Aluminum main caps?
Aluminum main caps? I'm building a boost combo out of a gen4 5.3. I have a chance to buy a set of billet aluminum main caps intended for a circle track/ARCA LS2. I didn't know that anyone made aluminum main caps for LS engines. I would like to hear from anyone that has experience with something like this. What are the pros and cons? Would these be suitable for a turbocharged engine making 800rwhp?
I'm building a boost combo out of a gen4 5.3. I have a chance to buy a set of billet aluminum main caps intended for a circle track/ARCA LS2. I didn't know that anyone made aluminum main caps for LS engines. I would like to hear from anyone that has experience with something like this. What are the pros and cons? Would these be suitable for a turbocharged engine making 800rwhp?
I don't know of any advantages with aluminum caps. Ilmore puts them in engines meant to run 500 mile races so there has to be some advantages. I was going to run stock caps and maybe pin them but I'm not really sure at this point. My machinist is telling me to use anything but the stock caps. I purchased a used set of forged LS9 main caps from a member. The problem is that the inner holes on the caps don't line up with the ones in the block. I knew LS7 and LSX caps were like that but I didn't know LS9 caps were. My machinist wants to trade my LS9 caps for his billet aluminum caps. Am I being taken or wasting money on line boring when I don't really need to? I can't find much about aluminum caps when I google it.
TECH Addict
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,176
Likes: 626
From: Florida
They’re like aluminum rods, the material is softer so it is better at absorbing minor detonation and stuff. I’ve usually seen them used on iron blocks though.
This is a very simplified explanation of a much more complicated issue.
This is a very simplified explanation of a much more complicated issue.
I know everyone has done it but you also shouldn't be surprised if that 5.3 has a rapid unscheduled dissassembly at some point. I really beat the crap out of my car and I will probably want to turn the boost up at some point. There are also a few road courses here in Florida that I want to have fun at and I don't know if I would trust stock pistons and rods lap after lap.
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Verdad Gallardo TECH Addict
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,176
Likes: 626
From: Florida
I had an aluminum 5.3 running 20psi on 93, daily driver it was extremely reliable. It was in an awd 4900# Silverado so it saw more load than just about anything. I towed with it too. Ran it for a few years before trading it away for my old mk4 bbc.
5.3 don’t care about 800whp.
5.3 don’t care about 800whp.
I just don’t see aluminum caps being better than steel caps. Steel is way more rigid than aluminum. Do what you want but this sounds suspect to me. I’m building an aluminum 5.3 right now and the thought of trading stronger for weaker just doesn’t seem like the right direction
On The Tree
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 193
Likes: 2
They have their places but I would not be using them. We ran them alot in circle track builds and even built them in house. They had a service life of about 2 seasons or 3000 laps before they would fail. So they were a consumable. We use them in the billet block high hp pro mod stuff too. The blocks and the caps last about 250-300 passes.
They have their places but I would not be using them. We ran them alot in circle track builds and even built them in house. They had a service life of about 2 seasons or 3000 laps before they would fail. So they were a consumable. We use them in the billet block high hp pro mod stuff too. The blocks and the caps last about 250-300 passes.
My advice, find another machinist. He sounds like a quack or hes in it only for personal gain and doesnt care about helping you at all.
