Current Situation:

*THE CAR:2001 camaro ss with blown ls1 motor(not the good blown either)
*looking at making between 450hp-500hp at crank for motor only while keeping motor under or in the $5000 ball park
*possibly go boosted in far future but that plan might be kicked to the curb depending how close to 500hp we can get if we can get close to 500hp probably won't go boosted.
*will be a daily but looking for the mid/high range hp

*ls1 heads off original car are still "good" but will probably have them decked if reused
*still have the rest of the top half of the ls1
*picked up a lq9 with 317 heads($1100)
*after removing the heads on the lq9 the block will need at least .05 bore
pistons will be sold, rods are "ok" and crank will be turned if reused

MY QUESTION IS: with these combos below what kind of hp am i looking at? I've searched and searched and no one really has hp number comparisons, please everyone correct me if I'm wrong, but i can't find a "build and dyno" list on ls1tech
which would be nice to see "oh this exact combo got this hp" and categorize them by the ls categories



COMBO 1
lq9 with bore .030 over
*speed-pro hyper eutectic pistons $250
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/SLP-H1129CT75MM/

*Lunati Voodoo Crankshaft and Connecting Rod Kits https://www.summitracing.com/parts/l...01k1/overview/ $1203

*ls1 heads (reuse) not sure about what cam and rocker combo to go with since theres a million possibilities but thinking of going 1.8 rocker ratio

*ls1 intake manifold(reuse) also open to the ls6/speed master 96mm

*ls1 long tube headers(reuse)

hp at crank? (with proper tune)........???



COMBO 2
lq9 with bore .030 over
*forged stroker kit (crank, rods, pistons) $2299
Non-Sponsor Soliciting Policy

*ls1 heads (reuse) not sure about what cam and rocker combo to go with since theres a million possibilities but thinking of going 1.8 rocker ratio

*ls1 intake manifold(reuse) also open to the ls6/speed master 96mm

*ls1 long tube headers(reuse)

hp at crank? (with proper tune)........???



COMBO 3
lq9 with bore .030 over
*forged stroker kit (crank, rods, pistons) $2299
Non-Sponsor Soliciting Policy

*reuse the 317 head (possible port and polish) $?
not sure on cam and rocker kit combos but going for "best bang for buck" whatever that supposedly is

*again intake manifold reuse the ls1 or possibly ls6/speedmaster 96mm

*not sure about headers

hp at crank? ISH? with proper tune



COMBO 4
*lq9 bored .030 over
*reuse the rods from lq9(get new bearings)
*reuse stock crank and have it turned

*speed-pro hyper eutectic pistons $250
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/SLP-H1129CT75MM/

*with money saved on bottom probably would go the
l92 head as i have been reading is a damn good bang for buck $1010.36
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/n...FQ1rfgod-PAD0w

open to intake manifold combos as well as rocker/cam kits


Its a lot of stuff i know, I've been searching for days on this stuff through the ls1 tech site mainly, just looking to get a good parts list going, but yea we are leaning more on the built bottom end side. (stroker/bored with ls1 top) just to "save" money for now and to avoid having to rebuild the bottom end later, and if it comes to boosting the motor then all we will do is swap heads and cam later and probably look to lower the compression since with a stroker/bored over with decked ls1 heads should be looking at a relatively high compression.

open to any and all feed back! also any insight on where to find parts cheaper, or any personal experience with brands is also nice

i will be calling up summit shortly to see what combo they advise in my situation as well as scat crankshafts

 

Option 4.

You can get used L92 heads and LS3 intake all together for around $1000. Couple with a decent cam and pistons to put it around 10.5:1, and you have yourself 500 crank HP for $3500.

 

Option 4

Just make sure those pistons fit the factory 6.098 rods.

LS3 Top end with a cam spec'ed to your application.

 

I've searched around and can only find l92 heads for $1000 for just complete heads no intake, any links to find some used?

 

Thank you for the response!

 

so any hp guesstimates on
COMBO 1?
COMBO 2?
COMBO 3?
COMBO 4?
COMBO 5?



also curious lets say i go with COMBO 4
what would be the difference between a stroker crank and forged rods(combo 5) vs using the stock rods(combo 4) and crank in terms of hp?


