Cost to get into low 10s, high 9s?
04-01-2014, 06:01 PM
#41
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Just so you know, FLT in Wooddale,IL can build your 4L60 the same way he builds the 4L60E. The only real difference is in the valve body. Call Chuck and talk to him about it. His 60E's have been behind just about every engine Speed Inc has done for a long time. He did mine as well. He will need yours for a core, as some of the internal parts are no longer available (ie tcc harness, and tv cable). Great guy and he does awesome work. One if the major things you'll want to consider is a 24x swap, or at least a 94/95 PCM, due to the need to burn a new chip every time for tuning. So I would figure out what PCM you're going to use and have the trans built for that as it will save some headaches down the road. You have a decent start in what you already have. Change the fluids, battery, plugs and wires then fire it up you'd be surprised how long an engine that hasn't run can survive. Get yourself some good rubber and get it to the track and see what it does currently. That will tell you where you need to be. If I had the $$ to spend right this instant you can bet my 93 would be in the 9's.
And if it's primarily a street car, do the 6pt. It's good to 10.0 and if you dip to the 9's chances are you won't be booted depending on the track. If you have any questions you can PM me and I can give you some pointers regarding your specific year as I have one as well.
And if it's primarily a street car, do the 6pt. It's good to 10.0 and if you dip to the 9's chances are you won't be booted depending on the track. If you have any questions you can PM me and I can give you some pointers regarding your specific year as I have one as well.
04-01-2014, 07:19 PM
#42
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The cheapest way to get it done will for sure be a turbo 5.3. If you don't want to mess with wiring you can buy swap harnesses from site sponsors. You'll also need an LS oil pan, steering rack, intake, k-member, and the front accessories (I got mine through the classifieds here). There are a few other odds and ends as well. Hot Rod did a 5.3 build that produced 600 hp for around $3600 (that was just the engine though). There is a site that sells a kit named after a member here on tech (denmah) that is proven to make about 600 rwhp for around $850 (you'll still need a few things). With a turbo 5.3 I could see you getting it done for under $10k. Factor about $1k for a 4l80e (which can handle north of 700 ft-lbs). This is largely the route I'm hoping to take.
Also, is the denmah turbo kit a bolt-on kit, or does the kit/piping require fabrication to fit under the hood of an F-body?
Last edited by 93camaroLT1; 04-01-2014 at 07:26 PM.
04-01-2014, 08:28 PM
#43
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Would it be cheaper/make more sense to just sell my car, and buy an 98-02 camaro/firebird with an LS1, toss the denmah turbo kit on there, and rock it until it blows up, and then swap the 5.3L junkyard motor as a replacement? Would that be much less involved? (I should be able to at least get an LS1 with a few miles for what I would sell this car for (or part it out + sell the rolling chassis for). Would the LS1 also make 600rwhp with that setup?
Also, is the denmah turbo kit a bolt-on kit, or does the kit/piping require fabrication to fit under the hood of an F-body?
Also, is the denmah turbo kit a bolt-on kit, or does the kit/piping require fabrication to fit under the hood of an F-body?
04-01-2014, 08:31 PM
#44
Would it be cheaper/make more sense to just sell my car, and buy an 98-02 camaro/firebird with an LS1, toss the denmah turbo kit on there, and rock it until it blows up, and then swap the 5.3L junkyard motor as a replacement? Would that be much less involved? (I should be able to at least get an LS1 with a few miles for what I would sell this car for (or part it out + sell the rolling chassis for). Would the LS1 also make 600rwhp with that setup?
Also, is the denmah turbo kit a bolt-on kit, or does the kit/piping require fabrication to fit under the hood of an F-body?
Also, is the denmah turbo kit a bolt-on kit, or does the kit/piping require fabrication to fit under the hood of an F-body?
04-01-2014, 08:35 PM
#45
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Probably would be cheaper/easier....the LS1 block is aluminum, so only slightly less stout than the iron 4.8-5.3, it will take 600RWHP no problem, would need forged internals for a safe/reliable 700+ RWHP, not to mention it's got more cubes to work with than the truck motors. Check out the forced induction section on here for some ideas. The stock LS1 crank is good for 1000+ hp, the aluminum block maybe ~900hp, more than that you need an iron block (which as mentioned are dirt cheap).
04-01-2014, 09:45 PM
#46
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Good point. Thanks for all the advice man. This 5.3 turbo thing sounds awesome, and might wind up being the way I do this.. I youtube'd some videos of these 5.3L turbo'd cars, and they just sound wicked sick. 600rwhp ain't too shabby out for a junkyard build haha.
04-01-2014, 10:40 PM
#47
04-01-2014, 11:34 PM
#48
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Wow, that's impressive. And here I was thinking the biggest negative of the 5.3L turbo setup is that it most likely wouldn't last more than a couple months, and the time and effort going into it. But based on the article it seems like it isn't completely unreasonable to expect it to survive a couple years at 600-650rwhp, which is insanely awesome at that price point.
