MoePwR

Im a noob at this stuff somewhat im in the tuner scene a little and want to get into the big block scene. Mainly sick of FWD. Anyway I'm thinking about purchasing a stock ls1 motor and beefing it up and put it into something around the year of a '99 Camaro. I was just looking for advice on #1 if this is a good idea or go a different route and 2 what to look forward to.

baalic

iTrader: (8)

1. An ls1 is not a big block
2. Ls1's are stock in 98-02 Camaro z28/SS and Trans am/ws6
3. If you don't need a back seat just buy a corvette and you save a ton on weight and get better suspension and aero.

4. If your set on a Camaro look for the 01/02 z28/SS as they already have things like the ls6 intake and oil pump and ls6 clutch.

Hope this helps good luck with finding you a decent one that you can play with!! Get you a cam/243 heads an intake full boltons and be ready for a new rearend if going onto an fbody!

There is no replacement for displacement!!

20TA02

iTrader: (5)

thatll be a good idea. OR you can buy a 98-02 camaro z28, SS, or a 98-02 trans am.

those already have an LS1. 2002 is the year you want though, those have the LS6 intake manifold and some other things.

MoePwR

well i want to really get into the motor. i found an ls1 on craigslist for 900 and its already all apart in an organized matter and ready to be built up. i want to look into boring it out and learn about what i really can get into for the engine. i never really learned about that stuff yet. i plan on building up the motor first and then buying the car later down the road. whats the best motor that can go in the camaro/trans am for power?

MoePwR

anyone willing to help with advice?

cookba

iTrader: (10)

this is all based on your budget. you can easily spend the price of a car building an LS1 up, or any engine for that matter. You can also buy a roller after you build the engine and go from there. Budget is the main thing to look at. Dont start something you cant finish.

MoePwR

well ill have about 400/month goin into this project if im really going to be committed to it. i wanted to do research first and see if i cant get some in site on what may come. i really wanna get my hands on a v8. and get outta the 300fwhp range and into the 400rwhp range

JD_AMG

You don't need to take the engine all apart/bore it etc. to get 400RWHP. A bolt on, small cam and tune will get you 400RWHP very easily. These cars stock have 300RWHP+, and you can make an easily 350RWHP with just bolt ons.
Search through the external and internal engine sections for ideas.

MoePwR

i wanna know whats the best bang for the buck. i know i dont need to but i want to fully understand a motor and what it can fully do. so im looking for some help so i could get some info on all of this. i dont know how helpful this forum could be but it seems pretty helpful. i dont want to go forced induction yet. i want to build a strong fast car thats all motor and maybe down the road turbocharge it.

garygnu

you can hone a stock ls1 block out to 3.905.get a ls2 block if you want more cube,364-408.you can use a 4" stroke for ether block.go to the TSP website and look around and you will learn stuff.it takes a cam like a ms3 and all bolt ons to make around 400rwhp,good heads help.

MoePwR

thanks man. im trying to gather as much info as possible before i fully commit

cemlsx

like stated above , 400rwhp is an easy target for LS1 engines , bolt ons , tune and a cam will be enough .. stock cubes are good for +400rwhp , so dont waste ur time stroking/boring unless you want to reach 500rwhp , and if thats the case , go with a 402 LS2 block ..

MoePwR

im worried about the power to weight ratio. i got a 09 cobalt ss at the moment that im a little over 300 at the wheels and its pretty fast and pretty quick. but its only 3000 lbs or so. i have beaten and kept up with a lot of cars i never thought it could have. i feel like theres a lot more potential with a v8 rwd car.

93SlowBird

It may be a good idea if you do your research. An LS1 is not a big block

91FormulaKiller

iTrader: (28)

Best bang for your buck? Go find a 93-02 Camaro or Firebird ROLLER, buy a 5.3 LM7 from a J/Y for around $500 bux, throw a $400 Texas speed Cam kit in it (or similar), add an LS6 intake ($300-400 w/ or w/o TB), get an automatic from a J/Y (low mileage auto trannies are cheap, i work for LKQ). To me this "3-piece" kit (eng, tran, and roller) is your best bang for your buck "kit" to put together.

others...may disagree. but rollers are cheap here in my state,MA, along with 5.3's and auto trannies.. if you can put it together yourself (plenty of information on here and in a shop manual (not a haynes)) you could save alot of $.


Good luck.

Tommyv8

iTrader: (8)

That Cobalt has a turbo, right? Obviously it's easier to make power and torque with a turbo than with a NA combo, although the LS1 will have a huge displacement advantage.
Hot Rod Magazine recently (April '11 issue IIRC) took a cheap junkyard 5.3L and hooked up a cheap Chinese turbo to make almost 600 hp, no intercooler (I personally would never forgo an intercooler and in the next issue they found a good new one for $140). Of course it's hard to tell what kind of longevity you could expect with that combo but it's a testament to the power potential of the LS engines, even the cheap small ones.

MoePwR

to 01formulakiller how much power would you estimate i could get out of that setup? i want something that can kill my cobalt as a fun car on the weekends

to tommyv8 true you could rig together a setup but how do you know how well those parts are working together? thats my main concern.

91FormulaKiller

iTrader: (28)

For now ill give you an estimate on a stock set-up, like mine, the stock 5.3 L33 (aluminum version) puts out around 315-320 hp and if you run it through an automatic expect 20-30% loss in power (we'll say 25% for now) you'll be running an estimated 236rwhp, that may sound low but if you pick up an LS6 intake, cam and springs, (estimated cost $700 used & new parts) and gain 75hp your now right around 300rwhp. these are estimates but for a used 5.3, auto tranny, some perf/stock/f-body swap parts for the 5.3, you can come out with a nice mild 300rwhp set-up for $1700-2000 if you spend wisely and hunt for deals. Replace that auto with a T56 and that same set-up might put out 315-330 rwhp (15-20% loss of power thru the T56). Im sure some will argue with this but i think its a conservative estimate off the top of my head and a quick overview of my own parts list and what ive seen for sale and recent dyno videos.

91FormulaKiller

iTrader: (28)

btw, i looked up a 2009 Cobalt SS, they claim to have 260HP, is that fw or Rw hp? if its stock engine hp then a mild 5.3 set up as i described above will feel/be much more powerful to you and provide better Et's than the cobalt. Not to mention, it makes the car an "LS ready" car. if you get bored with the 5.3, you can replace it with an LS1 or a 6.0 engine, turbos are always an option too but research that first, a Turbo LSx engine is not for the faint or under-experienced driver.

MoePwR

yes cobalt is 260 at the crank and its a FWD car. but just with straight exhaust, cold air intake, and a tune im putting down a little over 300 and it only weighs 3200 max with me inside..... power to weight says a lot and thats what im worried about. i wanna get in the 450rwhp range if not a little more. i just want to find a good inexpensive vehicle to do it with. thats why im researching...