When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hi guys, I wanted to create a thread here to both document what I'm doing and see if there was suggestions from the community as you guys are a whole lot more experienced than I am by far. I'm just googling as I go lol.
Long story short, I wanted a not crap engine for my C6 as I've killed stock LS2s within a year of each other. Details:
Dart LSNext SHP Block, K1 4.000" Forged Crankshaft (Non CCW), Scat 6.125" Forged H Beam Rods, DSS 4.125" FX K3 Forged Pistons, Total Seal Ring Set, King XP Bearings, ARP Studs, Cometic MLS Head Gaskets
Cam Motion Titan 3 LS7 Cam, Comp Linkbar Lifters, Manton Pushrods, Comp Double Roller Timing Set, Melling 10295
6 Bolt Brodix BR7 Heads, Manley Dual Springs, Upgraded trunnion LS7 Rockers
Here's where I'm at so far. Just got the pickup and windage tray on. Had to use HPR's adaptor kit since there's no provisions for windage trays with the dart billet caps.
If you have any suggestions or comments to help me out, I would greatly appreciate it!
I'll post more photos too and update as more stuff goes on.
I chose to go with some cool tidbits that should be worth it in the long run. C5 Batwing Oil Pan w improved racing baffles is my favorite. Added the pickup brace (this one was really hard to install for some reason but got it eventually. I went with a 4 port steam vent kit too as I was told it cycles coolant from spots that would normally sit and possibly boil. And photos of how the dart windage tray kit looks like.
Front cover went on with ARP bolts, used black rtv outside of the gasket for a perfect seal, where the pan meets got extra so there’s no hiccups there. The rear cover went on with ICT Billet bolts, and they were too long. Like only 1mm maybe 2mm too long and were bottoming out without sealing the cover up. Annoying. I found some washers, drilled all 12 of them to fit, and went on my way.
Pan went on, took me a second to figure out how to get all the bolts in. You have to like, tilt the pan up to get the bolt holes to line up properly, then you can snug them down and torque.
All the sensors are pretty easy reach so I might reuse some old ones I’m not too sure yet.
I do need to buy a C5 dipstick though. Super awesome that the dart shp block has a provision for that. Photos!
Took a lot of digging on forums, but yes it has been done.IR has also said they have a few customers running that setup.
From what I have read, you have to use standard height poly or solid mounts as the clearance is tight and you don’t want the pan to touch the frame. I will be adding spacers if needed to clear, if not, C5 subframes are cheap and bolt on (:
Why the c6 pan over the c5 pan? I have been given a lot of reasons why the C5 pan is superior.
Super helpful I know, but rolls and maybe track. It's in the I dunno I just want it to run again stage.
Also I follow your IG, super awesome build
Oil starvation under heavy acceleration. Theres a thread on this page about that very thing. The C6 wet sump pan works better than the C5 pan. Its not the ultimate fix but I never had oil issues with the C6 pan and I have gone pretty fast from a roll. I've seen a lot of C5 guys "upgrade" to the C6 one.
Oil starvation under heavy acceleration. Theres a thread on this page about that very thing. The C6 wet sump pan works better than the C5 pan. It’s not the ultimate fix but I never had oil issues with the C6 pan and I have gone pretty fast from a roll. I've seen a lot of C5 guys "upgrade" to the C6 one.
Hmm. Interesting. I’ve mostly found the other way around but maybe that’s for circuit use? Or maybe for the 1 piece pans? You can’t baffle the C6 pan like you can the two piece C5 pans. It has a left, right, and rear baffle so I find it weird it would starve under acceleration which it has a baffle for. It also takes an extra quart over the c6 pan.
I’m super apprehensive about using the C6 pan (I have one on hand obviously) because it’s the main suspect of killing my two previous LS2s. I drag raced at Sonoma w hoosiers multiple times a month and I was rewarded with trashed bearings even when I was a quart over.
I’ll do some more looking. I’ll likely give the C5 pan a shot but keep the C6 pan on hand.
I did a quick search earlier. Seems the batwing is better for road course type driving and C6 pan for straight line. At least that's what I got out of it. You have both, so you're golden either way you choose. Just gonna have to see which works better for how you drive the car.
Hi guys, I wanted to create a thread here to both document what I'm doing and see if there was suggestions from the community as you guys are a whole lot more experienced than I am by far. I'm just googling as I go lol.
Long story short, I wanted a not crap engine for my C6 as I've killed stock LS2s within a year of each other. Details:
Dart LSNext SHP Block, K1 4.000" Forged Crankshaft (Non CCW), Scat 6.125" Forged H Beam Rods, DSS 4.125" FX K3 Forged Pistons, Total Seal Ring Set, King XP Bearings, ARP Studs, Cometic MLS Head Gaskets
Cam Motion Titan 3 LS7 Cam, Comp Linkbar Lifters, Manton Pushrods, Comp Double Roller Timing Set, Melling 10295
6 Bolt Brodix BR7 Heads, Manley Dual Springs, Upgraded trunnion LS7 Rockers
Here's where I'm at so far. Just got the pickup and windage tray on. Had to use HPR's adaptor kit since there's no provisions for windage trays with the dart billet caps.
