bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

Bored at work and started pricing out one route I'm considering going with my car. Car is purely a toy, Ive never built an engine myself and want to build one myself. 4 options Im considering are:

1. 503ish cam leave the bottom end alone
2. go to the darkside with a 4.8 or 5.3, eventual end game being big single turbo (this WILL happen eventually)
3. bottom end rebuild using stock rods and pistons, 0.026 head gaskets, a little home-done deshrouding of the combustion chambers and a little around the valve guides, learning experience building engines, no nitrous
4. 360 0.060 over 6" rod bottom end with parts below, a little home-done deshrouding of the combustion chambers and a little around the valve guides, learning experience building engines, no nitrous

$442.79 Probe 4.060 forged Aluminum Pistons http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PBP-12335-060/
$42 Mr. Gasket 4.1 0.026 thick head gaskets http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MRG-5716G/
$104.95 Sealed Power rings http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SLP-R9902060/
$270 Scat I beam 6” rods http://www.cnc-motorsports.com/scat-...ting-rods.html
$24 Clevite P-series rod bearings # CB-663P http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CLE-CB663P/
$45 Clevite P-series main bearings # MS909P http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CLE-MS909P/
$82.60 ARP main studs http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ARP-234-5501/

12.7:1 and $1011 is what this all adds up to.

Options 3 and 4 would get a large cam from LE spinning as far as the PCM will let me. Option 3 would subtract $712 but add in rod bolts and resizing the stock rods.

Opinions?

RamAir95TA

iTrader: (2)

I think your budget is not indicative of ANY type of performance build. Having said that I think option 1 is going to be the choice with the least amount of complications.

robsquikz28

iTrader: (246)

lol option 1

bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

I dont really have a set budget or horsepower goal that I am aiming for. I just want to pop my engine building cherry and have a decent performer for what it is. I have my stock LT shortblock sitting in my garage with a light knock from 3 years ago waiting on a rebuild. This motor would ultimately get pulled and put into another car for my wife to drive, while my car gets an LS swap.

For option 4, I know 0.060 over is pushing the limits of the LT block, but Gizmo and others seem to have had plenty of luck with it. And since there is no price difference between .030, .040, and .060 pistons and machining costs, and I'm not spraying, why not?

Anyone know how much it costs to have stock rods resized? If its close to how much new Scat forged rods cost, thats a big deciding factor of maybe going to new rods and pistons, be it 0.060 over or stock bore.

95batmobile

iTrader: (2)

go 1... 1k will not get you anwhere.. it might not even do your cam swap lol

ahritchie

iTrader: (1)

[QUOTE=
2. go to the darkside with a 4.8 or 5.3, eventual end game being big single turbo (this WILL happen eventually)
[/QUOTE]

#2 can be done CHEAP considering the power level obtained...do it if you are planning on this happening anyway:

594 Horsepower For $3,252 http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...2/viewall.html

1203 Horsepower STOCK 4.8 http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/h...g_bang_theory/

slomarao

iTrader: (6)

figure on triple your planeed budget. you have no idea what its going to look like once you open things up.

and once you've got it all apart theres no sense in putting old 75k-100k parts back into the engine.

lethal bird

iTrader: (12)

The 4.8 was just stock bottom end it had TEA 1.5 heads, custom cam, and a fast intake iirc.

ahritchie

iTrader: (1)

Still though, very impressive for a $500 junkyard motor; no stock LT1 can take a beating like that with 26lbs of boost and come out in one piece.....the 5.3 made 550 HP with a completely stock top end...truck cam too. 594hp with a stock LS6 baby cam...something to think about.

joelster

Going straight to a .060" bore doesn't leave you any room should something go wrong. The hp difference between a 355 and a 360 would be negligible. I'd do a .030" first.

lethal bird

iTrader: (12)

But didn't the 4.8 spill it's guts out the bottom after the 2nd 1/4 mile pass?

bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

THIS is the exact end goal I have, but for now I want to assemble a motor myself and have it run. I figured, just like slomarao said, once I have it opened up might as well put in new parts, however, since this is not going to be a nitrous or all-out build, maybe I would be better off keeping the stock rotating assembly?

I know 0.060 leaves no room for error, but if that block gets screwed, its not like LT1 blocks are rare and expensive, and if it gets fucked up, Ill say screw it and do the LS swap. Right now that motor is doing nothing but being a hanger for my rag pile.

I dont have a budget, my biggest money spending limitation is that I dont want to dump too much money into a lost cause AKA the LT platform when for the same amount I could build a monster LS. It would be my first engine assembly, and theres just something about a 666 build (.060 over, 6 inch rods, 6 speed) that has a nice ring to it. JoeliusZ28 made 373rwhp with an AI cam and some very mild cleanup work on his heads and upping the compression ratio. https://ls1tech.com/forums/lt1-lt4-m...ery-happy.html This is what Im after, probably a little bigger cam though.

SO...no comments on the Probe pistons, 12.7:1 compression ratio, 4.100" x 0.026" head gaskets, ARP studs vs bolts, or sealed power rings? No bashing of the home DIY deshroud of the intake valve and cleanup around the guides? Man, I had my flame suit on and everything...

And no, Lethal Bird, they did 62 passes on that 4.8, with 50 of them over 1000 hp, and still couldnt kill it.

F0x Slaughter

Never heard of probe pistons, 4.100 bore? Ha. Thats a .100 over bore. The stock LT1 block is a 4.00" bore. So a 60 over is a 4.060.
12.7:1 what type of fuel are you planning on running?

WS Sick

I think he meant the head gasket ring.

F0x Slaughter

Doh, good catch. My fault for skimming.
By the way Joels car is bad. Hes from my area.

bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

Yea head gasket ring.

And it would be 93 octane pump fuel.

F0x Slaughter

I know the reverse cooling allows for a slightly higher compression but isn't 12.7:1 pushing it on pump gas?

Usually guys shoot for 11.5 - 12.5 if I am not mistaken.

bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

With a custom cam guys have pushed 13.1, its not so much static compression ratio you have to worry about its dynamic. I also figure with taking out a little in the bowl to deshroud the intake valve, since the radius will be 0.030" more, will give me back a cc or 2, so it will probably be closer to 12.5