LS-3 525 on the road!

[Lightingrod]

LS-3 525 on the road, nowhere near done but the first shakedown is going well! The hood and scoop as well as the paint and interior still need to be done! We did black with gold stripes but had a few problems and I don’t like the color combination as well as I thought I would! The new paint will be BLACK!

I have put 200 miles on it over the last month or so! I want to make certain nothing major is wrong before we blow it apart for final paint and all! The LS-3 525 and T-56 Super Magnum is assume! I have yet to let it all go, in fact today was the first time to 5500 rpm! I think it’s going to be pretty fast, even without the 125hp shot I have on it! I’m running 3.55 gears (New Posi) with M/T 295-55-15 Drag Radials! The front-end gets really light and it breaks them loose sometimes just rolling into it in1st gear! Not had a nice warm day so I’m hoping that will help! Going to do another oil change and wait for a nice day,,,,,

So far so good but DAMN it took a lot longer than I thought it would!

https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net...24&oe=5B38EC91

https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net...d9&oe=5B30C541

[joyridin']

Congratulations! With the bone stock 430 hp LS3, my car would light them up through 4th gear. It was actually hard to drive. After the cam swap, the torque curve was shifted higher up the scale and even with a lot larger cam and more hp and torque, it was easier to drive on around town when the RPM's are down.

Good luck!

[Lightingrod]

LS motors are amazing! I mean world class HP, torque and reliability and all with one cam and 2 valves per cylinder! Just think what your cam swap would have cost on a Mod Motor!

I’m really glad I swapped the 4.11 gears for 3.55s! I think 1st and 2nd would be useless even with the 295-55-15 drag radials with the 4.11s! I can’t wait to turn the whole herd loose in this thing!

I’m still running the stock GMPP tune and I’m not happy with the way we have the intake track plumbed! It just seems they was no good way! How did you run yours, got a photo?

Thanks Al

[joyridin']

I have a photo, but I am having a new airbox made. I bought one from Spectre a few years ago and when you do the math, it technically hits the max CFM at 5800 RPM. I bought a new filter for a new box that will pretty much handle anything.

I went from the engine, to the Spectre filter, to a Y pipe, into the fenderwell. Then I bought flex tubing and plumbed them to the brake ducts in the front of the car.

I had 4.56 gears originally with the old motor, but with the LS, I have 3.70's with a 6th of .54.

[G_Edmonds]

Lightingrod,
I put a carb intake and a Fitech on mine. I just like something sitting up in the hood scoop.
Between the Fitech and the msd running the ignition, that's a lots of damn wires. Think I'm going to have to make an air pan to hide it all.
Keep us updated.
-Greg

[Alfa02]

So glad to hear, you have the car on the road Al. What did you end up with seats? The stock CR, or went with a aftermarket? Keep us posted with your progress. Mine's still is on track for late April, mid-May. Another Classic Roadster headed for the street Cheers Tom.

[Lightingrod]

Would love to see that photo “joyridin”! I used 4” tubing and have a 90* at the TB a few inches towards the passenger side and then like a 45* towards the fender just to the rear of the fender well! I’ll get a photo!

Strange you bring up Fitech Greg, I’m about 1 mouse click from buying their Easy Street 600 hp kit for my old 1990 454SS truck! It’s a 468 with around 550 hp, 12.8 the last time out! How do you like the Fitech? I’m for sure buying the EZ-TCU controller for the built 4L80E I’m putting in! Broke 3-4 Bowtie Overdrives 700R-4s, tired of that!

Alfa02, still up in the air on seats! I saw a color I really liked, not a burgundy but a really deep/dark red! Thinking about maybe getting the stock ones recovered?

[G_Edmonds]

I like the Fitech a lot. I'm running the 1200 power adder for over 2years now. It took a while to figure out the tuning because I knew nothing about fuel injection but it's really good now.

[Lightingrod]

I think I'm going to go for it! I'm giving my Mazda Van to grandson #2 so the old SS will be toy and hauler! 850 Demons are not known for their MPG!

[Gaz64]

For all the LS owners out there, FYI.

Whenever you do a cam swap, go for a higher quality tiebar lifter, and ditch the factory plastic guides.

Seen too many fail with failed lobes from roller wheel skipping, lifters turning in the guides etc. And broken springs. This is the only area that LS fails in, the valvetrain.

If I was building my own LS, albeit LS2 to LSA or LS9, I would chuck the whole valvetrain, run the recommended spring as a package with your chosen camshaft, run a forged steel roller rocker, (more compact than aluminium), correct pushrod length during dummy build etc.

I hope this doesn't scare others away.

Gary

[joyridin']

Originally Posted by Gaz64

For all the LS owners out there, FYI.

Whenever you do a cam swap, go for a higher quality tiebar lifter, and ditch the factory plastic guides.

Seen too many fail with failed lobes from roller wheel skipping, lifters turning in the guides etc. And broken springs. This is the only area that LS fails in, the valvetrain.

If I was building my own LS, albeit LS2 to LSA or LS9, I would chuck the whole valvetrain, run the recommended spring as a package with your chosen camshaft, run a forged steel roller rocker, (more compact than aluminium), correct pushrod length during dummy build etc.

