confab

Holy Hell.. 400 HP pickup trucks!

Tom400CFI

You could get (option) a 400hp 1500, 10 years ago from GM.

confab

Not with the manners this one has, I bet. The engine management is so complex, they're injecting fuel directly into a cavity in the top of the piston. It can change its valve timing too. Three fuel modes.


Just amazing.

They're going to build things only a computer can operate under full throttle on the highway.

Tom400CFI

IDK...probably not, but it was good enough to be available in a Cadillac (Escalade), so it likely wasn't too rowdy.

confab

Won't be long before the LS1 crowd are just running old junk!

cv67

Think we are there, 350hp is pretty ho hum today.
Wanting to do a 6l for my 02 1500.
Simple ported stock heads, intake and an LS3 cam out to make it super fun and pass smog with oem reliability & just as quiet/smooth as it is now.

Many scoff at truck intakes but they make the tq on the steet, takes hood clearance though.

84 4+3

I've driven a couple trailblazer SS's with the 400 hp 6.0... actually drives better than the escalade with the 6.2... the throttle response (lack there of actually) and shift programming stock makes you think they programmed it because they're afraid the 8 speed is going to spill its guts. The escalade when you nail it goes pretty alright though. Mpg is the same between the two but the 6.2 has afm and deeper gears vs the 4.10s in the ss.

auburn2

And that engine is $9000 .... not including the computer or the headers they tested it with .... add another $5000 (or more) to get it into a streetable C4.

confab

That is exactly what they're doing with the new transmissions.. They aren't designed for full power shifts. There's a delay under certain conditions to cushion the drivetrain also.

Fantastic design, but it won't behave like the cars we're all used to.

And I sooooo want the newer transmission in my car.. I have a 90 laying on the floor downstairs, just for that. It's too much modding though, and part and parcel of it all is the wire throttle experience you describe.

Kevova

Torque Management is found in automatic transmission equiped models. In the past it retarded timing during the the shift, for less than 1 second. The idea is to improve transmission life and reduce failures, by reducing engine output during shift when slippage naturally occurs. Torque Management tends to be one of things turned off by tuners.

confab

That may end up having a really adverse effect on the transmission and driveline in some models, as they are engineered with torque management in mind.

Krusty84

Don't even know where to start with this garbage. Ah, I won't.

cv67

Is there such a thing as a low mi truck or SUV these days? Havent seen new 5.3 GM crates for sale in awhile (havent looked super hard either)
GM used to sell an HO for pretty fair $. 290hp is nothing to get excited about and youre limited to valve size with the puny bore they have.

auburn2

Garbage? I am using real information which is published and available online and prices which are widely available. I am not just making things up.

Like I said super Chevy did a budget 460hp 6.0 LS build for $5k and it was just an engine, nothing else. They could have cut some corners and done it cheaper sure, but not a lot cheaper and that motor was a long, long way from powering a streetable C4.

Give me a parts list that will get me a 450hp LS motor into a working streetable C4 for $5k. It is just parts and math, if it really is doable it should be easy to prove it out. Heck if it really is as easy as you say I will do it myself.

auburn2

It is hard to find a low-mile used engine, especially the early 5.3s. Chevrolet performance does still sell the 5.3 engines as crate long blocks though.

12632260
19301946

88BlackZ-51

very small percentage...

Krusty84

When you are pricing everything new or on ebay, use the word "streetable" (as if it has universal meaning to every gear head) over and over again and start setting parameters like a 70k or less mile 12+ year old long block to fit your narrative... YES, you are posting garbage.

