So I've got a 2002 SS 6-speed with 133000 miles on it. I'm planning on doing a full build on it, but I'm going the pro-touring/road racing route instead of the drag route. I think 500 hp is the absolute most I will need to make this a well-rounded car. I'd like to keep it all motor, and I'm just wondering what mods will get me to 450-500 hp at the wheels. Bear in mind, I'm putting more money into the suspension, brakes, and tires than anything else.

 

Are we talking crank or wheel power?

 

Wheel

 

450 rwhp is going to be MUCH easier than 500 rwhp. With that said a decent head/cam package will get you there. Have a budget in mind?

 

Do you have a budget? 500 rwhp doesn’t come cheap at all ask me how I know

 

If your going for a pro tourer perhaps we should dial in the suspension and brakes to a T before we start adding lots of power. Making power is easy and at this point, well documented on how to do whatever you please with these engines.

 

You can make 500rwhp from a 5.7l NA, but it will absolutely NOT be a well rounded car. It will be a nasty beast that won't take kindly to having to do things like idle or run AC. You CAN make it work, but the fact that you asked the question leads me to believe that you should not do it.

 

500 rwhp all motor is neither cheap nor easy on a 5.7. There is a recipe to 500 thread worth reading in one of the stickies.

There are better parts now vs when PatG did it, but it is still by no means a lay-up. Even with better parts.

Making it street able adds a whole other layer of difficulty to it.

 

Built LS3 is the best route. Have you been road racing yet? Like it was said, get your suspension dialed in before throwing a lot of power at it.

 

Adding to the excellent advice given above, if I really wanted to wring 500whp from a 5.7 I would consider this:

Vengeance Racing has an excellent top end package with Mast Small Bore LS3 style heads, their cam that hits ~ 493whp on a 383 LS1 stroker. With a few tweaks to the build like hand finished Mast heads different cam, ported intake, electric Water pump etc the VR top end is probably capable of 500whp+ on the small 3.9 bore on 5.7 LS1's and 383 LS1's.

Tony Mamo & Patrick G have proven recipes for 500 whp stock displacement LS1's. Both have outstanding reputations.

These would be my top three for starting this 500 whp stock cube quest if I had to do that.

However, I would give up 25-30 whp for a more street friendly stock cube build that was more budget friendly to enable building a well rounded car. With my 91 RS Camaro build if could keep the TEA LS6 Stage 2.5 heads and small out dated 229v2.1 cam top end and get a bullet proof Hawk's 8.8 rear end set up exactly how I wanted with Baer brakes and Torsen T2 LSD or a new state of the art after market top end.and chase 500 + whp.

My old TEA LS6 top end with small cam ended up good for 465 whp. The mild build drives like stock and in heavy traffic is definitely the best choice for me. The white RS ended up a very well rounded car. The most fun to drive car I've ever had. I suspect with a bigger cam that's still street friendly , Electric Water pump etc it might be possible to hit ~480 whp and one day I might upgrade the cam to one of those Cam Motion Low Lash Solid Roller set ups.

Carefully weighing your budget and what you want will result in a build you are happier with.

 

Efficency is the name of the game when trying to make 500whp. Lose parasitic weight and produce a nice flow of air throughout the engine and it will be good to go. Will it be cheap not really. There are a few ways to do it as I have seen from cars producing 500whp with the 1/4 mph to back it up. If you are going to road race and live high up in the RPMs then that will help, because a 500hp setup will move the RPM range up there. I'm really not impressed with the Venegence Racing 383 as it seems to not make that much power with all considering the heads, big intake, big cam as I make the same power with smaller everything and an overdrive crank pulley, stock TB into a 92mm FAST and ls7 clutch. I recently seen a AFR 205, pat G cam and Fast 92/90 setup do 505 and mph to back to it up.

Do you plan on driving this on the street a lot or just road coarse/auto X? A nice set of heads (mms 220s, TFS 215s) with a nice LLSR cam with a Mamo ported MSD/FAST intake would be a nice solid setup. Similar to Darth_V8r

 

Since your engine has 133K miles and you are doing a full rebuild. If it
Was me I would sell the original engine and start with a 6.2 block or
at least a 6.0. Much easier to hit 500 RWHP with a bigger Bore and a
Milder more street friendly cam because you have many more
Cylinder Heads & Intake Manifold options to choose from.
Good Luck.

 

I agree with this if it's an option

 

I agree with Navyblue... a 6.0 or 6.2 will get the job done easier. A 6.0 with a good set of aftermarket cathedrals out the box such a TFS/AFR and a cam from Pat G is all you need to be golden. 500rwhp with ease.

 

https://ls1tech.com/forums/dynamometer-results-comparisons/1327225-l92-heads-off-afr-230-v2-heads-504rwhp-6-0l-automatic-now-track-results.html

 

Try to find a LS2 or ls3 block to keep the weight down as well if you can swing this option. And if I had to choose I'd take a 450-460whp ls1 than a 500whp iron block setup which adds 100lbs to the nose

 

Agreed with NavyBlue210 and others...going with a LS2 or LS3 block would make things a lot easier. That gets you into a TFS-235 head.

 

Selling the LS1 and starting with more cubes will likely get you 500 rwhp for less money too.

Like everyone said. It can be done. But you're not gonna like the cost of it, and I don't mean just the dollars, but mostly the dollars.

If you want to go budget and make the car run good. Leave the short block the way it sits (nothing wrong with 133k at allll), put a good pair of heads on it (TFS as cast 220's are excellent) a well matched cam and a good intake on it and be done with it. It'll crank out near 430-450 (less or more depending on a few items) and you'll be very happy with it.