going to the dark side *engine is in*
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i googled them this morning, from what other people were saying, down low they flow the same but up top you lose a little bit comparred to ls3/l99/l92 heads. assembled they cost more than ls3 heads but bare they are cheaper! wtf?
It does look like the heads and valves are backordered right now, but if you know someone in parts at your local dealership...he can work around that for the most part using GM's "**** case" system for expediting parts for downed vehicles.
Also forgot to mention...the LSA has been in use since 2009 in the CTS and now is in the 2012 Camaro lineup too. It's a detuned LS9 for the most part.
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ls9 heads are crazy expensive!!! the scrap man said he was going to try to come over tonight and buy some scrap!! 11 aluminum wheels, 2 cars, 1k pounds of tin, 6 bare aluminum heads, 75 more pounds of aluminum, brass radiator, and 2 cats... any guesses?
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im going to pass on the lsa heads, the combustion chambers are too big for my n/a lq4 75cc vs. 72cc on the ls3 heads. pace performance has the bare ls3 heads listed for 329 each... or fully assembled for $314 i will be ordering them hopefully next week!
I'm not sure about the combustion chamber cc's. I had heard they were the same as LS3/L92's, but there is alot of misinformation I guess.
$314 each for assembled LS3's sounds pretty good to me.
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Verdad Gallardo If it were anywhere else I'd say chance it. I still think you'd be fine, but I personally wouldn't wanna risk having a sealing problem in that location.
Question for Merv and other LS familiars that read this.....I can get ahold of a 4.8 that has low miles, NEW LS7 lifters, new stock cam, good compression, but has very low oil pressure for $300. It's from oil pan to valley cover. No accesories, intake, or coils. It was replaced under warranty when it continued to have oil psi issues. Should I just pass??
Question for Merv and other LS familiars that read this.....I can get ahold of a 4.8 that has low miles, NEW LS7 lifters, new stock cam, good compression, but has very low oil pressure for $300. It's from oil pan to valley cover. No accesories, intake, or coils. It was replaced under warranty when it continued to have oil psi issues. Should I just pass??
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yeah im worried about it... i know i grabbed the other one when i bought the car pan, but i cant find the damn thing. low oil pressure sounds like either a cam bearing spun (worst case) or oil pump is junk.
Since I know the rest of the motor is healthy...head gaskets and bolts are brand new...I'm thinking about buying it and just pulling the bottom end maybe?? If I could patch it up without having to buy head gaskets and bolts I could come out decent. Maybe use it awhile then swap in a bigger longblock later. IDK
Local classified ads are where I'm seeing them. I'm thinking about going to pick that 5.3 up. Last winter my buddy an I picked up an LQ4 complete from TB to oil pan, harness and all with a 5 speed bolted to it, running for $250. Biggest steal ever.
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little update guys, probably be my last for a few days... tomorrow morning im headed to wichita to pick up my k member and rack and pinion for $150 
gonna let some cash build up while i do body work on the car and after i get some built up im going to finish the engine. all thats left is one head and my cam. im getting closer to being done but still probably half way since i cant find a transmission i dont have to drive 6 hours one way to get
gonna let some cash build up while i do body work on the car and after i get some built up im going to finish the engine. all thats left is one head and my cam. im getting closer to being done but still probably half way since i cant find a transmission i dont have to drive 6 hours one way to get
Since I know the rest of the motor is healthy...head gaskets and bolts are brand new...I'm thinking about buying it and just pulling the bottom end maybe?? If I could patch it up without having to buy head gaskets and bolts I could come out decent. Maybe use it awhile then swap in a bigger longblock later. IDK