Hey guys Ive got a 98 camaro with a pnp tb/maf, ls6 intake, hot cam, 241 heads, headers/cut out etc with 120k on it. It runs great but i wanna make it faster.

I was thinking new bearings, rod bolts-(possibly light weight rods), ported ls6 oil pump, BIG cam, 243 heads, valve springs, ls7 roller rockers, fast 102 intake etc etc...

But before i go and dump all this money into this motor what are the hp/rpm limits of this block?
Or am i better off selling this motor as is and building a 5.3/6.0?

Thanks

 

I had a 98 that was making 440rwhp NA. I had it shifting @ 6500 rpm with stock rods/rod bolts and never had any issues. The rod bolts on the 98's are suppose to be weaker than other years.

 

All the stuff you mentioned should be well within it's limits. I think N/A builds are the most reliable when done right (not the most street friendly though). If you went turbo or a lot of spray thats when you'd have to worry about the power limits of the block. Might be wrong but I believe the stock bottom end can handle 550-700rwhp (a lot of factors involved, depends on the specific motor, its history, and how well it's built, most in the 700 range are on borrowed time). Only a few have hit 500whp with an N/A LS1 so you won't be anywhere near the limits of the block if you are planning to stay N/A.

Mazzenger, do you know if it is common for stock rods to be fine above 400whp? I always thought new hardened pushrods were a requirement for a cam swap. What was your setup? Im in the process of buying parts for a cam swap and now you got me wondering if its worth spending the money on new rods or if I should just wait till I do heads or turbo. Sorry for thread hijack.

 

The block can handle a lot...like 800-1000 hp or something crazy lol

 

You will want stronger push rods. You may need a longer or shorter push rod based on your cam, heads and lifters.

I should have clarified. I ran stock piston rods, however I run hardened pushrods.

 

Ahh ok that makes more sense. I always though the pushrods were a weak link thats why I was a little confused.

 

Yeah^ Should have included if you were planning to go beyond stock cubes.

 

Your block can handle anything N/A you can throw at it except longer than 4" stroke. If you want to go bigger cubes the LS1 block is certainly limited. 3.905" is about the max or so. MAYBE 3.907"

The block can be resleeved for about $2k and being resleved you can go to a 4.125" if not bigger. Built 427 is a pretty stout N/A motor.

 

Sorry should have been more specific...looking to stay stock cubic inch, bump up the compression ratio, and put a very large cam in it. I dont care if its streetable-the only time i take the car out is to race/beat on it.

How high can you rev a ls with a set of aftermarket light weight rods and built top end?

 

Are you going for a certain power number, or characteristic?

Road race, drag, bad *** street brawler?

 

With a properly setup motor. Top end specifically you are looking at 7-7.5k at most without going to super expensive parts like Jesel Rockers. The intake your be a restriction and spinning that high would usually mean going to a single plane intake.

The higher you spin it the more the wieght of the parts become more and more important. But, your block can take it at stock cubes. A HIGHLY optimised 347 will churn out more than 480-500whp. Read Pat G's quest for 500whp.

 

No certain power number in mind-just want a high revving bad *** street brawler

 

No kidding, i shift the car at about 6,800 now. I thought it would be able to rev a little higher than that. Could you still run fuel injection with the single plane though?

Ill have to look that up, thanks

 

If it runs good and has good oil pressure I wouldn't mess with rebuilding it...throw your mods on there with a new oil pump and go racing.

I beat on my 98 like a rented mule

 

Oil pressure is starting to drop and it needs valve stem seals or else i would be leaving it alone and continue beating on it hahah

 

Is there a reason you shift at 6800? I don't know of any possible benefit of taking it that high with just a bolt on/baby cam car.

 

do a 383 stroker ,it won't cost much more then what you are planning to do .shift a engine at peak hp ,you loose alot of hp to friction drag .

 

I shift the car that high because the power band never falls off. It pulls hard all the way up to the limiter at 7k.

 

Never thought about doing a stroker, how much would something like that cost to build?

 

check Texas Speed for the cost of a rotating assembly .find a good engine machine shop and ask about prices for machining your block .dyno the motor to find out where peak HP is. at what rpm dose a gm hot cam usually make peak hp in a ls1 ? you will run slower if you over rev a engine .you need to utilize the power between peak torque ,and peak hp .I would shift my 761 hp bbc at 6K ,and 7K ,it ran the same ET .I didn't have the whole combo set right ,but why wear out things faster .crank shaft life decreases as rpms go up . .