LT1 Brainstorm
LT1 Brainstorm BACKGROUND: my 96 z28 has an oil leak from the rear main seal and the water pump gasket is also leaking (opti still works btw). Its almost going to hit the 200k mile mark and i was planning on taking it to have all the gaskets replaced.
Recently i started hearing what sounds like a lifter ticking and a weird tapping noise on cold starts
so im going to have that checked out once they open the engine.
ASSUMING i have to replace the valvetrain, what would you guys recommend? For the rockers, id like to go for 1.6rr and i read that NSA>SA. And what springs and lifters sould go good with said rockers? Should i also replace the pushrods while im at it? Way too many questions and ive been doing mad research but i decided to make a thread for my specific setup. Eventually im going to have it stalled and cammed and maybe heads.
My goal is a daily driver that might never see the track. But (just in case) im thinking high 11s since bolt-on only can dip you in the 12s. Not sure how much horsepower equals high 11s on a lt1. Ive got around a $2k budget until i save some more.
Remember, im just brainstorming for now. And to sum it all up, what rockers, springs and lifters should i go for? Any parts im forgetting? Thanks for any guide or info i can get.
Recently i started hearing what sounds like a lifter ticking and a weird tapping noise on cold starts
so im going to have that checked out once they open the engine.ASSUMING i have to replace the valvetrain, what would you guys recommend? For the rockers, id like to go for 1.6rr and i read that NSA>SA. And what springs and lifters sould go good with said rockers? Should i also replace the pushrods while im at it? Way too many questions and ive been doing mad research but i decided to make a thread for my specific setup. Eventually im going to have it stalled and cammed and maybe heads.
My goal is a daily driver that might never see the track. But (just in case) im thinking high 11s since bolt-on only can dip you in the 12s. Not sure how much horsepower equals high 11s on a lt1. Ive got around a $2k budget until i save some more.
Remember, im just brainstorming for now. And to sum it all up, what rockers, springs and lifters should i go for? Any parts im forgetting? Thanks for any guide or info i can get.
For the cam, id like to go for a custom grind. Unless i find an off-the-shelf one that pulls at mid-higher RPMs, to save money. Id like it to be for a DD but wouldnt mind sacrificing a little driveability for power. Emissions are no problem whatsoever.
Also, would now be a good time to upgrade my bottom end? nothing currently wrong with it that i know of, but i heard theres nothing like forged pistons and rods
Also, would now be a good time to upgrade my bottom end? nothing currently wrong with it that i know of, but i heard theres nothing like forged pistons and rods
TECH Regular
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 452
Likes: 0
From: Sacramento, CA
at 200k I wouldn't start trying to make more HP until the bottom end was freshened up.. jmo. Stock rods, crank, with new pistons.. but of course your going to have to account for the cost of machine work, bearings, oil pump, ARP hardware, gaskets etc.. It will all add up really fast.
Ok so youd only change the pistons? I was thinking i could get a complete rebuild kit from summit. I was looking at part CSMHP766-300 and have the block bored .30 over. Then just get good rod bolts. I think that should be a solid bottom end for my goals right? or is that overkill??
For a budget friendly dependable daily driver with a mild cam, that kit you picked out is not bad. You don't need all that forged stuff unless you're really trying to get aggressive with the build. I would swap the head gaskets for Victor Reinz .026 gaskets to bump up compression a little if you're going with a cam. And assuming you're getting headers, I'd swap out those gaskets for the felpro 1406s which have bigger openings.
For cam, I'd go with the LE 224/230 or similar custom grind. Shelf cams are not any cheaper unless you find a good used one. If you're not porting your heads, then I wouldn't go much bigger, it won't be effective.
Once you open up that motor and start the "while I'm in there, I might as well get a new _____" mentality, you will start seeing money disappear quickly.
For cam, I'd go with the LE 224/230 or similar custom grind. Shelf cams are not any cheaper unless you find a good used one. If you're not porting your heads, then I wouldn't go much bigger, it won't be effective.
Once you open up that motor and start the "while I'm in there, I might as well get a new _____" mentality, you will start seeing money disappear quickly.
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Thanks for the responses. The only bad thing ive heard so far about the summit kit is that the pistons are really heavy. I also started looking at diamond pistons #11101. Looks like theyre a better choice and i think they include the rods i need too. Id just need rod bolts and bearings after that.
The reason i preferred forged, was so that way i dont have to replace my bottom end in case i have any slight change of plans.
