[BO185]

I got a deal on unused bare L92 heads, which included the off-set intake rockers and rails. Now need to finish them and figure out an intake.

The engine & trans arrived Tuesday, I picked them up yesterday and put it into storage for now. Need to finish another project first, then I can start pulling this apart.

The Truck intake will make more lowend torque. The car one will make upper rpm HP. The flows are about the same. I am not sure if the Fast intake for the Gen IV L92 heads is out yet, think it was 100mm? That would be your best bet!

With the car one you have to mod the truck accessories by moving a pulley and cutting of the alt braket alittle.

 

[five7kid]

Am I falling victim to head-in-the-sand syndrome, or is it possible this oil pan would work with a stock crossmember and steering link?

 

[BO185]

Am I falling victim to head-in-the-sand syndrome, or is it possible this oil pan would work with a stock crossmember and steering link?

The truck pan won't clear! You can get at least 50 bucks on E-bay for it. But the LH8 pan will I listed the P/n in another thread.

EDIT: You can sell the intake and 317 heads on E-bay as well. Seen the head as much as $300 bucks and intake for $100-200. They went down alot seen everyone is swapping to L92's and the market was flooded with alot of the 317 heads and intakes. They may even be less now.

 

[five7kid]

Anyone have a side-by-side of the LQ4 and LH8? I've seen pictures of LH8, I have f-body and LQ4 I can measure, but I'm not seeing the difference between LQ4 and LH8 that causes problems.

 

[BO185]

I think Sweden on here had pictures of the LH8 installed in a tri-five. http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15882

The sump causes the problems the LH8 is further back than the truck one giving more clearance than the truck one for the steering linkage.


Truck pan 2006-down 4.8, 5.3, 6.0, Truck/pan

F-body

LH8 pan

Note: Pictures taken from LS1tech oil pan thread! http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/817787-lsx-oil-pans.html

 

[five7kid]

A bit of an update.

I didn't mention it at the time, but I noticed when I was unloading the engine/transmission that there was fauna in the inlet duct (already removed the duct when I took the picture posted here) and the TB shaft wouldn't move. I documented those conditions and contacted the seller. They said it should be okay because they check over engines carefully when they suspect water may have gotten into them. This engine/transmission came from a van, so it has the air duct angled up to go over the top of the radiator support to the air cleaner, and they hadn't taken that duct off - I did to get it out of the way when lifting the engine. I said I was concerned water had gotten into the engine, they didn't think it was a problem but what did I want to do. I said I wanted to take the intake off and see what it looked like there. They agreed.

I took the intake off the next week and found water sitting on top of the intake valves that were closed. I documented that and got back with them. They offered to extend the guarantee until I got the engine installed and running, I didn't like that idea because (as I said) I'm not going to start this project until at least October. They offered to replace the engine, I didn't like the idea of splitting them, sending the engine back, and getting another from them. So, they again asked what I wanted to do, so I asked for a partial refund, I'd disassemble & rebuild the engine, and release them from the guarantee. They said they'd have to think about that. A couple of days later I got back with them and they didn't want to refund but again offered to replace the engine - and I wouldn't have to send this one back. So, I agreed to that.

They also admitted that the hood and air cleaner had been removed from the van and the engine left open for over a year. Being in a high rainfall and wind area, water got into the engine and they didn't properly check it out.

They sent out another longblock, from a 2004 van with 127k miles on it. In the meantime, I pulled the heads off the first engine to get the water out of it. Sure enough, several cylinders had water sitting on top of the pistons. I dried them all out and sprayed them down with AMSOIL MP to stop any damage. Amazingly there wasn't any evidence of corrosion on the cylinder walls. The engine obviously wasn't treated to regular oil changes, as there was about an eighth of an inch of oil crude in the heads and lifter areas. Just as amazing was there was still a hint of crosshatch in the cylinders and no ridge to even catch a fingernail on top of the cylinders.

The replacement engine arrived, had intake/injectors/TB/exhaust manifolds/water pump/flexplate, but no starter, alternator, AC, etc., and the harnessing had been clipped from whatever it went to. I didn't pull it down as far, but it was obviously much better cared for. They said the engine & transmission were pulled immediately after getting the van in and the tranny sold, and the engine was put on a rack inside. They checked it over more carefully to make sure this one didn't have water damage.

