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LS3 heads on LS2... How does it work out?

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Old Dec 4, 2016 | 12:53 PM
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Default LS3 heads on LS2... How does it work out?

Hey all! A friend of mine has a 2006 with LS3 heads installed? Just curious? Is it a direct swap or is there more involved? And what kind of power gains will this produce? I am thinking of doing the same with mine. Thanks!
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Old Dec 4, 2016 | 01:30 PM
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I did CNC LSA heads with a FAST intake, COMP 469 cam Plus a tune and picked up 100RWHP. Car already had headers.

Last edited by timd38; Dec 4, 2016 at 01:31 PM.
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Old Dec 4, 2016 | 04:52 PM
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Originally Posted by don2000
Hey all! A friend of mine has a 2006 with LS3 heads installed? Just curious? Is it a direct swap or is there more involved? And what kind of power gains will this produce? I am thinking of doing the same with mine. Thanks!
Intake manifold ports are different, and if you install the LS3 heads, you need to use a LS3 intake manifold.

As for HP pick up, about 20 hp. Hence about 10 of that is heads, and about 10 of that is the better flowing LS-3 intake manifold.

As for the money your going to drop into new heads, and new intake manifold is you don't have the other mods to justify the heads in the first place, porting your LS-2 243 heads and LS-2 intake manifold will pick up more gains for less money instead.
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Old Dec 4, 2016 | 05:20 PM
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Ls3 mill .050 get an ls3 specific cam & rock on.

Last edited by xBoostx; Dec 4, 2016 at 05:21 PM.
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Old Dec 6, 2016 | 01:44 PM
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We did a lot of these swaps with and without cams back in 2005/2006 time frame. If you just do the heads and intake manifold the car will almost make what a normal LS3 does...so you pick up 20-30 hp over stock with it. Many would do a cam upgrade at the same time which was cheaper than doing AFR heads and a FAST intake manifold for approx the same HP, but the combo wouldn't make the low and mid range torque of the AFR setup.

Should be a number of write ups online on doing the LS3/L76 swap.
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Old Dec 9, 2016 | 10:18 AM
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I am the thinking process of the LS3 swap onto my LS2, without a cam change trying to determine if there will really be any benefit to go the LS3 route versus upgraded LS2 parts.
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Old Dec 10, 2016 | 02:57 AM
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if you install the LS3 heads, you need to use a LS3 intake manifold, and the power gain is not worth the money.

Porting the ls2 heads will get you more power for less money ,or you can use PRC or Trick Flow Heads


http://www.texas-speed.com/p-1172-pr...-castings.aspx
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