So are there any other pistons/rods or kits i should consider?
Since i hope i dont have to remove the engine again any time soon, i think the extra money will be worth it. After this, ill watch my money, i promise 
The reason i preferred forged, was so that way i dont have to replace my bottom end in case i have any slight change of plans.
So are there any other pistons/rods or kits i should consider?
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I promise next week we'll go out to eat one night, but this week let's just eat ramen noodles and crackers again...I just ordered my EWP this week.
From what i understand, i get ported heads, cam, valves and springs for $1600 right? would that be a good combo for my goal?
Before giving him a call, id like to have a couple different combos in mind so we can go from there
Well LE package is off my budget and maybe too much for what i want right now.
What do you guys think of this set-up?
cam- cc503
rockers- NSA pro mags 1306-16
rocker studs- ARP 7/16 (not sure on size)
pushrods- TrickFlow 21407200 (chromemoly 5/16 7.200)
guideplates- comp cam 4800-8 (5/16 raised)
springs- patriot performance Xtreme 8454
lifters- no idea
Ive heard mostly good things about the cc503 for a daily driver with non ported heads. I was recommended this cam and also it gives me a solid valvetrain in case i want to port my heads and upgrade to custom grind in the future. What do you guys think or what would you change?? anything im missing?
Also which lifters should i go for? i couldnt find anything on lifters for similar setups.
What do you guys think of this set-up?
cam- cc503
rockers- NSA pro mags 1306-16
rocker studs- ARP 7/16 (not sure on size)
pushrods- TrickFlow 21407200 (chromemoly 5/16 7.200)
guideplates- comp cam 4800-8 (5/16 raised)
springs- patriot performance Xtreme 8454
lifters- no idea
Ive heard mostly good things about the cc503 for a daily driver with non ported heads. I was recommended this cam and also it gives me a solid valvetrain in case i want to port my heads and upgrade to custom grind in the future. What do you guys think or what would you change?? anything im missing?
Also which lifters should i go for? i couldnt find anything on lifters for similar setups.
Staging Lane
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
I, personally, am a strong believer that GM engines aren't reliable after 200k. Its just the trend I've seen. Forget the heads and cam for now. That combo will cost $$$. More than you'll want to spend. Freshen up your bottom end and make your motor last. You'll get more money later down the line, the motor won't get many more miles with that bottom end, however. You don't need any fancy forged stuff unless you plan on boosting it or making some big power down the line. If that's the case, I'd recommend a newer, lower mileage, block.
I, personally, am a strong believer that GM engines aren't reliable after 200k. Its just the trend I've seen. Forget the heads and cam for now. That combo will cost $$$. More than you'll want to spend. Freshen up your bottom end and make your motor last. You'll get more money later down the line, the motor won't get many more miles with that bottom end, however. You don't need any fancy forged stuff unless you plan on boosting it or making some big power down the line. If that's the case, I'd recommend a newer, lower mileage, block.
OP, before you take it all apart, run a compression and leakdown test to really find out what kind of shape this motor is in. If all is well, I'd put an LE head/cam/valvetrain kit in it. The ticking you're getting on cold starts is your valvetrain. Even just replacing your rockers, pushrods, lifters, and springs would bump your stock cam up a bit (if you change to 1.6 rockers) and provide more performance, and take care of your little "reliability" problem. The rockers, pushrods, lifters, springs, and an oil pump (might as well protect your new valvetrain investment with a new unit) could be had for under $500, easily.
Don't get caught up on all the internet advise, Go Forged, Custom ect. If you are not spinning to the moon and expecting lots of HP you can go with a stock rebuild, add ARP rod bolts, Balance the bottom end, this will add in the longevity and help the upper rpm's. Hell a stock LT1 with bolt ons, gears and or stall and a cam runs pretty dam good. Look at the LS7, what kind of pistons does that have? Forged? don't think so....A customer of mine had a "Bone Stock" LT1, with only a stall and a lot of suspension work and a street tune. He ran 13.0 Flat. and with a 100 shot ran 12.1..
yep like they said............id save ur money to refresh the bottom end first.........you dont need anything crazy........id run stock crank.......set of scat forged I beams and a mahle power pak.........ive built a few of these so far for people........the work out well.......kind of a street/strip sportsman package........
i figured since mostly everything revolves on which cam you run, i might as well decide what cam/valvetrain to run. Im definately going to get my bottom end rebuilt first, im just not sure what direction to go.
camaroking1996, yeah thats kinda the same idea im running with. I dont want to go overboard, but i also want to be able to upgrade to something better/faster in the future without needing a new bottom end.
quick95lt1 i saw this at summit, Mahle SBC550030F05, however theres also one with 4 valve reliefs instead of 2valve reliefs like the one i showed you. Im not sure what this does so which one would i need? That should be the correct one if im going 355 right?
