Schroeder3

Haha definitely the #1 prob. That's been my problem throughout the whole build. Joe, would you say it's easier to make the big numbers on the 6.2 as compared to the 5.3 or do you think at the end of the day it's equally as easy and costs about the same?

I'll look for an ls3 intake. None showed up right now on eBay, but like I said, I have time. I don't need it tomorrow. 320cfm is great .I would agree, if those heads flow that much I'll be golden. I'm guessing the L9H only makes less HP than some of the other 6.2s because of camshaft then. If their heads are that good it seems the cam is the only other culprit to cause it to make less than some of the ZL1 6.2 variants.

I'm still concerned about controlling all this too. Is this all possible with the stock ecu and wiring harness with a little bit of modification?

Suncc49

Are you even reading Joe's answers man? 6.2 and 5.3 power for the same cost??? You can buy a few 5.3's for what a junkyard iffy 6.2 costs....

newschool72

iTrader: (12)

I agree with joenova that you can get by fine without porting the LS3 heads. They flow a ton ! But what everyone needs to keep in mind is the OP isnt gonna run E85, meth, or race gas and wants a minimum 1000 FWHP. or 800 wheel . I doubt anyone has made 800 on a tune that will live with stock cath heads and pump gas pn anything LS 6.0 or smaller .
i 100% agree on the cam thoughts.
On the last point i have to disagree. This IS a complicated built and he does need to go bigger. Straight pump premium gas is all thats holding him back from 99% of the recipes that people follow on here. Denmahs truck is a great example.....he made 1000+rwhp with a 6.0 and im sure a lot of people will use his truck as an example of what the OP can do. Denmah made that power on E85, a shot of nitrous, well over 20 lbs of boost in cold air. None of that stuff works for the OPs goals. E85, meth, ragged edge hero pull tunes are what makes budget LS stuff look so easy to make big power. To do it day in day out with pump gas is gonna take some thought and a different way of doing things.

JoeNova

My 5.3 has survived on whatever garbage 93 I can pour in it at that power level for a few years with several 40 PSI boost spikes when my old wastegate failed.

Zero issues.

newschool72

iTrader: (12)

You make 800 reliably, at the wheels on your everday tune on nothing but 93 pump ? Thats pretty amazing ! You musy have some serious tuning skills ! So, how many lbs does it take to make 800 wheel on a 5.3 and what is your combo ?

newschool72

iTrader: (12)

cam, compression, valves and of course The supercbargers the ZL1 and ZR1 have ,lol. The common parts on all 6.2s are the block, crank ( except the zl1, zr1 have forged units), connecting rods (except the zr1 has titanium rods), and the head castings ( except the zl1 and zr1 have rotocastings, 66cc chambers). Other than those things , there are several variables between them.

Schroeder3

Does $3200 delivered to my door seem like a good deal for an L9H (aluminum 6.2 from a truck) with 102,000 miles seem like a good deal? ECU would be an additional $120 . Do I need that? Does all this tuning require aftermarket "brains" or can it be done on the stock ecu? I'm really concerned about this matter because the megasquirt systems look really expensive and it's not something I had budgeted for. I know itd be unwise to cheap out on good controls for something that can potentially go boom, but I'm not going to be racing this all the time and pushing for every little bit more that I can once I get set up, so it's not something I wanna splurge on if I don't have to.

Game ova

All that megasquirt....Holley efi stuff is not necessary. Yes, it's the new craze and everyone is doing it, but the stock ecu will take you into 8 second territory on a budget. Might be the cool thing to have..... but not necessary.

Schroeder3

Suncc, I have been reading them. What I mesnt with that question was, "will the parts' cost for a 5.3 and 6.2 built to what I want be about the same?" I understand that the upfront investment for the block are different with the 6.2 basically being 3x higher (~$1000 compared to ~$3000)


Good to know game ova. That's a relief!

newschool72

iTrader: (12)

IMHO, thats an OK deal. You can take your time and find a better deal, i think. Be patient and you can probably do better. Stock ECU is fine if
you have efi tuning skills or have someone knowledgeable close by to dyno and tune it for you.

newschool72

iTrader: (12)

Sorry, i quoted the wrong post somehow. My reply was to you last post OP.

Schroeder3

Gotcha . no prob. I do not have the tuning skills. I'd probably be driving to Columbus. I understand there is a good tuning place there. I have it boomarked from another thread.

JoeNova

IPS is in Columbus. They would get my vote.
Consider getting a water/methanol kit as well. Not terribly expensive, easy to install. I run straight windshield washer fluid in mine and can't praise it enough. It'll stretch your 93 octane out a little further as if it was a few points higher. Gives a nice buffer. Cheap to refill, and its only on when you're in boost so you won't be refilling it very often.

Schroeder3

Thanks Joe. Do you have a link to a reccomended or preferred kit?

Schroeder3

Looks like the l92 is the only aluminum 6.2 that wasn't e85 ready from the factory .the l94 and l9h weren't and the l94 had active fuel management. Should I let either of these influence my choice. If I get these put of wrecked vehicles where the mileage is unknown they can be had for like $2600-$3000 shipped with all parts including wiring harnesses!

A lot of the others are high mileage and I think I'd have to plan on boring the cylinders .030 over. Thanks.

newschool72

iTrader: (12)

The e85 capable thing had to do with the fueling/ecu, not the engine itself. As far as boring a high mileage engine, unless the previous owner didnt change the oil regularly and/ or ran the vehicle without an air filter, a 150k+ LS engine will still have tbe bore cross hatch visible ! The ring gap will be opened up a good bit, but the block usually shows very little wear.

Schroeder3

Thanks for the info. I'm just trying to plan ahead on the hone issue. I don't want to end up with an engine that I can't bore if it needs it. I'll most likely be buying site unseen off eBay if I got the 6.2 route. There aren't many of those in my area. Finding lq4's and 9's is hard enough.

What I found online said that you basically can't and shouldn't bore a 6.2. A .005" hone to 4.070" should be the max.

Suncc49

I think you should start with a 5.3 or 4.8 turbo build gen4 engine not as expensive and learn and go from there in the future as you go.... you are shooting for the moon 1st build out with obviously not alot of knowledge, but researching and learning.... Seen countless builds with no direction and overspending end up being parted out.... pick a path and stick with it generally or you will not finish....

Why are you buying off Ebay? Check out car-part.com as it is a service that aggregates salvage yards with some running and some core engines... you can sort them by distance and the yards will negotiate....

JoeNova

A buddy of mine owns a machine shop a little over an hour south of you. I think he has a few 6.0 blocks laying around. They also have engine/chassis dyno. If I'm up there this week I'll see what he has sitting around for sale.

Schroeder3

Suncc,
I have direction. I have a goal. This thread was started as a feeler post for parts selection, education on expectations, and as a means to see if the goal is feasible and how to best obtain it. I think it's been very productive and I appreciate all of your help.

I haven't purchased anything yet. When my path is choosen I will stick with it. This is a purpose of the thread-to find the path.

I am looking on eBay because I didn't know about the site you mentioned! Thanks! I'll check it right away.