Rebuild engine help
05-14-2017, 02:48 AM
#1
Heel & Toe
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Rebuild engine help
I have a 2000 corvette stock ls1 engine with an a&a supercharger v3. The block has 150k miles and id like to know whats the best route to go into. Thinking of either buying a built forged Engine or forging my current ls1 with rotating assemblies. I want to bolt on my current a&a supercharger without having issues as well as other parts of the engine. Im currently making 500 whp and my goal is 500-550 whp. Im not looking into very high hp but more reliable, lasts longer and possibly bulletproof at that power rate. Any advice would be much helpful. Thanks
Last edited by Rov213; 05-14-2017 at 02:51 AM.
05-14-2017, 11:35 AM
#3
Melting Slicks
With some slight wiring modifications you could upgrade to an LS2 based engine, but keep it stock stroke.
That will give you a larger engine, stronger block but without having to go the stroker route.
Although you could of course add a stroker to both. Get some decent heads, uprated cam and throw it all together.
A long engine package would allow you to simply bolt it into the car and either keep or sell your existing unit.
LS1 based ideas
http://www.thompsonmotorsports.net/i...38_441_506_512
LS2 based ideas
http://www.thompsonmotorsports.net/i...38_441_507_516
Ultimately yes you would save money by re-using your block though, but it means time off the road and sending your bits etc to be worked on. Depends what route you want to take really.
That will give you a larger engine, stronger block but without having to go the stroker route.
Although you could of course add a stroker to both. Get some decent heads, uprated cam and throw it all together.
A long engine package would allow you to simply bolt it into the car and either keep or sell your existing unit.
LS1 based ideas
http://www.thompsonmotorsports.net/i...38_441_506_512
LS2 based ideas
http://www.thompsonmotorsports.net/i...38_441_507_516
Ultimately yes you would save money by re-using your block though, but it means time off the road and sending your bits etc to be worked on. Depends what route you want to take really.
05-14-2017, 11:36 AM
#4
Heel & Toe
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Aftermarket parts are aa supercharger, jba headers and magnaflow catback exhaust. Budget would probably be 4000-5000 with labor fee but i have no idea how much labor would cost for these done.
05-14-2017, 11:41 AM
#5
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With some slight wiring modifications you could upgrade to an LS2 based engine, but keep it stock stroke.
That will give you a larger engine, stronger block but without having to go the stroker route.
Although you could of course add a stroker to both. Get some decent heads, uprated cam and throw it all together.
A long engine package would allow you to simply bolt it into the car and either keep or sell your existing unit.
LS1 based ideas
http://www.thompsonmotorsports.net/i...38_441_506_512
LS2 based ideas
http://www.thompsonmotorsports.net/i...38_441_507_516
Ultimately yes you would save money by re-using your block though, but it means time off the road and sending your bits etc to be worked on. Depends what route you want to take really.
That will give you a larger engine, stronger block but without having to go the stroker route.
Although you could of course add a stroker to both. Get some decent heads, uprated cam and throw it all together.
A long engine package would allow you to simply bolt it into the car and either keep or sell your existing unit.
LS1 based ideas
http://www.thompsonmotorsports.net/i...38_441_506_512
LS2 based ideas
http://www.thompsonmotorsports.net/i...38_441_507_516
Ultimately yes you would save money by re-using your block though, but it means time off the road and sending your bits etc to be worked on. Depends what route you want to take really.
05-14-2017, 11:59 AM
#6
Melting Slicks
How long is a piece of string !!!
Some shops might be able to turn around a motor rebuild in a couple of weeks....others can take months.
And then there is the time to remove/install it in the vehicle.
As for cost savings...a block is only around $1k anyway so probably no huge savings by re-using your existing stuff unless you also stuck with your stock crank.
I still doubt you'd save $2k over a complete engine by re-using your parts, and then you'd need to factor in crating shipping your parts to someone unless there is a shop local to you.
But if you do build for more power, better heads/cam, larger capacity etc. Do factor in that you may also need to upgrade your existing fuel system to cope with any potential power increases.
Some shops might be able to turn around a motor rebuild in a couple of weeks....others can take months.
And then there is the time to remove/install it in the vehicle.
As for cost savings...a block is only around $1k anyway so probably no huge savings by re-using your existing stuff unless you also stuck with your stock crank.
I still doubt you'd save $2k over a complete engine by re-using your parts, and then you'd need to factor in crating shipping your parts to someone unless there is a shop local to you.
But if you do build for more power, better heads/cam, larger capacity etc. Do factor in that you may also need to upgrade your existing fuel system to cope with any potential power increases.
05-14-2017, 12:35 PM
#7
Heel & Toe
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How long is a piece of string !!!
Some shops might be able to turn around a motor rebuild in a couple of weeks....others can take months.
And then there is the time to remove/install it in the vehicle.
As for cost savings...a block is only around $1k anyway so probably no huge savings by re-using your existing stuff unless you also stuck with your stock crank.
