Hey everyone! A couple of friends and I just started a really important build. A guy that's been a great friend of mine since high school fell on some pretty damn hard times as of late. He was on his 4th rotation over in Afghanistan when he gets some news from home that sucked bad. His wife left. And basically sold everything that he had in the process. They had just celebrated 10 years together about 2 months before. A few weeks later while out on patrol they got smoked by an IED. He got messed up pretty damn bad. Lots of burns and lost part of his leg.

He came back home and while he recovered he was staying with his parents. That was getting to him so he moved in with myself, my wife and my little dude. He's been down in the dumps for a while so my friends and I decided we would build him a hot rod.

None of us really have the extra finances for this, but we had to do something for him after he gave up so much fighting for all of us. So we scraped together what we could. A few friends sold some stuff and I cashed in my 401k and we bought a 68 Camaro that someone had been working on but lost the interest in it. Not leaving well enough alone, like pretty much everyone else on this site, we decided he needed a big damn engine. I found a LQ4 for pretty cheap and decided that that would be the monster.

So here we are. I have stripped it down to nothing and need to know where to go. I know we want to bore it and stroke. But from there, I'm not sure. Most of us are Ford guys (I know, we can't all be perfect). Any advice would be much appreciated. And if any of y'all have some spare parts laying around and feel like letting them go for a good price for a great cause let me know. We'd like to get this to him for his birthday at the end of September. He's got no idea we are doing this which makes it great.

Start sending out the ideas!

 

I wish I could contribute more than words but this is a very good thing yall are going. Good luck with the build.

 

Damn that's insane! First off give that man a hug and tell him we all thank him for his service! I'm kinda new to this also, but I think a 4 inch stroke would be a good place to start.

And send me a PM. I just ordered a Fast intake for my engine but give me your address and I'll send it to you as soon as I get it. He deserves it more than I do. And good on you guys for taking care of an American hero!

 

Thanks guys. ElkySS words and prayers help just as much as anything. And some knowledge of course!

A_A_Ron you don't have to do that. I'm more than happy to pay for it! But I know he'll appreciate it more than anyone.

 

He clearly loves this guy but I doubt he loves him in that way


But in all seriousness this is just fantastic! He defiantly deserves it.


I know a lot of people are awkward with "begging" for money but perhaps a local GoFundMe page fundraiser could help get him back on his feet. This is especially true when it is something that hits close to home for locals... even a few grand goes a long way helping somebody at least get an apartment close to a job.

 

Wow! What an inspiration! Your buddy is lucky to have such great friends, and he is hero in his own right for doing what he does! God bless all of you!

 

That's fantastic. Real feel-good project. I'm happy to donate a set of upgraded rockers once you guys figure out cathedral vs. square port:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/parts-cla...ded-fresh.html

Here is some food for thought; a project that amazed me for power production from ported 243s:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/cadillac-...570-520rw.html

 

I applaud the generosity and compassion from everyone involved in this project. The world needs more guys like you!

 

Don't sweat it bro! I'm glad to help. My best friend took his own life after struggling with PTSD so I know how important this kind of stuff is. Wish I could do more

 

Will these work with 317 heads? I found a set locally for a decent price. Not the 243's but good torque numbers from what I've read.

And thanks for all of the support from everyone. It's good to see in the morning and really keep me motivated to do this project. My wife wants to put together a book documenting the project so I think I'll use some of these little snippets from here to show him how much the community cares. This is huge ��

 

I have both styles(LS3 or cathedral port) so yes, unless you do something exotic like LS7..though I have some of those around somewhere I could likely dig up. Keep in mind that the 317 heads have a large combustion chamber. That means low compression. Good if you are boosting this thing but if going N/A, will need a good mill to get compression back in line. Might be better to look for some 241s, 853s, or 243s(best but more expensive factory option). a 4" bore also allows LS3-style heads which are cheap HP.

So the above begins to illustrate that you need to set some ground rules..a few beginner questions:

Horsepower goal?
Budget?
Transmission?
Typical driving style/venue?

 

At this point, I've decided in a 4 inch stroker and a .060 bore. That's about as far as I've gone. I know a good stroker rotating assembly is going to run around $2K. The 317's are appealing because I like the power at the lower end. I'd say it's not going to be a daily driver but when he sees it that might change. I've got a friend with a 4L60e transmission so that might be the way we go but I think it'll need a monster rebuild kit to handle the power. Again, not too sure though on that though. And there really isn't a budget. We are just seeing what we can get the quickest and not spend $15k building this thing

 

So you're building about a 414 there..but it's Friday and my brain stops processing exponent math on Thursday. 317s unless ported well are going to choke it. You'd basically be wasting the stroker kit and would be better off sticking to 6.0L/364 ci. With a 414 and a 4.060" bore, you're basically building an LS3 stroker(LS3 is only 4.065" bore). Forget cathedral port heads unless you are going to spend a lot on porting or go with something aftermarket(also spendy). Get some nice low-mile LS3 heads for $600 and make 550-600 horsepower(crank) without breaking the bank or having to do anything radical. The bottom end will be there with the long stroke and resulting displacement. You also won't be maxed out; port the heads later and make more power if desired or budget allows.

My $0.02.

 

I agree. However if you do want to run the 317s I have a set. Just pay for shipping and they're yours. You'd have to pay for a port job but could save you $$ Does this soldier know that you're doing this for him?

 

i would like to donate a new mellings m295 ported oil pump shimmed for higher pressure if you are interested just pm me an address to send it to. I appreciate and admire anyone that puts their self in harms way to defend our freedom..Bob

 

No, Brad has no clue. I appreciate the offer. Heads aren't cheap so let me throw in some more money than just the shipping. We aren't looking for freebies (as much as they are appreciated). Just hoping people have ideas for the build and extra parts laying around that they'd want to sell.

 

I just looked at your profile and I think you only live about 40 miles from me! Mail me and let's hook up. I'd like to meet everyone if you want to.

 

Yeah I live in Redmond/Bellevue. Next time you're up this way let me know and we can grab a beer and check the car out.

 

Why don't you shoot the heads our way. We will CNC and rebuild them for free. Let me know what you need for the rotating assembly as well, I will see what I can do for you. Sounds like an awesome project you have for a person who really needs it.
Thank you,
Kyle
972-853-2450
Thompson Motorsports

 

That is awesome! How inspiring, give him my thanks and good wishes for a prosperous future.