Hey im new at the LS stuff and want to put one in my 1980 malibu street strip car. i have the chance to buy a all aluminum LS1 at the moment for a really good price, ive been on the hunt for a lq9 or lq4 but havent really found any. I would like to do a blowthru turbo setup on either motor but ive seen the 5.3's and 6.0l's take alot of abuse and handle a turbo very well with 7 or so pounds of boost. Is the ls1 comparable in strenth to the 5.3/6.0? is there anything different with the ls1 thats outdated compared to the 5.3/6.0? like cylinder head port design? should i keep hunting for a 5.3/6.0? or jump on this 5.7 ls1? thanks guys for any input!!
81maliblue
ls1 vs. lq4/9
1 reading
7 lbs of boost (I'll assume a TC78 turbo since it's popular) is fine with an LS1. I'd run a set of ARP head studs, and when you tune it, have your tuner take extra timing out once your IAT's are above 150F to be safe.
thanks for the input, i was originally wanting a 6.0 with a bw s400, but i might just jump on the ls1 i do want to put more boost to it as i get familiar with this whole turbo thing tho
i had a ls1 with only head studs and rod bolt running a gt47-80 at around 16-18 psi and it lasted all race season until i think detonation took out a piston. either will work great at under 10lb and you will save a little weight with the ls1
Any of these will live if you watch the plugs for detonation... once that sets in, doesn't matter what the block, pistons, rods and crank are made off... it's going to be junk.
Even with a good amount of boost, that short block can take it. Personally I would prep a set of 317's for it with good valves, good valve job and some smooth decks on the heads and block. Put a nice turbo cam in there and let it eat.
Bret
Even with a good amount of boost, that short block can take it. Personally I would prep a set of 317's for it with good valves, good valve job and some smooth decks on the heads and block. Put a nice turbo cam in there and let it eat.
Bret
I agree with the above.
The LS 1 of course is lighter, being aluminum.
The gen III engine is quite modular in design, in that you can switch heads, oil pans, and intakes.
The LS 1 was designed for higher compression. The LQ 9 is higher than the LQ 4.
If weight is not an issue and you want to do this on the cheap, get the LQ 4 and a set of 317 heads. ARP rod and head bolts, and you'll run forever at 8 lbs of boost.
The 317 heads are very similar to the 243 heads in design. Their just larger in cc and therefore lower in compression. And you can buy them for $200 or sometimes less.
That being said, there's guys pushing 10 lbs on a stock LS 1 and the engines are still going.
As has been said before, keep an eye on your timing. Detonation will kill the piston long before boost will.
Good luck with your build.
The LS 1 of course is lighter, being aluminum.
The gen III engine is quite modular in design, in that you can switch heads, oil pans, and intakes.
The LS 1 was designed for higher compression. The LQ 9 is higher than the LQ 4.
If weight is not an issue and you want to do this on the cheap, get the LQ 4 and a set of 317 heads. ARP rod and head bolts, and you'll run forever at 8 lbs of boost.
The 317 heads are very similar to the 243 heads in design. Their just larger in cc and therefore lower in compression. And you can buy them for $200 or sometimes less.
That being said, there's guys pushing 10 lbs on a stock LS 1 and the engines are still going.
As has been said before, keep an eye on your timing. Detonation will kill the piston long before boost will.
Good luck with your build.
I think the iron blocks are stronger. My concern with the LS1 is the thin cylinder walls. But there are many who have LS1's that live under boost, and many who took out pistons as well. Open the top ring gap on the LS1 to around .028 if you go that route. I would also look into the LS6 cooling vent setup or go with the Curt Urban designed four corner head vent setup.
I'd prefer the iron blocks. Either will live, but the iron blocks are stronger and more rigid. Plus, if you do take out a piston, you'll probably only need a slight hone, while an aluminum block would likely be trash or a good candidate for MID sleeves.
So a 5.3 around here in Chicago can get as cheap as $500. If you can get an LS1 that cheap I'd jump on it, they are usually $1200-1700.
I'm not sure how big that turbo is, 75 or 80mm? Either way, at 7 psi with either long block is fine. Up to 10 psi with appropriate fuel and timing is not in the danger zone. For 15-18 psi you would need race gas, E85, or alch/meth/water injection plus very carefully selected timing. Figure the LS1 is 350rwhp stock with boltons. @ 15 psi you are at 700rwhp, give or take, but that's double the atmosphere. So at 7 psi you might be 500-575rwhp, and that's nothing for a stock LS1. But when you get to 600+ rwhp, you are running out of your ability to tune on just pump gas. At that point it's meth injection, E85, mixing in race gas. Lastly, you can figure that a 5.3 puts out about 10% less power stock than a 5.7 LS1.
I'm not sure how big that turbo is, 75 or 80mm? Either way, at 7 psi with either long block is fine. Up to 10 psi with appropriate fuel and timing is not in the danger zone. For 15-18 psi you would need race gas, E85, or alch/meth/water injection plus very carefully selected timing. Figure the LS1 is 350rwhp stock with boltons. @ 15 psi you are at 700rwhp, give or take, but that's double the atmosphere. So at 7 psi you might be 500-575rwhp, and that's nothing for a stock LS1. But when you get to 600+ rwhp, you are running out of your ability to tune on just pump gas. At that point it's meth injection, E85, mixing in race gas. Lastly, you can figure that a 5.3 puts out about 10% less power stock than a 5.7 LS1.
well thanks guys, the more i look on yellowbullet the easier it seems to reach my goal, thank you all for the info!
I paid $505 for a L33 engine complete, and when I say complete I mean it! Pulling the 799s (243 castings) off and going to have them worked over. Dunno about the block, I had it sonic tested and I'm good to go at 3.907 and then some but I'm considering keeping it at a 3.8 or 3.820 bore. I'm just wondering how much I'll lose due to valve shrouding with the smaller bore. Not to mention it weighed 96 lbs less than my LM7 iron 5.3.
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