First time engine swap
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First time engine swap I have an LS1 long block that I'm going to swap into my Porsche 944 over hte spring and early summer. It's out of a 1998 camaro ss with 92k, that he had swapped a 6.0 into. I got a pretty good deal on it, so I jumped on it. Now I'm trying to find out what I need to complete it.
It was on the stand for about 2 weeks, oil pan removed, no headers, intake unbolted but on it. Has coil packs still. I'm putting together my to buy list:
arp head bolts
arp rod bolts
ls7 lifters
oil pump
water pump
oil pan
fuel injectors
fuel rails
accessory hangers
throttle body
This whole project has fallen behind by days due to the fact that not a single place has an engine stand or hoist in stock, so the motor still sits in the back of my truck since saturday when I picked it up. I found a guy selling a hoist today and bought it, and tomorrow I'm picking up a stand I found at tractor supply, rated at 1250lbs, by big red. Temperature is not on my side either, it's been cold and very windy, making it difficult to work in my garage with 3 walls.
My only modification other than stock I'm looking at is a cam to put me around 400lb of torque at the crank, which is the max my drive train can handle.
Is there a specific set of injectors i should go with? Is there anything major I'm missing?
It was on the stand for about 2 weeks, oil pan removed, no headers, intake unbolted but on it. Has coil packs still. I'm putting together my to buy list:
arp head bolts
arp rod bolts
ls7 lifters
oil pump
water pump
oil pan
fuel injectors
fuel rails
accessory hangers
throttle body
This whole project has fallen behind by days due to the fact that not a single place has an engine stand or hoist in stock, so the motor still sits in the back of my truck since saturday when I picked it up. I found a guy selling a hoist today and bought it, and tomorrow I'm picking up a stand I found at tractor supply, rated at 1250lbs, by big red. Temperature is not on my side either, it's been cold and very windy, making it difficult to work in my garage with 3 walls.
My only modification other than stock I'm looking at is a cam to put me around 400lb of torque at the crank, which is the max my drive train can handle.
Is there a specific set of injectors i should go with? Is there anything major I'm missing?
42lbs injectors @ 58psi (58psi fuel pressure for LS1 engines) should cover your power requirements with room to spare. However, most people upgrade their power afterward. Consider this before selecting your injectors.
The stock heads from that year aren't the best heads. They can be improved by smoothing the runners, bowls & combustion chambers. There's quite a bit of casting flash in there, which inhibits airflow & power. You can do this yourself.
Your present fuel rail can handle the expected power. I would upgrade the LS1manifold to the LS6 manifold. You'll need springs, lifters, & keepers for that new cam, & I would recommend a rocker arm upgrade.
You'll need either a mailorder tune, or a dyno tune after your mods.
Don't do what I did, and let the engine sit on it's oilpan for too long. You'll crack your oilpan.
The stock heads from that year aren't the best heads. They can be improved by smoothing the runners, bowls & combustion chambers. There's quite a bit of casting flash in there, which inhibits airflow & power. You can do this yourself.
Your present fuel rail can handle the expected power. I would upgrade the LS1manifold to the LS6 manifold. You'll need springs, lifters, & keepers for that new cam, & I would recommend a rocker arm upgrade.
You'll need either a mailorder tune, or a dyno tune after your mods.
Don't do what I did, and let the engine sit on it's oilpan for too long. You'll crack your oilpan.
Last edited by gMAG; Feb 20, 2012 at 11:22 PM.
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Even worse, the engine has no oil pan, just the exposed bottom. It's sitting on it's side, on a tarp, on a carpet, in the back of my suv.
I can't really go with more power, or one romp on the accelerator and I'll liquidate my transmission and axle shafts. Being that the trans is in the rear, there's not much I can do about it, however 400hp in a 2500lb 50/50 weight ratio perfectly balanced car is more than enough "fun" for me.
"Need" other stuff for the cam? The ls1 is already enough to sheer axle bolts on a semi-hard launch. I'm already sticking in the ls7 lifters for the sake of upgrading to something better as long as it's apart. It's not a race car, but a "hey look at my super big *****" type car, which will do a super job at pissing off my ex-wife when she picks up the kids. I won't be on the drag strip, and as long as I can beat my old man's 75 corvette (which it will be able to do), I'm perfectly content.
Also, what's a keeper? That's a new term for me. What does a rocker arm upgrade do? They're relatively simple devices, they rock. It's a glorified piece of angle'd metal. Lighter weight? With a heavier spring to slam the valves closed shut faster?
I can't really go with more power, or one romp on the accelerator and I'll liquidate my transmission and axle shafts. Being that the trans is in the rear, there's not much I can do about it, however 400hp in a 2500lb 50/50 weight ratio perfectly balanced car is more than enough "fun" for me.
