LS Engine DIY

The OEM pistons for LS  engines are all cast hypereutectic construction except for the LS9 with its factory-forged pistons. Don’t be alarmed about the “cast” term. Unlike earlier cast pistons, hypereutectic pistons feature a dense casting process … [Click here to read more...]

One of the most misunderstood performance components on any LS engine has to be cam timing. The difficulty is only compounded when you add things such as nitrous oxide, turbos, or superchargers. From an anatomical standpoint, the camshaft can be … [Click here to read more...]

Nothing illustrates the power potential of a stroker Gen III/IV small-block better than a real-world engine strapped to the dyno. Thus far, the prior chapters have outlined how to select the myriad components necessary to assemble a stroker LSseries … [Click here to read more...]

With the short-block, cylinder heads, valvetrain, and induction installation sorted out, the last step before hitting the throttle is feeding that new LS stroker motor some fuel and spark. This can be achieved by using the factory EFI system, an … [Click here to read more...]

Cylinders heads are sometimes referred to as an engine’s lungs. That being the case, the intake manifold can accurately be described as an engine’s nostrils. As important as airflow through the cylinder heads is, it’s ultimately limited by the … [Click here to read more...]

Just 20 years ago, the prospect of a production pushrod engine turning 7,000 rpm—while being backed by a 100,000-mile factory warranty—seemed absolutely preposterous. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what GM did with the LS7, which it introduced in the … [Click here to read more...]

The cylinder heads might be the most important part of an engine in terms of producing horsepower, but unless something opens up the valves, the heads will flow no air at all. And zero airflow equals zero horsepower. The responsibility of opening and … [Click here to read more...]

School of Automotive Machinists founder, Judson Massingill, lives by a simple adage: Get a head, flow a head, stay ahead. That’s because no single component on an engine affects power output more than the cylinder heads, so it pays big time to get … [Click here to read more...]

Chevy engineers did a lot of things right with the Gen I small-block, but one of the engine’s most standout, yet underappreciated, design features is its oiling system. Although it was originally designed for a tiny 265-ci engine producing just 165 … [Click here to read more...]

Few components in an engine are as underappreciated as the connecting rods. While they’re not much to look at, connecting rods attach the pistons to the crankshaft, and they are, therefore, burdened with the responsibility of converting the … [Click here to read more...]

Engine builders compare an engine block to the foundation of a house so frequently that the analogy has become a vapid cliché. There’s good reason for this, however, as every component on an engine is attached to the block. The stresses of internal … [Click here to read more...]

With more than two dozen variants of the LS engine platform already in existence, choosing the right one for your stroker build can seem quite daunting. The Gen III/IV family covers the gamut, from plebian 4.8L truck motors to the beastly 638-hp … [Click here to read more...]

Displacement is king. Whether it’s in NASCAR Sprint Cup, NHRA Pro Stock, or Formula One, professional race teams always build the biggest motors that their respective rule books allow. This universal quest for maximizing displacement is hardly a … [Click here to read more...]

Not long after its debut in the 1997 Corvette, General Motor’s LS-series V-8 established itself as the gold standard of performance. Sure, other engine platforms can be built to match it in terms of sheer horsepower output, but none of them offer the … [Click here to read more...]

The internal-combustion process is downright brutal, and the pistons are quite literally on the front lines of the battlefield. The nature of converting reciprocating energy into rotating force means that the four-stroke process tries to eject the … [Click here to read more...]

Back in the stone age of building stroker motors, which was only about 15 years ago, hot rodders had to settle for miniscule displacement gains through primitive means, such as offset grinding production crankshafts. Fortunately, that’s no longer the … [Click here to read more...]

Maximizing the performance of a supercharged or turbocharged vehicle includes more than the power adder itself. A number of supporting components in the powertrain and chassis require upgrades or attention to not only realize the full horsepower … [Click here to read more...]

With a stout short-block filled with an all-forged rotating assembly, the remainder of a boost-ready engine assembly includes the cylinder heads and crucially important camshaft. All LS engines benefit from excellent cylinder-head airflow—some more … [Click here to read more...]

Builders seeking performance beyond the realm of bolt-on supercharger and turbocharger kits— exceeding about 10 pounds of boost, or so—likely need to consider the construction of a custom engine assembly designed specifically for forced induction. In … [Click here to read more...]

In the most basic terms, electronically controlled engines must be carefully calibrated to take advantage of engine modifications that affect airflow and fuel delivery requirements. That is more imperative for forced-induction engines, which process … [Click here to read more...]

