L33 Advice
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 29
Likes: 1
You make a good point, Cam; I've had my hand in a bit of bracket stuff (and have some close friends who are VERY good at it)...horsepower numbers are for bragging rights. Drag races are won by your chassis. I roasted my buddy's 521 CI wedge 68 charger on the street in a ...BMX X5. Now, if the could hook, he'd have left me like I was towing a house.
And I don't have much experience with it to say definitively, but I've seen a lot of turbo cars that were pretty temperamental. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the owner/tuner ironing out a lot of details, but since I'm not after a huge number, it's not something I'm prepared to do with what will essentially be a moderately quick street car. And the chassis of this car will be more biased towards road use and decent handling rather than straight line acceleration (hence the fairly modest power goals). To over simply, I'd say more NASCAR or SCCA inspired as opposed to NHRA (I love them all). Yeah, making a 3400 lb car with a 115" wheelbase and leaf spring real handle, especially with all the weight from all that glass being so high is a losing battle, but nobody has ever accused me of being real bright
.
This is all very helpful input, and I'm grateful.
Bask to the point you make about your car; having power you can actually use (like yours) is more important than a dyno number.
And I don't have much experience with it to say definitively, but I've seen a lot of turbo cars that were pretty temperamental. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the owner/tuner ironing out a lot of details, but since I'm not after a huge number, it's not something I'm prepared to do with what will essentially be a moderately quick street car. And the chassis of this car will be more biased towards road use and decent handling rather than straight line acceleration (hence the fairly modest power goals). To over simply, I'd say more NASCAR or SCCA inspired as opposed to NHRA (I love them all). Yeah, making a 3400 lb car with a 115" wheelbase and leaf spring real handle, especially with all the weight from all that glass being so high is a losing battle, but nobody has ever accused me of being real bright
.This is all very helpful input, and I'm grateful.
Bask to the point you make about your car; having power you can actually use (like yours) is more important than a dyno number.
Usable power and reliability are my focus. For boosted builds imo they are better suited to race machines that can barely drive on the street. A cruiser that can be put into mild mode for ice cream runs and put on kill at the track on super fuel and then back to mild mode. Meanwhile my NA mild cam car is on full tilt all the time and while no where near the performance level of these boosted cars I drive it wherever I want without having to touch the tune up. Plus trapping 120 is no joke, thats where stock GTR's are and ZO6 vettes and whatnot plus with my suspension sorted out I can almost drag those guys around and once your a length out? 99% of the other guys slow down and turn off the road in shame LOL. Anyways mexico is a long haul for me and I dont really do any of that nonsense anymore I just put around and stretch the odd gear or two out and go home. Its the turn key reliability and healthy power I enjoy. Faster cars are out there no doubt about it but not many as well sorted out but hey thats how it goes when you toy around with the same chassis for 25 years.
Back on your plan here it sounds to me like your thinking is clear and accurate in making the chassis and supporting systems all priority one and get on the LS platform with whatever motor and THEN build to power whatever levels you want. As above turning up the boost from 6 etc? You can always add boost parts later too, its not a big deal to weld up a turbo kit or add a SC if it does prove not enough for ya. Plus scaling up over time is fun
Back on your plan here it sounds to me like your thinking is clear and accurate in making the chassis and supporting systems all priority one and get on the LS platform with whatever motor and THEN build to power whatever levels you want. As above turning up the boost from 6 etc? You can always add boost parts later too, its not a big deal to weld up a turbo kit or add a SC if it does prove not enough for ya. Plus scaling up over time is fun
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 29
Likes: 1
It's been informative and I've very much enjoyed it. I have to fight my own impulses to always want more power, but I've been down that road a few times already, and simply made the car faster, but less fun to drive. I've got a lot to chew on here, but the bright side of where I'm at is that I have a good amount of time to consider it. I have a ton of small stuff to do that I have the part for, but will take a bit of time (reassembling the doors and windows, all the seals and window felts, weather stripping...), and when I do start spending money again, it will be on brakes, tires and suspension. At that point, if I have to go the cheapest route possible to get a motor in the car. I will spend time and money getting the front dress, fuel system and electrics right, and from there, when it's time to upgrade, it's really just a long block.
