FC3S Murray's never ending LS1 build

[RTRx7]

That is a beautiful car.

Can't wait to see the build progress.

[FC3S Murray]

Thanks for the advice sciff.

SOOOO I have been reearching more and more while awaiting messages in regards to rotary parts for sale.

I REALLY want to try to create a high qaulity LS1 set up that WILL yeild me at least 400 RWHP.  What I want to know what is a common "agreement" in performance cams and heads that will get me there.  I am AMAZED at how many brands are out there for SBC's and have no idea what is shit and what is top notch.

I have also read enough threads that I need to find a T56 that is either low miles OR rebuilt.....many members have rushed this portion and regretted it in the end.

I will contact PEZ in regards to mounts but am also contimplating having Brismo7 do my harness....anyone seen his work by chance?

And can someone exlpain this whole HP tuners credit thing? I assume that if I run a different head and cam in combination with my exhaust and LS6 intake that the OEM PCM will not due in terms of true motor potential. I keep finding these plug-n-play OBDII tuners and super chips but again.........I have no idea if they are a joke. I am just curious what to use for tuning this motor once I get my greedy little hands on it.

once again thank you guys for the direction and advice. I look forward to this journey with some new people and hope I can be a help in the future.

[sciff5]

Thanks for the advice sciff.

SOOOO I have been reearching more and more while awaiting messages in regards to rotary parts for sale.

I REALLY want to try to create a high qaulity LS1 set up that WILL yeild me at least 400 RWHP.  What I want to know what is a common "agreement" in performance cams and heads that will get me there.  I am AMAZED at how many brands are out there for SBC's and have no idea what is shit and what is top notch.

I have also read enough threads that I need to find a T56 that is either low miles OR rebuilt.....many members have rushed this portion and regretted it in the end.

I will contact PEZ in regards to mounts but am also contimplating having Brismo7 do my harness....anyone seen his work by chance?

And can someone exlpain this whole HP tuners credit thing? I assume that if I run a different head and cam in combination with my exhaust and LS6 intake that the OEM PCM will not due in terms of true motor potential. I keep finding these plug-n-play OBDII tuners and super chips but again.........I have no idea if they are a joke. I am just curious what to use for tuning this motor once I get my greedy little hands on it.

once again thank you guys for the direction and advice. I look forward to this journey with some new people and hope I can be a help in the future.

No problem I am just trying to take some of the load off the guys who actually know their shit. If this was the old site I'm sure some would ask you to do some more reading, but screw it we lost a lot of these good fundamental info threads and we're rebuilding slowly. Plus without help of this forum I would have never made it so I guess karma wise I owe a shit ton. =)

So there are several brands to choose from with the ls1 as well. Damn near anything you put on the motor will make power. These cars are not hard to pull more power out of but you'll go a lot further for your buck by spending wisely. There are a million different opinions on head and cam combos, but you can pull 400whp out of an ls1 with a good head/cam setup and the car will still be completly daily drivable even. So thats a good and achievable goal, from there its more of an uphill battle though and you'll spend more to get less. You can pull 500whp NA out of an Ls1 but it'll cost prob twice as much as 400whp NA and not have the street manners.

As for the T56 heres a heads up that may be a bit of a let down. Most camaro T56s shift like a truck, different shifters and fluids and even runnin certain clutches help. My t56 felt fantastic till I put an oz700 clutch in and I dont think the hydraulics were right ever since. Hoping with the new clutch it'll be back to awsome.

Your harness can be modified by any of the experienced guys. A few members do a plug and play unit with all the unused stuff trimmed off. This is a nice service and several guys on here do it. Its really pretty easy and I'm sure you could do it yourself but it'll save you lots of time.

Finally those plug in programmers/chips ect are all garbage and can even create dangerous lean conditions. Only way to get the most out of your car is get it tuned by a tuner or tune it yourself if you have the ability. HPtuners and Ls1Edit are the 2 main programs used and with them you can tune the factory PCM. Tuned factory PCMs and stock wiring harness/sensors have been used on several 1000+whp builds. No need for piggybacks or stand alones here, which meens more money in your pocket.

Honestly though I would get in touch with a reputable local tuner, and plan the build with them. Have them show you cars they have built before so you can get a feel for the final product before you have them do it to your car and they will guide you on what cam/heads ect to get as well as tune your car so that you actually recieve the benefits of the parts you've just slapped on. Tunes are generally 500$ up front and 150$ for retunes. Look up local tuners on the appropriate regional forum on ls1tech.com

[digitalsolo]

In regard to tuning:

How familiar are you with engine tuning?   The basics are the basics, rotary or not.   If you're familiar and competent rotary tuning, you can tune an LSx.     If you're not, I would recommend just taking it somewhere for a good solid dyno tune.

If you choose to do it yourself, HP Tuners or EFILive are your best bets.    The standard packages have enough credits to tune your car, and a couple others (or to run custom enhancements, which generally aren't needed for a 400 RWHP setup).

If Brismo is doing harnesses, you can trust him, 100%.   Pez also does them FWIW.

[FC3S Murray]

GREAT stuff guys, thank you!

I will have to look into local tuners BUT I am in Montana and tuning of any sort is few and far between.

