Originally Posted by
VHR
Mine is a 00 ls1, stock bottom end except for ls2 timing chain guide and ported oil pump. Oh, and the pistons I had to notch for valve clearance-I used an Isky tool that centers in the valve guides. I did have the pan off to clean the debris out from drilling the block for the chain guide, but not one rod bolt was loosened. Motor only has 40k on it.
The heads are home ported 5.3 with 2.00" Manley valves. I will tell you up front, the heads didn't turn out that well-flow too well at low lifts, too turbulent at high lifts. I learned first hand how peculier these heads are. Flat milled .050. Will not do that ever again, will angle mill. Try better next time.
This brings us to the root of all evil in this combo, the cam. Now remember, this whole deal was just an experiment. The cam was custom ground by Bullet cams.
.630/.640, 302/308 on a 109 ctr. The lifters are stock GM but blocked, limited travel approx .015. To use stock rockers I had to have pushrods made(Smith Brothers) and I ended up with about 8 different lengths over about an .025 range. I still had to do some shimming to the rocker pedestals. If you want to know how to make rocker shims from feeler gauge stock, let me know. I'm a believer in stiff pushrods so they are 3/8. Tight, but no clearance issues with stock rockers.
I really didn't intend to spin the motor this high but...my converter vendor missed my stall speed by, oh, about 3000 rpm. Flashed to about 2200. 1.7 60's. It was late in the year, two or three weeks left before the track closed, and I guess I did want to see where the motor would pull to and gears were cheaper than a day on the dyno. Out came the 4.10's in went some 4.88's. 60's came down to low 1.6's ant my best et came down to 11.36. Six hundredths slower than my buddies car.
This year, late again after learning to weld and putting a roll bar and a new converter in...I'm only 2 thousands away. But I'm not done yet. I have an LS6 intake cut open to shorten the runners and if I can get it to stop breaking the cut out section, I'm hopeful.
I hope I haven't bored you with too many "details". I may nut's but stand or fall, I have the satisfaction of knowing I did every GD thing myself except the trans.
I just counted my slips, 40 passes so far.
Vinny