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LTX and LSXPutting LT1s, LS1s, and their variants into Third Gens is becoming more popular. This board is for those who are doing and have done the swaps so they can discuss all of their technical aspects including repairs, swap info, and performance upgrades.
Oh man what a bummer. Are you going to upgrade the bottom end or just replace the single rod and move forward?
Im going to make that call after I get it apart. Im 50/50 on a rod and piston upgrade right now but might do a LS9 powermax cam or btr stage 1 for sure.
Im going to make that call after I get it apart. Im 50/50 on a rod and piston upgrade right now but might do a LS9 powermax cam or btr stage 1 for sure.
When it rains it pours. If you veer from replacing it be prepared for cost creep. New hone, new parts, new balance etc etc
So no easy way to put this but dyno tune was canceled.
Back in January I posted about going to bigger injectors and after I installed them I left something out hoping for no issues. So after the install and first startup the engine hydro locked do to the injector in #1 cylinder being stuck wide open. I pulled all injectors and sent them into ID for cleaning and came back all clean and perfect.
Lastnight was the first startup and it’s knocking very hard barely started and wouldn’t stay running. So expecting one bent rod at the least should be starting the tear down this weekend.
So no easy way to put this but dyno tune was canceled.
Back in January I posted about going to bigger injectors and after I installed them I left something out hoping for no issues. So after the install and first startup the engine hydro locked do to the injector in #1 cylinder being stuck wide open. I pulled all injectors and sent them into ID for cleaning and came back all clean and perfect.
Lastnight was the first startup and it’s knocking very hard barely started and wouldn’t stay running. So expecting one bent rod at the least should be starting the tear down this weekend.
Start off with putting everything back together no issues till it came to the flywheel. Unfortunately when the engine locked up it blew some teeth off the flywheel which I didn’t notice till reassembly. Sent back to Monster and the put a new ring gear on for about $100.
Car is finally up and running and loaded ready for tomorrows dyno tune. So far I’m impressed with how well it drives and also sounds pretty mean for a stage 1 cam. It will take off in first gear without any throttle. Fingers crossed no more issues and we can make some solid power!
Ok after a long day I’m back home and car is still in one piece. Only issue seemed to be the battery is dropping voltage on startups.
So the numbers the car was putting down seemed odd to me at first cause I was expecting the normal higher hp with torque coming in a touch lower on the Lsa blower cars. So my car was putting down higher torque and lower hp then it finally hit me why the cam I got was labeled as a torque cam.
Boost was only 9lbs and touched 10lbs on one pull.
And with only about 2 hours of seat time with the new power plant here we are
First impressions of the car are good very good. By far the best driving setup I have had yet very close to being perfect. Racing starts in the morning.
Need to drill and tap some bolts for the transmission crossmember anyone got some tips?
I would utilize a nut welded to a small square piece of steel. Holley does this with their blackheart system and it works really well. You drill a hole and then use a magnetic rod to slide them in the frame rail hole. Gives you lots of adjustment vs a tapped hole.
Yeah, the nut welded to steel is really easy to snake through the oval holes in front of where the cross member bolts on. I predrilled 3 holes. One for the crossmember bolt and 2 smaller ones to weld the plate the nut is welded to. I also used plastic zip ties to hold thin metal rod to the nut/plate combo. As I welded the plate in place the zip ties melted and the metal rod used for snaking the piece in was able to be removed.
This car is so much fun to drive I just cant get over how good it works. The valve covers and catch can combo was worth every penny. I just drained the can last week for the first time and it might have been 1/8 full and thats with dyno tune then driving to UMI then racing two days then the drive home and then weeks of street driving with a handful of highway roll races.
Last edited by obeymybird; 09-16-2023 at 06:06 PM.
Things that need attention are gas gauge stopped working before UMI temp gauge at dash is all over the place at random times. And the exhaust is banging around on my watts link over axel do to the blackheart metal bracket that holds the duals together breaking off.
