G'day Craig,
Here's the moden day equilivent. GM's new LS7 - 7.0 ltrs and 500 hp stock to appear in the 2006 vette. Hmmm I wonder if HSV's new GTS will be powered by this?
When will ford wake up!
LS7 Details
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* 500 horsepower / 475 lb.-ft. torque
* Racing technology transfer takes production engine performance to new heights
* Racing-derived CNC-ported aluminum cylinder heads
DETROIT – From its inception 50 years ago, GM’s small-block V-8 has been a mainstay and favorite of the performance world. Nothing, however, in the production history of this respected eight-cylinder icon comes close to matching the performance of the all-new, 500-horsepower LS7 small-block.
GM Powertrain, using valuable data gleaned from the factory-sponsored Corvette C5R racing program, developed the LS7 with many competition-derived components and design features. It takes production small-block performance to an unprecedented level while demonstrating the continuing adaptability of the engine’s compact, cam-in-block design. It is, quite simply, the largest, most powerful production small-block V-8 GM has ever produced.
The LS7 displaces 7.0 liters – 427 cubic inches – and is standard equipment in the 2006 Corvette Z06. It is identified by red engine covers and is based on the new Gen IV small-block architecture.
Unlike the previous Corvette Z06 engine, the LS7 has a separate and distinct engine block casting and reciprocating assembly than the base Corvette engine. And when compared to the LS2, it has a different front cover,
oil pan, exhaust manifolds and cylinder heads. The unique block accommodates large-displacement cylinders, while other components make use of racing-derived lightweight components to help boost horsepower and rpm capability.
The LS7’s specifications are significant for a production engine:
* 500 horsepower @ 6200 rpm
* 475 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4800 rpm
* 7000-rpm redline
* Unique engine block with larger 104.8-mm (4.125-inch) bores and pressed-in cylinder liners
* Forged steel crankshaft with 101.6-mm (4-inch) stroke
* Titanium connecting rods
* Cast aluminum flat-top pistons
* Racing-derived CNC-ported aluminum cylinder heads with titanium intake valves and sodium-filled exhaust valves
* Dry-sump oiling system
* 11.0:1 compression ratio
* Camshaft with 15-mm (.591-inch) lift
* Hydroformed exhaust headers with unique “quad flow” collector flanges.
All LS7 engines are assembled by hand at GM’s new Performance Build Center in Wixom , Mich. The exacting standards to which they are built include deck-plate boring and honing of the cylinders and even crank line-boring of the block with the deck plates and side bolts installed – procedures normally associated with the building of racing engines and almost unheard of in a production-vehicle engine.
“In many ways, the LS7 is a racing engine in a street car,” said Dave Muscaro, assistant chief engineer of small-block V-8 for passenger cars. “We’ve taken much of what we’ve learned over the years from the 7.0-liter C5R racing program and instilled it here. There really has been nothing else like it offered in a GM production vehicle.”
Indeed, the LS7’s engineers spent as much time at racetracks as they did at engine dynamometers. Everything from the cylinder heads to the unique dry-sump oiling system has a direct line back to the racing program. But while the LS7 has racing roots, it delivers its performance with uncompromising smoothness and tractability – qualities that make the Corvette Z06 a daily-driveable supercar.
Cylinder Block & Reciprocating Assembly
The LS7’s competition-proven construction is exemplified in the cylinder block and reciprocating assembly, where an all-new aluminum block casting is used to provide room for its large, 104.8-mm-diameter (4.125-inch) cylinder bores. Inside the cylinders, aluminum flat-top pistons deliver an 11.0:1 compression ratio. They’re connected to a precision-balanced forged steel crankshaft with a 101.6-mm (4-inch) stroke via lightweight titanium connecting rods.
The titanium rods weigh just 480 grams apiece – almost 30 percent less than the rods in the LS2 V-8. Besides being lightweight, which enhances high-rpm performance and rpm range, titanium makes the rods extremely durable. And as with features like deck-plate honing, the use of premium titanium connecting rods typically is seen only in all-out racing engines.
Other details of the cylinder block assembly include pressed-in cylinder sleeves and forged steel main bearing caps. Pressed-in cylinder sleeves are used to allow the large 104.8-mm bore while the six-bolt, doweled-in-place CNC-machined forged steel main caps offer the superior strength required at the LS7’s power level. The smaller-displacement LS2 engine (101.6-mm bore x 92-mm stroke) has cast-in cylinder sleeves and powder metal main caps.