1997transamman

hey guys my ls1 blew a head gasket. i have a (pretty sure 2001) 6.0 layin around so i thought i would throw it in.

bottom end: as of right now i want to put ARP bolts in the bottom end but other than that leave it stock bc i cant spend a ton on it at the moment.

heads: should i go with the ls1 heads? or leave the stock 6.0 heads on?

cam and intake: should i toss my ls1 on or find a ls6? is the ms3 or 4 kit ok for a cam choice?

oil pump: i have no idea what i should get? suggestions?

as far as the injectors and pullies go. i will need everything from my ls1 right? injectors and pullies right?

i guess im just needing some info on what i need to do the swap...im new to ls1s still

NemeSS

iTrader: (127)

I see no need for the arp rod bolts. I've turned stock rod bolts 6.0s over 7000rpm without any problems
Plus I don't recommend installing rod bolts nor do I install rod bolts w/o a rod bolt stretch Gage. But that's just me. I have a heads,cam,pr deal u may be interested for that 6.0.
Made some good power thru a built 60e.

godlyxdan

iTrader: (1)

Bottom end: no need for rod bolts like NemeSS said
Heads: what LS1 heads do you have? 241's? any work done to them? if they are then re-using them may be a good choice
Cam: I would invest in a newer cam kit, i know money is an issue but you wont get any noticable performance difference with an LS1 or LS6 cam in a 6.0. Is it an LQ9 LQ4 etc... block?
Oil Pump: Depends but you couldnt go wrong with a Walboro 255
You may be able to re-use the injectors, what intake are you putting on it? Stock truck intake or LS6 intake?

1997transamman

sry its going in my 98 trans am. i thought the walboro 255 was a fuel pump?? im not sure what heads i have i will have to look but they are 100 percent stock i know that. ok no arp thats easy haha. im not sure if it is the lq4 or 9 i never did understand the differance? i planed on puttin the stock intake on it off of my ls1 or finding a ls6. what should i do for a cam?

Not A Z

iTrader: (1)

I thought the Walbro 255 was a fuel pump????

DarkFox118

iTrader: (7)

I'm running a ported ls6 oil pump on my 6.0 (it's not on it yet.)

Is your "6.0" an LQ4? 9? or is it one of the aluminum blocks from the GTO etc.? I assume by the year that it's a 4 or 9. If it's a 9 a cam swap should be fine to get you decent power, stock 317s should be fine. If it's a 4 imo, you need to get that compression up with some heads but it's not REQUIRED for the motor to run.. not at all.

If it's a LQ4/9 your accessories will fit just fine, your ls1 intake will fit and your injectors too, but you're missing 2 holes in the Lq4/9 block where the alternator sits. You don't HAVWE to have them.. but the bracket won't mount the same way, you will have to mount the alt a bit more manually. (same place, just.. the bracket wont hold itself on.) You can tap one of these holes, the other hole cannot exist.

sorry you responded while I was..

an Lq4 has dished pistons, an Lq9 has flat top pistons. Did it come out of an escalade? If so it's probably a 9, a 2500hd? probably a 4. You can probably snap a picture of the bottom end with the pan off (you need to use your ls1 windage tray, pickup tube and oil pan on this) and we can take our best guess from the rods as they are different as well.

godlyxdan

iTrader: (1)

my bad on the oil pump lol yes walboro is a fuel pump, read to fast. saw the word pump and automatically assumed fuel without reading. my bad

1997transamman

this one came out of a 3500 express truck haha, got it for next to nothing so i couldnt pass it up. im not sure if that helps you on which one it is. now im getting confused. so i will need the windage tray, oil pan, and pickup off my ls1 right? along with a ls6 pump. that should take care of the bottom end...

godlyxdan

iTrader: (1)

If it came out of an express truck then it would be an LQ4

1997transamman

lol figures i get the crappy of the 2

1997transamman

so what should i do to bump up the compression? i dont want my car to be a turd!

godlyxdan

iTrader: (1)

well you could mill your heads
or get a set of LQ9 pistons to bring compression to 10:1

1997transamman

which heads should i use? ls1 or the 6.0?

DarkFox118

iTrader: (7)

An LQ4 isn't "crappy."

Some people have reported over 400whp out of them on stock 317 heads. Basically, a "cam only" engine. I saw a guy on here selling his Z28 with an Lq4, stock 317s, a 232/234 cam (iirc) and is claimimg 420WHP out of it via an Ls6 intake.

You just have dished pistons with decreases your compression a little compared to the Lq9 which has flat top pistons.

317s are good heads, I'd say, better than the Ls1's stock head.

If you want cheap heads, get a set of 5.3 heads for it, the tiny combustion chamber should increase compression closeer to 11, just check your PTV clearance if you run a cam with a lot of lift.

Also make sure that if you have more than .600" on the cam lift wise you upgrade the springs on those 5.3 heads.

