hi guys, i’ve finally got my ls1 shipped over from the States back home to the UK. I’ve had it completely stripped down to have the heads done and the block checked over ready for a full rebuild as it had done 120k miles.
I was thinking about putting a bigger cam in it as it’s all apart and would be a perfect time, but because of taxes and shipping costs i’m trying to keep costs down as this project is costing me a small fortune. Would i be able to get away with putting a better cam in with the correct springs and use the stock pushrods and lifters or would i have to get the whole lot?

 

it is possible that the original pushrods could work BUT it is recommended to measure for lifter preload to be certain of the length required. If the lifters were working when you removed them they will more than likely be adequate. Your LS1 must have had a rough life, these engines usually go much longer than 120K before rebuilds

 

i had the engine checked just for peace of mind. I had a cold compression test done one pot was at 135 the others ranged from 150 to 180 so i thought it’s best to have it checked. the cam, crank and everything were fine but the bearing had seen better days according to the engine builders. I’m replacing almost everything on this 75 firebird so didn’t want to put an engine in that isn’t 100%

 

interesting... worn bearings would not cause low compression. A cylinder leak down check would have pin-pointed the cause of the low compression of the cylinder. I hope the builder is being straight up with you

 

yeah the engine builder is fine we’ll known and trusted, he didn’t insinuate that the bearing were the cause of compression loss, it was just noted on inspection that the bearings were worn.
piston rings are probably the cause so i thought i’d have all done top to bottom.
i’m sourcing the parts and he’s doing the fitting and labour

 

Great, That's good to hear. Good luck with your project