Block Choice? Ls1,2, 3?
I have a 2000 WS6 with the LS1...It currently has a mild cam, long tubes, ORY, egr delete etc and a 3k stall...Im at 141k on the odo and my oil psi is becoming an issue...its down to 10-12 at a stop, and 35 on the road...Im weighing my options on rebuilding or replacing. No matter which route I take, I do plan on installing a nice set of heads and better intake. I can get a LS1 short block pretty cheap or jump up to a 2 or 3 sb...My goal is to be mid 11`s....Would there be that much performance gain going from a 6.0 to a 6.2? Im sure going to either of those would be a decent jump from the 5.7...If I stayed with the LS1, I think it would be more cost effective to get a short block than having my block rebuilt with a rotating assembly...The heads I have sort of looked at are the PRC 2.5 for all the options...Just wanted to get some direction on which would be the best route to go, to get me to my mid 11 goal and still have a reliable car to drive on trips etc...Not sure if I would need to spend more $$ on a LS1 to get me to that goal than with a bigger block?
for your goals staying LS1 means you don't have to adapt to gen iv cam and knock sensors or deal with the different reluctor wheel (depending on year)
fresh LS1 bottom end, ported 243/799s, cam along the lines of a Cam Motion Titan IV, and if anything put a better stall behind it(3600-4000)...that combo should run 11.5 or better pretty easy unless you live in the mountains
But the LS1 block can get you into mid 11's for sure.
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Seriously. Stock it handles 800rwhp all day long with no problem with turbos.
If you could find an L33 longblock for say 1200, I'd grab that. You might lose a little power now, but you'd be ready for big shots of nitrous or a blower/turbo eventually.
But I'm not sure why you want a new shortblock? I have 148k miles on mine. And I'm about to Procharge it. Sounds like you need more stall and heads. And mid to low 11s are possible.
If you wanted to do better than 11s or even 10s or 9s... for the money spent, the L33 Longblock would be like the most kickass starting point.
For example, on my Trans Am, I'm going to do the H/C/I Procharger route. It'll probably be a high 9 second car with the power it'll put out. But I don't want to have to deal with a cage and all of that crap in a street car.
So, I am trying to find a new project car. Just with that purpose. To throw an L33 in it and a turbo kit. And I gave myself a $15k budget (including the car/cage). S60, 4L80, L33, S476, Fuel system, Cam+valvetrain upgrades.
So depends on what you want to do. And how much you want to spend (though that doesn't mean much now, since for the money the L33/Turbo setup is cheaper than a big stroker motor and will crush it in terms of drivability and explosive power/ET).
The GEN-III, the early AL block design, block has uneven head bolt length AND a hole between the main/cam tunnel that will crack between that hole/main.
The early block has no provision for the chain dampener block.
The cost difference is little if any to fit a GEN-IV block in the build.
Lance
Going to an iron block is about equal to adding two car batteries to the front of your car.
The L33 is a 5.3 block with a smaller bore size. I'd rather see the larger bore of the LS2 or even larger LS3 under my hood. There's no replacement for displacement!
Of course, each step up in block level adds cost. Invest better to start with I say.








