LS1 heart

boxhead · #1 (**permalink**) 08-30-2003, 10:05 PM

Here is the engine on the stand I made, I realise no one may be interested but I cant help myself with the anticipation

REPTYL · #2 (**permalink**) 08-30-2003, 11:56 PM

Very nice. (bet you cant wait to wrap a cobra around it)

I'm a bit worried about the wet stain on the end of the work bench

boxhead · #3 (**permalink**) 08-31-2003, 12:00 AM

What can I say Jason, I am exited about it all

REPTYL · #4 (**permalink**) 08-31-2003, 12:13 AM

I just had a quick dig around some of my old photos.

And check out that floor!!!!
Lots of wet spots

boxhead · #5 (**permalink**) 08-31-2003, 12:21 AM

I am takeing a guess that that is the motor (boat anchor)

that lives in your beast?
I pressume it is since I can see the 2 gas throttle bodies.
Help me out here Mike and Sloth, we can beat these ford guys

750hp · #6 (**permalink**) 08-31-2003, 12:33 AM

Jason, I'm just getting in here as backup to maintain the Ford name..... (How close are your throttle bodies to the bonnet?)

box - are you still planning on a stroker? Do you need to even pull the pan off it, or is basically right to go as is? Are you getting Mike to do his you-beaut shifter mod for you?

boxhead · #7 (**permalink**) 08-31-2003, 12:38 AM

Yes Craig, I will need to rebuild this motor as it had piston slap/rattle before being replaced.
I am still looking into the stroker options, there are a few different companies I am talking to, also talking to people regarding 8 throttle body manifold, so I am not sure which one I will get.
Yes I still am planning on getting Mike to modify my shifter but not sure if finances will permit this to happen in December when I visit Melbourne.

REPTYL · #8 (**permalink**) 08-31-2003, 01:13 AM

Quote:

(How close are your throttle bodies to the bonnet?)

About 1.5 mm on the left and about 10mm on the right.

See that little black plastic gas inlet on the far Throttle body (just above the rocker cover filter).
My mechanic dropped the bonnet hard enough to hit it about 3 weeks after the new paint job and created a nice little crow foot.

Not happy

750hp · #9 (**permalink**) 08-31-2003, 01:27 AM

Just what you need on a new paintjob. At least you got the first bit of damage out of the way. The first one is always the stressful one, after that it's water off a duck's back!

1.5mm? Do you have solid engine mounts?

box - piston rattle, oil consumption, sub-standard performance..... welcome to the world of LS1 !!!

REPTYL · #10 (**permalink**) 08-31-2003, 01:36 AM

motor rocks to the left.
heaps of room.

boxhead · #11 (**permalink**) 08-31-2003, 01:37 AM

Different pistons will fix the piston rattle (thats why i was thinking of the stroker), sump & pickup from a corvette will fix the oil surge faults.
There wont be too much sub standard with the performance.

750hp · #12 (**permalink**) 08-31-2003, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by REPTYL

motor rocks to the left.
heaps of room.

Mate, I don't know how engines work in the deep south, but the passenger (left) side rocker cover lifts under acceleration on engines up here. Or is your "left" as you look into the engine bay from the front....

Or, do you run engines reverse rotation down there....

Box - do those LS1s get oil surge as well as piston rattle and oil consumption?!?

Seriously though, I thought the LS1 stroker kits were VERY expensive. Have you received any quotes yet?

boxhead · #13 (**permalink**) 09-01-2003, 01:15 AM

Talking to the guys at c.o.m.e they recon there kit will be around the $4500 area
Which I thought wasnt to bad a price.
The oil surge is only in the aussie cars also the rattle fault are all related in the fact that the pickup is at the front on commodore and the pump is at the front but on the american cars the pickup is at the back with the pipeing built inside the block so the aussie engine the oil goes from the front to the rear and then back to the front again before it reaches the pump and bearings.
The corvette sump and pickup skould fix this which is an easy fit considering there is no X member under the sump on a cobra.

