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This question is for John Coffey or Mr Mortenson, concerning the alignment of the Drive Shaft in relation to both the third member and tailshaft of the transmission, if there is other than 3 degree opposite angles on each, can a CV joint at say the differential end of the shaft solve any potential vibration problems? Would like to know first hand experiences concerning this alignment issue. Thanks.

Mike: Question. Did you put a baffled oil pan on the engine such that during corners there is uninterrupted flow of engine oil? I put an 7-8 quart baffled oil pan on a SBC 383 stroker but am concerned about loss of oil pressure during hard corners. What has been your experience about this when in high G corners?

For my 383 stroker I picked the AFR-195 cylinder heads. They out flow any others of the same size. Looked at the $2000 AFR-195 heads at SEMA in Las Vegas and they have the same porting as the newest efficient GM/Corvette cylinder heads. Additionally, went with 6" rods and SRP professional pistons to reduce reciprocating weight and internally balanced same with Scat Crank and Rods. Also only trust front FLUID filled balancer/damper not any of that rattling crap or rubber. To reduce spark scatter at the distributor used PRECISE Jackson Timing Gear Drive which will far outlast chain drive which develop slack which translates to spark scatter at the distributor. Used highly baffled oil pan along with Big Block Oil Pump for even less spark scatter.

What makes the LSx motors better over the traditional SBC?

The greatest asset to performance would be good aluminum cylinder heads. What length Rods are being used in the build?

The stock fuse block is OK provided the connections that may be corroded are cleaned up. Additionally, the headlight circuit should have a relay added as this is a heavy current draw and more susceptible to bad connections and voltage drop. Any high current such as Alternator or Electric Radiator Fan should be wired with appropriate size wire, relays and fuses. Put a heavy fuse block in the engine compartment for the alternator heavy current feed to the battery. Same with the Electric Radiator Fan and add a relay for control of same. Running Lights, interior lights etc can be changed over to LED replacement bulbs which have a much lower current draw. Remove the turn signal and headlight stalk switches and carefully clean up lube the contacts with clear silicon grease. If all the former is done, then all should be good for many years to come.

Inline6: NewZed is correct about the squish situation. The piston should have the same squish pad as that of the cylinder head or greater. The cylinder head could have more squish pad area to enhance squish. Then have the dish portion of piston deep enough to accommodate the proper static compression ratio. Good close squish is essential to avoiding detonation. The more squish the better. Additionally, the piston crowns, cylinder head chambers, quench pads, exhaust port, exhaust intake valve chamber faces should be ceramic coated.

Mikelly: A PVC valve in the valve cover with hose to carb/intake manifold fitting with orfice installed for small amount of vacuum to valve cover/crankcase.

The Swede: David Vizard's book: http://www.amazon.com/David-Vizards-Build-Horsepower-Design/dp/1934709174/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

gvincent: The LT-1 engine with the proper OBD1 ECM is a VERY good combination. I had a 1994 Buick Roadmaster with a LT-1 and it accelerate like crazy and got good mileage on the Freeway. Sold it to my son and it is still going strong and still getting good mileage. Stroking the LT-1 to 383 cu in with good aluminum heads and performance intake and cam should be a real performer. Displacement for displacement, induction for induction, the only advantage to the LSx engines over the Gen I and II SBCs is the availability of FACTORY produced aluminum blocks for weight purposes. Other than that there are no advantages.

michaelp: It seems the older style 12 bolt intake manifolds may work. The LT-1 cylinder head does not have coolant ports to the intake manifold but that should not be a problem. Suggest trying a dry fit of an older style intake manifold to see if the LT-1 water pump can be retained and not interfere with the older intake manifold. The other concern may be the steam ports/hoses at the rear of the LT-1 cylinder heads keeping them intact. Interested to know how this works out.

