LS3/515h/carb for my 71 corvette. Is there a better motor for the same $$$

[vstol]

My current plan for my L-88 road race replica is a LS3/515hp/carb.
https://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?81569-1971-Corvette-L-88-replica-build&p=820535&posted=1#post820535 (https://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?81569-1971-Corvette-L-88-replica-build&p=820535&posted=1#post820535)
For the money, ready to run minus the alt, etc I have yet to find a better engine for the money/hp/new/warranty to include big blocks. That said the ZZ502 is close but for a few extra lbs of torque not sure its worth the extra weight in the car. I have sometime yet for the decision but looking to see if there was a motor out there I missed that meets my requirements. Current plan is to not use fuel injection, just would not look right under this hood.

[ProdigyCustoms]

How much is that motor with the ignition control? Got a link?

[vstol]

So far this is the best price

http://www.crateenginedepot.com/LS376515-HP-Crate-Engine-19244552-P2282C2.aspx

[ProdigyCustoms]

We make a bit more power, 540HP and also use forged pistons instead of factory hypertectic pistons. Forged pistons means they can handle more abuse, you can also supercharge or spray nitrous with less fear. And is only $6800

Here is a video of one of our fuel ijected 520HP versions

https://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?81690-Prodigy-Power-LS-6.2L-11.80-116MPH-CR-in-3650LB-Pro-Touring-Car!

[vstol]

Frank I have searched your web sites and did not see where you have your engines listed. The $6800 what does that include and where can I get more info? Thanks Kevin

[SLO_Z28]

I wouldnt touch a LS3 for a performance use application. They were prone to exploding new and theyre prone to exploding now no matter how you mod it. LS6 is still the best platform for a performance track build, they were only recently discontinued too, so theyre still available.

[ProdigyCustoms]

Frank I have searched your web sites and did not see where you have your engines listed. The $6800 what does that include and where can I get more info? Thanks Kevin

The motor will com intake to pan with water pump and balancer, same as the GM version, only without manifolds which are throw aways. Ours has forged pistons. Our cam, our springs, otherwise the same stuff as the GM offereing. Just al little more durable with forged pistons and a little more power.

[ProdigyCustoms]

I wouldnt touch a LS3 for a performance use application. They were prone to exploding new and theyre prone to exploding now no matter how you mod it. LS6 is still the best platform for a performance track build, they were only recently discontinued too, so theyre still available.

First I have not heard of exploding LS3s? What makes a LS6 so much better? Still the same cast guts, hypertectic pistons in a stock LS6? I will be the first to tell someone for SERIOUS regular track day activity. And I mean regular like in multiple evetns and laps per year, that they should consider our forged 418. But I have found stock LS3s, even with stock pistons, pretty tough. And have seen nothing in a LS6 to make it better?

[The WidowMaker]

I wouldnt touch a LS3 for a performance use application. They were prone to exploding new and theyre prone to exploding now no matter how you mod it.

???????????? mast, wegner, turn key??

[SLO_Z28]

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/autocrossing-and-roadracing/2824807-let-me-ask-another-way-whos-ls3-hasn-t-blown-up-on-the-track.html

Sweeping left handers under high g forces will do it every time. GM knew about it from the get go too. The LS6 is still the most reliable track engine there is, unless you get into the higher end things like a LS7R.

[ProdigyCustoms]

So I breezed over that thread and half the post were from people having no problems and the other half were from people with oil control issues. EXACTLY why we do a road race pan standard on our engines. Steve Rupp has a video in car of Badd Penny (same pan) on the road coarse with the camera on the oil pressure gauge (by accident) and the gauge never blinks.

I can list a bunch of top Pro Touring cars in the Pro Touring events that run LS3 based wet sumps with no issue. With that said I will admit we are running a dry sump on our all our Unfair project. Weather it be LS1, LS6, LS2 or LS3 is of no difference.

[vstol]

I too have followed the LS3 issues with the Corvette owners on the forum and David Farmer says he uses the Accusump and has no isses with his road race vette. I plan on only taking it to the track once or twice for some friendly road racing. I appreciate the comments

[6D9 Matt]

How much is the forged 418, Frank??? What kind of power numbers it have?

[ProdigyCustoms]

For a carb ready motor? Only $1500 more for the fully forged 418. I have not done a carb 418 yet but we make 600HP and 580TQ easy with injection. I would suspect with a carb we could gte a bit more out of it depending on the exact intended use of the car. We could play quite a bit with duration, Lobe center. That would be a custom motor but at no extra cost.

Love to do one. it would probably be a seller.

