engine
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 353
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From: West Point MS
engine
What is the difference between the L48 and the L82 engines? I know that the 82 produces more HP but what is the difference internally? Is it easy to upgrade the 48 to produce more power without worrying about vacuum system?
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
The crank is forged in an L82, the pistons are flat tops, the compression is bumped up a bit as a result, the cam is a bit more aggressive, and I believe the valves are bigger in L82 heads. There are more subtle differences but the big difference is compression and cam.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,812
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From: New Albany IN
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'06-'08-'09
And of course, it all depends on how thick your wallet is.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 15,175
Likes: 3,990
From: Connecticut, USA
The L82's are good street engines. They had the same bottom end as the LT1's: Pink rods, windage tray, 4 bolt mains,8" dampner,forged crank and pistons,202/160 heads with guides, aluminum covers,hyr cam vs the solid LT1 cam. Not sure if any had aluminum intakes like the LT1's. They didn't use Holleys either, Q-jet were used.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: West Point MS
I know that the L48 only produced around 190 HP, how difficult would it be to get 300 HP out of the engine? I am thinking flat top pistons, mild cam, reworked heads and performance intake and headers. I don't want to have a "race" car but would like more power from the engine. I also know that it takes away from the value of the car but what about these crate engines. I would keep the original in storage in case I ever sold the car.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,812
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From: New Albany IN
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'06-'08-'09
If you have the budget, and/or don't feel like building yourself, by all means get a crate and like you said, keep the original for any potential future buyer should you sell.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: Ann Arbor Michigan
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