LQ4 Possability's??

[SicMonte]

Ok I am the first to admit that I know pretty much nothing about LS motors. I have an old school sbc in my car now. A buddy gave me a LQ4 out of his truck. Motor has over 200,000 miles on it. He gave me just the motor, no wiring, no accessories etc.

What are my possible options for this motor? This is my first ls motor so I dont know what would work with it off of other ls motors. I plan on rebuilding the whole thing with good internals but Im lost as far as cams, heads, wiring harnesses, etc. I would like to have 500hp out of this motor if possible.

Any ideas/info would be greatly appreciated!! Lets see what you all can come up with.

[Hambone!]

You mean an LQ4 with 219,000 miles on it that doesn't leak a drop of anything and has no noise except the piston clatter engineered into it from the General? Wow, you got a deal. You should take him out for some lemon pepper wings next Tues night. HA! First, since the internals are assumed to be shot, now is the time to consider a stroker kit. Being lighter than your SBC and having more torque at lower RPM will help you pull out of corners. At the very least, if you want to make power on the cheap, freshen up the lower end, add some L92 / LS3 heads, get Comp to spec a cam and springs. BTW, you can have the intake, TB, sensors, accessory brackets, alt and p/s, but need a harness and PCM.

[SicMonte]

You mean an LQ4 with 219,000 miles on it that doesn't leak a drop of anything and has no noise except the piston clatter engineered into it from the General? Wow, you got a deal. You should take him out for some lemon pepper wings next Tues night. HA! First, since the internals are assumed to be shot, now is the time to consider a stroker kit. Being lighter than your SBC and having more torque at lower RPM will help you pull out of corners. At the very least, if you want to make power on the cheap, freshen up the lower end, add some L92 / LS3 heads, get Comp to spec a cam and springs. BTW, you can have the intake, TB, sensors, accessory brackets, alt and p/s, but need a harness and PCM.

ok ok ok...i'll buy you some wings...geez!!!! hahaha. You know...we really should do a build thread on your truck.

[John Wright]

just curious what year is the motor?
I had a 03 6.0L that rattled like a box of rocks so I traded that sucker back to the GM dealer, but <knocks on wood> so far the 04 6.0L that I have 139K on seems to be quiet. What year did they finally fix the piston slap issues?

[SicMonte]

just curious what year is the motor?
I had a 03 6.0L that rattled like a box of rocks so I traded that sucker back to the GM dealer, but <knocks on wood> so far the 04 6.0L that I have 139K on seems to be quiet. What year did they finally fix the piston slap issues?

i do believe either a 2000 or 2001.

[Hambone!]

My truck really isn't a pro-touring setup, dunno if they'd be into it here. Might use it to drag your beast to an event though. Oh, engine is a 2000, and I think the piston slap was fixed around the '03 model year. It never proved to be a reliability problem, it was just annoying, so they addressed it after a few thousand complaints.

[DJW32]

You could forged that motor and add some boost to it for 1000HP. No joke. Sky is the limit.

[WS6]

do as your friend suggests. I was planning the same thing honestly. I'd go 4.0in stroker crank with forged pistons and stock rods. Top it off with an LS3 top end and a cam that would give a nice wide torque profile and you'll have a great performer on your hands. 500 hp is very easy with this set up.

[srh3trinity]

I am going the same route. I have an LQ4 that is going to have an LS3 topend on it with a moderately aggressive cam. I have an extra LS3 intake if you are interested, it is on ebay now. Mine also has unknown mileage. I am probably just going to go with new bearings, rod bolts, rings and then worry about the topend. It is tempting to stroke it at this stage in the game, it's only money right?

[68renner]

Go with a 408 stroker. That's what I'm doing. I'm brand new to the LS game to so I've been asking a LOT of questions and reading over at LS1Tech. I can give you an idea on price. I just heard back from my builder yesterday and he gave me a price of $5200. That's me supplying him with the block, heads, intake, cam, lifters, pushrods. That's for all clean up and machine work, forged rotating assembly, bearings, rings, new timing set, new oil pump, gaskets, all ARP fasteners.