Newbie: Purchase David Vizard's latest performance book and follow suggestions contained in same before starting on engine rebuilds.

wrcbonk : Really like the photos. Thanks much for them. One question, where did you purchase that power strip that is on the bench. Have been looking for just that type of power strip. Please advise. Thanks.

Better go easy on that R180 Rear Differential with that LSx V8!

Read that article. Amazing that the pistons, rods or crank DID NOT FAIL. Really says something about heat and the top ring gap when using a lot of boost.

Pyro has the solution with the bullet glass packs which cut out the high frequency audio components of the sound. Then all that is needed is a free flow muffler to attenuate the low freq component.

Peej410: Summit Racing has late model Gen I SBC one-piece rear main seal blocks prepped for 383 stroker for $600-700. Much better than the earlier 2 piece rear main seal blocks as they used modern machining techniques. Stoke for stroke, bore for bore there is NO ADVANTAGE to an LSx block period. For equal displacement they will both produce the same horsepower and torque. The Gen I parts will be cheaper and just as good as the LSx parts. A Dart block is nice but has siamese cylinders where as the later production block has cooling jackets all around the cylinders. The Dart block is 2 piece rear main seal versus the 1 piece rear main seal. The LSx engines have cathedral type intake ports and the latest ones have rectangular intake ports. The rectangular ports have always had better flow characteristics and GM has gone back to them on the late LSx engines. AFR makes the best cylinder heads by far. The competition heads have the latest cylinder head CNC porting available. Extensive testing of flow values and port configurations has gone into these heads.

There is only one BIG problem with the L28 and that is cylinder head cooling on cylinders 5 and 6. Sounds like a casting problem, a design error and possible crud buildup on top of it. One of the most important pieces of the engine concerning performance and economy. Old technology pistons and chain drive cam are also down sides. Positive side is reliability. SBC V8 can be built up with Modern Tech Pistons, Rods, Crank, Cylinder Heads, Camshaft and Induction for about the same cost as rebuilding the L28.

Vega: As was recommended before the L98 heads would be good if you can find a good used set which is unlikely. Recommend saving your money and going to KMJ on Ebay and purchasing a new set of 190 cc intake aluminum heads complete for $650. The cylinder heads are the key to good and efficient performance. Same with the camshaft. Use good Hyper pistons, zero deck the block, use MLS head gaskets, use cylinder head STUDS!! and you will get optimum sealing. Use good (Loctite) thread sealer on the studs so there are no coolant leaks. Use ARP thread lube on the washers and nuts on the studs. Do it right the FIRST TIME. You should be able to reuse or sell the cylinder heads if needed. Use Loctite 598 sealer on the other gaskets as it seals well and removes easily. Use a good NEW oil pump from Melling and new ARP oil pump drive shaft. Good oil pressure/flow and good coolant flow are very important. Hard to emphasize this enough. Use good quality oil pan gasket, NOT CORK and adequate 598 sealer on the gasket and pan. Don't need 598 on engine block to pan gasket surfaces.

The dome light wire is hot all the time when the battery is connected and its fuse is in place. It goes to one side of the dome lamp. The other side of the lamp goes to the door open/closed switch. When either door is open the switch provides a ground to light the dome lamp. The door switches can be paralleled such that either or all can light the dome lamp.

What are the goals for this engine? What is the budget for this build? What vehicle is this going into?

Very nice set of pictures and well documented. Keep up the good work.

Did not know Singh worked directly with the OEMs trying to prove his theory. Know absolutely nothing about B&S and their technology. It seems as though there is a lot of NIH syndrome here.

Have already seen others using the singh grooves. As said before, the grooves when properly done increase combustion flame travel for more complete combustion and therefore more efficient.

Search around on the Internet for places in Phoenix. They need to have a fixture for testing same. Likely it will cost the majority of the cost of new ones to have the old ones tested. There is a good injector sales shop on both the west and east coast. Again, do some searching on the Internet. West Coast is 5 "O" something. Reasonable costs for new injectors.