I am very competant with rotary tuning and know basic engine tuning...I will just havee to study N/A tuning, all my experience is boost related.

As for the T56 heres a heads up that may be a bit of a let down. Most camaro T56s shift like a truck, different shifters and fluids and even runnin certain clutches help. My t56 felt fantastic till I put an oz700 clutch in and I dont think the hydraulics were right ever since. Hoping with the new clutch it'll be back to awsome.

Any clutches out there that are streetable and will not cause this little hic-up?

Finally those plug in programmers/chips ect are all garbage and can even create dangerous lean conditions. Only way to get the most out of your car is get it tuned by a tuner or tune it yourself if you have the ability. HPtuners and Ls1Edit are the 2 main programs used and with them you can tune the factory PCM. Tuned factory PCMs and stock wiring harness/sensors have been used on several 1000+whp builds. No need for piggybacks or stand alones here, which meens more money in your pocket

I will have to look into this. I was on there website today and it looks just as in depth as a stand alone.

I also ordered the book, "How to build a high powered LS1/LS6" on amazon to get some fundemental info on these platforms.

I would love to find a low mile used motor with a cam and head job already done BUT I know doing a cam isnt hard BUT head work is time consuming. I really have a lot of time so unitl I reach my funding goals I will continue to research.

[Project86]

Murray... you car is crap!!!!!

[FC3S Murray]

You just wait Kyle 


SO I have searched but am still unclear what mazda harnesses I can get rid of....I imagine I can ditch both my engine harness(inj clips/emissions/coolant temp) and my IGN/alternator harness?  I know I will need to keep the one that goes across the front of the car to the relays and lighting correct?

Another question: I am eyeballing the Grannys Deluxe engine mount kit that comes with the driftshaft/radiator/mounts ect.  Is this REALLY a great bang for the buck purchase or is it cheaper to go seperate. Reason I ask is driveshaft price seems high compared to ebay listings.

I also keep seeing multiple pics of certain LS1 FC's with the brake proportioning valve rotated and some left in the stock configuration?  What gives

I have been reading up on these motors and really have been reading up on camshaft mods in regards to duration. In N/A applications for the LS1 we want a higher intake duration then the exhaust duration since the LS1 already flows exhaust very well....correct?


Last question promise.....Any one have any favorable exhuast pipe routing layout on the FC.  I imagine this  is going to be the most involved fabrication mod for this swap and just want to know what to expect especially if I go with the granny trans mount for the T56.

Thanks agian guys.......btw I ordered a How-to mod your LS1/LS6 book to better inform me so I am not so ignorant lol.

[digitalsolo]

The only harness you need is the one with the lighting relays in it, and you can clean out a fair amount of that one while you're at it.   I've got Azar's car apart for wiring right now, so I'll snap some pics for you tomorrow.

Also, you'll need to split out the wiper harness on the passenger side for your windshield wipers.

I can get some pics of Azar's exhaust as well, he has a pretty nice setup.

-Blake

[FC3S Murray]

Thanks Blake, you rock man!

[digitalsolo]

There are a couple pics of the bay wiring on Azar's car here if you wanna take a look.   

[FC3S Murray]

So it looks like I have found a motor from a 2004 GTO with 38,7XX on it(not 100% final but the buyer and I came to a "unofficial" deal until 2-3 weeks from now).  It wil include the manifold/s, alternator, PS pump, coils TB, Maybe mounts(will have to confirm). It doesnt come with the PCM or harness but I am sure I can find one.

I have found a re-built/upgraded transmission as well and am awaiting word from another seller on his price.

I am stoked because this LS1 has all the OEM upgraded goodies. Anyone know if anything about the GTO set up going to make things any different then if I went with a F-body motor?


My rotary motor/turbo set up  has sold to good friend friend and will cover the cost of the GTO LS1. Hopefully the rest of my accessories can cover a transmission and the bracket set up at least.  The headers, cam, head work, PCM, harness, exhst piping, short shifter, FAST 90MM TB, fuel rails and other goodies will come in time lol.


Anyone know any input on the BBK intake manifolds made for the LS1. They look tits and have a great HP bolt on claim.......if I get this motor I know it already had the LS6 intake but it is always fun to look.

[digitalsolo]

You will need an F-Body pan, pickup and windage tray.   Everything else should fit.   I would go with Pez's motor mounts, so you will also need C5/C6 engine pedestals.

You'll probably lose power with the BBK setup, though they do look cool. 

[FC3S Murray]

Windage tray?

Yeah I thought the BBK was more hype then anything but they do look tits lol.

Pez sent me a pic of his mounts...i like!! You are running them right Blake?  The price is very nice too.

[sciff5]

just unbolt the oil pan and you'll see the oil pickup and the windage tray. It'll become clear the second you see it.

You can see the oil pickup and the windage tray in this pic

[digitalsolo]

Sciff posted a great picture.   Windage tray is the metal "pan" bolted between the crank and the oil pickup.    FWIW, it's job is to keep the crank relatively free of oil (splash from the pan and stuck to the crank) to reduce foaming and resistance to movement of the crank through the oil. 

I do have the Pez mounts.   I absolutely love them, I wouldn't recommend them if I didn't.   

-Blake