Been fun seeing what you're doing with this car. Constant progression of major projects! And you actually put your car through the paces.
How's the arm wrestling this year? I'm not sure what time of year are the national competitions?
I have installed very similar kits in a few Third Gens (Maybe four Cars)...
I believe that they were all Tubbed and without Rear Seats.
The difference in the Strength/ Support of the Rear-Floor and Seat-Back Areas is INCREDIBLE!
It's also just highly interesting to see a Parallel Double-Adjustable Four-Link Rear Suspension in these Cars.
I still prefer the Torque-Arm Design over this Design Suspension, however it is still cool to see!
With all the Aftermarket Rear Suspension Support that has been available for Third Gens...
The Tubular Adjustable Stock Design Rear Suspension is actually great!!!
QWKTrip the arm wrestling was going great made it into the top 10 rankings for my class in the country. Then long story short I ended up getting my elbow looked at for some bad pain that wouldn’t go away and they found a tear in the tendon. So it’s been a long year of no arm wrestling which is about to change soon and they have a nationals this summer in PA. also Michigan states has a huge event every June that I would like to make it to but we will see.
The torque arm has always been a love and hate thing with me. The factory piece is small and easy to work with until you make more power or they break with stock ls1 engine power. The do work great for straight line stuff or long course along with fun street driving. But the short course the just suck. I didn’t really just have one reason to ditch it so I will just list my issues which some are of my own doing.
The bolts always came loose at rear which then caused noise. Aftermarket arm is bigger and rubbed tunnel. The main issue is with the crossmember mount it just plan sucks fighting with the 4 bolts the hold the clam shell anytime I want to drop the trans it doubles the time.
Something I left out when I go this new engine dynoed was the fact that I had a major issue with voltage dropping. If you look at the dyno sheet it wasn’t close to a full pull. So after all that headache with my LS7 flatlining and making low HP it seems just to all come down to the same thing you just can’t make power without power!
Something I left out when I go this new engine dynoed was the fact that I had a major issue with voltage dropping. If you look at the dyno sheet it wasn’t close to a full pull. So after all that headache with my LS7 flatlining and making low HP it seems just to all come down to the same thing you just can’t make power without power!
It is very easy to Over-Speed the Alternator that was intended for a Gen-I - Gen-V SBC Engine if the Power-Band exceeds 6,000RPM.
For many, many years, I used to have to always find custom Alternator Pulleys to slow down the Alternator speed, for Engines that I built (as they almost always make Peak HP between 7,000RPM and 10,000RPM).
However now there are Retailers that offer Alternators already with an appropriate Pulley for higher reving Engines.
I see you have a CS130D Alternator, they can definitely do the job!
Just be careful, as they really do not perform well near Heat (they run rather hot on there own, and suffer near Exhaust and other Heat Sources).
I very much like to see the Ground Stud being Identified and being directed to use!
Originally Posted by vorteciroc
DC 12-VOLT POWER (for Automotive use with a Common Chassis Ground) all comes from the NEGATIVE POST OF THE BATTERY.
The Electricity does NOT Start from the Positive Post; but instead it Starts from the Negative Post. GROUNDING IS THE MOST CRITICAL SECTION OF THE POWER CIRCUITRY/ SYSTEM OF THE VEHICLE.
Not having a dedicated Ground Cable from the Negative Battery Post directly to the Alternator Case is the most common critical error in Power Circuit Design.
To put things as plainly as I can state them...
For the Alternator to send a Charge via the Positive Cable that connects the Alternator to the Positive Battery Post...
Electrons must first flow from the Negative Battery Post to the Alternator.
Passing those Electrons via the Dirty High Resistance Chassis Ground...
Compared to a Clean Low Resistance dedicated Ground Cable, is a ridiculous practice at best.
Last edited by vorteciroc; 04-18-2024 at 07:24 PM.
04-29-2023, 12:21 PM