Aussie Mike · #14 (**permalink**) 09-01-2003, 02:26 AM

Hi Craig,

Boxhead correct me if I'm wrong but the Oil surge problems are caused by the Holden sump design. The reservoir and pickup are at the front of the sump to clear the cross member. Under hard acceleration the baffling can't cope with the movement of oil and the pickup can find itself without oil to suck up. Holden's solution for the Commodore LS1 is to add an extra litre of oil. The Ideal Cobra solution is to run the Camaro/Firebird sump with it's reservoir and pickup at the rear or the Corvette sump which has a rear pickup but is slightly shallower and has wings for extra capacity. The Camaro sump hangs about 1" below the chassis rails on the Classic Revival and the Corvette sump should about even with the bottom of the rail. The lowest point will still be the bellhousing and the gearbox at about 1" below the rails.

The oil control problems/piston slap are related to the tension of the oil rings and the piston clearances used. In order to get maximum fuel economy I beleive GM used some low tension oil rings and run a low viscosity oil. This seems to make the break in process a bit hit and miss with some engines not properly bedding their oil rings. After reading the various LS1 forums I see some people are having good results with the right choice of oil. Part of the oil consumption can also be blamed on the crank case ventilation. The early system took the PCV from the rocker covers where there is a lot of oil mist and this gets drawn into the intake. I've seen pictures of LS1s with the manifold removed and the ports are dripping with oil. The problem has been fixed in later motors and the PCV is now taken from the valley cover where there isn't much oil mist.

I still think the LS1 is a very solid building block for a very tuff lightweight motor. It makes heaps of HP out of the box with no internal mods. Chipmaster got 251 rear wheel KW out of a stock unopened motor with just exhaust, airbox and remapping. Check out the article here Chipmaster Monaro

The bottom end is extremely strong even with the sintered metal rods that people have doubts about. Nizpro had one on thier dyno and kept feeding it bigger and bigger hits of N2O to see how it coped. I believe it got to about 650HP and 800lbs/ft torque before it burnt a valve and stopped testing. They reckon it could have gone to 750HP (Check out Volume 13 of Performance buildups).

The engine stand lookslike a ripper by the way. Much better design than the ones that bolt off the gearbox flange.

Cheers

750hp · #15 (**permalink**) 09-01-2003, 02:47 AM

Interesting stuff! I wasn't really aware of the oil surge problems. Now - clutch problems in the Commodores is something that I've heard A LOT about. You guys will be fitting aftermarket clutches, won't you?

REPTYL · #16 (**permalink**) 09-01-2003, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Mate, I don't know how engines work in the deep south, but the passenger (left) side rocker cover lifts under acceleration on engines up here.

OOPS!!!

That’s probably why I'm slowly wearing through the paint on the left side of my under-bonnet.
(through the paint and part way through the gel).

Should make for extra bonnet ventilation in a year of two.

Quote:

Or, do you run engines in reverse down there....

I run my engine with the dizzy at the front not like that backward LS1 mob.

750hp · #17 (**permalink**) 09-01-2003, 11:52 PM

Extra ventilation, and lighter weight - how could you go wrong with that combo?

The distributor is sitting in the right spot from where I'm looking. We'll see how much they like their oil burners when they have to bump the timing a little bit and the dissy's hard up against their firewall.....

Aussie Mike · #18 (**permalink**) 09-02-2003, 12:02 AM

Dissy? We don't have no Dissy. We don't need no stinkin' Dissy!

Check the pictures

LS1 back
LS1 side

Cheers

750hp · #19 (**permalink**) 09-02-2003, 12:14 AM

Hmmm - an answer for everything

OK, now Jason and I have proven our levels of LS1 knowledge, let's change the subject!!!

boxhead · #20 (**permalink**) 09-02-2003, 04:31 AM

You beat me to it with the pics Mike, we dont need no stinkin Dissy's.
Lets just sit in the passenger seats with our laptops to adjust the timing useing ls1 edit.
With the oil surge the fault is in sump design.
Some people also complain of a rattle on start up and afew people feel this is related to how far the oil needs to travel befor reaching the bearings. ie from front pickup to rear union to front pump back to rear bearing.
Also the ls1 has pickup points ready to fit the oil cooler straight on.
I will be fitting an after market clutch assy.
Looking at an alloy flywheel aswell.
I will put some LS1 engine pics in my gallery showing a customers car, take a peak at them, Craig (the forced induction guy) will like them.