Simply put, what should I do?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Sacramento, CA
Simply put, what should I do? Hey guys I just bought a y2k z28 in excellent condition, original owner, all the maintenence records, etc. It has 168k on it and almost everything suspension, tranny, and aesthetic wise has been replaced, except for The motor. I've read the ls1s when properly maintained can last quite a long time, but I plan on adding at least heads, cam, intake, exhaust, and possibly a 150shot of nitrous in the near future. I would like to go about this the right way and "refresh" the bottom end instead of having it go out on me. Any advice on what necessarily needs to be done for it to last under these conditions wihout replacing the motor. I'm sure this has been answered somewhere so I apologize if this is being repeated. Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Pull the engine, have the block honed and decked. Polish the stock crank, forged rods / pistons. New main, rod, and cam bearings. New oil pump, ls2 timing chain and lifters. ARP main and head studs, MLS head gaskets. Top it off with your H/C/I/E combo and hit it with a 200 shot 
168K miles and if you do too much (read just about anything) to it, you'll be pulling it anyways. If it daily drives right now with that many miles, thats about all you're going to get out of it. There might be a case or two where someones goes 200k or more stock, but if you make it do too much, you'll be looking for a new one. Starving college students should be glad to have a car to get back and forth. . .
I would just start saving and gathering parts to do it all at once. A Head, Cam, Intake, exhaust + 150 shot on a ls1 is 600+ rwhp. You could do the exhaust and intake for now and save up to build a forged bottom end with a nice head/cam combo and reuse the exhaust/intake when you can afford it.
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TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 503
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From: Ventura, Ca
Just put the heads, cam, and exhaust in it. When you do the cam replace the chain and pump. You can also replace the lifters and rockers. I did the same to a 135k motor and the cylnders still look new with little or no glazing. I replaced the rod bolts but the bottom end should last fine. Also while you are at it clean the motor the best you can. There are plenty of people with over 200k miles easy on these motors. I even have the pics to show how well it cleaned up.
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id go ahead and at least freshen it up a little. i did a h/c/i swap on mine wiht 144k, drove it a few hundred miles and then decided id rather build it up all new so that way when im shifting at 7k rpm theres nothing to worry about. just my .02
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Sacramento, CA
"Just put the heads, cam, and exhaust in it. When you do the cam replace the chain and pump. You can also replace the lifters and rockers. I did the same to a 135k motor and the cylnders still look new with little or no glazing. I replaced the rod bolts but the bottom end should last fine. Also while you are at it clean the motor the best you can. There are plenty of people with over 200k miles easy on these motors. I even have the pics to show how well it cleaned up."
what did you use to clean up he motor? This is the answer I was looking for. I know my motor is in excellent condition and wasn't beat on as I know the previous owner and the 168k miles are strictly highway miles from San Jose to Roseville CA. I have no problem ripping apart the block and replacing gaskets along with a little cleaning here n there, I just can't afford to have the motor replaced along with my horsepower goals. Ya dig?
what did you use to clean up he motor? This is the answer I was looking for. I know my motor is in excellent condition and wasn't beat on as I know the previous owner and the 168k miles are strictly highway miles from San Jose to Roseville CA. I have no problem ripping apart the block and replacing gaskets along with a little cleaning here n there, I just can't afford to have the motor replaced along with my horsepower goals. Ya dig?
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 503
Likes: 1
From: Ventura, Ca
I used mineal oil. Shoot me a pm and I can show you how well the motor cleaned up although it was out of the car. I have the motor in the car but havn't finished due to a lot of other projects taking precidence....