Minimal Bottom End Work
Give the cam bearings a good inspection but know that they will look bad when they really aren't.
Bearing Down: Diving Into GM LS and LT-series Cam Bearings
Stud the heads, I'd upgrade the oil pump too.
Shewww we Bumblebee brothers? lol
I think go for 9s as long as you have enough fuel system. We reused my cam and main bearings in my 5.3 looked fine. I am running head studs and since the 799s were sourced separately we had them decked just to be sure.
I think go for 9s as long as you have enough fuel system. We reused my cam and main bearings in my 5.3 looked fine. I am running head studs and since the 799s were sourced separately we had them decked just to be sure.
Last edited by Pro Stock John; Apr 14, 2026 at 06:24 PM.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 745
Likes: 210
What mileage is on your lq4 ? Asking because I did not gap my rings and it saw 17lbs on a couple of track days last yr with no issues, on a buddies lq4 of about the same 180k miles we checked 1 cyl , it was at .023" top ring and saw 14-15 lbs for a season with no issues , both ran W/M though and the cooling effect of that in the chamber would definitely reduce ring temps and help to keep rings from butting. I'm no stranger to building engines and gapping rings but thought I would try without hoping the mileage would open them a bit and it's been fine . Also figured I wouldn't be going over 12lbs or so - we know how that goes LOL. Have another lq4 here that is going to get ring gap , home ported heads , ls9 gaskets , cam brgs and probably arp or stock bolts . One experienced member here likes to use stock bolts to act as a relief of sorts , lift the head a touch before breaking s*** . Not trying to talk you out of doing the work , just saying that some of it may be unnecessary. Is your 7875 one with the .96 ar housing? If so I think you should plan on it running out of steam over 6000rpm so cam accordingly, mine might run out cause of the tiny cam 214/214 cam motion with pac1218s . A great street combo that would probably run low 11s with the stock converter and current tune but is running 10.67 with a ptc , dont remember the exact specs but it will stall about 3000 or so , maybe higher if traction was better . Anyway, that's all, with a RW of 4450lbs and bad aerodynamics, thinking you'll be about 36 -3700 with driver and much better aero so you could probably hit 9s with my combo and maybe 3.25 or lower and 26-28 " tires and probably hit 135mph . Hope this helps
Ideally, id like to get the Trans built in a long weekend, and the engine built in a dofferent long weekend.
What mileage is on your lq4 ? Asking because I did not gap my rings and it saw 17lbs on a couple of track days last yr with no issues, on a buddies lq4 of about the same 180k miles we checked 1 cyl , it was at .023" top ring and saw 14-15 lbs for a season with no issues , both ran W/M though and the cooling effect of that in the chamber would definitely reduce ring temps and help to keep rings from butting. I'm no stranger to building engines and gapping rings but thought I would try without hoping the mileage would open them a bit and it's been fine . Also figured I wouldn't be going over 12lbs or so - we know how that goes LOL. Have another lq4 here that is going to get ring gap , home ported heads , ls9 gaskets , cam brgs and probably arp or stock bolts . One experienced member here likes to use stock bolts to act as a relief of sorts , lift the head a touch before breaking s*** . Not trying to talk you out of doing the work , just saying that some of it may be unnecessary. Is your 7875 one with the .96 ar housing? If so I think you should plan on it running out of steam over 6000rpm so cam accordingly, mine might run out cause of the tiny cam 214/214 cam motion with pac1218s . A great street combo that would probably run low 11s with the stock converter and current tune but is running 10.67 with a ptc , dont remember the exact specs but it will stall about 3000 or so , maybe higher if traction was better . Anyway, that's all, with a RW of 4450lbs and bad aerodynamics, thinking you'll be about 36 -3700 with driver and much better aero so you could probably hit 9s with my combo and maybe 3.25 or lower and 26-28 " tires and probably hit 135mph . Hope this helps
Are there any disadvantages of putting new main bearings in if I dont technically need them right now? The engine is out and on a stand, so I really think I should replace them, if its not going to hurt anything. I got the truck from a... gentlemen of questionable character... and although it ran when I got it, it wasnt taken care of very well.
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