Ive been planning my new project car for a while and ive decided to go simple v8 LS power. Im gonna do the overdone s13 or s14 LS1 swap but im gonna go a little different on this build. I dont want to just slap a totally stock LS1 into the 240sx cuz im coming from a 2004 STi thats making 400awhp+ so I just dont think a stock LS1 would be as fast and getting faster and faster is the whole point of new projects in my opinion. So im planning on gutting the 240sx as much as possible, fitting the fattest slick possible under it, and doing a clean N/A build. My build list is this so far, ebay ls1 with 100k or less in the best condition i can find, 2.5 stage ported ls6 heads from texas speed with the .660 dual spring kit, a big texas speed cam(wanna go MS3 but i may end up going custom grind cuz why not, but its gonna be big cam either way) 50lb injectors, jegs 104mm intake, high flow holley fuel rails with -8AN lines all the way to the fuel cell, 1 3/4" cxracing 240sx ls1 swap headers, rocker arm trunion upgrade, new oil & water pumps, and a stage 1 tick performance t56 build. And im planning on going 93, from what ive read e85 doesnt really affect you unless youre using high compression or boost of some type, and I live in the middle of the country and ive never once seen e85 around me other than the 30 minute drive into the city, so Im not going e85 unless im wrong about the boost thing. My logic is that most people slap a turbo on their ebay ls1 to make 500hp and that adds tons of strain on the already somewhat sketchy junkyard ls1, but if you give the engine bigger intake for more air and more fuel it will be a more reliable 500hp build, am I wrong there? Just seems like its smarter to make a 500hp N/A build other than a turbo build based on just common sense that the turbo build adds more fail points and a lot more pressure in the engine. So would my build be hitting the 500hp mark? and i mean 500whp on the dyno not 500 crank.

 

450 NA whp is doable with longevity, budget friendly parts and high mile LS1 engine in good condition.

500 NA whp is harder, your build will have to be point on with serious attention to details, high quality expensive parts, excellent tuning and an LS1 engine in very good condition. It may take several attempts and changing the set up to reach the goal.

Darth_V8R did a sweet 520 whp LS1 build, I suggest searching some his build threads.

 

It's all relative to how bad you want that extra 50 hp and how much you're willing to spend for it. That extra 50 hp (450 to 500) is not going to nearly as cost effective

 

Turbo is going to be more reliable at that power level. Less RPM, less valvetrain abuse, less aftermarket long lock parts, etc. The idea that it adds more stress is irrelevant. 500 HP is 500 HP no matter the source, the internals don't care.

 

 

Would you recommend I just give it all its got and get to the achievable 450whp and do a 50 shot of nitrous? You have any idea if a junkyard ls1 would take a 50 shot alright?

 

Any LS1 in decent shape should easily handle a 100 shot even with a heads and cam setup. That also means the right plugs, fuel, and tune. Any LS1 worth buying should be one that's in at least decent shape IMO. With that said i'd do your basic heads and cam setup, and hit with a 100 shot. It will be faster and cheaper than a top dollar HCI. A 50 shot is not even worth it in my opinion

 

Okay good to know. Im coming from the subaru world where adding more fuel/air/nitrous requires a fully built engine pretty much, #1 reason why im making my way back to domestic stuff, just way more tough. So far it looks like ill be sticking to my list so far(ported ls6 heads and springs, bigger cam, bigger injector) but now with the 100-150 shot of nitrous. Seems like that will be enough and most likely even more than my 500whp goal.

 

The ls3 idea did get my attention but it seems like ls3 are consistently more than ls1 by more than its worth it to me, ive seen a couple ls1s local to me for 2k and change and after some guys posted here im going to add some nitrous to get me to my 500whp goal pretty easily. And i really did think about going 5.3 turbo but my STi is turbo and its fun and all but I wanna give instant torque N/A v8s a shot this time around, but down the road when this 500whp gets boring im 100% gonna go turbo after that.

 

With ported LS6 heads and a decent cam with a 100 You'll be at least 500 rwhp. Probably closer to 520-540 or so