Thanks for everyone's words of advice, and in advance for the questions I will doubtless be posting as my though process moves along!
Thanks for everyone's words of advice, and in advance for the questions I will doubtless be posting as my though process moves along!
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,301
Likes: 3,625
From: Central Cal.
You nailed it. Unless racing AND winning is the goal, for a street vehicle, "fun to drive" is where it's at!
Having a loping beast that needs too much babying to drive takes the fun out of it fast.
Having a loping beast that needs too much babying to drive takes the fun out of it fast.
Use our rebuild kit to bore l33 to ls1 size.
Use our high lift asa cam
Mill 243/799 .030
Another customer is running that setup with ls6 intake and making 430/420. Proven, budget friendly, easy, straightforward, and uses easy to get parts.
Use our high lift asa cam
Mill 243/799 .030
Another customer is running that setup with ls6 intake and making 430/420. Proven, budget friendly, easy, straightforward, and uses easy to get parts.
You’re sure the L33 block can go to 5.7? You might want to look into that. Not saying it can’t.
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I'm with the bigger cube idea.
The latest we have done, is a 2007 L92, out of an Escalade
A 3 angle valve job, mild cam, VVT locked.
Stock intake, shorty headers, thru the muffs.
4L65E, locked in 3rd. A Vengeance dyno tune, put 400/400 to the wheels @ 6000.
This, in an all steel 33 roadster, & makes for a fun ride!
Engine had about 65K on it.
The latest we have done, is a 2007 L92, out of an Escalade
A 3 angle valve job, mild cam, VVT locked.
Stock intake, shorty headers, thru the muffs.
4L65E, locked in 3rd. A Vengeance dyno tune, put 400/400 to the wheels @ 6000.
This, in an all steel 33 roadster, & makes for a fun ride!
Engine had about 65K on it.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 29
Likes: 1
Very nice motor. I’ll have to see what turns up used, but imagine at that price point I’d bite the bullet and get an LS3 so as to get it with the transmission. Seems used LS3/tr6060 combos can be had for less than 7k, and since I need a trans, this is a possibility. Either way, 6.2l would certainly make the power easier!
L33 block is the same as an LS6 thats not bored out is all. It can go over bore the same amount as an LS1/6 3.9xx whatever it is I cant recall now. Certainly a great option but you can put together a 6.2 for that kind of price and an iron 6.0L for 1/4 of that price. Its all about $$$$$
On The Tree
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 110
Likes: 19
From: Ohio
Not true. I have a 323” 3V 08 Mustang and at 3600 has run 120mph numerous times in the 1/4. If CONFIGURED right a 5.3 LS should go 115+.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 29
Likes: 1
All good suggestions; will have to see what the budget will bear when it gets to that time. Part of it is knowing where to stop- from installing the motor as is, all the way to a 383, or some where in between. At some point along that line, an LS3 starts to look like a smarter option, though.
No doubt boost will surpass all other approaches in terms of power and growth potential. Trouble with boost is its VERY challenging if not impossible to get one singing that beautiful song and stay together for very long. A turn key drive every day boosted car that will outperform a stroked 6.2L build as reliably AND fast in all conditions is a pipe dream. If you want a car to talk about and take to the track and run a number that you can hardly drive? Boost it. If you want a cheap go fast we discussed. If you want to do the "forever motor" my suggestion which is also in my plans is a big cubic inch 6.2L naturally aspirated. As it is now my NA 6.2L roasts almost everything that ever gets near me and Im not even near 500 whp but I can mash every gear, without traction issues all day every day without concern. Traps 120mph
Next motor 130+
On the street the difference in winning between a 130mph car and a 180 mph car is all in the dig. Whoever gets out first will stay out first almost always, on the street at least. Thats 30+ years of testing in Mexico talking
Next motor 130+
On the street the difference in winning between a 130mph car and a 180 mph car is all in the dig. Whoever gets out first will stay out first almost always, on the street at least. Thats 30+ years of testing in Mexico talking