If you have any suggestions or comments to help me out, I would greatly appreciate it!
I'll post more photos too and update as more stuff goes on.
IDK exactly what youre doing with the LS2s, but if youre wiping out 2 per year, its not the LS2s, it's what you're doing with them!! Stock LS2s usually go for years, not 6 months at a time. Are you running nitromethane or? I'm serious here. I've never heard of anyone destroying 2 stock LS2s in 12 months......
What trunnion upgrades did you get? CHE I hope. What oil pump does DART/HPR recommend? The one u have I hope. I thought I read here (Tech) that Dart rec’s a specific oil pump.
IDK exactly what youre doing with the LS2s, but if youre wiping out 2 per year, its not the LS2s, it's what you're doing with them!! Stock LS2s usually go for years, not 6 months at a time. Are you running nitromethane or? I'm serious here. I've never heard of anyone destroying 2 stock LS2s in 12 months......
As sad as it is, they were both stock. No poweradder at all. One wiped a main bearing and the cost to teardown and have everything cut to spec was nearing replacement motor cost, so it got a replacement motor. The other ate a rod bearing at sonoma so badly it ruined the journal and metal got into the others too. At that point I was pretty sick of having an LS car so it sat until I decided what I wanted to do.\
I would much rather have a cool story about a windowed block or a piston in orbit, but I got the stupid failures.
What trunnion upgrades did you get? CHE I hope. What oil pump does DART/HPR recommend? The one u have I hope. I thought I read here (Tech) that Dart rec’s a specific oil pump.
Dart says to use a standard volume pump, they do also sell a pump. The Melling 10295 is the HP/SV one that I can swap a spring on if the pressure ends up being too high. Was planning to run dual coolers and I was told you need some extra pressure to get oil through them.
I'm honestly not sure on the trunnions. They were LS7 rockers bought with the upgrade already pressed in. I assume that's CHE?
Test fitting more stuff just to make sure everything looks good. I realize I should have been running all these holes through with a tap to clean them out. I've also noticed that a lot of LS spec bolts come out too long so I'm having to either grind them down or outright buy different bolts.
Don't know if I'm unlucky or I'm ordering the wrong things but it's slightly annoying.
Also I was stupid and forgot how the intake manifold sits on the valley cover so I will replace the hard line steam vent kit with soft line and relocate it for the time being. No interest in spending 4 digits on an intake manifold to make it work. I paid $150 for this ls7 manifold. Doesn't get better than that
Last edited by russdawg1; Nov 3, 2023 at 06:38 PM.
Who built your previous ls2s? Or were they straight from gm?
Ah, nice to see you over here too haha.
1st one was the factory one. The other was a 60k pull out from a donor car. Stock as they come. I'm sure new bearings before hand maybe would have breathed some life into them, but there's no reason a stock motor should be that unhappy making stock power pulls at a drag strip.
Today I replaced more bolts with more grade 12 socket caps. I finished the soft lines for the 4 port steam vent kit, had a friend fab some brackets to keep the joining line close to the block. Will wrap with heat tape to protect from the headers.
Next will be pcv lines. At the moment I'm not going to run a catch can until after I get the engine in. I included a diagram of how I'm going to set it up the pcv system.
I found out that the LS2/3 fuel rail wont fit on this LS7 intake so that is more money to spend hehe
Getting close!
PCV system. If you see an issue yell at me
Might run a valve on the dirty side just to make sure the flow is correct at all times.
Arrow box represents a valve.
Just realized I don't know where my maf or intake bridge is at....
Can't believe I did it! I don't think I broke anything either but we'll see how long that lasts. YouTube and some wrenches is a hell of a drug
With Black Friday nearing I think I'm going to purchase a clutch as it makes way more sense to not labor over this again just because I was impatient and wanted to get this thing going asap. Buy once, hopefully only cry once. Friend helped me pick out the McLeod RXT Twin disk clutch. Probably going to go with the aluminum flywheel because drivability is for nerds! Open to ideas also.
If you have a suggestion for pilot bearing styles and anything else to replace while I'm in the area do let me know, thanks!
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Slideshow: The controversial Ferrari F6 swaps its original flat-12 for a Corvette Z06-derived LT4 V8 and sends power to four rear wheels through a custom-built drivetrain.
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Slideshow:These GM engines didn't just make huge power, they survived abuse, boost, track days, and six-digit mileage with a reputation for refusing to quit.
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Slideshow: From wobbling harmonic balancers to failed EBCMs, these are the issues that define long-term C5 ownership and what repairs typically involve.
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.
Dart SHP 427 Build 
