5.3/6L80E DD & occasional towing
10-13-2023, 08:07 AM
#1
Teching In
Thread Starter
5.3/6L80E DD & occasional towing
First post here, so hey y'all. Got a plan in mind for my truck & wanted a sanity check before I start spending money.
Details- '13 CCSB 1500 with 134K miles, 4wd, LC9 5.3, 6L80E & 3.42 gears.
Truck is my daily driver & will pull a ~4000lb boat a couple times per month. Not wanting a hotrod, but rather a peppy daily that'll drag a pontoon boat down to the Ozarks with ease. I don't live on the right side of the tach & don't much care what it'll do at 5K+ rpm. Torque & throttle response are what I'm after. I know, gear it, go big, blow it, get a diesel, all that, but those aren't options at the moment- just want to maximize what I have.
Tentative plan is VVT & AFD delete, get my heads (should be 243/799s if my google-fu is on point) freshened up, mild cam, 1 3/4" LT headers, exhaust & TBSS intake.
Cam wise, I'm thinking the BTR Torque cam (202/202, 111+1) or Summit's 8727R1 (200/205, 113+4), 8718R1 (205/217, 112+2) or possibly 8719R1 (209/217, 112+1). BTR's Truck Norris looks good as well, but I get the impression it's maybe questionable with the stock TC & I want to avoid that for now. I'm leaning toward the 8718R1 as the best compromise between down low grunt & highway legs.
As far as exhaust, LT headers & offroad Y-pipe seems like the smart move since my state doesn't inspect & (I believe) the downstream O2 sensors can "tuned out". I think 1 3/4" primaries make more sense than 1 7/8" for me, but would ya go 3" or 3.5" from the ORY back? Dynomax Ultra Flow? I want a little rumble, but ain't trying to impress anybody & certainly don't want any drone.
What are y'all's thoughts? Am I missing anything? Thanks in advance.
Details- '13 CCSB 1500 with 134K miles, 4wd, LC9 5.3, 6L80E & 3.42 gears.
Truck is my daily driver & will pull a ~4000lb boat a couple times per month. Not wanting a hotrod, but rather a peppy daily that'll drag a pontoon boat down to the Ozarks with ease. I don't live on the right side of the tach & don't much care what it'll do at 5K+ rpm. Torque & throttle response are what I'm after. I know, gear it, go big, blow it, get a diesel, all that, but those aren't options at the moment- just want to maximize what I have.
Tentative plan is VVT & AFD delete, get my heads (should be 243/799s if my google-fu is on point) freshened up, mild cam, 1 3/4" LT headers, exhaust & TBSS intake.
Cam wise, I'm thinking the BTR Torque cam (202/202, 111+1) or Summit's 8727R1 (200/205, 113+4), 8718R1 (205/217, 112+2) or possibly 8719R1 (209/217, 112+1). BTR's Truck Norris looks good as well, but I get the impression it's maybe questionable with the stock TC & I want to avoid that for now. I'm leaning toward the 8718R1 as the best compromise between down low grunt & highway legs.
As far as exhaust, LT headers & offroad Y-pipe seems like the smart move since my state doesn't inspect & (I believe) the downstream O2 sensors can "tuned out". I think 1 3/4" primaries make more sense than 1 7/8" for me, but would ya go 3" or 3.5" from the ORY back? Dynomax Ultra Flow? I want a little rumble, but ain't trying to impress anybody & certainly don't want any drone.
What are y'all's thoughts? Am I missing anything? Thanks in advance.
Last edited by Carl '69; 10-13-2023 at 03:45 PM.
10-13-2023, 06:35 PM
#3
The 8727R1 will build the low and mid-range. And with the higher lift it'll take advantage of the flow of the 243/799s. If the 8718R1 were to make any more power, it's not going to be until the upper rpm range. The BTR 202/202 would be similar, but again, why not go higher lift with the 243s. The 8719R1 would definitely make the most power, but again not until the upper rpm range.
The stock intake on the 2013 is the same as the TBSS as far the geometry, there's no advantage of swapping (you basically already have one).
Go 3" back through a Borla.
The stock intake on the 2013 is the same as the TBSS as far the geometry, there's no advantage of swapping (you basically already have one).
Go 3" back through a Borla.