COMBO 5
*.030 bore so forged pistons
*stroker crank and forged rods
*l92 heads (with same cam as combo 4)
*ls3 intake manifold
would it be worth it to spend the $1500 on the stroker crank and rods? and what kind of hp increase are we talking about?

i ask cause possibly willing to go beyond the $5000 budget if going that extra mile is "worth" it but I've been reading a lot online and watching videos(typical internet warrior) and seems like only for 800hp+ would be worth to get forged rods and forged stroker crank, since the stock lq9 rods and crank can hold up safely with that high hp...... I'm thinking ehhhh maybe not

 

https://ls1tech.com/forums/parts-cla...take-offs.html

$650 is about the going rate. They're EVERYWHERE on facebook LSX groups.

 

I'm a bit different and went with Option 3 for my LQ4 build, which is currently underway. Went this route because it's easier for me to change out top end parts like H/I later on as budget permits. Block, reciprocating assembly, and heads are at the machine shop waiting their turn. Build as of now:

-complete LQ4 from '07 Silverado Classic ($350)
-Bored .030
-K1 crank (4" stroke)
-K1 rods w/ARP 2000 bolts (6.125")
-Wiseco pistons (K394X3)
-Rotating assembly getting balanced by the engine builder (i got the parts from two different vendors)
-Stock 317 heads getting cleaned up, valve job and decked slightly
-Stock rockers with Straub bushing trunnion upgrade
-New seals, seats, etc
-New dual springs
-Cam Motion custom grind cam
-LS6 intake (truck intake too tall for my swap as well)

I did some sale shopping and got my crank/rods/pistons for around $2000 total. I kept the compression low for ease of pump gas. Should be around 9.4:1 when complete, so I'm not sure what the power output will be, but its a 408 going in a light car so it'll move out nicely.

 

Matt, you could have easily added another point of compression, or point and a half, and been okay on pump gas.

 

If your already thinking boost in the back of your head now, once you get a little more power with this new motor you'll be pissed you didnt do it from the jump. So I'd go option 1 route. Your 01 Camaro should alredy have the Ls6 intake so keep it and run the 317's. Mill the heads to get to 10.5 compression, staying with the cathedral's will leave you more PTV clearance without buying more expensive pistons. With a decent cam should be about 450whp under the budget and ready for boost next spring when you decide you want it.

 

Not to hijack the thread, but this is the plan I have for mine (If I decide to eat the $2200 for a forged rotating assembly). With the right Cam, should be close to 500hp/500tq with a 406.

 

awesome thank you so much!

 

how do you plan on picking your cam? and wouldn't it be a 408?

 

i might have to copy this

 

yea plus the 317 heads would be a cheap option, and then i could run the ls1 intake and swap that out later

 

I've run some compression calculators based on the engine specs and keep getting 10:1 to 10:3. I guess my swag on 9:4 was way off. Will know more next week when the short block goes together. At least I'll bump the HP up some and can still roll 93.

 

I'm pretty excited about it, shop balanced my rotating assembly this week and should mill the block next week, then put it together. Although, it seems my CR guess was way off, I was thinking about the stock LQ4. Even with the -8cc dish/reverse dome pistons I'm getting about 10:2 on the factory 71cc chambers and factory MLS gasket, at least according to the calculators I've been looking at.

 

wow! i was looking at the weisco -3cc pistons i thought adding cc's would lower compression? so theres for having a negative piston would bump compression up correct? currently still undecided, the one thing for sure is going with the 317 heads, and now debating on the bottom end, the machine shop said it'll be $500 for bore and cam bearings so gonna go ahead and order the rotating assembly pretty shortly

 

No, positive pistons will add compression, negative (dished) pistons will lower compression, all other specs being equal. In my case the longer stroke is what has the biggest effect on CR. I put the factory LQ4 specs into a couple calculators and got 9.5:1. Changing only the stroke to 4" bumps CR to 10.4:1. Play with various calculators and check your setup out, or ask an expert (which I am not).

 

On a side note, your screen name has USMC in it. Tick has a good military discount and can save you some money on the rotating parts you need to order.