So, here's the plan as it stands now: The first engine will go in the '57 after being gone through. I've been looking at stroker kits, and a 4.005" x 4.00" version for 402 cid looks pretty good - forged pistons, choice of dome/dish, H-beam 6.125" rods, steel crank with choice of crank ring. The L92 heads included the offset intake rockers, will need exhaust, plus valves & springs. I located an L76 intake (the L92 intake starts restricting flow at lift above .25", meaning higher RPM power loss), which will need a 90mm TB. Probably go with 36 lb/hr injectors. The truck water pump won't clear the L76 intake, so f-body water pump. I only need alternator (no PS or AC), so I'll figure out mounting for that after I get the rest set up. There's a guy on ls1tech that will do cam specs for you, so I'll have him spec out a custom cam and get that from Comp. The 4L80E will get higher stall, like 4000. Still need to figure out if the tranny needs to be gone through (probably). I found another guy who will do a stand-alone swap harness and PCM tuned to the engine and set up for the 4L80E. 1-7/8" primary long tube headers and current dual exhaust.

Now, engine #2 is destined for my '82 Camaro. It isn't getting much; LS6 intake, f-body accessories & oil pan, some sort of headers. Whether to keep my current TH700R-4 (requires flexplate spacer or special converter) or find a 4L60E I haven't decided yet (pros & cons for each), but a higher stall converter will be part of the mix. Again a stand-alone swap harness & PCM for the sake of simplicity.

Sorry for the long story, but I've had over a month to pile things up.

 

[CharlieC]

4000 RPM stall for a street car is awful steep... I'd recommend bringing it down to at least 3000 or even a bit lower.

Charlie

 

[BO185]

So, here's the plan as it stands now: The first engine will go in the '57 after being gone through. I've been looking at stroker kits, and a 4.005" x 4.00" version for 402 cid looks pretty good - forged pistons, choice of dome/dish, H-beam 6.125" rods, steel crank with choice of crank ring. The L92 heads included the offset intake rockers, will need exhaust, plus valves & springs. I located an L76 intake (the L92 intake starts restricting flow at lift above .25", meaning higher RPM power loss), which will need a 90mm TB. Probably go with 36 lb/hr injectors. The truck water pump won't clear the L76 intake, so f-body water pump. I only need alternator (no PS or AC), so I'll figure out mounting for that after I get the rest set up. There's a guy on ls1tech that will do cam specs for you, so I'll have him spec out a custom cam and get that from Comp. The 4L80E will get higher stall, like 4000. Still need to figure out if the tranny needs to be gone through (probably). I found another guy who will do a stand-alone swap harness and PCM tuned to the engine and set up for the 4L80E. 1-7/8" primary long tube headers and current dual exhaust.

Now, engine #2 is destined for my '82 Camaro. It isn't getting much; LS6 intake, f-body accessories & oil pan, some sort of headers. Whether to keep my current TH700R-4 (requires flexplate spacer or special converter) or find a 4L60E I haven't decided yet (pros & cons for each), but a higher stall converter will be part of the mix. Again a stand-alone swap harness & PCM for the sake of simplicity.

Sorry for the long story, but I've had over a month to pile things up.

So you got two for the price of one??? :happy0030:

You'll need spacers for the LS1 water pump to work with the truck accessories. To convert to the car intake you have to remove the idler pulley and cut the alt bracket. TO delete the PS you'll have to add another idler around were the PS pump was, that shouldn't be that hard.

If your lazy you might find someone on LS1tech that sells an alt only bracket set-up that will work with an LS1 water pump then use a f-body or y-body crank pulley and sell the truck stuff.

An the cam watch the lift you will want the right springs and might have to mod the L92's for the higher lift. Higher the better! Haha

As for the 82 camaro, throw in some flat top LQ9 pistions and 200 shot and spray the crap out of it!:laugh: Just use the 700r4 if thats what you got!

 

[five7kid]

I'm willing to compromise street manners for strip performance. The '57 is primarily a race car that happens to be driven to the track. I've got a 4000 stall converter in it now, and believe me, a carb'd healthy cam'd 396, TH400 with no lock up, no overdrive and 4.11 gears is hardly the picture of street friendliness! But, it does just fine for that limited amount of street use.

Even got bonus points at the track two weekends ago in a "King Street" class for going on a 4-mile cruise before the race. Handled the cruise with no problem at all. Then ran in three classes that day, went 3 rounds in one class, semi-finals (6th round) in another, and won the 3rd (7 rounds). That after winning the Friday night class (also 7 rounds) the day before.