The following 2 users liked this post by 68Formula:
Carl '69 (10-14-2023),
silentbravo (10-13-2023)
10-13-2023, 09:43 PM
#4
^ Nailed it, that's mostly what I was going to comment haha
The "baby" cam will help the low/mid range power, that's why they come with such small cams from factory, to give best power at low RPM (and maybe a bit of gas saving features).
The "baby" cam will help the low/mid range power, that's why they come with such small cams from factory, to give best power at low RPM (and maybe a bit of gas saving features).
The following users liked this post:
68Formula (10-14-2023)
10-14-2023, 04:22 AM
#5
TECH Fanatic
Hate to say but your not going to get much more down low without boosting it. Headers, a good tune and gears would probably help the most. The vast majority of cams are designed to move the power band up into the rpm range. If you want a cam look into the btr truck series of cams. I’d just buy a blower and run it on a stock setup, with a bigger pulley it would drive like a diesel and get great economy at low boost.
Last edited by smokinlmm; 10-14-2023 at 04:38 AM.
The following users liked this post:
68Formula (10-14-2023)
10-14-2023, 10:55 AM
#7
Have the heads milled while you're getting them refreshed.
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10-15-2023, 04:12 PM
#8
Teching In
Thread Starter
Thanks, fellas. I'd love to do a stout 6.0 or even (especially) a 408, even considered hanging a hair dryer on 'er, but my wallet just ain't that well stuffed.
That said, at 134K I wanna do an AFD delete before it can become an issue. Got it locked out/deactivated (via cheap handheld tuner) for now, but want to get out in front of it & no sense not replacing the stock cam with something better. Same with the heads- they gotta come off, so to my mind, there's no sense not "optimizing" them while they're being freshened up.
Didn't realize the Gen IV cathedral port truck intakes were the same as the TBSS, so nice to not have to spend that money (may just allocate that part of the budget toward replacing the Gov-Loc with a True Trac LSD). Guess that has me leaning toward either the BTR Torque cam or Summit's 8727R1, with the 1 3/4" LTs & 3" single exhaust. We've got a great tuner just a few blocks from the house that I'm having dial everything in & will get their take on cats or no.
For my purposes, I think a decent "baby cam", full exhaust & solid tune will do me just fine. My lead foot days are far behind me, but throttle response & a little extra giddy-up are always nice to have. I love the truck & intend to drive it till it dies, so I wanna get 'er set up right, dialed in & buttoned up tight.
Thanks again, guys.
That said, at 134K I wanna do an AFD delete before it can become an issue. Got it locked out/deactivated (via cheap handheld tuner) for now, but want to get out in front of it & no sense not replacing the stock cam with something better. Same with the heads- they gotta come off, so to my mind, there's no sense not "optimizing" them while they're being freshened up.
Didn't realize the Gen IV cathedral port truck intakes were the same as the TBSS, so nice to not have to spend that money (may just allocate that part of the budget toward replacing the Gov-Loc with a True Trac LSD). Guess that has me leaning toward either the BTR Torque cam or Summit's 8727R1, with the 1 3/4" LTs & 3" single exhaust. We've got a great tuner just a few blocks from the house that I'm having dial everything in & will get their take on cats or no.
For my purposes, I think a decent "baby cam", full exhaust & solid tune will do me just fine. My lead foot days are far behind me, but throttle response & a little extra giddy-up are always nice to have. I love the truck & intend to drive it till it dies, so I wanna get 'er set up right, dialed in & buttoned up tight.
Thanks again, guys.
10-20-2023, 11:34 AM
#9
LS1Tech Sponsor
OP,
We got your PM but figured we'd reply here to engage with you and the always helpful PT community!
@68Formula is spot on as usual. The SUM-8727R1 "Torkinator" would be the way to go here. With specs of .550/.550, 200/205, and 113+4 with -23* of overlap it'll give you the torque and throttle response you're after. It'll have a smooth idle with excellent manners and maintain efficiency. All while giving it a pep in its step from idle through the mid-range. It will carry power out near 6,000 rpm if you are feeling sporty. It'll be happy with budget-friendly LS6-Style springs. If the budget permits the Trickflow by PAC .600" lift beehives are a nice upgrade.