[garys 68]

Nothing wrong with fuel injection under an L88 hood :-)
Cowl induction on my 68 convertible, Richmond 6 speed.
Be sure to post lots of pics.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/01/engine1-1.jpg

[vstol]

Frank I sent you a email about your motors. Thanks

[ProdigyCustoms]

Ya know, I say that email, came through the forum but I will be damned if I could find it when I went to answer.

Re email or call me

[email protected] or 407 832 1752

[vstol]

Thanks Frank I resent it

[vstol]

After spending time with Frank from Prodigy Customs I am leaning towards installing his LS3 Carb or Fuel injected 540hp motors. In my opinion his
LS3 motor is the best bang for the buck that I have found and unlike some of the other engine options mentioned, if you go with the fuel injection using a GM ECM, it provides your local tuner with something he is familiar with and is easily programmable vice having an ECM that is custom. Also with a racing oil pan and adding an accusump for my limited track time I will be good to go.

[ProdigyCustoms]

Good talking with you, sounds like a cool project for sure. I really love those cars. I have a original Big Block 69 Roadster just TOO NICE to molest. But someday.............

Here is my take on the ECM / tuning debate. I think this deserves it's own sticky in the forum somewhere.

Just couple of many, many points.

(1) First off, no one can sell you a ready to run engine, pre tuned for your car that won't need minor or major drive ability tuning once installed in the car. Unless it is a learning system like the Holley Dominator or FAST, any system will simply have to be tuned on a per car basis. The factory can build 100,000 Camaro's without additional tuning and do it because they have only a few variables (automatic, manual, tire size, weight, etc) and they hold things like tire size and weight within boundaries. The factory spends countless hours tuning different packages and they are done. We and other engine sellers don't know what the weight of the car is, tire size, gearing, climate, etc. Even if you give us that information no one has a big enough data base to get it perfect. I don't care what tuner and program it is. Period!

I can go over a list of "pre tuned" packages we have worked with in our shop and I can also go over the bills for tuners to come in and final tune them for drive ability. And some of those bills run up into the 1000s on some proprietary or less popular / less known ECM's. I have one in the shop right now that was sold as a "ready to run" package to my customer and the tuning bill for it so far is over 8 hours and we still are tinkering with it. Lucky for the customer he opted for the $500 option of getting a tuning key so we could get into the system and adjust. Most of these systems are sold with NO TUNING KEY and are closed systems. One of our most famous cars has one of those closed systems and shuts off 20% of the time you let of the gas quickly approaching turns and stoplights. And the engine supplier has never been able to tune that out through the mail.

(2) We use either GM tuning or the new self tuning learning systems like Holley Dominator or FAST! Period.. Why? Simple. The learning programs will take care of themselves if we get them close on the run stand. With the GM tuning, in any major city you can find a tuner familiar with factory tuning. Guys that tune new Corvettes, Camaro's, etc. They have EFI Live or HP Tuners and when they open up the standard box we use, they are familiar with it and go to work. And in a reasonable amount of time and dollars can final tune the motor.

All these proprietary or less popular / less known systems / tunes that some crate engine suppliers use are snake oil to 99% of the tuners. Most tuners can "figure out the system" but it has to be on the tuners dime or the owners dime? So usually we end up going to school of hard knocks on the new system trying to learn how to navigate through it. And the pain full part is listening to a engine SUFFER while the tuner "figures out" the system. Yeah, we can look at manuals and call tech support, but there are so many back door parameters on every system to learn. IAC speed control, throttle follows, injector pulse, time on / time off, the stuff that is critical to drive ability, that takes a lot of time and experience to learn. It may be the greatest system in the world with capabilities of moping your floor and to launching the Space Shuttle ssimultaneously. But if your not familiar with how adjustments to this parameter affect this other parameter, it is all useless.

So at the end of the day, we figure GM spend MILLIONS of dollars developing the OEM quality ECM's they use which are designed to run 100s of 1000s of miles. And that there are tuners all over the country familiar with them. So for us, it is a no brainer!

[vstol]

you can close this thread, I am looking else where for a motor

[vstol]

since the thread is still open; as I seach again for another motor after my deal with Prodigy 418/600hp FI motor did not work out, I wonder if its worth spending 2-4k more to obtain 600hp in a big block or 418/427 LS3 over the GM LS3 525HP. 600hp (min) is the HP goal that I have in my head and it appears as the norm as we look at the other machines on the web. I am thinking out loud would like to hear a few comments... basically I am at a LSX 454/620hp or a LS3 418 or 427 600hp motor. Thanks