I have no reason to doubt that an injected LS engine with overdrive and lock-up TC will do even better on both the strip and street.

 

[five7kid]

So you got two for the price of one??? :happy0030:

I was scolded on another Board for paying as much as I did for the LQ4/4L80E, but the way it ended up certainly made up for any possible over-price condition.

You'll need spacers for the LS1 water pump to work with the truck accessories. To convert to the car intake you have to remove the idler pulley and cut the alt bracket. TO delete the PS you'll have to add another idler around were the PS pump was, that shouldn't be that hard.

Hadn't thought about the WP spacers because I knew the idler would still get in the way.

If your lazy you might find someone on LS1tech that sells an alt only bracket set-up that will work with an LS1 water pump then use a f-body or y-body crank pulley and sell the truck stuff.

Or fab something up myself with the f- or y-body crank pulley.

An the cam watch the lift you will want the right springs and might have to mod the L92's for the higher lift. Higher the better! Haha

I don't think I'll have a problem there. The heads are bare, I can tell him what my lift limits are.

As for the 82 camaro, throw in some flat top LQ9 pistions and 200 shot and spray the crap out of it!:laugh: Just use the 700r4 if thats what you got!

The difference in compression probably won't warrant the LQ9 pistons for a primarily street car. I expect it to run much better than the ZZ4-clone 350/computer q-jet in there now. I don't plan on spraying it, although I do plan on running it instead of the '57 for the 2010 season until the '57 is put back together (needs some body support repair as well). The Camaro runs 14.3's now (remember, 5800' elevation, DA often over 9500'), I'd expect it to pick up at least 6 tenths with the LQ4 and more stall. Might do a custom cam for it as well (okay, probably will). And go from 3.23 gears to 3.73's if necessary. Need to run at least 13.80 in one class I run.

 

[five7kid]

I'm afraid I haven't done much in the over two years since I started this thread. So, I'll fess up on what's been going on in that time.

The 2009 racing season was just nuts. I ran in 9 classes over the spring/summer/fall, earned post-season honors in 7, one class championship, won the "king of the track" run-off between season class champions (including the delay box cars), won 177 rounds total (almost 75% round win ratio), was named the track "top performer" for 2009.

Over the winter, basically didn't do anything on the car as I was working on the '82 Camaro LS1/T56 project, and was going to bump up the performance of the 350 in the other Camaro and race it while I started taking the '57 apart after I got the LS1/T56 running. I bartered the better LQ4 for a better set of headers for the 350, then in December found an LS1/4L60E dropout for that Camaro - great, bartered away what I wish I now had for something I now couldn't use.

So, since I didn't beef up the 350, I decided to keep running the '57 for the time being. Started out well, was still winning races. By June '10, though, it was obvious the 396 wasn't happy, making low-end noises when warm and low oil pressure. On June 29th, at the track, I had won first round in two different classes, after winning the 2nd round of one class, decided I couldn't risk answering the call in the other class. Trailered the car home, pulled the pan the next day, found a spun #8 rod bearing. I was offered a loner BBC (a wicked 468), when pulling the 396, discovered the bellhousing was cracked. Okay, this is going to be the end of the BBC era.

To add insult to injury, I was breaking stuff left & right on the LS1/T56 car. Great, now I didn't have anything that would run the number in the classes I wanted to run. I decided the quickest thing to get back running was the LS1/4L60E in the other Camaro, so I concentrated on that. I decided to have the 317 heads gone though, shaved down to LS1 chamber size, install L92 springs and put them on the LS1. In that process, I discovered my "running" LS1 had eaten a lifter and pushrod (valve to piston contact). Managed to find enough stuff to put that back together, got the car running late in the season, and limped through the rest of the season. My early performance in one class was enough to hang on for a 2010 season championship, but that was about it.

Over the winter, I didn't like noises the LS1/4L60E was making, and it had a bad oil leak at the back of the engine. Concerned about the valve/piston contact, I found another longblock and prepped it for install with the 317 heads. Upon pulling the engine/trans, I discovered the noise was being made by the torque converter, not the engine. Oh, well, I already had the shortblock ready to go, so got the TC reworked and got that car back together (the TC was lost by UPS for 2 weeks - Grrrrr!!!). Got it running at 1:02 a.m. the day of the first race of the season (ran in two classes, went out first round in the class I was season champ in, won the other class).