Last edited by 93camaroLT1; 04-01-2014 at 11:49 PM.
04-02-2014, 10:00 AM
#49
Also, what's the deal with 4l80e's-- if they're only a $1k, why are all these people suggesting spending $3-5k on a built 4l60e? Could I just bolt up a TH350 or TH400 (w/ adapter)? I should note that my car does not have an electrically controlled trans (it's a 700R4/4L60 that came with it).
04-03-2014, 05:51 AM
#51
I think the cheapest ROUTE would be start with weight reduction and see how low you can go with your current setup. Then arp rod bolts, heads, cam, nitrous. A basic rebuild with just resizing the rods, polishing the crank, doing a hone yourself with new bearings and rings is about $300. Heads/cam valvetrain is $2000 if you shop well, nitrous, and you can get there. Vtec did it in a 3rd gen, bowtienut is mid 10s in a 4000 lb b body, if you get down to 2800 race weight I think it wouldn't be bad. Less weight = less stress on parts, might be able to make a rebuilt 4l60e survive, weld the tubes and a girdle on the 10 bolt, bias plys instead of radials.
04-03-2014, 06:20 AM
#52
in the cass of getting a ls car find a roller that was built for the track,rear,cage,some have good fuel setups, youll spend more for a built roller, then buy a 5.3/6.0 317 heads,boost cam,turbo , building a 10/9 sec car isnt real kind to a budget, unless your looking for a one time pass lol,
04-06-2014, 04:34 AM
#53
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A well built cage will save your life; a shoddy cage will kill you.
-Dont skimp on the rear. An axle breaking will put you in the wall.
-Dont skimp on the trans either. Running through bands and clutches will frustrate the **** out of you.
-Dont skimp on the electronics and ignition either. If you spray it and any part of the electronics fail, you got some expensive paperweights and youre going to be in machine shop jail.
-Dont skimp on the rear. An axle breaking will put you in the wall.
-Dont skimp on the trans either. Running through bands and clutches will frustrate the **** out of you.
-Dont skimp on the electronics and ignition either. If you spray it and any part of the electronics fail, you got some expensive paperweights and youre going to be in machine shop jail.
04-06-2014, 04:42 AM
#54
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The cheapest way to get there would be stock block, forged rods and pistons, ported stock heads and intake, custom ground cam and a fogger plumbed into the stock intake. Built rear and a mildly built TH-350 would be required. A well built cage preferably C/M to keep the weight down. If you plan on dailying the car or driving it often but still want to get light get all that stock interior out and get you some Kirkeys with harnesses and lightweight carpet. I wouldnt gut doors or front and rear bumpers. That could get sketchy in an accident.
If you hit that thing over the head with enough nitrous with a good tune it will EASILY go 9s@140ish depending on how much you hit it with and how high youre spinning it.
If you hit that thing over the head with enough nitrous with a good tune it will EASILY go 9s@140ish depending on how much you hit it with and how high youre spinning it.
04-06-2014, 12:55 PM
#55
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I posted what I have done to it on page 1 of this thread here: https://ls1tech.com/forums/18119461-post8.html
I been doing some thinking about the 5.3L turbo setup in an LS based car. It seems like the awesome thing is that the motor's cheap as dirt, so it doesn't matter if you blow it up. At the same time, I suspect it's going to get annoying swapping motors every year (or sooner). And I already have some stuff done to my car that would go pretty far with a forged short block. Could I fab up that cheap $868 denmah turbo to work on my LT1? I was thinking, what I were to simply rebuild the short block with forged pistons, rods, and crank ($3-4k), swap the valve springs (I dunno, $500), and run 20-25 lbs of boost all day long. Then upgrade to a TH400 ($1k) and a 12 bolt or 9" ($3k). Probably could buy used injectors for the around same price as what my #42 SVO injectors will sell for. Then there's a fuel pump and 6 point roll bar ($2k). Factor in other odds and ends, and it would still be under $15k, it seems? Would this work (and be way more reliable than a junkyard 5.3L setup)?
I been doing some thinking about the 5.3L turbo setup in an LS based car. It seems like the awesome thing is that the motor's cheap as dirt, so it doesn't matter if you blow it up. At the same time, I suspect it's going to get annoying swapping motors every year (or sooner). And I already have some stuff done to my car that would go pretty far with a forged short block. Could I fab up that cheap $868 denmah turbo to work on my LT1? I was thinking, what I were to simply rebuild the short block with forged pistons, rods, and crank ($3-4k), swap the valve springs (I dunno, $500), and run 20-25 lbs of boost all day long. Then upgrade to a TH400 ($1k) and a 12 bolt or 9" ($3k). Probably could buy used injectors for the around same price as what my #42 SVO injectors will sell for. Then there's a fuel pump and 6 point roll bar ($2k). Factor in other odds and ends, and it would still be under $15k, it seems? Would this work (and be way more reliable than a junkyard 5.3L setup)?