Also, do LOTS of research on this and don't rush, cos I feel like I'm over simplifying here, and you don't wanna do this wrong. An Lq4 is a great motor with a solid bottom end, dished pistons or no.

Lq9 pistons are gonna cost you more than it's worth to use em.

Stock the Lq9 made 345FWHP, the L:q4 made somewhere around 300 BUT.. the stock Lq4 cam is something like a 190/190.. it's almost just a smooth cylinder.

It's a truck cam. Put something in the low 230s in there and it will really come alive.

Here.. your CHEAPEST route imo to get this up and running would be:

pull your ls1 oil pan, windage tray, pickup tube, dipstick and tube, get a new ls1 waterpump, pull your ls1's crank pulley, use all your ls1 accessories, use your 317s, use your stock Lq4 bottom end, use your stock Ls1 intake and injectors, drop in a new oil pump (TSP has an Ls6 ported oil pump if you are concerned, oil is important) and drop in a low 230s cam with less than .600" lift.. and drop it in.. see how you like it.

oh.. and USE A NEW CRANK PULLEY BOLT. They are torque to yield and are spent after 1 use.

1997transamman

what cam would have around those specs? im not big into the ls1 yet so im not sure what the good cams are. also what springs should i got with? i would love to have the ms3 or ms4 cam bc they sound so freakin nasty. which is alot of what this car ill be doing anyway just cruizin and showin off but i want it to have the power to back it up as well

1997transamman

i looked it up and the ms3 cam is just slightly bigger than that so i think ill be going with the ms3 kit and cam

Turtle Bite

iTrader: (3)

Before you get too far, I would double check that your 6.0 does not have the thicker crank flange where the flywheel mounts in the rear-if it does it you would either need to get it machined lown to match the later cranks (and your ls1 tranny) or swap it out. It will be obvious if it does, it sticks out .400 inches farther from the rear cover. I believe this was mostly on the 99-00 6.0ls, but it is worth checking.

What is the casting numbers on your head? if they are 317 heads, the ports are very similar to the LS6 243 casting(most wil claim they are identical), they just have larger combustion chambers, hence the lower compression ratio. If you are on a budget, I would use them as is. Remember milling the heads will most likely require new pushrods.

How many miles on your motor? If it has alot of miles, I would suggest at least putting in new gaskets (at minimum you will need at least oil pan, water pump, intake, and valve cover) an LS2 timing chain (~$40), along with all the other stuff you need when swapping any used motor- fresh set of plugs, new thermostat, etc.

I wouldnt bother with the oil pump or rod bolts for a relatively stock motor. Unless you plan to spin it to 7000k regularly, the stock stuff should hold up fine.

A good budget cam that many run is the LS6 cam- just remember with any cam you will need matching springs that you will need to account for in your budget.

1997transamman

its gettin up there in miles im not exactly sure how many are on it tho. it is an 04 sry for saying it was an 01 i had it confused.....i think im guna take darkfox's advice and then drop in the ms3 cam kit (matching springs and everything of course). im not sure on the heads but they guy who did all the work on it when it was in the truck said he thought it was 317 heads.

DarkFox118

iTrader: (7)

Oh right, I didn't even address the tranny. Good call.

Alternatively, I think you can run a different flywheel/flexplate to solve this problem? If going to a T56/60E this is an issue yea, for an 80e conversion not so much as it is my understanding.

+1 on preventative failures, how much of a "budget" are you on? If this is a "omg I've gotta take the bus" scenario, you can skip some preventative work, but if you want to "do this once, and do it right".. certainly a big supporter of changing out gaskets for common failure points while the engine is out.

Curious tho.. if you're gonna do that, why not spend the extra ~$300 or so for an oil pump now, and $50 for a timing chain while you're in there, than to have to do it once it's in the car if the stocker should fail?

I'm doing a 6.0 Lq4 build from an 03 2500HD for my 00 Z. I'm doing a 233/239 cam, new tsp oil pump, ls6 valley cover, ls2 timing chain, and PROBABLY a set of prc 227cc heads @ ~57CC chambers to compensate for the compression loss. My motor is a jasper engines rebuild from 2009 ~20-40k miles of wear on it, bored .020 over. I'm TARGETING 400whp as my floor, but hoping for 420-450 or more.

I'm not on a very tight budget with it however, so I'm making sure to take extra measures that aren't "necessary" but.. good ideas.

Look at the heads toward the front on th driver's side. Should be a 3 digit number stamped into it just below the valve cover. Almost certain they're 317s.

1997transamman

i shouldnt have that problem should i? since its an 04? and im pretty sure this one has around 150,000 on it. im not on a "have to ride the bus" bugdet. but being 19 and make about 300 a week it would be nice to not have to spend aton of cash of it. i plan on doing the gaskets, oil pump, and timing chain no matter what. even if i cant afford to do a cam either. its out im there so i might as well do it. insurance