80 malibu with a low budget 5.3 Updated to a LS1
 

Well as you folks can tell I am VERY new to the LS group.
Figured I would share my car and set up with you all.
I have been drag racings for 35 years and been old school all my life, I finally decided to try out the LS motor stuff.
I race in a class that has a few rules and one is a claimer rule and that means anyone racing in the claimer class can buy your motor for 1500.
so this is my first attempt at a budget motor I built for our claimer class racing.
I know some of the stuff in the motor and or car is a mismatch OR should be bigger (like the camshaft) But I only gave 100 bucks for the came and I figured it would work on a budget.
Car is a 1980 Malibu weighs 3050.lbs with driver.
motor is a 2005 5.3 170K mile motor.
short block is stock dish piston motor, Heads are stock 706 that I did a little grinding on, Camshaft is suppose to be a TSP 220/220, victor jr with a 650 Holley DP 91 pump gas.
I run a FAST XIM box and to start out I set the box at 34 degree all in at 1800rpm.
the rest of the car is leftover from years before racing old school set up's.
powerglide
5200 PTC
4.56 gears
28 X 9 slick
we put 9 clean passes on the car wasn't missing a beat, I told everyone I hope the little motor would click off a 11.70 and I got close.
car ran a best of 11.83 @112 ran the 1/8th at 7.48 @ 91
I have a total of 1100 bucks in this motor.
I would like to get this motor into the 11.50's and I know a camshaft will be needed to do that, and I'll give that some thought as the racing season progress, I want to see what everyone else brings to the table.


thanks for letting me post on your the board.
Tony

Thinking that's a lot of stall for that cam....but nice numbers for what it is :cheers:

Yes sir it is way to much. This first motor was a learning motor since I am new to the LS world. I have and aluminum 5.3 with 243 heads and a 238/248 598/605 camshaft that will be more fitting for the convertor.

238/248@.050 is quite large for a L33. If it is on anything tighter than a 112LSA you're going to have very very little P to V (as in .040 or less) as that cam would have 19* of overlap and overlap is the main deciding factor in P to V clearance.

IMO you would be better off with something like this:

232/240 .603/.587 110+3

This has 16 degrees overlap, would be a big upgrade over the old 220/220 and have what I would consider acceptable p to v for a stock bottom end engine.

Martin. You got me to thinking about the specs on the cam I put in the second motor (the flat top 243 head). The specs are actually 232/238 595/605.
The lobe# are 3726/3729. I am almost certain it is 112. I will pull it back out and make sure.
These motors are claimer motors, and built on the cheap. and I was just picking up any cheap used cams that I thought would work. don't get me wrong don't want to bend any valves and blow stuff up. The motor is still on the stand won't be that big of deal pulling it out and checking. Thank you for chiming in. Your advice is appreciated.

OK Martin. I pulled the camshaft and tissue is on the back.
3726R
3729R
HR110.0
CC
A6401-13

You are saying this will have PTV clearance issue with the flat top L33 motor?

Yes, that will not fit in a stock bottom end engine safely. I would imagine around .030-.040 P to V or less.

Cool combo, where does it like to be shifted? Doing a TSP 220/228 low lift in a 5.3 with 862s and Holley 750 for my '51 Merc.

What fuel are you running?

The motor ran it's best shifting at 6400 would cross the line at 6600. It would stop pulling about 200 ft before the finish line. I had a set of 600 valve springs on the heads and I wasn't sure if the camshaft was done making power or if it was trying to float the valves. I just installed a set of 660 springs. I am getting ready to order a camshaft from Martin Smallwood on Friday to swap out.
To see if it will run any faster.
I am running 91 pump gas

Do you have to run 91 pump, you don't have 93 there?

Also I noticed your 60 is pretty soft for all that gear and converter. What do you think is going on there. I'd think you'd 60 in the 1.5's with a stock 5.3 at your weight.

Seems to me like with the current gear / tire / glide should still 60 harder. I'm thinking easily in the 1.5's no?

I don't think it will with this 220/220 camshaft. My old school 355 would 60ft last year in the 1.49 range. I think the camshaft is just to small for the convertor out of the hole. Convertor slippage was only 4.8%
My old school camshaft had a @50 duration of 254/264 and was 106.
I think this cam in the 5.3 is 220/220 and is 112 or 114.

Gotcha. I guess 91 octane / 5.3 / 10:1 max / 220 cam = 325rwhp? What are the other guys running ET wise?

I am not sure of the compression whatever stock dish pistons with 706 heads are.

The Wallace racing calculator show 365 crank horsepower with my car set up. How true that I'm not sure.

Looks like 11.50 might lead the pack. We will have to see what all comes out of the woodwork at our first race on the 18th.

It is a mixture of sbc,sbf,mopars, as long as it meets the rules it can run.

Link to the rules? It's a 1/4 mile class?

If 1/4, seems like with that much gear shifting at 6400 (?) car is out of the power band last 200 feet or more?

I like the idea of more cam, can wind it higher.

Is a 650 carb a little small for the combo?

The class runs 5 1/8 mile races and 5 1/4 mile races. We run 5 different tracks twice.
Yes I agree the motor is all petered out about 200 ft before the finish line. We made multiple passes, running 2 passes with each change we made just to see if it would repeat. Shifting at 6400 gave the most MPH and best ET. If we short shifted at 6000 it would run to the finish line and cross at 6100.

I had a 750 on it but the IAB were shooting the plugs. We bolted on a 650 DP and made 2 jet changes 73/76 jets with no power valves. We watched the wide band and it stayed in the 13.2 area.

I will put some different IAB in the 750 and try it in a week or too.

As far as the rules I'll copy and paste or if you Facebook I could add you to the group.

The jist of the rules are. Your motor can be claim for 1500.00. You get to keep headers, intake, ignition, everything else goes to the claimer.
Stock block, stock crank,and rods, factory stock heads, 28x10 tire or smaller, 370ci maximum, 3000 pound minimum. Pump 91 gas, 750 max carb or factory OEM intake if running fuel injection. Exhaust ran to the rear axle with muffler. Car is subject to being weighed, pumped for CI. And borescoped.

Yeah I'm on there:

www. face book.com/john.ryan.lsx

I've had two LS cars than ran high 10's on motor, 6.90's in the 1/8th.

The 2000 Z/28 was 10.5:1, TFS 215s, 240/244 cam, 4800 8" stall, 4.10 gear and 28x10.5 slicks was 3300 r/w. 10.92@124. It wanted a bit more gear. I shifted at 7000, might have wanted higher. I think it had too much intake duration.

My 2010 has stock ported heads (LS3), 227/243, 3800 stall, 3.91 gear, 275/60/15 DR. 10.90@125 @ 3850 r/w.

4.56's are I think too much for 1/4, those 28x9 ET Drags are more like 27.x no?

I think a cam swap will make a big difference.

I would say you are correct about to much gear and the slicks being more like 27.x.

This combination was just thrown together to see what would happen.
It could change and get quicker in a few different ways.
I could change convertor and gear OR
Swap the camshaft out for a real one.

I am opting for a camshaft change.

I figure I'll get it ironed out after the first couple of races.