Hey Guys
Im going to jump in to a build on my LQ4 6.0 on my work van.
I wanted to get an idea of what things I should do to it wile its at the machine shop. LETS ALL KEEP IN MIND! IT'S NOT AN ALL OUT HP BUILD! I just wanted a very reliable emissions friendly, up the hp and since its a heavy work van more torque.

I already plan to do a cam, but haven decided which. Im in NJ and need to pass smog.
I keep reading about LS7 Lifters and LS2 retainers and I even read some where about drilling the plastic retainers for better oil return? any pics info on that?
High volume or high pressure oil pump or stock?
I didn't want to bore it if I didn't have to. I also want to consider the bang for the $ on the bore and new pistons....
What bearing, seals, gaskets.. brand I know we can order them till it gets torn down and mic'd, but just trying to gauge my parts cost. should I use a different rebuild kit example pistons out of a vette or something along those lines. Any help is greatly appreciated.

I just really want a very reliable motor with a little more power and torque. I got no plans of racing a cinder block of a work van!

Thanks

Don

Also Guys I will also be doing the 4L80E trans over probably at the same time, It will be getting a shift improver kit and a slightly higher stall converter, my trans shop owner also races so he knows what it needs but will still like to hear your suggestions!

 

Any body?

I know some one is gona say use the search this thread option.
I did but Im not getting to much on the conservative side.
Thanks,

Don

 

check out mine, https://www.performancetrucks.net/fo...d.php?t=485186

 

Looks Good
Did you ever finish it up? do you have any HP/Torque #s
What Was the final cost if you dont mind me asking?

 

no still getting everything together. the machine shop was a little pricey. without cam the shortblock and heads getting done was around 2k

 

I searched this site and a couple others about the differances between the LQ4 and LQ9 and aside from a different tune. The only differance seems to be rods and pistons that make a slightly higher CR. Is this correct and can I make my LQ4 an LQ9 with different rods and pistons and get a different tune? I am also going to do a cam, LS7 lifters oil pump and some head work. But the main question is can this be done and what's needed.

thanks

 

Hey Don, you can pretty much do whatever you want in NJ and still pass smog, as long as there are no codes in the PCM and all of the monitors have run, and the cats are still there for visual inspection. Our smog inspection consists of an OBDII plug in, a gas cap test, and that's it Tuning software, or a custom tune from BlackBear or Wheatley will take care of that, and will be necessary since you have plans for a cam anyway.

What year is your van? If it's 05+ you already have the LQ9 rods, just with dished pistons. If you want to keep costs reasonable and reuse your current pistons (as long as it doesn't need to be overbored), you can gain compression from milling your current 317 heads about .030-.040 and that will help some. Another option is to get some 243 casting heads, which have pretty much the same ports as the 317's, only with smaller combustion chambers.

You're right on track with the LS7 lifters and LS2 lifter trays, as for the oil hole mod, there may be a pic floating around the internal engine mod section, if not, pick up Will Handzel's book "How to Build High-Performance Chevy LS1/LS6 V-8s", and it has pics of the mod, as well as some other building tips.

How to Build High-Performance Chevy LS1/LS6 V-8s

I'd go with factory GM gaskets, and either factory or ARP head bolts and rod bolts. The ARP hardware isn't necessary for a mild build, but it's one of those things that's nice to upgrade while you're in there if you have the cash.

For the oil pump, I've never seen the need for anything more than the stocker for a mild build, as most of the GENIII's that I've seen have excellent factory oil pressure as long as the engine is mechanically sound. If I did want to upgrade and had a choice, I'd go with high volume over high pressure myself. Melling makes a nice aftermarket pump for a reasonable price, and aside from that, a stock replacement can be had for less than $100. Just be sure to get the red oil pump pickup o-ring or you may have oil pressure issues with the black/blue/green one. Don't be fooled by oil pumps tagged as "LS6 oil pump", as the 4.8, 5.3, 6.0, 5.7, etc all use the same exact pump. I wouldn't waste the dough for a "ported and blueprinted" pump either, don't see the necessity in it when the stock unit does such a good job on it's own

As for cam choice, I'm sure you know that the possibilities are endless, but you have to consider the weight of the van, it's intended use, the gearing, etc. For an application like yours, where you want good gains but want to retain good driveability and don't want to spend half of your work day at the gas pump, I'd recommend something like the Crane/Vinci Trucker (216/224 .551/.551 115), with a slightly higher stalled torque converter, around 2600, with a bigger diameter to retain part throttle street manners and help keep trans temps down. I think that your van will benefit from the trucker for a number of reasons...it doesn't have a ton of overlap and has proven to have a long, flat torque curve, due to the smaller intake duration and wide LSA. I'm not sure what kind of headers are available for your van, and how well the exhaust can be built, but the extra exhaust duration will help evacuate the cylinders if exhaust restriction is a concern. Not to mention, if you ever decide to install a supercharger, that's a perfect cam for it

If you run the cam with factory/factory ratio rockers, you can get away with using factory LS6 valvesprings, which will be kind to the valvetrain and provide for long, quiet spring life, something to consider on a daily driven work vehicle.

Gotta run and get my girl from day care...I'll try and check back later and see how the recommendations are coming along