As far as the rods go, i found scat 25700716. It already has arp 7/16 bolts. Just making sure im looking at the right parts since theres all kinds of different sizes.
What else would i need for my bottom end?? I think those two include just about everything i need right?
Thanks for the help
camaroking1996, yeah thats kinda the same idea im running with. I dont want to go overboard, but i also want to be able to upgrade to something better/faster in the future without needing a new bottom end.
quick95lt1 i saw this at summit, Mahle SBC550030F05, however theres also one with 4 valve reliefs instead of 2valve reliefs like the one i showed you. Im not sure what this does so which one would i need? That should be the correct one if im going 355 right?
As far as the rods go, i found scat 25700716. It already has arp 7/16 bolts. Just making sure im looking at the right parts since theres all kinds of different sizes.
What else would i need for my bottom end?? I think those two include just about everything i need right?
Thanks for the help
As far as rod lenght, im gonna go with 6.000in over 5.700 instead. Apparently theres not much of a difference, and 6.000 seems the way to go.
Im still not sure if i need 2valve reliefs or 4valve reliefs for the pistons. I couldnt find much info on that, so if anyone can chime in, itll really help out.
Heres what im looking at...
crank- stock
pistons- Mahle SBC550030F05 (forged flat 4.030 includes rings)
rods- Scat Pro Comp I-Beam 26000716 (4340 forged 6.000" 7/16 bolt diameter, includes arp bolts)
rod bearings- ???
main bearings- ???
For the bearings it all depends on the crank's condition, so i still dont know what size ill be using.
So know my questions are,
1) do i need 4 valve or 2 valve reliefs for the pistons? (and whats the difference)
2) will OE ls7 lifters work with my setup? (if not which ones will)
3) as for my bottom end, am i missing anything?
Thanks for the help so far!
Im still not sure if i need 2valve reliefs or 4valve reliefs for the pistons. I couldnt find much info on that, so if anyone can chime in, itll really help out.
Heres what im looking at...
crank- stock
pistons- Mahle SBC550030F05 (forged flat 4.030 includes rings)
rods- Scat Pro Comp I-Beam 26000716 (4340 forged 6.000" 7/16 bolt diameter, includes arp bolts)
rod bearings- ???
main bearings- ???
For the bearings it all depends on the crank's condition, so i still dont know what size ill be using.
So know my questions are,
1) do i need 4 valve or 2 valve reliefs for the pistons? (and whats the difference)
2) will OE ls7 lifters work with my setup? (if not which ones will)
3) as for my bottom end, am i missing anything?
Thanks for the help so far!
ok so in case someones still reading this, im going to go with replacement ls7 lifters. I even heard some dealerships will sell them for cheaper than most online stores, so im gonna have that checked out.
Im still not sure exactly differs between 2 valve relief pistons and 4 valve relief, but it looks like 2 valve is the way to go for now.
Also, i was thinking since im getting forged pistons and rods, would i be able to get away with a bigger cam than the cc503? Im definately gonna get a stall/gears and ported heads in the future, and im already replacing most my valvetrain.
I was looking at the lunati voodoo 60122 (231/239@.050 .535/.550 110). I understand ill sacrifice power untill i get my heads and stall, but what worries me is that the rpm range is from 2400-6500 and i dont know if thats safe on my setup. what do you guys think?
And if not the lunati, which other one might you guys recommend?
If im going forged internals, im thinking why not use a cam that takes advantage of that
Im still not sure exactly differs between 2 valve relief pistons and 4 valve relief, but it looks like 2 valve is the way to go for now.
Also, i was thinking since im getting forged pistons and rods, would i be able to get away with a bigger cam than the cc503? Im definately gonna get a stall/gears and ported heads in the future, and im already replacing most my valvetrain.
I was looking at the lunati voodoo 60122 (231/239@.050 .535/.550 110). I understand ill sacrifice power untill i get my heads and stall, but what worries me is that the rpm range is from 2400-6500 and i dont know if thats safe on my setup. what do you guys think?
And if not the lunati, which other one might you guys recommend?
If im going forged internals, im thinking why not use a cam that takes advantage of that