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I have a 2002 firehawk 6mt and recently swapped in a hawks 8.8 rear-end as my 10 bolt was screaming very loudly between 45-70 mph. I am looking for a reliable daily driver focused build with some above stock power. I already have suspension sorted out with Billsteins all around and BMR control arms and Panhard bar. I've read that if I install 243 heads and a ls6 cam it will turn my ls1 into a ls6, is this correct? Will it be as reliable as my current ls1 set up? I was planning on finding a head that came with the ls6 valves and springs Etc. Also, I have HP tuners and figured I'd have to tweak some things around to get her running right. I'd love some input and suggestions, thank you in advance.
243 heads are a later model thing than LS6. Those, on top of a 6.0 / 6.2 short block, are commonly called LS2. So NO, what you're talking about isn't turning your motor into a LS6.
Regardless, those heads are every bit as "reliable" as any LS1 or LS6 ones.
Choose valve springs that are appropriate for your cam such as PAC 1218. NO stock springs are, even if you have a stock cam. Use the better heads, and go forth and multiply.
243 heads are a later model thing than LS6. Those, on top of a 6.0 / 6.2 short block, are commonly called LS2. So NO, what you're talking about isn't turning your motor into a LS6.
Regardless, those heads are every bit as "reliable" as any LS1 or LS6 ones.
Choose valve springs that are appropriate for your cam such as PAC 1218. NO stock springs are, even if you have a stock cam. Use the better heads, and go forth and multiply.
Actually, ALL LS6 engines came with 243 heads. Later, 799 heads came out alongside the 243 during Gen IV production which are identical but use a different manufacturing method.
Nothing wrong with stock valve springs in a performance application LS6 springs are great I use them in all my builds. I've been autocrossing for years there are still a lot of great running c5zo6 LS6 cars out there. All the C5 ls1 or LS6 cars are still running great after all these years and still getting raced every weekend. There is absolutely nothing wrong with OE ls1 valve springs LS6 springs or a camshaft that is designed to be run with LS6 springs.
What gear ratio did you go with in the 8.8? What does your exhaust system look like again ? That's going to determine your cam selection. 243 heads and the OE LS6 cam produce a good bit less mid-range than your stock 5.7 with the 241 heads so if you still have a 3.42 gear in there you're not going to enjoy it at all. Regardless of what gear you have, I would leave the 241 heads on there and just do cam only for now. Back in the day. Plenty of guys dipped their toes in the tens with these cars cam only with those god-awful 241 heads.
You've got a nice car you want it to last forever and it's running good right now Don't fix it if it's not broken. Replace as few parts on the engine as you possibly need to to get the power out of it that you need. Higher valve spring pressures than the LS6 springs create more stress on other valve train components that they were not designed for. This will cause you to go on a never-ending spending spree for "peace of mind" over a few measly HP that you're only going to see if everything else is optimize for it.
I am going with 3.73, stock SLP exhaust I plan on doing headers with full exhaust this summer once I leave CA. I agree with what you said, my main priority is keeping the ole bird running. I've read that the stock ls1 spring are prone to fatigue (I have 58koriginal miles) so I was thinking about replacing them along with the valve seals. Thats how I started down the "You should use ls6 spring and while you are at it do the 243 heads!" rabbit hole. If the ls6 cam is lacking in city drivability then I'll stick with the ls1 cam. Low end torque is my friend.
Last edited by Gabriel_02Firehawk; Oct 30, 2023 at 02:48 PM.
Reason: add jpeg
My 98 Wrangler has a 2002? LS6/4L60E combo. 243 heads. LS6 intake. LS6 cam. 2002 Camaro converter. Idles like a stock C5 Corvette. The engine has maybe 40K on it. Zero issues.
I would as said above add better aftermarket springs and push rods. Any original LS6 cam, LS6 valve springs and push rods are going to be 20 years old at least.
My .02 on the LS6 cam shaft I would go with small aftermarket cam instead. Still would have great street manners but I bet you would pick up 30-40 hp.
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stock ls1 to ls6 conversion 