You'll want some upgraded pushrods. With the 8727R1, we typically see a 7.400" pushrod used. Things can vary so we always recommend measuring for pushrod length before purchasing pushrods. If you don't already have a pushrod length checker we offer the Trickflow TFS-9501. For pushrods, we recommend a minimum of a 5/16" Chromoly pushrod with a .080" wall. You can typically find a set of 16 for around $100. From there you can get into a thicker wall or larger diameter pushrod. For excellent stability and strength check out our 11/32" HDR pushrods with a .120" wall. These have 25% less stress and 28% less deflection than a typical 5/16" x .080" wall Chromoly pushrod.
Regarding the head work of your 243/799 heads. A bowl-blend and a slight mill of the deck will go a long way. Smooth out the combustion chamber for a more efficient combustion cycle and mill the deck .010"-.020" for a compression bump. Added compression is a hp/tq gain across the board. Add in some .040" head gaskets to reduce the quench distance and help all of the above even more. With .010" milled off the heads and a .040" head gasket you'd be right around 10:1 static compression. With a good custom tune, you should still be safe for towing that pontoon boot on 87 Octane. If you don't mind going to 91 or better for towing you'll be able to squeeze a bit more out of it.
For the AFM and VVT delete we have you covered.
- AFM Delete Kits
- VVT Delete Kits
We could always help you put your own AFM/VVT delete kit together as well.
The planned long tubes and exhaust along with the tune will help squeeze everything out of it. This should be a fun daily that will drag that pontoon boat up and down the road without needing to zing the motor up to get going.
We got your PM but figured we'd reply here to engage with you and the always helpful PT community!
@68Formula is spot on as usual. The SUM-8727R1 "Torkinator" would be the way to go here. With specs of .550/.550, 200/205, and 113+4 with -23* of overlap it'll give you the torque and throttle response you're after. It'll have a smooth idle with excellent manners and maintain efficiency. All while giving it a pep in its step from idle through the mid-range. It will carry power out near 6,000 rpm if you are feeling sporty. It'll be happy with budget-friendly LS6-Style springs. If the budget permits the Trickflow by PAC .600" lift beehives are a nice upgrade.
You'll want some upgraded pushrods. With the 8727R1, we typically see a 7.400" pushrod used. Things can vary so we always recommend measuring for pushrod length before purchasing pushrods. If you don't already have a pushrod length checker we offer the Trickflow TFS-9501. For pushrods, we recommend a minimum of a 5/16" Chromoly pushrod with a .080" wall. You can typically find a set of 16 for around $100. From there you can get into a thicker wall or larger diameter pushrod. For excellent stability and strength check out our 11/32" HDR pushrods with a .120" wall. These have 25% less stress and 28% less deflection than a typical 5/16" x .080" wall Chromoly pushrod.
Regarding the head work of your 243/799 heads. A bowl-blend and a slight mill of the deck will go a long way. Smooth out the combustion chamber for a more efficient combustion cycle and mill the deck .010"-.020" for a compression bump. Added compression is a hp/tq gain across the board. Add in some .040" head gaskets to reduce the quench distance and help all of the above even more. With .010" milled off the heads and a .040" head gasket you'd be right around 10:1 static compression. With a good custom tune, you should still be safe for towing that pontoon boot on 87 Octane. If you don't mind going to 91 or better for towing you'll be able to squeeze a bit more out of it.
For the AFM and VVT delete we have you covered.
- AFM Delete Kits
- VVT Delete Kits
We could always help you put your own AFM/VVT delete kit together as well.
The planned long tubes and exhaust along with the tune will help squeeze everything out of it. This should be a fun daily that will drag that pontoon boat up and down the road without needing to zing the motor up to get going.
The following users liked this post:
Carl '69 (10-20-2023)
10-20-2023, 11:36 AM
#10
Teching In
Thread Starter
Hate to say but your not going to get much more down low without boosting it. Headers, a good tune and gears would probably help the most. The vast majority of cams are designed to move the power band up into the rpm range. If you want a cam look into the btr truck series of cams. I’d just buy a blower and run it on a stock setup, with a bigger pulley it would drive like a diesel and get great economy at low boost.
OP,
We got your PM but figured we'd reply here to engage with you and the always helpful PT community!
