Pop N Wood Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 All true, but with an LS7 you would be one bad ass mofo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DiZeased_240 Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 With a compentent machine shop you can make your own 7.0 liter/427 out of the current LS1/LS6. Lingenfelter and MTI have been doing this conversion for a while. You can buy the larger sleeves from GM or Lingenfelter. Check out this Car and Driver article from 2001: http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=26&article_id=3414&page_number=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZHeadV8 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 Thanks again guys - this is seriously helpful stuff. The car will be totally bare shelled, totally stitch welded (yes EVEYWHERE, EVERY SINGLE JOINT) and have a firewall transplant to RHD by February. It will be painted in March, have suspension and brakes in it by April / May so I am looking for an engine supplied to the UK by June, sounds like the LS7 will not be available. These timescales are driven by funding, I am putting down about $5-6K per month, cant afford to go too much faster, the odd month I will be able to double up but not often. The brakes are about $5K as is the suspension, the paint is from House of Kolor and will be a b*tch to apply but it will be worth it. Going for a pearl. Yes I know I should trial fit the engine first but the job is being done by a guy that has done it this way for Team Toyota many many times. The floor pan will be painted inside after the mounts have been welded, the underside will be done black. Assume that the cost effective option is an LS6 with a few tweaks to make 500BHP (More important to me will be the torque) then which ECM do you recommend ? Presumably not standard GM but an aftermarket one ? Mike, you mentioned LS1 Edit - I presume this is a piece of software to edit the ECM / ECU parameters. Where do I get it from please and do you know if it will work with the LS6 ? Assume I manage to get my paws on an LS7, apart from more torque and more HP are there any other benefits ? Obviously there will be "posing" points but other than that ? The old style to the LS series has very obvious advantages now you have all explained but the 6 to the 7 ? Thanks Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZHeadV8 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 Excellent write up DiZeased 240, thanks - have a nagging thought that a highly tuned, stroked engine whilst giving the same power will not be as well mannered as a factory supplied one with the same BHP, who knows, I have nothing to compare it to. Will check out LS6 prices online and see if I can get an LS7 price - cannot wait 10 months though ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 http://www.carputing.com will hook you up with the software to tune all LS1 and LS6 motors... And you're wrong when it comes to tuning the LS1/ LS6 motors... Of course, you have nothing to base your assumptions on, so I understand... The new generation of ECU based powerplants can handle A LOT of motor mods while retaining DEAD Accurate smooth idle, still knock down 26-28MPG and hammer 450+ at the wheels when tuned properly. It is ALL in the tuning with that software... If I could unload my NEW/ Yet to be installed 383 Stroker, I'd take my OTHER LS1 motor (Currently in my vette) and do a heads cam swap into it and freshen its bearings and rings, throw it in the Z with a custom bellhousing and my GForce T5. The LS1/6 motor was built for torque and I personally think that anything over 400HP will be a handfull to drive. When you add the 86 pound weight loss of the LS motor, then you're really talking fun! About two weeks ago a buddy brought his freshly tuned Heads/Cam Z06 by for a quick spin. His cam is MUCH more radical than mine will be, and his heads are ported and have a tad bigger valve. He's turning 486HP at the wheels... Car runs and sounds dead stock until you hit the gas. Because it is an electric lemans blue 2003 Z06, everyone who doesn't know C5s thinks it is bone stock. However, one ride in it will tell you this thing is a MONSTER! Before the mods, his motor laid down 362HP and 374#Ft. of torque. NOW he is pushing well over 100 additional HP with those simple bolt ons AND he had to pass emission right after it was tuned, which he did... and Virginia is a pain when it comes to emissions testing... He passed with flying colors using 112 LS split duration high lift cam! Get an LS6, and put some nice headers (May have to get customs made to fit the Z chassis) and a custom cam in it with a CAI and some custom computing, and you'll be into the 400+ Wheel HP range with ease... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZHeadV8 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 Thanks Mike - I am feeling really comfortable with the computer controlled FI route now as opposed to the NA route I was going in before. Sounds like the LS6 will be plenty powerful enough and a lot cheaper than trying to source an LS7 when they arrive. I will probably run the engine stock to start with but with custom mapping, you can buy 400HP crate LS6's, I have already seen them advertised, then if I want a bit hairier I can look at a cam. Thinking about it, 400BHP in a car that will weigh about 1200KG is a MONSTER power to weight ratio, far more than the likes of a BMW M3 - by the time the custom mapping is sorted I guess you are talking 430 / 440 maybe without bolt ons. You mention a CAI....... ignorant newbie kind of question but WTF is a CAI please ? Will ANY aftermarket ECU be ok or are there specific ones that work really well with the LS6 ? I want one you can plug a laptop into and load different maps at will. Emissions are not much of a problem here - you have to be running a smoking old wreck to run into that problem. People just tune lean, get the certificate then tune back properly if they need to. Custom headers ........ I have checked out all the links I have been given and John's Cars offer "ramshorn headers", they do not look like they were designed for performance to me, more like something off a truck. Would they be appropriate ? For the NA smallblock JTR offer nice ceramic coated Sandersen headers - will check out if anywhere does them for an LS6. I pm'd MikeJTR to see whether he could help with the LS1/6 kit and unfortunately he couldn't so I am planning to buy the John's Cars kit. Keep it coming guys - I have just managed about two months of learning in a week thanks to your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZROSSA Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 I think you will find that the power to weight is better then anything you can curenty buy. All the top ferrari's, Aston's and so forth weight over 1700 kg. The only thing that come close are the tvr's and porsche turbo. Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Cold Air Intake... CAI! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZHeadV8 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 OK - pretty much got my head sorted now, thanks. ZROSSA - my inspiration for a hybrid was a TVR Cerbera but done properly in a Z chasssis. My friend has a 4.5 Cerbera which is horrifically fast but goes round corners like damp string. I have had three Zs and am convinced I can make it as fast or faster but handle really well too. Was shocked at the price of LS1 edit but then realised I was looking at the wrong bits - all I need is a PCM locked version @ $450 ish - cheap when you think of the ability to unlock power, much cheaper than bolt ons. Now all I need to find is the engine - is an LS6 an LS6 regardless ?. I ask this question as I have seen you use the Z06 tag as well. Are they one and the same ? Should I be looking at any particular variant of the LS6 ? Back to the same question about computers - is there a preferred PCM unit ? Cheers Andy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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