I still doubt you'd save $2k over a complete engine by re-using your parts, and then you'd need to factor in crating shipping your parts to someone unless there is a shop local to you.
But if you do build for more power, better heads/cam, larger capacity etc. Do factor in that you may also need to upgrade your existing fuel system to cope with any potential power increases.
Some shops might be able to turn around a motor rebuild in a couple of weeks....others can take months.
And then there is the time to remove/install it in the vehicle.
As for cost savings...a block is only around $1k anyway so probably no huge savings by re-using your existing stuff unless you also stuck with your stock crank.
I still doubt you'd save $2k over a complete engine by re-using your parts, and then you'd need to factor in crating shipping your parts to someone unless there is a shop local to you.
But if you do build for more power, better heads/cam, larger capacity etc. Do factor in that you may also need to upgrade your existing fuel system to cope with any potential power increases.
05-14-2017, 02:11 PM
#8
Melting Slicks
A forged rotating assembly is another option of course. But until you have your block apart to see condition, and see if it will be happy with only a 5thou hone/bore you wont be able to determine piston size
150k is a lot of miles, but if it is still healthy a 5thou should be fine. But they do have very thin liners to start with and 5thou oversize is generally considered the limit.
Your block may...will need new cam bearings, probably deck surfaces machined and some cleaning/tidying up. All those add a little cost and labour costs.
Again you have lots of options, some will take more time than others.
A simple rebuild of your own with forged parts, but not actual size changes etc will not release a single bit of power though, so would purely be from a reliability standpoint.
Opting for a larger engine, newer block and of course heads/cam ( and you can do heads/cam with your existing block ) would at least release some extra power for all the work/expense.
150k is a lot of miles, but if it is still healthy a 5thou should be fine. But they do have very thin liners to start with and 5thou oversize is generally considered the limit.
Your block may...will need new cam bearings, probably deck surfaces machined and some cleaning/tidying up. All those add a little cost and labour costs.
Again you have lots of options, some will take more time than others.
A simple rebuild of your own with forged parts, but not actual size changes etc will not release a single bit of power though, so would purely be from a reliability standpoint.
Opting for a larger engine, newer block and of course heads/cam ( and you can do heads/cam with your existing block ) would at least release some extra power for all the work/expense.
05-14-2017, 02:27 PM
#9
Heel & Toe
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How long is a piece of string !!!
Some shops might be able to turn around a motor rebuild in a couple of weeks....others can take months.
And then there is the time to remove/install it in the vehicle.
As for cost savings...a block is only around $1k anyway so probably no huge savings by re-using your existing stuff
unless you also stuck with your stock crank.
I still doubt you'd save $2k over a complete engine by re-using your parts, and then you'd need to factor in crating shipping your parts to someone unless there is a shop local to you.
But if you do build for more power, better heads/cam, larger capacity etc. Do factor in that you may also need to upgrade your existing fuel system to cope with any potential power increases.
Some shops might be able to turn around a motor rebuild in a couple of weeks....others can take months.
And then there is the time to remove/install it in the vehicle.
As for cost savings...a block is only around $1k anyway so probably no huge savings by re-using your existing stuff
unless you also stuck with your stock crank.
I still doubt you'd save $2k over a complete engine by re-using your parts, and then you'd need to factor in crating shipping your parts to someone unless there is a shop local to you.
But if you do build for more power, better heads/cam, larger capacity etc. Do factor in that you may also need to upgrade your existing fuel system to cope with any potential power increases.
A forged rotating assembly is another option of course. But until you have your block apart to see condition, and see if it will be happy with only a 5thou hone/bore you wont be able to determine piston size
150k is a lot of miles, but if it is still healthy a 5thou should be fine. But they do have very thin liners to start with and 5thou oversize is generally considered the limit.
Your block may...will need new cam bearings, probably deck surfaces machined and some cleaning/tidying up. All those add a little cost and labour costs.
Again you have lots of options, some will take more time than others.
A simple rebuild of your own with forged parts, but not actual size changes etc will not release a single bit of power though, so would purely be from a reliability standpoint.
Opting for a larger engine, newer block and of course heads/cam ( and you can do heads/cam with your existing block ) would at least release some extra power for all the work/expense.
150k is a lot of miles, but if it is still healthy a 5thou should be fine. But they do have very thin liners to start with and 5thou oversize is generally considered the limit.
Your block may...will need new cam bearings, probably deck surfaces machined and some cleaning/tidying up. All those add a little cost and labour costs.
Again you have lots of options, some will take more time than others.
A simple rebuild of your own with forged parts, but not actual size changes etc will not release a single bit of power though, so would purely be from a reliability standpoint.
Opting for a larger engine, newer block and of course heads/cam ( and you can do heads/cam with your existing block ) would at least release some extra power for all the work/expense.
05-14-2017, 02:51 PM
#10
Melting Slicks
I'm several thousand miles way, so havent a clue what anyone in the US might charge for that. There are plenty of other guys on the forum to advise for that, and of course where might be best or safest to go.
