thunder550

iTrader: (70)

So I have a project in mind, and being the newbie that I am, wanted to run it by all of you and get some opinions. My truck is a 2001 5.3 Z71 extended cab. First, is it gonna be unrealistic for me to build up something that will push it into the mid to low 12 second 1/4 range and still be a good daily driver? I did some very brief calcs on the power-to-weight ratio of a new C6 Vette and found that in order to get the same, I'd need about 620hp. I realize I'm asking a lot of the truck, being that I like to off-road in it and tow a boat as well as go fast.The plan is to go from the 5.3 to a 6L and supercharge it. One question is which 6.0 to go to. I was looking at the LS2 crate motor, but I think I could build something off the 6L truck block for a lot less and still have comparable power.

Anyway, given what I've said above, what kind of recommendations would you all give me, what kind of things should I watch out for, etc etc? I did some looking around on the site and did some searches but didn't find much, so if I missed something I apologize. I'm looking for as much info as any of you are willing to give me. Thanks in advance!

Soquel

Search for LQ4, Radix, procharger and STS. If you ditch the grill guard you will prolly gain a 10th in the 1/4.

CAMMIN03'

iTrader: (1)

STS and a lq9

Faze2183

iTrader: (7)

ditch the grill guard go get u a www.roadarmor.com bumpers

gonzo 6.2

iTrader: (8)

You are logical in that you need more cubic inches VS 5.3 with ported heads and giant cam wanting to spin it to 7K.You have stated your goals,what is your budget and will you be paying someone to do the work or will you be doing it all yourself? you can find used LQ4 6.0s longblocks for $1200-$1500 or you can find new take outs for around the low $2k range,The high output higher compression Lq9 goes for around $300-$500 more.If you do a converter slightly stalled you could do a cam like 220/560 114LC.If you dont stall then a cam in the 212/550 114Lc range,you would need a custom tune or edit.Longtube headers for sure.Top it off with a radix or a turbo and you will be set.If money was no object then a stroked 6.0 to a 408 would be the cats meow under the forced induction.

thunder550

iTrader: (70)

I would prefer to keep it at or under the cost of the LS2, which would put me in the $5000-6000 range (without the s/c), although my budget will be fairly flexible...I'm expecting to be able to put about $800 a month or so into the truck, so overall budget is determined by how patient I want to be. I am planning to do the work at home, and have a friend who has torn down engines several times before to be my guiding light.

On the LQ4 vs LQ9 issue, a couple of the posts I read said something about how the LQ9 is not well suited for FI because the compression ratio is already high. How true is this? Another concern I have is drivability...this is going to be my daily driver when I'm done until I have enough $$ to buy my new GTO , which will probably be quite awhile. What does this mean for the 408 you mentioned? I don't know for sure, but it seems like stroked motors would not be as well-mannered on the road. As far as the headers go, I live in AZ pretty close to Arizona Speed & Marine, so I was planning on getting a set of their truck headers. I'm planning on needing a custom tune, and I haven't learned much about the cam numbers yet, so I don't have any feedback on that for now.

Are the LS2, LQ4, and LQ9 all compatible as far as engine mount positions go? The only concern that I've read about the LS2 is that my LS1 computer won't like the knock sensor, but it sounds like they are interchangeable without any mods beyond that. Is the same true for the LQ4&9? What are your opinions on weight savings vs cost on the iron vs aluminum blocks?

Thanks for the comments on ditching the grill guard...I wouldn't mind losing the one I have, but I'd have to have something better to go in it's place . I like the roadarmor website...those f***ers are intimidating! A little much for me though, I don't think it looks right unless the truck is lifted.

Faze2183

iTrader: (7)

id like to some day convert the whole truck to awd or well under the caddy set up or gmc set up....with the Lq9 and 4L80 tranny

thunder550

iTrader: (70)

Doesn't the Autotrac accomplish almost the same thing?

One other thing I forgot to mention about block choice is that I think if I get the LQ4 or LQ9 block I can use the Radix I have right now without changing anything. That would probably save me some big $$. Can the LS2, LQ4, LQ9, and LM7 (I think that's my 5.3 engine code) all share the same intake manifold?

99Silver6.0

iTrader: (1)

No. LQ4 and STS. You cant run as much boost on the high compression LQ9.

BADMOFO

Everyone has a different opinion of the term "Daily Driver". I sold my cammed 6.0L with mild bolt on's because I thought it was going to be too much for every day. By that I mean, poor gas mileage, hard on the trans, cam and idle issues, etc. I like my truck too much to NOT drive it everyday, so I figured I'd leave it alone. This is very addictive, and easy to get in too deep. I think you'd be best off asking someone like F8TLZ71, as he has a simillar truck and knocks off low 12's. I think he still does some weight reduction when running it, and also has a few other "track only" mods that he does, hence it really isn't a low 12 second truck every day that he drives it. He will also be able to let you know if it is a "daily driver"...at least by his interpretation of the term. Some guys gut their trucks and take the air conditioning off and all kinds of other stuff...and still call it a daily driver. Not me!