is this post ok in here?

[nvawgn]

still on the fence about what to do with the motor.
like i said i have a really nice 700r4 that would go with a sbc or should i move up to a LS motor?
this will be a weekend cruiser and a daily driver duties every so often and a little on the track.
i have been thinking about a large bore short stroke sbc, dart block with EFI that's built to spin up 8500-9000.
i have been reading about the LS motors a lotted it seems like everybody on the boards is going that direction.
i know i can get a lot of bang for the buck w/ the sbc but what about the LS?
i'm going to need a new trans w/ the LS, can i get into a LS motor that makes 600hp and trans for under 7k, w/ all the wiring and everything?
iv'e read about the plug and play motor's but they get pretty expensive when u get into the 6ish numbers and then people talk about used motor's, they port the heads and change the cam out but it voids the warranty.
suggestions for the LS or just stick with the sbc?

[andrewb70]

I have a biased opinion, since I think LS engines are awesome...

However, it is your car and you should do what you want with it. I don't think you can get a LS engine making 600HP for under $7k...then again, I am pretty sure you aren't going to build a SBC with EFI, that spins to 8-9KRPM for that price either...

Then you say it is a weekend cruiser and maybe a daily driver...this all doesn't make sense...



If you have a nice 700r....and decided to go LS, you can always sell it. It won't last behind a 8500RPM SBC anyway...

Andrew

[nvawgn]

thanks andrew, yes it will be a weekend cruiser but then i will also get the bug and drive it all day everyday for a few days in a row. so u think 600hp and 7k will not meet in the middle? what numbers would u say?
i am trying to gauge but really do not know the numbers for an LS motor. would u say 8k-9k would get me there?
thanks..

[mytmouz]

I have a lot of Gen 1 sbc stuff, and related items like a 12 bolt rear, and a muncie 4 speed with related install items. I wanted to go LS and went that route. I could have built my car with the sbc stuff for what I have in the LS swap stuff. I bought a 9 inch for the lower pinion so I could get away from the pinion angle issues that usually pop up on a bodies with the ls package, and I bought a very expensive (to me, lol) overdrive manual transmission. All of that stuff adds up. Having said that, I am building what I want, instead of settling for what I had, and am happy with that decision. Just something to think about...

[nvawgn]

thank mytmouz

[mike@sim-seats]

I think that a person could do 600HP for under $7k for a weekend cruiser if you got an ebay turbo kit, and don't mind changing junkyard 5.3l engines every year or two (you'd end up over $7k eventually doing this). Being a weekend cruiser I doubt that the driveline would be putting 600HP to the ground with any regularity.

[nvawgn]

I think that a person could do 600HP for under $7k for a weekend cruiser if you got an ebay turbo kit, and don't mind changing junkyard 5.3l engines every year or two (you'd end up over $7k eventually doing this). Being a weekend cruiser I doubt that the driveline would be putting 600HP to the ground with any regularity.

so your saying buy something built and spend the extra cash?

[mike@sim-seats]

so your saying buy something built and spend the extra cash?

I don't think I understand your question. I'm saying to find some used engine out of a truck and spend a bit of money on a turbo kit.

[SSLOW6.0]

i have been thinking about a large bore short stroke sbc, dart block with EFI that's built to spin up 8500-9000.

A few things, first you can take a 6.0L block, run a 4.8L crank and rods for a short stroke quick revving engine, but the weakness of the LS motor is not the bottom end, like any pushrod engine it's the valvetrain.

It also depends on what you want to do with with the car. I toyed with the idea of building a high RPM screamer with a short stroke, but in the end, a 6.0 made more sense. If money was no option I'd keep the standard stroke, upgrade the rods and pistons, and run Jesel shaft mounted rockers and spin the thing to 7500-8K.

But, if you've got a heavy car, you might want the torque a bit lower to get it moving.

[Wraith]

I think you are surpassing the magic number for almost any engine with a 600hp goal and I'm not sure why you need to spin it that high no matter what engine you go with. 450hp should be easy and relatively inexpensive with either platform but start pushing past 500hp you better be able to wrench and tune fuel injection yourself. Add a turbo and screw ups get increasingly more expensive even with junkyard LS engines.

[nvawgn]

I don't think I understand your question. I'm saying to find some used engine out of a truck and spend a bit of money on a turbo kit.

ok, i thought u were trying to say spend the extra money up front and buy a plug and play engine from GM, rather than rebuild over and over again.

[nvawgn]

i'm just kinda lost on which direction to go, i can build something w/ more HP per dollar with a SBC than i can w/ a LS motor but the LS motor jus seems easier out of the box if built right. our car is a pretty light weight 3k wet, give of take a few. i have read a bit about about people wanting to build a motor that would spin up to the high 7's and 8's, which is different and that is what attracted me. i'm not going to autocross on a weekly basis but will occasionally.

A few things, first you can take a 6.0L block, run a 4.8L crank and rods for a short stroke quick revving engine, but the weakness of the LS motor is not the bottom end, like any pushrod engine it's the valvetrain.

It also depends on what you want to do with with the car. I toyed with the idea of building a high RPM screamer with a short stroke, but in the end, a 6.0 made more sense. If money was no option I'd keep the standard stroke, upgrade the rods and pistons, and run Jesel shaft mounted rockers and spin the thing to 7500-8K.

But, if you've got a heavy car, you might want the torque a bit lower to get it moving.

[nvawgn]

I think you are surpassing the magic number for almost any engine with a 600hp goal and I'm not sure why you need to spin it that high no matter what engine you go with. 450hp should be easy and relatively inexpensive with either platform but start pushing past 500hp you better be able to wrench and tune fuel injection yourself. Add a turbo and screw ups get increasingly more expensive even with junkyard LS engines.

being that my daily driver has 577hp i wanted a little more oomph w/ my weekend cruiser, i'm not going to turbo the motor, to many turbo's out there these days and i want to do something different. sounds like staying away from the used engines is the way to go from what all of you have said. it also sounds like i will need to spend a little more to get to that number i want to be at.