Good evening,

I am planning an LSX N/A build and I would like to make about 450 rwhp through an M6 and a 8.8.

I do not have any engine parts yet- I am looking at an LQ4 as the shortblock.

However I am open to any suggestions as far as where to start for a shortblock,heads and a cam.

Basically what is the most economical way to get to 450 RWHP with supporting mods- long tubes etc...

I have looked at L92 heads and an LS3 intake and I have also looked at PRC stage 2.5 5.3 heads. Stock 5.3 heads on an LQ4 do not seem to get me to where I want to be. I plan on specking a custom cam.

What is the most economical used shortblock or long block and heads/intake to buy to get to 450 hp?

I do not want to be much over 10.5 to 1 compression in case I ever plan to throw a turbo on it later.

thank you,
Tom

 

My '95 Impala dyno'ed 450hp to the wheels with a LS3 long-block and the Lingenfelter GT1-1 cam, 90mm TB, shorty headers and a 2 1/2" exhaust.....and a 4L60E tranny.

IJS.....

KW

 

I would no doubt go with ai head porting and a custom cam. You could probably even do it with an ls6 intake you just need to have the intake and exhaust on point.

 

I will contact them- thank you. But what heads would you buy to send to them?

 

If you buy an LQ4/9 send them the 317 heads. They flow on par with the 243s. AI heads, cam, FAST 102 should easily be over 450 rwhp.

 

and how much will all of that stuff cost? For the price of the heads and FAST 102 you can pretty much get a turbo kit

OP....If you're really considering spending coin on a FAST and ported heads I would just consider a turbo now.

 

I think you need to ask yourself if you'll be okay living with 450 rwhp for the lifetime of the car. If not, then I'd look at going the boosted route right off the bat. If your end all be all goal is 450 rwhp, I'd look at doing it NA all day every day and twice on Sunday. If you're like most of us, you end up wanting more as time goes on, which could help solidify going boosted right off the bat.

 

in reality we always want more power... however I have a stock fuel system (at least on mustangs with high flow pump and big injectors- still maxes around 550 or so HP) and no budget to upgrade that soon.

I also have have no real intrest in ruining more than a 10.50 or so.

So if 450 n/a hp and a 100 shot will get me a 10.50 in a 3300 lb car (without driver) than I would be happy with it. I have had turbos in the past and i just envied the HCI and spray ls1 guys because it just seemed like a lot less bullshit. No moving **** to get turbo piping in the car, no melting things , no my IC pipe blew off etc etc

biggest advantage to a turbo as I see is, for a couple hundred more than the cost of swap longtubes, I could be into a 78mm turbo and I can do the piping myself. I also can't see a 5.3 with springs and gaskets not making 500 hp on pump gas. I could also run a th400 because I could use the stock gears that are in the rear..2.73 with a 28 inch tire and still run around 2400 rpm on the highway.

Any real disadvantage to make it 450 and just spraying a 100 or 150 shot on top of it?
I just cant make up my mind.....

 

Nitrous is a great equalizer when compromising on other parts. What im getting at is if your thinking you may want boost later on theres no need to raise compression or run a big NA cam to hit a hp number now. Just spray another 50. Id run a stock long block with a good all arond cam like the 228r just an example as it works good NA, nitrous and boost. Spray what you have to to run the number then throw a turbo on at a later date without changing anything on the motor.

 

I think nitrous applications have there place, particularly on a dedicated track car or a car that you race A LOT on the streets. If that's how you intend to use the car, then I think nitrous is a great option. You could pretty easily make 450 rwhp with good parts, and then spray a 150 to 200 shot and have a monster.

 

Straight LS3 with a cam gets you there, no problem. I put 465 to the tire through an M6, 10 bolt, and dual dual exhaust with an LMR cammed LS3 back in 2010. Plenty of similar results out there. This should be no problem. If you are doing the work yourself, that will be your biggest issue, to make sure silly maintenance or mechanical problems don't screw you. Devil is in the details and a good tune is key, PatG or LMR. If this is a daily, make sure you plan on things breaking and valve springs becoming a maintenance item.

 

Iron block with LS3/LS2 internals and a set of matching heads with a 100 wet shot would hurt a lot of feelings.

 

I made well over 450 rwhp on a stock ls1 block. Get yourself a good set of heads, mild cam, ported fast 102/102, at least 36lb injectors with a new walbro 255 and a set of dual exhaust.

 

With a LS3, having a good cam and the proper exhaust system makes ported heads and FAST 102 intake unnecessary.

KW

 

Good afternoon,


450rwhp isn't going to cut it, you're going to want more after two weekends. The most economical way to *900rwhp <---revised goal for you is to buy my UN-violated Gen 4 2006 L33 engine from me 81k in mileage and add your 88mm turbo of choice with supporting fuel system.