Anthony42

Whats going on guys im currently saving up some money to start modding my 02 Z28. Its all stock it is a manual now the question is I have somewhere around 88xxx-89xxx on the car now should i just get a new engine first or would i still be good to cam it and do my headers and exhaust setup i want or would it be more ideal to perhaps look into a new engine and start from scratch? i have seen ls engines with way more miles on them but im just concerned if i start dumping money into it now i dont want a year to pass and my engine be shot and have to restart from scratch again. any input is greatly appreciated.

ULTIMATEORANGESS

iTrader: (4)

you can have it checked to see if its ok. CR and heads ect.

if its ok start with bolt ons and upgrade as you desire.

M4N14C

iTrader: (3)

Unless the car has been driven at WOT for the whole 88k miles, odds are the motor is still in good shape. Motors are very strong on these cars and I've seen people with close to 200k run 10's.

If you're concerned, do what ultimate said and get it checked out.

S8ER95Z

iTrader: (3)

I did my cam swap at 137k... At 154k I pulled the motor and aside from piston slap everything was good. In fact it's in a dedicated drag car now running an alcohol setup and running great. I wouldn't worry unless you see some signs of abuse/damage I wouldn't worry at all.

N20zuki

It doesn't matter if you build your current motor (given its not making metal or noises) or build a new motor, But neglect and beating the **** out of it regardless is going to wear on an engine. I have seen brand new builds last 5miles and I have seen people on here with over 200k on there engine build from there.

This hobby is basically loosely based off luck.

garygnu

they are all correct ^^^. do a leak down and compression check .remove the valve covers and take some pics and post them .consider new valve train parts ,and rebuilt rocker arms when you start modding your engine .

Anthony42

I do have some sounds coming from the bay on the driver side i had it checked out by a performance shop and they told me it was piston slap but was very common in the ls1s due to the aluminum blocks. Not sure how true that is but other then that I have not had any issue what so ever. thanks for all the input though guys appreciate it

Anthony42

ok so with that said when i took my car to the performance shop to figure out the ticking noise in my engine as described above i started telling the guy what i wanted i told him i wanted to be around 450hp range. I told him i planned on doing headers, cat back exhaust w/ cutouts either before the cats if i could. I just had a buddy who had a 01 SS and he had electric cutouts and i fell in love with the way it sounded. The cam setup this gentlemen recommended me was the Tick Performance Polluter cam I've looked at videos of ls1s with these in them and i do like the way they sound but as far as performance would you guys recommend a different cam or anyone currently or in the past use this cam?

sick_tight

88k is still break in period. haha.

i wouldnt worry at all about that

Anthony42

i planned on swapping all that out when I do my cam swap and probably just have the shop clean it up in there as well. i just had to spend a good chunk of change for my ignition and keys. Im currently deployed and somehow my wife went to start my car and it wouldnt turn over and the key was setting off the alarm so there goes some of my money

JDEP162

when i looked in to the ls1, i did alot of reading. one thing that still sticks in mind, cant find article, but the engineer in charge of development or some guy, ran an ls1 wide open throttle, for 21 straight days in testing, and noted minimal engine wear after.

JDEP162

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...VZ1D4xRYWIL4nQ

Anthony42

well that there made up my mind

A.R. Shale Targa

iTrader: (2)

GM's standard durability testing is 100 hours at peak torque followed up by
100 hours at peak horsepower (1 week = 168 hrs.)....and the theoretical
91,000 mile example that someone posted is possible since oil's longevity
is really related to crankshaft rotations, hot/cold cycles, moisture, etc.

JDEP162

yeah my take on it was that if it can run at full throttle making 338-345 hp the entire 21 days, it will definatly last me a few track days and weekend romps. proper maintenance and a little tlc and she shud go a long time. my theory is drive like an old man (which i am) 95% of the time, and rip tear *** haul the mail the other 5% and she can handle it.

TurbopigB4C

iTrader: (5)

The best thing to do is look at the horsepower numbers and daily driver requirements of your car as well as how much budget and down time your car can have. Do you have emissions tests in your area, etc... If you want 400 whp or less you can likely just do heads, mild street cam, and full bolt ons. If you want more than 400 whp I would consider starting off with an ls3 block and you can build it out of the car with either stock used internals or go 415 ci stroker and ls3 heads are cheap.

0silverado4

You don't need a ls3 block or any other for that matter to get over 400whp. A nice head/cam/intake package and a good exhaust set-up will put you over that easily. Chances are your motor will last a very long time. Tick Performance has been putting out some nice cams. If that company interests you contact them and they will be more than happy to help you out. Not discounting the guy above as building a LS3 or stroker engine would certainly give you more power, its just not needed for your listed goal.

TurbopigB4C

iTrader: (5)

Everyones idea of daily driver friendly is different and some say a 224 - 228 is mild in a daily driver while I think its just too much. I was just mentioning the LS3 block because it allows you to build your setup outside the car and you can get ported LS3 heads with stock .570 springs for under 1150. You can go with an LS3 block $1400 used 3.622 factory crank 150 - 250 dollars stock rods 100 - 150 dollars wiseco +4cc pistons for stock rods with rings 650 and then you have a 6.2 liter ls3 with small street cam making in the 450 whp area which to me is cooler than a 450 whp 5.7 wild heads cam combo. Plus you get the benefit of having a fresh new engine. You save money not having to buy a Fast intake or expensive aftermarket heads since the ls3 stock manifold and heads are much better than the gen 3 manifolds and heads.

2birdJosh

motor will be fine! If you run cutouts dont use cats and I like comp cam #54-426-11.comp cam pushrods and valve springs. Also i use stock exhaust other than no cats and headers. 160 thermostat,o2 extensions,tr55 plugs and tune.Sounds stock till you hit switch