patooyee

iTrader: (1)

I have a 2005 SSR LS2 (its in a rock buggy) that I am thinking of doing some upgrades on. I currently have new complete L92 heads and intake. I'm not sure if swapping them is worth it though. I've seen some pretty ridiculous claims coming from some of these builds, close to 600 at the crank. It almost seems too good to be true, almost at the point of wondering if it IS true.

I see that +100 hp is possible with a Livernois stage 1 cam, probably others. That's at least 100 dyno-proven hp on stock LS2 heads from a company that I trust. (Although not the cheapest source of cams.)

So are the L92 heads really +100 on top of that??? The money isn't in the budget for cnc porting. If I do anything to them they will get shaved and that's about it. This is where dyno-proven information kind of starts becoming scarce and internet-bragging is plentiful IMO. I find that kind of unrealistic. If its possible its worth swapping heads to me. But if its just some guys on a dyno trying to get the highest number possible to brag about on the internet and the heads are realistically just another 25-50 hp I'm not so sure its worth it at that point.

I assume springs will be mandatory with any cam swap. But are valves also? If so, got any recommendations?

The motor has plenty of low-end grunt to turn my 44" tires for crawling as it is. Anything beyond what I currently have is just for high-rpm hill-attacking-fun. I'm not shooting for a number, mainly looking for more power to use in 3rd gear, low range.

Yes, I have searched and read just about every thread on this forum on this subject. A lot of the info is old, and some is ... well ... lets just say unproven.

Photo of buggy:

litle88

iTrader: (20)

A livernois cam is a 100 hp bolt on? Got links to that?

If you wanna make the power sell the L92 stuff because your limited with compression, PTV (due to the heads having 2.165 intake valves and that creates valve shrouding. Get some TFS 225's a FAST 102 and a cam specd for the buggy use! I'm sure you'll be in the ~550 ish crank hp
On my Ls1 with a FAST 90/90, TFS 220 as cast and vrx5 cam I made 455 on a stingy mustang dyno.

patooyee

iTrader: (1)

http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...te_ls2_engine/

I can't fit a Fast intake (too many reasons to list, most here would not appreciate them), nor would I ever pay that much for one. Have to stick with a truck intake or a carb intake. (I already have an L92 truck intake.)

I'm not looking to build something with so much compression that I need to run race gas.

KCS

iTrader: (20)

The heads you have on there now have ~64cc chambers and the L92 heads are ~68cc, so you're losing compression right off the bat. I'd say keep the heads you have (should be 243/799 castings), and work on them. Just a decent valvejob and a little milling will make a big difference.

litle88

iTrader: (20)

Besides, do you think the Livernois cam will be beneficial to you in this application? Don't you need one with torque down low?

I'm sure guys like KCS or Brian Tooley can spec you out a cam that will give you what you want. I'd sell those heads and intake and put it into the heads you have and a cam. That's just my .2

patooyee

iTrader: (1)

I'm not a crawler, I'm a bouncer. About 10% of what I do is low-rpm slow stuff. The other 90% is high-rpm hill-killing, boulder-bouncing, and other faster racing / higher rpm stuff. Wheel speed and momentum are important for that 90%. I have enough gearing to where 100 hp would probably suffice for the slow crawling stuff. So basically no matter what I do to my engine, I'll always have enough low end torque for the slow stuff. Right now my complaint is that I have plenty of power for steep loose / slick hills in 1st and 2nd gear, but 3rd gear starts bogging down a little bit sometimes.

If I were to do the l92 heads I could shave them to get CR back. But the more research I do the more I think the small power gain (if any) I would get from them over some porting work on my current heads is negligible. I don't have any plans to stroke this motor and I think if I wanted more than 500 - 600 crank hp I would go with a big block anyway.

Plus, I am also considering going to propane carbs instead of EFI and right now there is no dual quad intake for the L92 heads whereas there is for the 243's. That's another debate though.

And I'm not dead-set on the Livernois cam. I was just using it as an example of dyno-proven cam-only gains. I would not hesitate to deal with Livernois though ...

Thanks for the input. So if I were to send the 243's out for some porting, where should I send them? I actually have a spare set I can send out without having to disable my buggy. Is there anyone that would consider trading my L92 heads for the port work?

litle88

iTrader: (20)

There is TEA, AI, Brian Tooley, LPE. They do awesome work you can believe that.

patooyee

iTrader: (1)

Thanks, do you have links to those places so I can get some contact info? (Save me some Googling.)

Also, what are stock L92 new in box assembled heads going for these days?

litle88

iTrader: (20)

All are vendors on the ------------->

patooyee

iTrader: (1)

With builds like these, on essentially stock L92's, you still say no L92's???

https://ls1tech.com/forums/dynamomet...p-446rwtq.html

http://www.norotors.com/index.php?topic=4134.0

Johnnystock

iTrader: (6)

They will make the power, just get the right cam for your need. If you could port em or shave with a small cam it could be a killer combo to turn those big wheels!! BTW LS2 intake sucks and LS3 intake rocks! That would be some easy hp right there, 10-15hp IIRC

patooyee

iTrader: (1)

"They" Being L92 Heads?

Gray86hatch

iTrader: (83)

If you don't have heads get the ls3 they are about $675 a pair complete


Tim

patooyee

iTrader: (1)

The debate is whether to use them or not. I originally bought them because I read all the build threads about how well they flow. But others in this thread are saying that I would be better off porting the 243's and selling the L92's.

Gray86hatch

iTrader: (83)

They will work well with the right cam but you really need to put ls3 intake valves in them for the high rpm stuff you are looking at. 20 grams lighter makes a big difference trying to keep the valvetrain happy.

Tim

patooyee

iTrader: (1)

I'll put whatever valves in them is best if I end up using them. In that case, what valves should I use? I don't need to be limited to GM parts.

Gray86hatch

iTrader: (83)

The ls3 is a good valve is very light. To get a hollow stem aftermarket valve is big $ and prob not as light as the ls3.

I run them in both my engines with no problems. 7500 rpm with mine no problems the other one gets driven every day. Both use the Lunati dual spring kit

Tim

patooyee

iTrader: (1)

My redline is 6600 rpm. GM seems to think the L92 valves are good for that rpm in a 500hp factory motor. Are we sure new valves are really necessary? I mean, GM tests their motors at redline for days at a time.

Gray86hatch

iTrader: (83)

For the cost of a ls3 valve the 20 gram weight difference it is deff worth it. They are big valves that need all the help they can get. I have seen way more l92 with broken intake valves than ls3. Gm replaces a lot of these l92 under warranty with dropped valves.

Tim

patooyee

iTrader: (1)

Do you have a part number on those valves?