Feel free... there's lots of good LSX people around. Shoot for a 2001+ motor... if you do get a pre 2001 you'll want to keep the revs below 6500 so as to not aerate the block. If you want to get into the engine you can always install Katech rod bolts which would be easy since you're doing a custom pan etc.

 

So the rod bolts are the weak link on the pre 2001 cars? If thats the case i'll replace the rod bolts like you said when I do the oil pan and oil pump.

And yea if I run ST1 Popp will be hard to beat. I've watched him drive plenty of times. Not many people can drive a corvette the way he does.

 

Yeah... it was exposed back when LS1s were being used for some type of circle track racing which is of course way more intense than road racing (max RPM all the time). For 2001 they put stronger ones in with a built in sleeve of sorts. The standard LS1 was tested to 6500 rpms sustained. The 2001+ and LS6 is rated to 6900 rpms sustained. GM's powertrain testing is pretty extreme. They run the engines at max RPMs for something like 50 hours.

The 2001+ block is a little bit different too. There are passages between cylinders at the bottom to allow better "breathing" i.e. letting pressure move around the block better. If I were in your position and you ended up with a '97-'00 motor I'd do the following:

1. Katech rod bolts and custom pan - try to reuse the OEM windage setup as it's a nice piece
2. Ported 243 heads used on the forums or from a cheap place like Texas Speed
3. LS6 intake manifold (all 2001+ motors came with them) - can be had cheap on the forums etc.
4. LGM G5-X3 cam on a 112 LSA or tell them your setup and have them recommend a cam
5. Custom longtubes of some sort to let it all breathe
6. GM LS4 oil pump... it's high volume w/o the higher price of the melling. I have one in my car and even w/ oil temps in the 270s on track I never got below 50psi.

Oh... and the '97-'00 motors had a smaller MAF sensor w/ a different setup. The MAF has "ends" that allow the air filter and oem air bridge to attach. A common performance mod was aftermarket ported MAF ends. Also, in the early motors the temp sensor was a seperate unit that plummed into the air bridge. For 2001+ the MAF and temp sensor became one unit and it's larger and flows better.

I'm pretty sure they all have the same size throttle-body. FYI www.ls1howto.com is a fantastic website for wrenching on these motors.

EDIT: Ported 243s, LS6 manifold, and a big cam will get you 450-470 rwhp. If you only want 380ish then you can just keep the heads that are on the motor and just upgrade the valvesprings etc.

 

How do you tell what year the block came out of? My short block came with some ARP rod bolts, are those as capable as the Katech ones? I picked up some 706 heads (truck heads), 26lb injectors, and LS1 intake manifold. I plan on getting a mild cam (from what I can tell a 224/224 is a mild cam and will shift the power band up a little in the RPM range), upgrading the rockers and valve springs/retainers. I am also going to be running full stand alone so I will not have a MAF anymore. What sort of power would you expect out of that set up?

 

I'm not sure what numbers you'd see on the block. I'm sure LS1tech would know. ARP rod bolts are top notch... so you're good to go there. 706 heads are probably the 5.3 heads which are good ones, ported they're even better. If you can go ahead and snag a LS6 manifold. The LS1 will hold you back when you put a cam and exhaust on there.

a 224/224 cam is mild by today's standards, but a great street cam w/ good midrange power. Do you know where the cam came from i.e. what lobe profile it's ground on? Back in the day Thunder Racing was the first to come out w/ that 224/224 cam on a XER lobe profile... set records at the time as not many were playing w/ the XER lobe. XER lobe opens the valve more quickly, holds it open longer, and shuts it quickly.

I'd say you should see about 400-410 rwhp w/ a LS6 manifold and 5.3 heads. I know Tiki did a similar setup but only got around 365 rwhp becuase he had stock old LS1 heads and a stock LS1 manifold in place.

For comparison the G5-X2 in my LS6 is a 232/240 .595/.608 on a 114 LSA. My intake manifold and TB are alll stock LS6 stuff as are my heads. I made 436 rwhp and 397 ft/lbs w/ long tubes etc.

 

I haven't bought a cam yet, so I'll check out Thunder Racing. I am trying to stay under 400....shit I am trying to stay around 350 at first. That will be a 100 hp jump for what I'm used to in my car, not to mention the torque curve/numbers haha.

I want to pick up a timing chain and oil pump kit, so thanks for the info on the LS4 oil pump (and recommendations as to a good site to go through for good prices online?). Do you have a gasket set that you'd recommend? I need head gaskets and I wanted to be able to replace everything else I encounter along the way. I am keeping the rings with the pistons but have new rod/main bearings.

I need to go pick up an engine stand and get this bitch ripped apart!

 

A bone stock LS1 will make 300-310 rwhp. So w/ a 224/224 cam and some good exhaust you'll be 360-370 for cheap. I'd go w/ a LS4 or ported LS6 oil pump. For the chain you don't need the complexity etc. of a double-roller. Just get the OEM LS2 chain... it's $30ish bucks and is much beefier than the LS6 chain I took out of my car.

You can buy a "cam kit" from many places... this typically includes the cam, springs, pushrods, etc. They can also include the oil pump and timing chain etc. As for gaskets... OEM all the way. GM makes great stuff. Scoggins-Dickey sells a cam install kit which has all the gaskets etc. that you'll need and a new crank bolt.

I buy my OEM parts from them or GMpartshouse.com. I got my cam kit from LGM. FYI when working on these cars follow LS1howto.com very very closely when it comes to replacing the front main seal, installing the front cover, instalilng the pulley, and most importantly torqing it to spec. Done wrong and you'll have a leaking front main and a pulley that wants to back off.

 

With all this ls1 action I should soup up the camry

 

people on here are starting to get some real builds going can't wait to see both cars

 

We might have to gather a VAdriven help em with the racecar/touch dax day