I hope this doesn't scare others away.

Gary

That isn't necessarily a needed item. There are literally thousands and thousands of LS engines running around with a cam change and they are still using the factory lifters. LS3 engines had the LS7 lifters which are known to be of relatively good quality for a cheap price. Unless you are going all out and adding heads etc, I wouldn't even think about yanking everything apart for a simple cam change.

Heck, the nice thing about LS engines is you do not even have to pull the lifters to do a cam change if you do it right. As far as rocker, most people are running the factory unit with a bushing kit now. They are good to 7500 RPM or so due to their light weight. Texas Speed offers a roller tip version with the CHE busing kit if you want more.

If you are racing your engine, go for all the stuff you listed. If you just want a decent street engine without rebuilding the whole thing, do not waste your money.

[Gaz64]

Originally Posted by joyridin'

That isn't necessarily a needed item. There are literally thousands and thousands of LS engines running around with a cam change and they are still using the factory lifters. LS3 engines had the LS7 lifters which are known to be of relatively good quality for a cheap price. Unless you are going all out and adding heads etc, I wouldn't even think about yanking everything apart for a simple cam change.

Heck, the nice thing about LS engines is you do not even have to pull the lifters to do a cam change if you do it right. As far as rocker, most people are running the factory unit with a bushing kit now. They are good to 7500 RPM or so due to their light weight. Texas Speed offers a roller tip version with the CHE busing kit if you want more.

If you are racing your engine, go for all the stuff you listed. If you just want a decent street engine without rebuilding the whole thing, do not waste your money.

I have done a few, and agree that you can do a cam swap without removing the lifters. But the other side of the coin is, nobody has any idea of the lifter condition.
So it really is a gamble.

I don't do that style of work any more.

Engine out, heads off, lifters out in order, inspect as necessary, cam out etc.

Generally, an engine refresh at the same time when we have a lobe/lifter failure. Seen many with worn cam bearings.

Yes, many decent street engines out there with factory hydraulic roller lifters etc. Don't get me started about AFM lifter failure, when they rotate in the lifter guide.

Gary

[joyridin']

That hold true for ANY engine. You have no idea what any engine looks like inside unless you tear it down. The vice thing about the LS, and especially the later models is they use good lifter and have very few problems. I have heard just as many problems with cheap link bar set-ups as I have with the factory trays. These engines have been around for years now, so if there was some major flaw in the tray design, it would have spread like wildfire, but there isn't. More problems arise from people installing stuff incorrectly or defective cheap parts than with the original lifters and tray design.

Take a bone stock LS3, throw in a decent cam, add a bushing kit to the rockers, change pushrods, and you are good for 575 horsepower with some tuning. Simple, easy, relatively cheap, and you have a killer street engine for 90% of the people out there.

[Millsy]

Love my GMPP 525 LS3

[Gaz64]

Originally Posted by joyridin'

That hold true for ANY engine. You have no idea what any engine looks like inside unless you tear it down. The vice thing about the LS, and especially the later models is they use good lifter and have very few problems. I have heard just as many problems with cheap link bar set-ups as I have with the factory trays. These engines have been around for years now, so if there was some major flaw in the tray design, it would have spread like wildfire, but there isn't. More problems arise from people installing stuff incorrectly or defective cheap parts than with the original lifters and tray design.

Take a bone stock LS3, throw in a decent cam, add a bushing kit to the rockers, change pushrods, and you are good for 575 horsepower with some tuning. Simple, easy, relatively cheap, and you have a killer street engine for 90% of the people out there.

Yes, I'll agree with all you have said here.

But I will say, I've stripped more LS engines for lifter failure than any other in my working life. Wheel failure, rotated in the guide (standard or AFM).

I've had no tiebar lifter failure in any engine.

Having said that, we pull them down periodically for inspection etc.

Gary

[Lightingrod]

Originally Posted by Millsy

Love my GMPP 525 LS3

Damn I wish I had the room upfront to do my intake tube like yours! Straight-Shot!

[Lightingrod]

Originally Posted by G_Edmonds

Lightingrod,
I put a carb intake and a Fitech on mine. I just like something sitting up in the hood scoop.
Between the Fitech and the msd running the ignition, that's a lots of damn wires. Think I'm going to have to make an air pan to hide it all.
Keep us updated.
-Greg

Greg I pull the trigger, well clicked the mouse a few times tonight! I got the 600hp Fitech and the EZ-TCU trans controller on the way for my old SS! It well be nice to get it on the road again!

[G_Edmonds]

If you're not already on it, the Fitech owners group on fb can really help get the tuning lined out. Most of the fine tuning tips on the Fitech website came directly from that group.

[Lightingrod]

Thanks for the tip I'll check it out on Facebook! Already did my first step, scan a copy of ALL paperwork! I Print a working copy and save a PDF to my backup disk!

I noticed they have setups for Roots Superchargers ($2000.00), my 750 Holley blower carbs were $800.00 apiece! I wonder how they are referencing manifold vacuum?