rayman3550

I got into an accident with my Camaro(not my fault). So right now it is sitting and im driving another car in the mean time. It has 170000 miles, so i figured i would rebuild the motor completely and grab some extra horsepower.

This is my first rebuild and i have a few(maybe a lot) of specific questions. I have been looking around a lot of places for a lot of parts and I just have no idea what i want. My dad has been rebuilding old cars and building motors for them but i feel like he is too old school to help me out with this. lol He does know a lot though.

I am looking to get hopefully 400+horsepower on a 4000-4500 budget.

1. My dad says when we get the block machined to have it punched .30 over. I know that is the greatest thing you can do on older chevy blocks, but what do you think about this one?

2. He seems to think that i can buy a rebuild kit for an ls1 with .30 over pistons. I think I should buy the parts separately. However I don't know what brands to go with because there are so many.

3. I want to go with a nice cam but i dont want to fly cut the pistons and stuff like that or buy new heads(unless i can find really cheap ones).

4. I do know that I am getting long tube headers and an x pipe. 3.73 gears. and a 3400-3600 stall tv.

Basically I'm looking for recommendations and some help along the way.

Thanks guys! Every little bit helps.

leeluther252

iTrader: (17)

Unless you are planning on going with a stock replacement hyperutectic then get a wiseco piston. It will be forged and already have valve reliefs and have a really nice ring package.

Are you planning on just doing an aftermarket rod or sticking to the stock one? The stock ones will be fine for the power level you are trying to attain.

As for going .030 over, that will be the max and will work. Its more common to do something like .010 for basic rebuilds though.

You need to know if you are going to for sure be getting an a new stall, as that will dictate the cam you get. If you are, I would lean toward a Torquer v3, myself based on what you have said so far. "Remeber you have to get new springs for any cam you get, and make sure you get the right springs for your cam"

KCS

iTrader: (20)

Do not go .030" over on a LS1 block.

badassracing

iTrader: (13)

^^ I agree with not going .030 over. As far as the cam I would maybe go with something similar to the torquer v3 but not the v3. It makes good power and sounds awesome but it has a very aggressive intake lobe and is very hard on valvetrain.

rayman3550

I am definitely getting the new stall. I also will be getting new springs. I am probably keep the stock rods. Is that cam the best i can get with the heads I have? And with that cam will i need the valve reliefs on the wiseco pistons?

As for not going .30 over. Does it make the block to weak? Or is it just unnecessary?

Austin95

iTrader: (22)

^You really can't go .30 over because you will run the iron liner too thin in the aluminum block.

leeluther252

iTrader: (17)

There are many cam options, but that would be around the area I would stay. It will make plenty of power with your setup. You can certainly go bigger if you want. You could even go as far as an MS4 but I think you will be happier with a cam that provides more midrange than high rpm power.

Aftermarket pistons such as the wisecos will most always come with some sort of valve relief. Your piston options will be somewhat limited using the stock rod, but you will most likely be in the range of a -2cc to -4cc valve relief.

ckpitt55

iTrader: (4)

There's a lot of build threads going on here currently, lots of info to read and options to weigh. It is certainly overwhelming at first. Spend some time to clearly define your goals and take it a bit at a time. Tearing into a motor gets really expensive really fast - so be prepared for that.

1. you can't go more than roughly 0.010" or so on a cylinder hone in these blocks. if you want new pistons, get some pistons for a 3.905 bore, a torque plate hone to match, and call it a day.

2. pistons: diamond, mahle, wiseco are all good choices. your choices will be somewhat limited if you stay with the stock rods though, most aftermarket pistons utilize floating pins.
rods: compstars are pretty good
crank: unless yours is hosed, there's not really a good reason to replace it for your goals.
bearings: at 170k, I'd replace them all.

3. you should be able to hit high 300's with a cam only car easily (browse the dyno section for some setups that guys are running). that being said, your heads are going to hold you back. to combat this, I would strongly consider running an 0.040" thickness head gasket to help bump up your compression slightly while reducing your quench. this allows you to throw less timing at it to maximize power while reducing the risk of detonation. also consider getting an ls6 intake if you don't already have one. other "free" mods include porting your tb and your maf. the more you can let the motor breathe the easier it will be to make power.

4. ok

5. you're going to want to do as much of this as you can yourself. with a 4500 budget, rebuilding the short block and doing any necessary machining gets up there quickly if you're paying someone else to do it. keep that in mind. case in point - my block machining alone (balance rotating assembly, torque plate cylinder hone, clean up cut on decks, block cleaning) came in at over 1k, and I didn't have them do any assembly work.

rayman3550

I am thinking about going with the stock pistons now. Would the torquer v3 cam work with with the stock pistons and what LSA would i need?

leeluther252

iTrader: (17)

Reusing the ones you have?

ckpitt55

iTrader: (4)

what LSA do you want? cam selection is a completely subjective thing. take a particular grind and hand them out to 10 guys. 5 will love it, 5 will hate it.

lower LSA (110/111) = idle chop and typically more valve overlap.
higher LSA (112 and up) = better idle quality and less valve overlap.

idle quality isn't the only thing to consider though. cam geometry will also effect where you'll see the power increases. lift, lobe profile, and your IVC / EVO events all have a huge impact on that. also - the more aggressive you go with the cam, the more you'll have to upgrade your valvetrain to keep it under control.

this goes back to what I said before - define what you want out of the car....do you want power up high, bottom end grunt, somewhere in between? street car or track car? what kind of idle quality do you want? the list goes on. the more time you spend on this now the less time you'll spend wading through the endless sea of aftermarket parts that are available for these engines (ask me how I know).

rayman3550

It's going to be more of a street car. But I definitely still want power. I'm looking at a yank 3600-4000 stall convertor, long tunes, new springs, lifters, and new push rods(would I go with stock length?) so I'd probably want to go with a higher lsa I would think?

I also have the stock 3.23 gears. Considered upgrading to 3.73. Would I be able to stick with the 3.23s?

ckpitt55

iTrader: (4)

it would do you a lot of good to take the time to read this. all of it:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...cam-guide.html

justin hover

My build is specifically for street performance and I'm happy thus far. You can keep the gears, but your converter might feel alittle loose...which is fine. If your budget allows, 3.73s are great. You have alot to accomplish and alot of choices of order inwhich to do everything....budget comes into play, have at it though...and yessss read some stickys.

rayman3550

I'll go through that after work. What would you think with that setup personally? I was thinking either the ms4 or torquer v3

justin hover

I had my eyes on 3cams...after I talked Martin@tick, I didn't get any of them (tq3 was 1choice). Check out ticks new torquer cams. Their new and very popular putting up great numbers. Call Martin is the only advice I can give you. He'll spend 10-whatever minutes it takes to spec out the perfect cam..That's gonna be your best bet.

rayman3550

Ill give him a call. Also another thing i thought of. Will i need new injectors? If not, how do i know when i need them if i do more upgrading?

ckpitt55

iTrader: (4)

you will likely need 32 or 36 lb'ers I would imagine. When you get above 80% duty cycle then it's time to upgrade.

here's a calculator that'll put you in the ballpark....

https://ls1tech.com/forums/fueling-i...ump-chart.html

http://www.rceng.com/technical.aspx

going with your initial goals of 400 rwhp, this means you'd need roughly 460hp at the crank (assuming 15% losses). According to the formula you're at 36-lb injectors

freshofftheboat

When u guys say dont take f more than .03 ....where is the matetial being machined?in where the pistons go or where the head gaskets would lay...im a machinist but new to mechanics of a car

rayman3550

Where the pistons sit. Inside the cylinder. You dont want to take .030 out of the cylinder walls