Then got back to getting the LS1/T56 car back together. Won't go into details, but kept finding the next weakest link. I think I found the last one, so hopefully that won't require any more of my attention.

So, what about the Shoebox, you ask? Well, the LQ4/4L80E is still sitting in the storage unit with the heads off. I have the bare L92 heads and the offset rocker arms, L76 intake and fuel rail. The poor '57 has turned into a storage shelf. I have a couple of wiring things to finish up on the LS1/4L60E car, then I can start concentrating on clearing off More Door and getting the LQ4/4L80E out of the storage unit and getting them apart. A local engine builder/speed shop recommends Manley stroker kits, so I'll probably give the shortblock to him and tell him to prep it for the kit. I assume I'll have to go through the tranny to make sure its up to the task. I still need to get valves/springs/retainers/keepers, TB, injectors, and figure out what I'm going to do about water pump & oil pan, and fuel delivery. If I really go nuts, I'll do a rack & pinion steering set-up to free up some room for the headers.

Oh, also thinking the rear end needs some help - trying to decide between 12-bolt, 9", or Strange S60...

(Sorry that was so long, but that was the Reader's Digest version of the last 2 years.)

 

[angs1957]

:anim_25: one at a time :sign0020:

 

[five7kid]

That would require a complete change of habit.

 

[five7kid]

I've seen enough 6.0/L92 combos putting out wicked HP #'s that I've decided to skip the stroking and try to get this thing together. Probably still won't happen before the racing season, but I'm starting to collect parts. Found the Hooker headers scratch & dent on eBay (direct from Holley) for $200 less than Summit sells new. Decided on pistons (will do a .005" clean-up hone), will probably do a Comp dual spring/tool steel retainer kit. Cam will be custom grind.

 

[BO185]

Going with the LQ9 flat tops right?

If you haven't bought the heads you can get ported L92's for pretty good price from Scroggy Dickin' Was looking at them myself
.

Also what intake L92 or car LS3?

 

[five7kid]

Actually, I was going to go with Auto Tec forged pistons. http://www.flatlanderracing.com/autotec-chevy-01.html p/n 1000590. Just in case I get a hair later and decide to spray it. And it'll have to be balanced as well.

I didn't know about the ported L92's when I bought these. Oh, well. These should be fine, I'm not shooting for 700 HP. I will probably shave them to remove a couple cc's to make up for the lower displacement. Still need to calculate that out.

The intake is an L76. I picked up a factory fuel rail to go with it. I haven't decided on a throttle body yet, probably 90mm or 92mm. Or injectors. 36 or 42 lb should suffice (if I do spray, it'll be a wet shot).

When I got home this afternoon, there was a message for me from Holley Performance about the headers: "Just found out these were labeled incorrectly and they are actually ceramic coated. Is this ok?" Well, gee, fellas, I don't know...

 

[BO185]

Haha that's great on the headers!!!

I don't think its worth the money to port the L92's you have now. Might clean them up yourself to help alittle. But not really important.

Also might look at porting the LS3/L76 intake there was a guy on LS1tech that would do this IIR for a decent price. Mainly it was for cleaning the inside up and port matching.

I think milling for CR will help the most.

 

[five7kid]

Compared to the factory 396 heads, these things are already ported...

I'll take a closer look at them, though. Haven't looked very carefully at the intake, but I haven't heard much about them needing work.

 

[jblack55]

Good luck and keep us posted!

Shawn

:anim_25:

 

[five7kid]

The headers arrived (while I was out of town on a business trip - that seems to happen a lot). Some interesting observations:

- There was a sticker on the outside of the box that said, "First Article 2293HKR". There was the remains of a previous UPS label on the box as well.

- They are ceramic coated.

- No bolts, gaskets, O2 bungs, or O2 extensions, unless they are buried in the packing (I think I can live with having to supply my own).

- On the flange is stamped "L 2292 04 08". They are actually the 2292-1's (which is what I had on my Summit wish list - the 2292's are for stock or 605 gear box, 2293's are for rack & pinion). I'm not sure what the "L" is (might be 12th week of the year), but "04 08" is probably April '08.

- The collectors have a flow smoother thingy inside.

No damage that I can see, but one of the gasket surfaces on the flange has a ceramic run that'll need to be cleaned up. My guess is these were their trial parts that they had laying around and decided to sell. The double mislabeling is interesting, though.

Not too shabby of a birthday present...