rjwz28

Who sleeved the blocks that your friends had issues with?

1994Vmax

iTrader: (4)

A friend of a friend of mine had some major problems with the 454 LSX as well. Slightly different as he bought a boat with the engine in it. The first one lasted around 2 hours and lost compression in one cylinder. GM warrantied the engine so it was pulled and replaced with a new one. Second run it lasted another couple hours and did the same thing again on the same cylinder ( new engine remember).

This time they farmed it out to a machine shop to have it diagnosed. Piston and sleeve damaged in one hole only. Machine shop rebuilt it, tossed it back into the boat and it lasted another 10 hours and cratered again ( dead hole again)...............

At this point the owner had a 6.2 ( L92) installed with a supercharger and hasn't looked back. The 454 he had the entire time was naturally aspirated...

I would love to know why one cylinder was failing only as I had played the idea of getting one someday to make a turbo'd modern powertrain 454 SS Chevelle.

I would have to ask Jon again what cylinder it was that was failing in it as I don't remember. Maybe a cooling issue or a tuning issue but it was odd it was the same cylinder everytime.

rjwz28

That idea had crossed my mind a time or two as well; it has been a while since I made up my mind to go with ERL if I ever go for a big-inch LS build. Less weight than the LSX in a package that has been proven in builds from mild to wild by the likes of Kurt Urban.

MyLS1Hauls

iTrader: (2)

Yes, there have been some issues with "core shift" on some earlier 454 LSX blocks, which can result in thin cylinder walls on one side. For that reason, I wouldn't super or turbo one. If you don't like the cast iron 454, then buy an ERL or RHS...clearly those are the two you have a hard on for. That's the beauty of having multiple options...you get to pick the one that works best for you.

And I never said the LSX was the ONLY motor to consider...but the guy above was asking for a good option for a daily driver that has good street manners. You buy the long block, it's at the dealership in a week, and you install. It has a good warranty as well. For me to consider a motor truly "daily friendly", it has to be capable of going 100k miles without needing more than an oil change, idle perfectly, get reasonable mileage, and be quiet. The LSX will do that. I've seen too many motor builds turn into a complete mess, and it ties the vehicle up for months. Wouldn't have to worry about that here. There are dozens of options, and mine was merely a suggestion.

As for dropped sleeves...the only name I'll mention is the Dart "6 bolt head" block. It dropped several sleeves after a few hours of run time at 1000+hp. The other ones aren't ERL or RHS.

rjwz28

I'd like to try an ERL big-inch in a DD at some point... I have no idea how it would do on the street over the longterm for 100k miles, as you stated. Most of the ones I saw in street cars were in the typical weekend toys, like built Corvettes, Camaros, and GTOs. I just like aluminum engines in general; the only reason I have a "hard-on", as you say, for the ERL and RHS products is because they have proven to be the most reliable aluminum blocks I have seen in big-inch or high-boost builds. I like the idea of the LSX (moreso when it first came out), and feel that the 376, 402, and 427 builds have enormous bang for the buck for a moderate-budget boosted build, especially one where the extra weight might not be as much of a concern (like a drag class where weight limits are in place anyway). It is also a great candidate for a drop-in, as you said.

MyLS1Hauls

iTrader: (2)

I understand what you're saying. I don't like unnecessary weight either, and would prefer an aluminum motor. But I've learned the hard way...For a daily driver, reliability and up time come first...everything everything else comes second. And not saying the ERL or RHS motors aren't reliable enough...They very well could be...

LivNLo94

Well guys, the dealership took the truck back no questions asked. Im picking up another black denali truck tomorrow. Bone stock :-(

NKPPhil

Hooah!

(You'll have plenty of time to mod it, exactly the way you want.)