[jgpclone]

408 its the best thing to do with lq4 or lq9 with a lil sc or l92 heads and a agressive cam. all depends what route ur thinking of going but 500 hp is easily achiveable for not much cash

[srh3trinity]

What would it cost all together from machining to buying the parts to go the stroker route? Just wanting a ballpark. My project is kind of creeping along anyway (money will be tight for the next few years and then my salary will change dramatically). So, I have the LQ4 sitting downstairs for now and it isn't going to be swapped in for a couple of years.

[Samckitt]

If you are replacing the heads, I just got a set of LS3 heads from 94guy over on LS1tech.com. They are brand new, $640 shipped. LS3 heads are probably the best flowing stock LS series heads, second maybe to the LS7 heads.

[jgpclone]

What would it cost all together from machining to buying the parts to go the stroker route? Just wanting a ballpark. My project is kind of creeping along anyway (money will be tight for the next few years and then my salary will change dramatically). So, I have the LQ4 sitting downstairs for now and it isn't going to be swapped in for a couple of years.

cost can vary from 4500 to 7500 depends on what parts you use

[Chevelle598bb]

Ls3 heads are great to use with an lq4. Stock crank, good rods, forged pistons, a custom ground cam, factory ls3 heads with upgraded valve springs and you will break the 500 hp barrier easily.

[Trevor @ Texas Speed]

The sky truly is the limit. You can make over 500 flywheel HP with the simple bolt-ons and a cam! I know because we've tested virtually every combo we offer on our Superflow 902 engine dyno. A street able heads/cam setup will net 550+ FWHP, and if you go with a 408 CID stroker 625+ FWHP is doable depending on your heads/cam choice. We do offer complete short-block and long-block engines, and all of our machining and assembly is done in-house in our state-of-the-art machining center! You can check it out at the link below:

http://www.texas-speed.com/t-Enginebuildinfo.aspx

We can use your block and heads if you'd like to save some money. Precision Race Components is our in-house cylinder head company that offers both ported GM and aftermarket LS-based cylinder heads. We have three 5-axis CNC machines that only port LS heads, and all of our valve jobs are done on our CNC Newen single-point cutter seat and guide machines. We can port your LQ9 cylinder heads and set them up with larger valves, spring kit, etc. or supply you with new heads altogether. We offer basic short-block to complete turn-key long-block engine assemblies, as well as most other components that you will need. If you want to save a little extra money, we can also reuse your stock crank and build you a 370 CID engine.

Feel free to give us a call, and we will be glad to help you out. We test EVERY engine part that we sell, and we can recommend the right cylinder heads, camshaft, and other components that we KNOW will work with your setup. We have dyno-proven packages that take the guesswork out of the build for you. Tell us what you want, and we will set it up accordingly! All of our salesmen are well-versed with our various engine packages, so any of them will be able to take care of you.

Trevor

[SicMonte]

ok......im thinking of using the stock crank and rods...bigger pistons...LS3 heads...L92 intake...and a custom ground Comp cam...

What you all think I should do for throttle body, harness, and computer??

[Rod]

ok......im thinking of using the stock crank and rods...bigger pistons...LS3 heads...L92 intake...and a custom ground Comp cam...

What you all think I should do for throttle body, harness, and computer??

is youre car fuel injected now? if not you can stay with a carb set up, edelbrock intake #71187 and a MSD LS ignition box its only 2 wires

[SicMonte]

is youre car fuel injected now? if not you can stay with a carb set up, edelbrock intake #71187 and a MSD LS ignition box its only 2 wires

No..I would love to do a carbed LS!! You think a Holley Street HP 650 would be ok for this motor?

[Rod]

No..I would love to do a carbed LS!! You think a Holley Street HP 650 would be ok for this motor?

heck yes, a 650 is fine the LQ4 motor, Displacement is 5.97 L (364 cu in) from a 4.0-inch (101.6 mm) bore and 3.622-inch (92.0 mm) stroke just little over a 350 small block, Im running the LQ4 with the edelbrock 650 thunder, and for ignition Im running the MSD 6LS box, real simple and you can change the chips(it comes with them) for differant timing curves, and if you get brave you can plug it into youre laptop and adjust the timing curves for a super custom setup(I just used the chips)