LS7 Has Brutal 11,000-RPM Limit, Makes 921 HP at ‘Low’ Redline
With more than three years of research, development and countless dollars, ‘Project Spinal Tap’ is the world’s highest-revving LS7.
It is no surprise that we like crazy builds here at LS1tech. The platform that we have all come to love and cherish just holds so much versatility. You might think that the engine platform is so versatile that every possible build has been tapped out. However, that is simply not the case. If there is a will, there is a way when it comes to the LS.
This is exactly what Ben Strader, EFI University founder, thought when he built the first 11,000 RPM capable LS7 ever. Don’t think that this came easy though. To no surprise, this achievement was years in the making and took a full team to get accomplished. Thanks to EFI U on Facebook, we get to see this engine do its historic first pull on an engine dyno. Let’s learn a little bit more about how they made the power supportable.
11,000 RPM is usually a number reserved for motorcycles. How the hell do you take an engine that’s redline was once 7,000 RPM and increase that by a couple thousand? Even increasing the redline of any engine by a thousand RPM can lead to instant catastrophic failure. Most people will spend thousands upon thousands of dollars just to get that extra 1000 RPM. Is it worth it? We think that EFI University thinks so. This engine code named “Project Spinal Tap” is a project put together by Strader, who you see in the video.
921 HP at a ‘Low’ Redline of 9,300 RPM
According to Strader, the project has taken just about three years to get to this very moment. The LS7 was completely built from the ground up, following every possible strengthening and durability mod possible to support extreme RPMs. This includes obviously a bespoke valvetrain and nearly every aspect of the engine has been changed to support the stress. During the its first ever test on the dyno, the engine managed a stunning 11,230 RPM. The team wasn’t really concerned with the power output, but rather, hoping the block wouldn’t explode.
Strader in the video states that the engine made about 921 HP at a “low” redline of 9,300 RPM. Torque figures brought home 545 ft/lbs at 8,000 RPM, a number a stock LS7 would never see. Now that the engine has hit their benchmark goal, they can now focus on doing the necessary modifications to actually make power in that increased range. Did we mention it sounds unlike any LS you have ever heard? I wonder why.
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