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Hamstrung LS7 - armchair diagnos this engine

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Old 02-19-2013, 04:12 PM
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Default Hamstrung LS7 - armchair diagnos this engine

I'm a bit of a newb at this but I bought a vehicle w/ the following

LS7 block
Mild Comp CAM (tuned for tq over hp)
L92 heads,
L92 intake,
truck manifolds
single 3" exhaust w/ Flowmaster 50 series
highflow cat

Dyno sheet from the previous owner says 389 hp, 426 tq at the rear wheels.

1) are those numbers what you'd expect? They seem low to me, even given the tuned for torque aspect of the engine.

2) Is there a particular item on the list above that stands out above another as an impediment to making more power?

BTW, it's not a dry sump. Thanks for the armchair quarterbacking!
Attached Thumbnails Hamstrung LS7 - armchair diagnos this engine-engine.jpg   Hamstrung LS7 - armchair diagnos this engine-pc120017.jpg   Hamstrung LS7 - armchair diagnos this engine-pc120052.jpg   Hamstrung LS7 - armchair diagnos this engine-pc120012.jpg   Hamstrung LS7 - armchair diagnos this engine-pc120011.jpg  


Last edited by fattirewilly; 02-19-2013 at 04:46 PM.
Old 02-19-2013, 05:15 PM
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That sounds about right for that motor with manifolds and small cam. Headers will set it free.
Old 02-19-2013, 09:20 PM
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It's about a hundred horsepower off from what I'd expect it to do. You sure it's an LS7? 7.0? I bet if you investigate further you discover it to be much less than 7 liters. An LS7 Shortblock is worth 5-6k+ , I'd be surprised to see someone put that cheap intake on it.
Old 02-19-2013, 09:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Whistler
It's about a hundred horsepower off from what I'd expect it to do. You sure it's an LS7? 7.0? I bet if you investigate further you discover it to be much less than 7 liters. An LS7 Shortblock is worth 5-6k+ , I'd be surprised to see someone put that cheap intake on it.
Yep I agree with that. Your exhaust sucks from what I see in those pictures. You need headers and duals with an H or X pipe rather than that funky merge with 90 degree bends. That's probably costing you 40RWHP and TQ.
Old 02-20-2013, 02:12 AM
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Full exhaust, and a better top end will free up that 100 HP is seems to be down on.
Old 02-20-2013, 02:14 AM
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I see now that whatever it's in is 4wd. The large tires, automatic and t case will eat up a lot of power.
Old 02-20-2013, 02:16 AM
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Tj I'm assuming?
Old 02-20-2013, 08:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Whistler
It's about a hundred horsepower off from what I'd expect it to do. You sure it's an LS7? 7.0? I bet if you investigate further you discover it to be much less than 7 liters. An LS7 Shortblock is worth 5-6k+ , I'd be surprised to see someone put that cheap intake on it.
That 100 hp was kinda my thoughts too.

It was built in 2008, so I don't think a FAST was an option for the L92 heads. What intake options should I look at??

The heads/intake and probably the oil pan were pulled from an LS2 that was in there prior. The previous owner spend a ton of money at a reputable race engine shop to meet whatever his goal with this thing was. The LS7 block was the third iteration.

Last edited by fattirewilly; 02-20-2013 at 09:08 AM.
Old 02-20-2013, 08:47 AM
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Originally Posted by bww3588
Tj I'm assuming?
Yes, a TJ.
Old 02-20-2013, 09:14 AM
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Originally Posted by bww3588
Full exhaust, and a better top end will free up that 100 HP is seems to be down on.
Would dual exhaust using the same 50 series (going from one 50-series muffler to two 50-series), increase or decrease the decibel level? The current noise level is barely tolerable.
Old 09-03-2013, 07:58 PM
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Originally Posted by fattirewilly

Dyno sheet from the previous owner says 389 hp, 426 tq at the rear wheels.
So I found another dyno sheet in the stack of paperwork, not sure how I missed it. 407 rwhp, 448 tq. That's a bit better, but all the suggestions made earlier still apply.



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