Well I finally caved and going LS. Got the sbc out of the car and acquired new engine to build. It is a gen 4 5.3 aluminum block. #ad
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Alum LS, that's a good score. Can't wait to see how this one runs in that Tri five. I've been looking for 2 dr, doors for my 57 to convert it to a 2 door post and holy crap!!! they must be gold. Always loved the tri fives though.

 

I have a set of original sheetmetal doors saved but depending on what your trying to make the car id just go fiberglass.

 

Price of the doors and then you got to buy glass and regulators and it gets expensive. New steel doors are a $1000 a piece!

 

Very exciting! I really like the wheel choice too.

I saw you had a sniper before. You going terminator X on this one?

 

Thanks wheels are just jegs brand spikes but I like them. More then likely I will end up with terminator setup because id like to keep it somewhat on a budget as most these days. But if a good deal pops up or I somehow make some extra money ill try and go for the HP as ill be able to run ntk sensor for leaded race fuels which would be nice. Also has some other benefits over the basic terminator x.

 

So I picked this motor up from someone I know and the story was it had a bad lifter like most are known for with the dod or afm. Got it apart and sure enough one was certainly no good. Little bummed they must of ran it for a little bit like that and have some minor scores in the main, rod and cam bearings. Im unsure if i should change them or not or just give them a little polish lol. Obviously will clean all oil passages. #ad

 

If they're showing more than typical wear i'd personally change them out. The AFM tends to be rough on the cam bearings, and the factory bearings are somewhat known to spin in the block.

 

Im looking at king xp bearings for rods and mains. Was trying to find durabonds for cam. I didnt want to change them if they werent that bad in hopes wont mess with the “magic” from the factory all these junkyard builds claim lol Also read that cam bearings are a pain in the LS but ive never done any so not sure.

 

Pretty much every time there is an oil down at the track, it's a junkyard LS. Just rebuild it and put some decent rods and pistons in, please. This is so overdone and like a trip to the casino, you're luck determines your outcome. Good luck with it. Aluminum block is a plus.

 

Fair enough lol I wont chance the bearings then. However seems like the pistons and rods hold up in most junkyard builds who arent going for max effort with cam and common other upgrades. Personally I would like to keep the overall cost down but im not against replacing them. Do you have any suggestions on pistons / rods?

 

Most guys go with summit. I believe they have a piston and rod upgrade kit. And most failures are pistons followed by rods. They are powdered metal and wish to return to that state.

 

Thanks for the info. Ill have todo some searching but I see they have few options with different compression ratios. I know on my previous combo had to have somewhat low compression to keep it happy on 93 pump but are the LS any different? My instinct is telling me nothing over 10:1 if running pump gas.

 

I would go with 10 to 1. Just keep sane on timing. That's what kills most of these ls swaps is rhe guys chasing a number and cramm8ng too much timing into it.

 

Yeah thats what I figured, thanks.

 

Why we hating on the ls? Gen 4 rods are reliable at near 4 digit hp, just use some common sense. The pistons are a weak point, but again have made some really good reliable hp. The only ls's that scatter are guys pushing them much too hard, or someone with a horrible tune. That'll happen with any sbe build (or even the built ones).

 

My 2 cents on cr... 9-9.5:1 on mild cam, stockish rpm. Gonna spin it to 7500 or more? More cam, and more cr. The few hp you gain isn't worth it when trying to make hp on crappy fuel. General rule of thumb is 3% for one whole number... boost more that makes up for that, and some, plus they make decent torque out of boost.

 

As much as id love to save the money and use the stock stuff, I also dont want to find myself later saying I wish I would of done this or that. Id really like to be able to push it and have it reliable when I get comfortable with it. Looking into the summit pro ls stuff. Seems like its rated for a decent amount of hp from what ive been reading. May even consider going with a full rotating assembly if its better peace of mind knowing what its rated for. Again I realize you could buy the best of the best and still scatter it with a bad tune lol

 

28 degrees total on a LS works good, the gen IV rods and pistons will hold up even with boost, need more power, add boost not timing. Reading plugs is the best way to sneak up on timing and a AFR gauge is a good thing to have boosted or NA.

 

I’m running my Gen 3 LS just to get me started. I too didn’t want the cost of a build and I have a lot to learn with my first boosted LS setup. Would rather scatter a stock setup if I make an error than an aftermarket bottom end. I figure I’ll keep a junkyard motor on deck and then build a good shortblock down the road after I get some experience with this setup. Obviously keep timing and boost humble, almost know your limits and stick to them as hard as that will be haha.