"Need" other stuff for the cam? The ls1 is already enough to sheer axle bolts on a semi-hard launch. I'm already sticking in the ls7 lifters for the sake of upgrading to something better as long as it's apart. It's not a race car, but a "hey look at my super big *****" type car, which will do a super job at pissing off my ex-wife when she picks up the kids. I won't be on the drag strip, and as long as I can beat my old man's 75 corvette (which it will be able to do), I'm perfectly content.
Also, what's a keeper? That's a new term for me. What does a rocker arm upgrade do? They're relatively simple devices, they rock. It's a glorified piece of angle'd metal. Lighter weight? With a heavier spring to slam the valves closed shut faster?
Even worse, the engine has no oil pan, just the exposed bottom. It's sitting on it's side, on a tarp, on a carpet, in the back of my suv.
I can't really go with more power, or one romp on the accelerator and I'll liquidate my transmission and axle shafts. Being that the trans is in the rear, there's not much I can do about it, however 400hp in a 2500lb 50/50 weight ratio perfectly balanced car is more than enough "fun" for me.
"Need" other stuff for the cam? The ls1 is already enough to sheer axle bolts on a semi-hard launch. I'm already sticking in the ls7 lifters for the sake of upgrading to something better as long as it's apart. It's not a race car, but a "hey look at my super big *****" type car, which will do a super job at pissing off my ex-wife when she picks up the kids. I won't be on the drag strip, and as long as I can beat my old man's 75 corvette (which it will be able to do), I'm perfectly content.
Also, what's a keeper? That's a new term for me. What does a rocker arm upgrade do? They're relatively simple devices, they rock. It's a glorified piece of angle'd metal. Lighter weight? With a heavier spring to slam the valves closed shut faster?
I can't really go with more power, or one romp on the accelerator and I'll liquidate my transmission and axle shafts. Being that the trans is in the rear, there's not much I can do about it, however 400hp in a 2500lb 50/50 weight ratio perfectly balanced car is more than enough "fun" for me.
"Need" other stuff for the cam? The ls1 is already enough to sheer axle bolts on a semi-hard launch. I'm already sticking in the ls7 lifters for the sake of upgrading to something better as long as it's apart. It's not a race car, but a "hey look at my super big *****" type car, which will do a super job at pissing off my ex-wife when she picks up the kids. I won't be on the drag strip, and as long as I can beat my old man's 75 corvette (which it will be able to do), I'm perfectly content.
Also, what's a keeper? That's a new term for me. What does a rocker arm upgrade do? They're relatively simple devices, they rock. It's a glorified piece of angle'd metal. Lighter weight? With a heavier spring to slam the valves closed shut faster?
If a cam makes this much power, there is a greater strength requirement for the valvetrain, hence the springs, pushrods, keepers, locks. The keepers/locks hold the spring in it's seat.
Stock rocker arms are known to lose their needle bearings. A trunnion upgrade will replace these bearings and make them most reliable. The alternative is to get a set of aftermarket rockers. Whether you upgrade or not is your decision. You can run the stock valvetrain if you want. It's just not something that I would have confidence in.
If you're happy to beat Dad's 75, you can leave the LS1 stock/don't change anything.
Last edited by gMAG; Feb 21, 2012 at 12:12 AM.
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I had heard that there are a lot of variations from the 97-98 to the 99-00 and the 01+ as far as quality goes. So springs, pushrods, still dont' know what a keeper is, or a lock for htat matter. I mean the cam hits the lifter, which pushes the pushrod, which rocks the rocker, which pushes the valve down, which is returned to position by the spring. Not sure what additional components you're refering to.
Where can I get info on what sort of differences I'll see from each cam profile?
Where can I get info on what sort of differences I'll see from each cam profile?
I had heard that there are a lot of variations from the 97-98 to the 99-00 and the 01+ as far as quality goes. So springs, pushrods, still dont' know what a keeper is, or a lock for htat matter. I mean the cam hits the lifter, which pushes the pushrod, which rocks the rocker, which pushes the valve down, which is returned to position by the spring. Not sure what additional components you're refering to.
Where can I get info on what sort of differences I'll see from each cam profile?
Where can I get info on what sort of differences I'll see from each cam profile?
So, the cam hits the lifter...lifter presses up on the pushrod...pushrod against rocker...rocker presses on top of valve. When the valve rebounds, the lock/keeper prevents the spring from flying off its' seat, and keeps the valve from plunging into the combustion chamber.
The more power from a cam, the higher the lift, and the more duration (valves opened). In addition, a more aggressive cam causes lift to increase at a faster rate.
There are a whole bunch of 'cam' threads here already...if you do a search..."recommend cam", you'll come up with recommendations. Lots of reading is good, before you commit.
Last edited by gMAG; Feb 21, 2012 at 11:24 AM.
