So i’ve been debating whether to build the engine I have currently in my 02 Zo6 and i’ve been seeing a lot of people putting superchargers with only an exhaust. Is this pretty common and safe to do? Why not build the engine to support the internals and avoid casualties or is the ls6 capable of handling it ?

Ps I have a spare ls6 that my piston shattered wanting it to build it from the bare block up. Any suggestions on what I should do ?

 

BTR forged 383 rotating assembly, AFR heads, Supercharger cam, Fast intake manifold, A&A supercharger, and you should be at 650 wheel horsepower. Then everything else will blow up and is on borrowed time, now add clutch, torque tube, axles, trans, tires. And now you have a brand new engine and drivetrain.

Or just throw the A&A supercharger kit on the stock LS6 and see how far it goes before detonating. Maybe it will go 100,000 miles. Who knows.

 

Holy exaggeration Batman. The vast majority of C5 owners with Vortech/Paxton setups are on stock internals....including myself. I'm even on stock exhaust. 18 years and lots of passes at Byron. Now I did add supporting parts like an RPM differential, double valve springs, Textralia cluch, 2001-04 intake.

Provided the OP is starting out with a well maintained engine, that LS6 can easily be at 600HP all day long on a conservative tune and 10 psi.

 

It's all in the tune.

 

So what i’m getting is at least upgrade the valve train and everything else can come in slowly ? I wanted to do my valve train regardless because that’s what failed on my last motor. But that’s where my next question comes in.
With this other engine sitting should I be focusing on my new engine that’s in the vette right now or build the broken one. Which I would send to a machine shop and bore it to a 383 at least that’s what my buddies recommended. I’m just trying to avoid what happened last time and play it more on the safe side rather then just jumping.
I do appreciates your guys input.

 

If your talking about boring out the LS6 to 383, you can't, there isn't enough cylinder wall, the only way to get to 383 is with a stroker kit.

 

I would upgrade to the BTR forged 383 rotating assembly for a piece of mind. After putting all that power and money into it, do it right, do it once, and have fun. Have Brian at BTR build you a reliable 383 monster with a good valvetrain kit too. A good engine builder will know what to do. I am not an engine builder, so don’t take my advice for granted, or at all. I wouldn’t do a budget build if it was me. I’m all in or forget it.

 

I’m not to far from Byron, any chance I can see your C5 this summer?

 

Nope. I moved to NW Indiana, and my drag racing days are over for now. Too many projects, not enough time.

 

that’s what I thought I had typed but I guess i left it out but yes I would do a stroke with it. Does anyone have any experience from going that route ?

 

Thats what I was also suggested is having them build the block for me since it’s already separating itself from factory having it done professionally and i’ll just be supplying the block and the parts! Thank you for that idea !

 

I would leave it stock cubes with a good forged rotating assembly. It'll be stronger than a 383. Let the blower do the work.

 

What kind of power do you want to make. If just 50% more, then stock block and parts, long tube headers, and gap the piston rings wider, so they do not heat grow to go to zero gap to bind on the cylinder walls and rip the top of the pistons off.
If looking for more than the 50% HP than stock (more than 600hp), then you drop standing cylinder compression and bring is back up with the blower instead, and start reinforcing the piston and rods (forged), to take the extra pressure that is going to create the more horse power.
As for close to, or above 600hp, now you get to bullet proof the rest of the drive line, to take that extra 200 hp abuse next.

And remember, the engine is being forced feed air, so don't think of it like a normal aspirated engines, that your porting/flowing heads and big radical cam, and trying to get the engine to breath better of its own still.

As for 600hp and the drive line bullet proofed as well,
very road coarse-able, but past the point with more HP, forget road courses use, since your boxing yourself in for straight line use instead.
Yes, may be 1/2 second faster down the straight, but going to be a nightmare in the techinal sections trying to hold the car on line as back end walks out over and over again with TVS blower.
Note, forget trying to use centrifical blower car on the road course car. The boost kicks in much later in the RPM, and when they do kick in, back end just comes whipping around on you. With TVS blower, you can use higher gear to grunt the car out of the corner, since torque of the motor goes linear max, pretty much off idle instead.

Hence HP is thought of as the speed that when you hit the wall.
while torque, is how far your going to take the wall with you when you hit it instead.

 

Thank you for the insight!!! Seems like I got a decent path for what i will end up doing! I’ll update you guys and how everything goes!

 

A 700 HP C7 Z is trackworthy and so is a 1100 C8 ZR1, and why can’t a 600HP c5 be track worthy. I don’t have a supercharged car, so only a roots style blower will work and not a vortech style blower.

 

I suggest building the spare. Piston probably broke due to lack of ring end gap as I have read many of the LS6s were tight from the factory. Fine until you push it hard enough or long enough. I have two LS6s that are now 383". One was built NA and runs well, good power on the road course. The other I bought with a ProCharger installed, and it ripped. I pulled the ProCharger and have been running it in the heat at Sebring and it even runs pretty strong on the SC tune. I cannot use the power it has NA fully yet on track. I am an instructor and can hold my own on track. The supercharger option depends on what you want to do with the car. I drove the car on Sebring one weekend but it was overheating. Previous owner said it made 700 RWHP, and with no nannies it was a handful on track with the traction I had at the time. If I need more HP on track the ProCharger will certainly provide it, but driving the car hard NA has oil temps at 290° with Track Spec hood vents and a DeWitts radiator. I have an Improved Racing oil cooler for it (not yet installed) but not sure that would control oil temps with the ProCharger installed. Do your thing, but be careful what you ask for!!

 

I worked with a guy who has a 2002 Z06. It has the A&A blower setup. All stock internals EXCEPT cam and valve springs. He is making North of 600 hp. Very reliable. He is super fussy about his car. When he drove it to work (two or 3 times a month) he always covered it. He has never had a problem except rear tire wear. Ill also say he only puts about 2,000 miles per year on it.

 

This is the route I would go IMO