Check me?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2021
Posts: 30
Likes: 5
Check me? I've been looking for a LS3/L92 to buy or build. Crate motors are nice, expensive, but come with a warranty. Scrapyard engines are kinda pricey for the unknowns they are, plus I'd have to tear them apart and build them anyway. So I'm thinking of building one from scratch with a mix of new/used parts. I'm looking at a higher RPM engine performance level - not extreme - just something that won't come apart on me, pump gas. I'd appreciate someone checking my numbers or part ideas to make sure I'm not way off base.
L92 LS3 aluminum out of 2010 car $1800
Heads & Valves $1000
Rotating assy., forged kit $2500
Cam $350
Manifold, stock used $350
Water pump $150
Oil pump $175
Wiring harness $400-600/w ECU
Misc parts and machining $2000 (any boring, decking, gaskets, pan, injectors, windage tray, etc.)
Not including alternator, headers, A/C, etc.
$8925 - so round it up to $9K for a custom, forged internals, 500+ HP engine. Surprisingly, going much over this by much at all would cost the same as a dressed crate motor from blueprint motors.
Anything glaringly wrong or could be done more efficiently for less?
L92 LS3 aluminum out of 2010 car $1800
Heads & Valves $1000
Rotating assy., forged kit $2500
Cam $350
Manifold, stock used $350
Water pump $150
Oil pump $175
Wiring harness $400-600/w ECU
Misc parts and machining $2000 (any boring, decking, gaskets, pan, injectors, windage tray, etc.)
Not including alternator, headers, A/C, etc.
$8925 - so round it up to $9K for a custom, forged internals, 500+ HP engine. Surprisingly, going much over this by much at all would cost the same as a dressed crate motor from blueprint motors.
Anything glaringly wrong or could be done more efficiently for less?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2021
Posts: 30
Likes: 5
Have you priced LS3 L92 parts lately? It's $2500 retail new for a bare aluminum block. Scrapyard drop out engines are $6000+ for the same. If you can find a block in decent shape anywhere, they sell for $1800-2000. So I'm lowballing the block price. I've been scouring scrapyards, ebay, and elsewhere for months.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2021
Posts: 30
Likes: 5
Yep. I'm eyeballing the crates from GM pretty hard, they've got a steep discount RN thanks to the delay in shipping. If you're not in a rush, getting a 500HP motor with a warranty is a pretty sweet deal right now. I'm so close to a crate at those prices with my build that it's a real tough decision. Only dif between my build and theirs is forged parts, and I want a safe 7000 rpm engine and theirs goes to 6600. So damn close, lol.
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TECH Enthusiast
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 644
Likes: 575
From: Carnation, WA
Put a decent valvetrain in it, and you can spin it that high easily. Put the right cam in and it might even make good power up there ... but the intake won't be helping any.
The bottom end is not the limiting factor as far as getting revs out of these engines.