What to do?
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Teching In
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From: Lansing MI
What to do? I've searched throughout and haven't found any newer post on mydilemma. Alot has changed since 2006. Just bought a fbody. Its got 164K and surprisingly doesn't feel tired at all. Will be my first ls build. This will be on somewhat of a budget. I bought the car for 6500. I still need suspension and rear end. I want to be all in at 15 - 17.5K. Motor goals would be a 450ish (M6) on motor and 600 - 700whp with spray. Am I wasting my money doing a rebuild forging my ls1? Is a 6.0 or newer 5.3 a better option? Thanks for any advise.
Last edited by ryans1863; Oct 18, 2017 at 02:59 PM.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Lansing MI
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Lansing MI
Yes and ARP everything. Mainly because I already have the motor. Right now I'm not concerned about more room to build (lq4, lq9). Of course that could change but.....
If 600-700 hp is all you ever plan with a little nitrous then I'd build the LS1 and spray it. That will be the cheapest and easiest way. Of course you could sell it and buy a 6.0, but that will be more involved
I'm just finishing a build on my LS1. Considering the architecture of the motors is very similar, I would hesitate to call it a "dinosaur".
I'd build the LS1 properly, spray it, and run the **** out of it for years.
I'd build the LS1 properly, spray it, and run the **** out of it for years.
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Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Lansing MI
I think it's a term used more as "the old way of doing things". I can't afford to go L76, ls2, or ls3. Opens up different heads I can use. That's just more money I'd spend. It's been hard for me to find used even. I can afford a 5.3 or 6.0 build. From the looks of it I'm good with building what I have over the options I can afford.
It's 100 pounds worth of extra weight, just saying. I like the aluminum block on front weight biased, rear wheel drive car. Does it REALLY matter, dunno but I like the idea.
Originally Posted by ryans1863
Do you think regret when someone mentions building a ls1? I've had a few of my buddy's ask me why build that dinosaur motor. Pick up a 5.3 or 6.0
Many have built their 5.7 to a 383 without touching the heads etc only to get exactly what the 5.7 did for HP and about 30 lbs more torque. So if you have to choose between heads OR bottom end, I’d choose heads.
Now, if you’re replacing the short block anyway, may as well go for as many cubes as you can budget and then build the top end to suit the bottom end.
Mine had 140k on it when I first started building in it. Has 165k now. Last time I took the heads off, still had the factory cross hatching.
I prefer keeping to aluminum block due to weight, so if I wanted a simple short block swap, I’d go LS2, LS3 or LS7 bottom end used and go from there if I didn’t trust the 5.7 bottom end. But if the 5.7 short block is good now, it’ll still be good after you build it. I also tend to trust the factory short blocks since the quality is quite good.
I like the weight savings of the aluminum blocks but be careful, you can bore/hone them VERY little so the block has to almost be perfect to reuse.
A 6.0 iron block can be easily opened up to 6.2, you can use the LS3 heads, and a stroker crank gets you to 415 cubic inches versus 347 for the stock LS1.
A 6.0 iron block can be easily opened up to 6.2, you can use the LS3 heads, and a stroker crank gets you to 415 cubic inches versus 347 for the stock LS1.