Hey,

So here is my situation: I bought a ls1 engine that came out of a 2002 camaro ss. The owner wrecked the car back in 2004 and claimed to only have around 15k mileage. I bought the engine for 2K and sold the auto trans for 600 dollars. I somewhat believe him because when i started working on the engine the internals are bone clean along with the automatic trans, still had the factory spark plugs in it and not much wear on the cam lobs. He pulled the engine thinking he was going to swap it into something else but instead its been in storage ever since. My problem is the whole keeping the engine in storage since 2004. the outside of the engine of course is dirty and rusty in some areas. So what i am doing is breaking down the motor freshening it up and replace gaskets and seals. Well i got to thinking that since i already have this thing apart why not do a cam upgrade.

So far this is what the engine has which i know most of you know already:
- ls6 intake manifold
- 241 heads.

These are the aftermarket parts i have for the swap so far (the ls1 is going into my 1972 240z datsun):
- I just bought a powerbond 25% UD pulley
- I sold the automatic trans and went with a Tremec T56 Magnum 6 speed close gear.

Now for the cam upgrade this is what i plan on getting after doing some reading up on this forum:
-Texas speed 228R Cam
-LS2 timing chain
-Hardened chromoly push rods
-LS6 oil pump

These are the parts i am still trying to figure what to go with:
-Lifters?
-Valve springs? single or double?
-ARP head studs needed? or will Bolts be fine?
-Valves need replacing/upgraded?

I am mainly building this car for just a fun street car and some track time. This is also my first v8 ls1 motor.

Thanks,
Brent

 

Lifters are fine but you can go w/ LS-7 Lifters as a upgrade,ARP Head bolts and while your in there do some ARP Rod bolts also and valves are fine and the springs should be replaced to match your cam and single beehive are fine.Texas Speed has a package deal w/ the cam & springs & pushrods and have your TB ported & polished also.

 

OP, feel free to pm or call we can certainly set you up with everything you need, or at least point you in the right direction.

 

stock head bolts are are you need ,get the right tool to TTY them with.you buy the 228r cam pkg,it includes cam,springs ,and push rods.single behive springs are all you need,like comp 918.you can get just a ls2 chain and use the ls1 timing gears if the gears are in good shape.if the heads are coming of do a valve seat test ,do a valve job if any valve leaks.get a balancer install tool .get the valve train swap gasket kit from TSP.

 

Definitely find a balancer install tool or at least make one, there have been quite a few horror stories on here lately with guys pulling crank threads...

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Yeah i will for sure get me a balancer install tool along with a remover pulley tool as well. Never needed those in the past when working on other types of engines until now.

I guess i will go ahead and add ls7 lifters to the list.

Jake: I'll be sending you a PM soon on more details for the 228R cam kit and mail in computer tuning.

 

Texas Speed has everything you need and the Balancer install tool i bought from a member on here that makes them.

 

you can rent a balancer removal tool from most auto stores.

 

So i have another question.

There is somebody locally selling 243 heads off of a trailblazer ss. I am thinking of swapping to these heads now. Think it is worth it? Depending on the miles on the heads, would the parts from the 241 heads be used on the 243 heads since the 241 heads have such low miles on them?

The guy is asking 600 for them because they have patriot gold dual springs with 3k miles. How much are these worth with out the springs? 400 a fair price?

Also i am not quite ready yet to buy all the cam upgraded parts, hopefully soon later on. Im just trying to gather up all the parts before i start to assemble the motor.

Got my Pulley in last week.

 

243 heads will give you 15 more rwhp.$400 or less is what most 243 heads go for.test the springs if you buy them with the heads.if you have hi-mileage on your stock rockers ,do the comp trunnion upgrade.

 

My 241 heads that came with the ls1 engine has around 15k miles. The guy with the 243 heads replied to me saying those heads have around 50k miles on them.

 

the 243s should get a valve job.

 

watching this thread - for your decision on the heads

 

Not a full rebuild — just a top-end refresh. No compression test, no main cap check = some risk. Stage 4 cam needs solid tuning/support. No trans history is a concern. $13K isn’t bad, but expect surprises.