LS1 Question

[FB85C10]

i just recently picked up a LS 6.0 motor out of a 2006 Chevy Express 2500 van for a great deal and i wanted to know what i can do to it to get more power out of it. What has everyone been doing to these motors to make more power? i was looking into maybe a mild turbo for this motor or just a rebuild with loopy cam, etc.. and it will only be for the street no track, any info would great, thanks!

[bbbc10]

the 6.0 you picked up is not really a ls1 all though its ls based......you can get good power from heads, cam, headers, tune if that's not enough you can get underdrive pulley intake manifold....basically a full bolt on motor will get good power....I got a buddy that has 6.0 in his c10 with headers tune cam an nos an its fast as hell seen many vids of him beating built Camaros mustangs etc

[PunishedC10]

It depends on your goals and your budget. The 6.0 came with iron heads in 99, there is a 6.0 lq4 and lq9 that was an iron gen III motor with 317 aluminum heads. If you want better power, you can go with aftermarket heads, port and polish the 317 heads (if this is what you have), or go with the 243 or 799 aluminum heads found on the ls6,ls2,ls4 and gen IV 5.3 motors. I am running an ls1 aluminum 5.7 stock bottom end with 243 heads. I have $1000 in my heads plus $250 or so for trunnion upgrades on the rockers, Lunati dual valve springs $275, comp cam pushrods $100...
but another important thing to support the cam is the transmission and stall converter.
You wont be happy with a cam without a stall convertor to support it if you're running an auto trans.
I'm using a 4l80e with a 3600 Circle D torque convertor. I have a thread if you want to see some of the parts I'm using.
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[mongocanfly]

yours is most likely a lq4 6.0....mine is a lq9 6.0...mine was making 346 hp and 365 torque on the dyno..stock except for headers and dyno tune...that's plenty of power for most trucks..
your lq4 should be around 322hp stock

[PunishedC10]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

yours is most likely a lq4 6.0....mine is a lq9 6.0...mine was making 346 hp and 365 torque on the dyno..stock except for headers and dyno tune...that's plenty of power for most trucks..
your lq4 should be around 322hp stock

Lots more then the squarebodies came with originally that's for sure haha. Headers, tune, and stall convertor helps a ton if on a budget.
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[emfh76]

How much power are you looking for? 400hp could be had with a mild cam and tune, and will be a handful in a pickup. Low end torque is what will make a truck feel fast. If it is a street only truck there is no need to turn a lot of rpms and no need for upgraded rod bolts. Pick a cam and converter that makes power down low and it should be easy to tune, get reasonable milage, and last a long time.

[andyh1956]

My son runs Ls engines now. Unbelievable power! He has a Trailblazer SS w/ 6.0 w/ a supercharger on it. His 4l60 has been built 3 times now...
He has a 6.0 on the engine stand w/ a Manley stroker kit in it, 408 cubes I think.

[jrcaprai]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

yours is most likely a lq4 6.0....mine is a lq9 6.0...mine was making 346 hp and 365 torque on the dyno..stock except for headers and dyno tune...that's plenty of power for most trucks..
your lq4 should be around 322hp stock

Was this At the Wheels or at the Crank ??

[mongocanfly]

i got mixed up on my numbers but the dyno sheet shows...

299.3 rwhp...345.8 rwtrq

344.2 enghp...397.7 engtq

[FB85C10]

Originally Posted by PunishedC10

It depends on your goals and your budget. The 6.0 came with iron heads in 99, there is a 6.0 lq4 and lq9 that was an iron gen III motor with 317 aluminum heads. If you want better power, you can go with aftermarket heads, port and polish the 317 heads (if this is what you have), or go with the 243 or 799 aluminum heads found on the ls6,ls2,ls4 and gen IV 5.3 motors. I am running an ls1 aluminum 5.7 stock bottom end with 243 heads. I have $1000 in my heads plus $250 or so for trunnion upgrades on the rockers, Lunati dual valve springs $275, comp cam pushrods $100...
but another important thing to support the cam is the transmission and stall converter.
You wont be happy with a cam without a stall convertor to support it if you're running an auto trans.
I'm using a 4l80e with a 3600 Circle D torque convertor. I have a thread if you want to see some of the parts I'm using.
Posted via Mobile Device

i have the 317 heads!!