Maybe a part of the our disagreement comes from the love of Corvettes. For me, I don't love Corvettes and I am not a "Corvette Guy". I simply like sleeper cars and C4s make great ones because the early ones are cheap and slow. I understand that a lot of you guys simply wouldn't be willing to cobble together an LS swap for your car because you take a lot of pride in your C4. I don't, hence the name Krusty84, it is fairly a junky car that makes a ton of power and is completely "streetable" by the way.

obijohnkenobe

Well, I've received some great information, and it has certainly driven me to research more. I have learned that the redesign of the next-gen SBC and especially the LS/Gen V blocks and heads give it some advantages you can't easily or cheaply get in a standard Gen II SBC like the L98. The big difference seems to be in the heads; the 23-degree valve angle for Gen II SBC heads seems to be the limiting factor for flow at reasonable lift with a streetable cam, and the larger cams and shorter overall valve train mass on the LS also help run without valve float above 6K RPM more easily. With an L98-based SBC I can see that it's straightforward to make 300 HP, and requires a cam and heads to get above 350 HP, and a stroked bottom end to get above 400 HP but then street drivability starts to become iffy. That is making me rethink my short- and long-term strategy with the car.

My '91 roadster is old and new to me... I was the original buyer back in early '92, sold it in '04, just bought it back a couple of weeks ago. Yes, it was an emotional decision, but aren't all Corvette buys emotional? The 2nd owner dumped a bunch of money into the car, and I'm trying to determine what he spent it on. I know he's changed the cam out, has put 1.6 rollers on it (and changed the valve covers to accommodate them), has done the easy perf mods (intake air grill cutout, EGR removal, no coolant to the TB, air pump removed, plus 1.75" long tube headers and Corsa exhaust, but he's done other things to the engine that I'm still trying to determine. I don't know if the heads are original; they're aluminum but I don't see any 'GM' or typical patterns or marks on the ends or sides of the heads; the ends are smooth except for the drilled and tapped bracket holes. There is a 'W' on the left head, on the top front, on the intake side just in front of the valve cover. The engine is spotless; I don't know if he pulled it, but the engine compartment looks brand-new... the steering shaft, etc.... no dirt or oil whatsoever, like it just left the showroom. The intake, runners, and plenum have no corrosion... they're spotless. I'm sure he pulled the top of the engine off to change the cam, don't know if he pulled the engine out. Don't know if he ported the intake system. There seems to be a short box added between the oil filter with two hoses, one that runs to the oil pan... not sure what that is all about. In short, I know the engine isn't stock, but I don't know what it is. I'm going to get it on a lift on Tuesday, and have a look. I have no idea how to casually determine these things; because I bought the car through a high end exotic car consignment shop I don't have contact info... I'm trying to get it. If anyone has any ideas after looking at some of the photos I posted earlier as to whether the heads are original or if they see anything else, I'd welcome them.

Without disassembling the engine I have no idea how to determine exactly what's been done to it... I'm assuming it's the original bottom end, but I was also told that the 2nd owner put $25K into the vehicle above the original purchase from me. I can see he spent $10K on a beautifully-done high-end paint job to the original color (have the invoice), plus new C5 ZR1 wheels and C5 brakes front and rear complete with vented rotors, and repairing the Bose audio system, but where'd the other $15K go? Once I determine what I have, then my short-term decision will be based on dyno-ing it. Assuming it's the L98 block, pistons, and heads, with just a cam, my long-term strategy is either going to be rebuild into a 383 stroker with Fast Burn heads and a FIRST TPI intake system with a mild Lingenfelter-spec 219 or thereabouts cam... or I'll look into having a 400 built on a Bill Mitchell Motown LS block, with LS intake and heads. I think the 383 on the current block would get me into the mid-4 second 0-60 range, for $6K - $8K, and the 400 BM/LS would bring it to below 4 seconds but for $10-$12K. I'm likely going to drive it for a year before I decide, given that I think most of what can be done to an L98 without rebuilding it has been done.

Y-bodluvr

Have you gone back/called the dealership to try and get the previous owners contact information?Shouldnt be that hard to track him down to actually see what was done I also think the biggest restriction on your car car are the runners and manifold/throttle body but you should still port the heads(if not already done) and with some 3.73’s and a new dynotune you may be very happy with the performance of the car and it will still look stock

Krusty84

Yep, that is the big limiting factor of the SBC stuff. It took me over a decade to figure that out. 15°>23° in the flow world.

Anyone have the build list for the Fasterproms C4 BTW? That thing is a beast and would most certainly outrun any type of N/A LS build I have been talking about.