Chunky-s10

I'm building a Lq4 I'm putting it in a s10 looking to get around 550-600 to the wheels gunna try to sale some of the stuff that I bought with it to get more cash for my build my budget is like 3k if I can make some cash off the other parts I was thinking going new pistons and rods and L92 heads and ls3 intake and ms4 all motor N/A

Thanks for reading and input as well

KCS

iTrader: (20)

No to be an ***, but how about a period or a comma every now and then?

I would suggest different pistons. The LQ4 dished pistons and 68cc chambers in the L92 heads are going to give you some relatively low compression and will hurt power.

Paul Bell

iTrader: (9)

Welcome to LS1tech!

700 HP at the engine will result in about 575 HP at the wheels.

It's very difficult and expensive to build a NA engine that'll produce those numbers. Heads for that level alone will be three grand. And there's so much more.....

HCI2000SS

iTrader: (2)

If you want that kind of rwhp you really are better off going forced induction

yonerhottlt1

iTrader: (21)

Yea it's gonna be pretty tough to make that kinda power N/A. Your gonna need to build a stroker with some good compression and all of the supporting mods. And even then you'll be lucky to make 500-550rwhp. Scratch the MS4 idea either way as it's not made to work with the square port LS3 heads.

Chunky-s10

I was thinking of going with this
http://m.summitracing.com/parts/mle-ls1340000f04 and l92 and ls3 intake and idk what cam I'm wanting 11 to 11.5 in 1/4

Paul Bell

iTrader: (9)

Pistons don't make power-and if you buy just them, you'll need to match them to the rods & crank.

You'd be much better off buying a complete rotating assembly. Pistons, pins, locks, rods, crank, bearings. Everything will be balanced and match. Go stroker and choose your compression ratio according to what heads and head gasket you choose.

Chunky-s10

Ok thanks for the help I think I'm gunna rethink budget or may be jus shoot for a lower rwhp cuz I know stock the lq4 is like 325 rwhp so I figured if I jus new pisitons and h/c/I I could get around 425+

RatCityRex

iTrader: (3)

So I'm curious as to why you picked 600whp? What have you done to the rest of the car to support 600whp? What rear end, what trans? What have you done for springs and traction? 600whp is no good if you can put it to the pavement.

JakeFusion

iTrader: (7)

Why do you want new pistons so bad? Something wrong with the ones you have? You're pissing away money if you're swapping them just because? There is balancing and potential machine work costs associated with it.

Best bet would be to grab some ported 5.3L heads or weld up the chambers in the 6L heads to get your compression up, pick a cam, and try to build a complete heads/cam package for $3k. I think you'd do better with cathedral port heads than LS3 given your budget. You can send your 6L heads to Advanced Induction and they will weld them up and port them for 1145. Have them throw in some MLS gaskets for $50 and ARP head bolts for $150. Then a nice cam kit from someone like Vengeance, which includes the cam, valve springs, pushrods, trunion upgrade, oil pump, and timing set is about $1300.

And you're almost at $3k and you still need headers, a clutch/converter, fuel injectors, fluids, etc. But you'd be in the 420-450rwhp range with a stock intake and some 1-7/8" headers from a company like TSP (that's another $500).

KCS

iTrader: (20)

Contrary to popular belief, there really is power in swapping pistons, especially in this case when the stock ones have a dish. Torque plate honing the cylinders will help. Thinner, better rings will help. Flat tops or even a dome will help. Having valve reliefs will help. Opening the bore .030" will help.

With that dish, roughly 6.7cc, you could have a 58cc chamber and still not even break 11:1CR. On the flip side, you could have an aftermarket piston with a dome, and achieve over 11:1CR with untouched 68cc chamber LS3 heads. Mill them .030" for almost 12:1, and use whatever cam you want without worrying about PTV, and you could be knocking at 550whp.

JakeFusion

iTrader: (7)

Assuming he has a stock everything car and a budget of $3k, you'd honestly put $800-1000 just in the pistons/associated machine costs? I'd much rather see the clutch, headers, and cam/oil pump/timing chain done first with the heads last.

Btw, I see something closer to 11.5:1 with .040" gaskets and 58cc (which would have stock ptv clearance if welded).

I'm not discrediting you. Getting compression up while maintaining ptv clearance is a challenge with LS3 heads and that approach would work. I just don't care for LS3 heads on 4" bore when a welded LS6/LQ head will flow very closely and be a cheaper alternative.

KCS

iTrader: (20)

Absolutely. I view the shortblock as your foundation. It doesn't matter how much you spend on the induction system, you're still going to be limited to the cubic inch, compression, and RPM capabilities of the shortblock. The rest of the parts needed to make 550whp can be found used or second hand if you wait for the right deals.

I would expect someone on such a tight budget to be using $80 OEM gaskets rather than $200 Cometics.

How are welded up cathedral ports less expensive? An LS3 induction system is capable of over 500whp without porting, and can be bought for about half of what a set of welded up and ported cathedral port heads cost, and I would not expect to make that power on an LS6 manifold, so figure in another $800-$1000 for a FAST intake and throttle body. That's 2/3 the budget and we haven't even gotten to the valvetrain/drivetrain/exhaust. All that on a stock bottom end with who knows how many miles or maintenance.

redtan

iTrader: (5)

Find a used LQ9 or LS2 rotating assembly and toss that in there for cheap compression increase. Set of milled 243s and a decent cam/intake and you will be easily at 425rwp+ and stay at your 3k budget.

If you truly want 550+, a 408 stroker with big money AFR/TFS/Mast heads will be your only hope.

yonerhottlt1

iTrader: (21)

I agree with KCS. There's no way that a set of ported cathedral heads are cheaper than a set of LS3 heads. I found a brand new set of LS3 heads fully assembled here in the classifieds section for $675 shipped. And you would need a fast intake manifold to keep up with an LS3 intake manifold and the LS3 is far cheaper. Although the LS3 heads full potential won't be seen on a 4" bore motor, it is a cheap alternative that is still proven to make power. Just make sure to get a cam suited for the square port LS3 heads.

Always2Slow

iTrader: (8)

550rwhp is easy if you go with ls3 heads, a carb intake and a solid roller.