Hey Everyone,

I am trying to figure out what I need to do to the bottom end for a 2004 LQ4/4L80E going into a 74 Camaro. 9in rear and 78mm VS Racing Turbo. Not going too wild. Just need to get into the 10s in the 1/4. I was planning on just gapping new rings for boost, and new bearings. Is there anything else that I would need to do? On a budget. Trying to get to 10s with a 10k budget, and am already deep into it. Can you reccomend bearings and ring sets to get, and anything else?

 

If the lq4 runs without making crazy noises, and the oil is not glittery, I would not open it for your goals. Boost it in bone stock form, and you can easily make enough power for 10's.

 

It ran fine when I had it in the truck, but since it has been out, dry ob the stsnd for 5 years, I figure I should do it.

 

gametech is correct , don't need to do anything - maybe a small cam and springs, that's it . If it's been sitting you could use a borescope to check for rust , if not rusty send it. Mine started as a 180k miles 04 lq4 , added small cam and springs- that's all. Still going strong 35k later , running 10.67 at 4450 lbs , should be a lot easier when you're at 3800lbs (guessing)

 

For my SBE gen 3 LM7, we gapped the rings, and reused the bearings because they looked great. Also did a cam (Baker Engrg) and valve springs. I also had the heads decked but they were from a different engine and we didn't know the history on them.



Been 5.64 / 9.07 with it lol.

 

What did you set the ring gaps at John?

 

Dang I don't remember, they are a bit on the loose side since the plan was to boost this engine for a while and then pull it out in one piece.

I'm also running a Melling oil pump.

 

What's the old saying about ring gaps? "Too wide and only you'll know, too tight and everyone will know" lol.

 

Well yeah lol.

@UnZFeat'd are you doing a cam too? What gear out back?

 

Im still into the transmission right now. Just trying to plan ahead. I dont have a tq converter or cam picked out yet. Was planning on 3.25 gears in the rear.

 

As John and others have said, at best I would check the ring gap and adjust as needed. So at least .006 Per inch of bore. So that's .024 for a 4 inch bore. Add .002 to that value for the 2nd ring.



A huge point of contention is cam bearings... Now, I have the tool, So for me it usually just the cost of a set of cam bearings. Unless they look good and I leave them... Most of these engines are 20 Plus years old. I can't recall the last time I saw a good low mileage engine that I left the cam bearings in.

Other than that, I would just reseal it with fresh gaskets So you don't have any leaks and let her eat.

My tuner accidently bent 2 rods and damaged 2 pistons in a twin turbo LQ4 that I had when It over boosted. It was supposed to have been a high mileage LQ4. But when I took it apart it looked very well maintained. I literally pulled 2 similar rods and pistons from another core motor, swapped the original bearings and rings to the replacement rods and pistons keeping the bearings and rings with corresponding cylinder they were removed from, Gave it a quick 320 Ball hone, clean and re-assemble with new gaskets and a baby truck cam. Last I heard she was still running strong and no one has had to open up the engine since I patched her back up.

 

What ever you do just make sure the cam and converter are spec'd for each other.
Camshaft and converter is one of if not the most important combination in any engine.
Pick the cam for the intended usage/performance and then spec the converter accordingly.

 

What intake, what size turbo are you thinking?

10s should be easy.

 

The turbo is a 78mm vs racing turbo ans the intake is a TBSS intake manifold

 

Definitely need the right cam, that turbo is a bit small for a 6.0L but it'll make for a great streetcar.
A small turbo, the right cam and converter will make this car fun as hell.
Did you settle on a trans yet?
A 4L80E would be my suggestion, you wouldn't have to sink a ton of money into one to handle the power and the OD would make cruising easier too.
I love my TH400 but I really miss the ability to downshift and an OD would be nice.
Lots of options on converters, Circle D, PTC, FTI, ATI are all great.
My current car has a Circle D, they've been great to work with, PTC is very highly recommended by many fast guys on this forum as well.
If you're going to spend money anywhere, spend it on the converter.

 

I have an LS2 GTO LS6 cam for $50 shipped and you can have a set of new LS3 crate motor 430hp springs/keepers/retainers if you pay for shipping on them. That cam is probably all you need to get into the 10's and will shift up the powerband nicely compared to a stock truck cam. If you want more top end get a bigger cam. All the cam will do is move the powerband up and to the right of the RPM curve going larger.

used LS2 Z06 cam $50
12574519 204°/213° 0.520 in./0.521 in. 116 LSA

I don't see why you can't go 9's with that turbo/cam combo. 4L80e needs minimal work to hold 750rwhp. 3.25 gear ratio would be my choice! Let the turbo do the work. Turbos like engine load.

 

I actually ordered a stg 3 rebuild kit from Jake's for the 4L80E I have. Should be here next week hopefully might be overkill but i dont ever wanna have transmission problems!

 

Oh buddy, you'll be money with that kit and good to well over what that 7875 will do on a 6.0L.
Select a good cam that will help minimize back pressure and get the converter to match and you'll be set.
Found this in the classifieds, I'd contact FTI and see if they recommend it for you combo.
new in box FTI 4L80e torque converter 3600 stall SRLS40086 - LS1TECH - Camaro and Firebird Forum Discussion

 

awesome, thank you!

 

So would the consensus here be that I just need to gap new rings and dont worry about main bearings? The engine and trans are both just sitting here on stands, so I wanted to take advantage of what I could.