@68Formula is spot on as usual. The SUM-8727R1 "Torkinator" would be the way to go here. With specs of .550/.550, 200/205, and 113+4 with -23* of overlap it'll give you the torque and throttle response you're after. It'll have a smooth idle with excellent manners and maintain efficiency. All while giving it a pep in its step from idle through the mid-range. It will carry power out near 6,000 rpm if you are feeling sporty. It'll be happy with budget-friendly LS6-Style springs. If the budget permits the Trickflow by PAC .600" lift beehives are a nice upgrade.
You'll want some upgraded pushrods. With the 8727R1, we typically see a 7.400" pushrod used. Things can vary so we always recommend measuring for pushrod length before purchasing pushrods. If you don't already have a pushrod length checker we offer the Trickflow TFS-9501. For pushrods, we recommend a minimum of a 5/16" Chromoly pushrod with a .080" wall. You can typically find a set of 16 for around $100. From there you can get into a thicker wall or larger diameter pushrod. For excellent stability and strength check out our 11/32" HDR pushrods with a .120" wall. These have 25% less stress and 28% less deflection than a typical 5/16" x .080" wall Chromoly pushrod.
Regarding the head work of your 243/799 heads. A bowl-blend and a slight mill of the deck will go a long way. Smooth out the combustion chamber for a more efficient combustion cycle and mill the deck .010"-.020" for a compression bump. Added compression is a hp/tq gain across the board. Add in some .040" head gaskets to reduce the quench distance and help all of the above even more. With .010" milled off the heads and a .040" head gasket you'd be right around 10:1 static compression. With a good custom tune, you should still be safe for towing that pontoon boot on 87 Octane. If you don't mind going to 91 or better for towing you'll be able to squeeze a bit more out of it.
For the AFM and VVT delete we have you covered.
- AFM Delete Kits
- VVT Delete Kits
We could always help you put your own AFM/VVT delete kit together as well.
The planned long tubes and exhaust along with the tune will help squeeze everything out of it. This should be a fun daily that will drag that pontoon boat up and down the road without needing to zing the motor up to get going.
We got your PM but figured we'd reply here to engage with you and the always helpful PT community!
@68Formula is spot on as usual. The SUM-8727R1 "Torkinator" would be the way to go here. With specs of .550/.550, 200/205, and 113+4 with -23* of overlap it'll give you the torque and throttle response you're after. It'll have a smooth idle with excellent manners and maintain efficiency. All while giving it a pep in its step from idle through the mid-range. It will carry power out near 6,000 rpm if you are feeling sporty. It'll be happy with budget-friendly LS6-Style springs. If the budget permits the Trickflow by PAC .600" lift beehives are a nice upgrade.
You'll want some upgraded pushrods. With the 8727R1, we typically see a 7.400" pushrod used. Things can vary so we always recommend measuring for pushrod length before purchasing pushrods. If you don't already have a pushrod length checker we offer the Trickflow TFS-9501. For pushrods, we recommend a minimum of a 5/16" Chromoly pushrod with a .080" wall. You can typically find a set of 16 for around $100. From there you can get into a thicker wall or larger diameter pushrod. For excellent stability and strength check out our 11/32" HDR pushrods with a .120" wall. These have 25% less stress and 28% less deflection than a typical 5/16" x .080" wall Chromoly pushrod.
Regarding the head work of your 243/799 heads. A bowl-blend and a slight mill of the deck will go a long way. Smooth out the combustion chamber for a more efficient combustion cycle and mill the deck .010"-.020" for a compression bump. Added compression is a hp/tq gain across the board. Add in some .040" head gaskets to reduce the quench distance and help all of the above even more. With .010" milled off the heads and a .040" head gasket you'd be right around 10:1 static compression. With a good custom tune, you should still be safe for towing that pontoon boot on 87 Octane. If you don't mind going to 91 or better for towing you'll be able to squeeze a bit more out of it.
For the AFM and VVT delete we have you covered.
- AFM Delete Kits
- VVT Delete Kits
We could always help you put your own AFM/VVT delete kit together as well.
The planned long tubes and exhaust along with the tune will help squeeze everything out of it. This should be a fun daily that will drag that pontoon boat up and down the road without needing to zing the motor up to get going.
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