[FB85C10]

thank you all for the great info!!! what motor mounts, headers, wats the biggest and loopiest cam, oil pan, etc.. do i use in my 85 c10 2wd truck that will work the best plus my truck being lowered i cant have really anything stick pass the frame rails? thanks!!!

WILL THIS WORK FOR MY TRUCK
http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/eng...-makes-464-hp/

[bbbc10]

search the forum plenty of answers here just gotta look for them

[mongocanfly]

on mine I used ebay adapter plates that puts the LS in the same location as the ol smallblock...if it came from a truck the LS oil pan will work fine with no mods needed..headers are another story..there's a lot more to choose from now than when I did mine but I had to mod my frame a good bit to get those on..nothing on mine hangs below the frame..for cams check out btr racing stage 2 and 3 cams....look at utube for how they sound..

[mongocanfly]

ive seen that superchev writeup before..but I'd skip puttimg a carb on a LS....my .02....the fuel injection on LS is a nice setup...

[FB85C10]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

ive seen that superchev writeup before..but I'd skip puttimg a carb on a LS....my .02....the fuel injection on LS is a nice setup...

can you use a fuel injected carb setup like fitech, holley, etc in place of carb?

[PunishedC10]

Yes you can, check out the Fitech website. They have a new LS ultimate intake with a kit. Are you wanting to run a carb style intake for the looks? An engine builder once suggested I run a carb on my square because it 'would make more horsepower'. For one he was completely false. Stuffing a carb on it won't create more horsepower. To me sticking a carb on it defeats the entire reason that I did the swap. You can run a Vic JR intake fit for the ladies heads and a 90 degree elbow if you want to. Make sure you stick with a set of either cathedral or rectangular port heads before you pick your intake to match.

[mongocanfly]

you can use one of the fuel injection carbs..by why...you'd be spending a pile of money to replace what's already a working fuel injection unit that's on your engine with fuel injection carb....like stated unless your doing it for looks..and if that's it check out dayj1 s build....http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=668385

[PunishedC10]

I am running homemade adapter plates from the ls1 block to the sbc clamshells. but will probably swap them for Tejas Steel Works. I know if you use their adapter plates, you won't have any issue with the oil pan hitting the ground. I am using a Tejas Steel Works transmission subframe and love it.
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[bbbc10]

if you are lowered your gona need to get a ls1 oil pan setup for clearance as truck pan will have problems with clearance

[mongocanfly]

^^^^not a problem on mine^^^^..my lq9 came from a escalade...absolutely no issues with the oil pan hanging below the frame or crossmember...mines not lowered but it would be a non issue

[PunishedC10]

Mine isn't bagged but isn't far from the ground. I am using an Fbody pan. I suggest using Tejas Steel Works motor mounts if you want a slammed truck and don't want to swap the oil pan.

[FB85C10]

thanks guys!!! what im gathering is pretty much keep the stock fuel injection that came with the motor and do some minor stuff like headers, cam, tune and i should get some more power out of it then stock and maybe heads later down the line? just correct if im wrong just wanna be sure cause i never did an LS swap and been reading up on it!! would it and how to get over 400hp plus some with just doing this without changing out the stock internals and for the motor to be safe?

this intake does the same thing as my stock intake but just looks nicer and cooler!! lol
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/h...make/chevrolet

where can i get a replacement cover for my intake?

i like this one but wont work on my motor
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/a...make/chevrolet

but i have this one
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/r...et?prefilter=1

[PunishedC10]

The Holley intake performs very well. If you get to a point where you want a turbo or two, I would suggest it. The ls1,ls6,ls2 intake will work with your heads, but they wont perform better then the truck intake you have.

[1-ton of fun]

aftermarket heads or ls3 square port heads and an longer duration cam will make that motor scream. if not enough, factory blowers from the corvette's and cts-v's can be easily adapted if running square port heads. still can be done with adapter plates on the cathedral heads as well.

[FB85C10]

here are some pics of my motor! the first pic is the wire plugged into each respected plug and wanted to know what to do with the rest that is hanging there? and the second pics i wanted to know wat the 2 hardlines are coming off the top of the oil filter? third pic is a plug on the side of head but i have 3 plugs that will plug into it but i dont know which one?