05-14-2017, 03:22 PM
#11
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Just my 2 cents, I would go with the ls3 if I was changing to another engine. They are actually a couple hundred less from one of the links from above and you get a 6.2 vs 6.0. In south fla, it will run about 2500 to install a supercharger and dyno tune it give or take.
05-14-2017, 03:28 PM
#12
Melting Slicks
LS3 based stock stroke would be preferable than an LS1 4" stroker of almost same engine capacity.
05-14-2017, 03:41 PM
#14
Heel & Toe
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would i be able to just bolt on my current a&a supercharger into an ls3 without any modifications to make it fit?
05-14-2017, 03:44 PM
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I'm not 100% sure about that. The bracket may be a little different. If you call a&a they will know 100% and I'm sure they will be more than willing to help out.
05-14-2017, 03:48 PM
#16
Melting Slicks
As you'd still be retaining all your front end accessories, I would not foresee a problem.
The only difference as mentioned would be if you opt for LS3 type heads too, which will require a new intake/TB ( and possibly rockers, but not sure on that one )
The only difference as mentioned would be if you opt for LS3 type heads too, which will require a new intake/TB ( and possibly rockers, but not sure on that one )
05-24-2017, 01:26 PM
#17
I just went through this exercise, I can't tell you what you should do but I can share what I did do 
Plan to spend more than your currently budgeting.
I installed a TT on my 98 stock LS1 when it had 60k miles on it. Around 125k miles I ran it low on oil and burned a main bearing.
I found a 'small shop' that said they would pull my old motor and get it checked/rebuilt if possible or drop in a new motor and would charge me $1000 total labor. Sounded like a win to me, until six months passed and he called with the job half done and was moving out of state and closing his shop. Fortunately we have a corvette guru in my area who was able to take care of me.
So my motor was going to need a new crank and rods and then the cost to have it rebuilt. I also wanted a proper cam and better heads while I was at it. And there's no reason not to use forged stuff for the internals.... things snowball, and rightly so.
After talking with the local machine shop about rebuilding my motor and pricing out options I ended up calling texas motorsports and picked up an iron block 5.7 with forged internals, 317 heads, and a turbo cam. My goal wasn't for huge numbers but for something reliable. I'm not greedy, 5-600 rwhp is good but getting 100k miles out of it is key. And it's almost a 20 year old car, so it's on a tight budget.
You'll likely go through a similar discovery, here are some of the keys I discovered.
Set your HP goal, and stick to it.
Decide which two you want: powerful, reliable, cheap (you only get two)
Scope creep is real, you can paralyze yourself with all the options out there.
Get the right guy to work on it (if it's you, terrific)
My top recommendation though... just keep driving it (and maintaining it) for as long as you can. You aren't looking for a big HP jump, so as long as it keeps going then it's working for you. Set aside money each month and if you get another year or two out of it then you have that much more for your rebuild down the road?
Plan to spend more than your currently budgeting.
I installed a TT on my 98 stock LS1 when it had 60k miles on it. Around 125k miles I ran it low on oil and burned a main bearing.
I found a 'small shop' that said they would pull my old motor and get it checked/rebuilt if possible or drop in a new motor and would charge me $1000 total labor. Sounded like a win to me, until six months passed and he called with the job half done and was moving out of state and closing his shop. Fortunately we have a corvette guru in my area who was able to take care of me.
So my motor was going to need a new crank and rods and then the cost to have it rebuilt. I also wanted a proper cam and better heads while I was at it. And there's no reason not to use forged stuff for the internals.... things snowball, and rightly so.
After talking with the local machine shop about rebuilding my motor and pricing out options I ended up calling texas motorsports and picked up an iron block 5.7 with forged internals, 317 heads, and a turbo cam. My goal wasn't for huge numbers but for something reliable. I'm not greedy, 5-600 rwhp is good but getting 100k miles out of it is key. And it's almost a 20 year old car, so it's on a tight budget.
You'll likely go through a similar discovery, here are some of the keys I discovered.
Set your HP goal, and stick to it.
Decide which two you want: powerful, reliable, cheap (you only get two)
Scope creep is real, you can paralyze yourself with all the options out there.
Get the right guy to work on it (if it's you, terrific)
My top recommendation though... just keep driving it (and maintaining it) for as long as you can. You aren't looking for a big HP jump, so as long as it keeps going then it's working for you. Set aside money each month and if you get another year or two out of it then you have that much more for your rebuild down the road?
05-25-2017, 07:47 PM
#18
Burning Brakes
Just one comment to this thread.....nothing is "bullet proof" on high HP engine. 500-550 is still considered high HP when comparing to stock but even the best built egine will grenade if A/F goes lean for some reason. FYI.
05-25-2017, 08:03 PM
#19
Heel & Toe
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thanks for your input. Seems like you had some experience. How did you destroy your ls1 engine or any other?
Last edited by Rov213; 05-25-2017 at 08:20 PM.
05-26-2017, 12:32 AM
#20
Le Mans Master
