12s if not better.

Dig a little digging and you'll see cam only fbodies in the 9s but they are super light. HioSSilver has a bolt on ls6 in his and is knocking on the door of 10s with a lot of weight reduction but it looks stock at first glance.

You can do exactly what you're talking about but your platform has gone from fbody to caddy and now you're posting up a mustang. You already know you have to build the bottom end but I think you're overlooking everything it takes to get it to the ground. Best bet is to read the drag racing and forced induction forums and see what it takes to meet your goals.

lsx_production

I know what your saying and a ls1 is not something that i HAVE to have. im just comparing the weights of the vehicles and other similar factors. a 2010 camaro can be had for a good deal and with 1.2 liters more of displacement it seems as though it should blow the doors off a 2013 gt. and then when you talkk about cramming air into a vehicle like that with larger displacement and comprable weight, you should be able to ball park it. I'm really not too picky and ive looked at everything from a 2000 SS to a 2010 SS to a vette, gto, g8, cts-v, a ton of stuff. so thanks for your opinions guys. keep the inputs coming...I just like to see what options there are out there and just kind of go from there...

JD_AMG

Just from the mods he did reveal to us, hes got a ford racing ~$10,000 crate engine built for boost, im sure additional supporting mods, not a stock transmission, and he sure as hell has some suspension and chassis mods he didn't list.
Heres the thing, you can never trust youtube videos for "this guy runs x.xx times with only these mods" because people lie, or simply only list major mods done.

JD_AMG

Honestly you kinda sound like a ford fanboy trolling on here. The whole displacement thing just gave you away.
The '10 Camaro is considerably heavier than the comparable mustang, and it also has IRS, and comes with heavy 20" wheel from the factory, those will limit it in running really fast 1/4 mile times. A 4th gen is arguably a better drag platform.

wooddaniel

iTrader: (28)

If you're dead set on a 5.0 why make a thread on a GM site asking for an opinion? Obvious troll is obvious...

I can go on youtube and find stock 4th gens smoking 5.0s.. But shouldn't the 5.0 beat it??? It has 62 more HP stock?!

usnfenix

iTrader: (11)

im not so sure hes a troll, but he is either a troll or very, very new into this world and doesnt understand its not as simple as well mine has more so i should win.

btw OP i had a 2011 5.0 and traded up to a 2013 5.0, they are nice but not unbeatable. and the aftermarket sucks *** and the motor is touchy to the point that im afraid to tune it or the #8 cylinder would blow up. theres a reason i went back to f body power.

lsx_production

uh def. not trolling. obvious stupidity is obvious. It was a simple question i was asking. ive been looking at the z06's and 4th gens and of course the cts v's. id really like a ctsv but they are SO heavy. something in the 10 or 11's rhealm sounds reasonable so im changing my mind on that. thank for those who are giving valuable input instead of sheer **** stains

Zlow28

iTrader: (11)

whats the fastest car youve built so far OP?

"MAC"

iTrader: (1)

It seems like you are all over the place first it was an fbody then a caddy then a mustang point is if you want a car with low weight then the fbody or corvette is your choice the new mustangs are heavier dont even think about getting a new gen 5 camaro those things are way to heavy. Another things is that you can get a good C5 Z06 for 20k not bad really they are light and they have the ls6 which is really a better version of the ls1 to be honest so my opinion is get a C5 Z06 and build that yea a lot of people have them but a lot of people have the fbodys only thing is going 9's with a manual is harder than going 9's with an auto but it comes down to how good can you shift as to how good that auto is built. C5 Z06 responds just as good if not better than the ls1 fbodies and they are lighter than the fbodies