Unlike most bolt-on supercharger systems, which can easily adapt to a variety of vehicles, turbo kits present unique challenges. There is more to contend with in the routing of inlet and outlet tubing between the exhaust manifolds, turbocharger(s), … [Click here to read more...]

This chapter offers in-depth looks at the two basic types of bolton supercharger systems: Roots/ screw-type compressors that replace the intake manifold and centrifugal systems that mount to the engine’s front accessory-drive system. Both systems are … [Click here to read more...]

This chapter discusses peripheral modifications that are commonly performed to support them, including fuel system upgrades, spark plug selection and the process known as “pinning” the crankshaft and balancer. For the most part, the factory cooling … [Click here to read more...]

Swiss engineer Dr. Alfred Buchi is credited with developing the first exhaust-driven turbocharger, sometime around 1912. By 1915, he published a proposal for employing a turbocharger on a diesel engine, but the idea was mostly ignored for the next … [Click here to read more...]

Superchargers come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are related by a common attribute: They generate boost pressure via an engine-driven mechanism. Typically, superchargers are driven by a belt connected to the crankshaft. When it comes … [Click here to read more...]

In general terms, and assuming everything else is equal, an internal combustion engine with larger displacement flows more air than a smaller-displacement engine. The engine with the greater airflow makes more power.   This Tech Tip is … [Click here to read more...]

If you don’t know how to “slew” a value in an EFI calibration — this article is for you. Here, you will be able to learn the basics of EFI and calibration, and how to take advantage of the advanced Gen III V-8 features like the built-in crank … [Click here to read more...]

Throughout this book, we’ve T focused on using simple parts and straightforward buildups, but this chapter will show what it takes to build a highly custom, special-use engine. With this engine buildup, you’ll learn many processes to get the multiple … [Click here to read more...]

If there is any doubt remaining about the power potential of the Gen III LS1/LS6 engine architecture, the following real-world engine buildup should clear that up. Simply put, there is no other production 5.7-liter small-block pushrod V-8 engine … [Click here to read more...]

There are many fans of the iron-block 4.8-, 5.3-, and 6.0-liter Gen III V-8s that power many of the ’99 and later full-size Chevy and GMC trucks. That fan base is drawn to the Gen III V-8 because of its thick powerband, impressive peak power numbers, … [Click here to read more...]

There are very few engine upgrade packages that provide more real “bang for the buck” performance on the Gen III V-8 than the addition of CNC-ported cylinder heads, an intake, a camshaft, a pair of long-tube exhaust headers, and a modified engine … [Click here to read more...]

Knowing all the technical aspects of the Gen III V-8 engine is interesting, but more than likely, the information you really want to know is how to improve its performance. That’s why this article is about aftermarket components that can be bolted on … [Click here to read more...]

As simple as it may seem, just getting the Gen III V-8 out of a production vehicle can be frustrating if you haven’t done it before. Because of this, the following chapter covers as much detail as possible with visual support to show how to remove … [Click here to read more...]

If there is one great aspect to General Motor’s small-block V-8s, it is that they have a lot in common. This is especially true with the Gen III V-8. It means parts off the Z06 Corvette engine, the LS6, fit on 6.0-liter Gen III truck engines without … [Click here to read more...]

The General Motors (GM) Gen III LS1 V-8 is one of the many successful engines to come out of GM Powertrain since it was formed to be the global powertrain provider for GM. As this book goes to print, about 8,000 Gen III small-block V-8 engines are … [Click here to read more...]

There are a few acts of creation an automobile company must be great at if it plans on being successful in the car business. These actions usually include being able to: Design and build visually pleasing, high quality, and durable automobile … [Click here to read more...]

Maximizing the performance of a supercharged or turbocharged vehicle includes more than the power adder itself. A number of supporting components in the powertrain and chassis require upgrades or attention to not only realize the full horsepower … [Click here to read more...]

With a stout short-block filled with an all-forged rotating assembly, the remainder of a boost-ready engine assembly includes the cylinder heads and crucially important camshaft. All LS engines benefit from excellent cylinder-head airflow—some more … [Click here to read more...]

Builders seeking performance beyond the realm of bolt-on supercharger and turbocharger kits— exceeding about 10 pounds of boost, or so—likely need to consider the construction of a custom engine assembly designed specifically for forced induction. In … [Click here to read more...]

In the most basic terms, electronically controlled engines must be carefully calibrated to take advantage of engine modifications that affect airflow and fuel delivery requirements. That is more imperative for forced-induction engines, which process … [Click here to read more...]

Because of the additional modifications, including cylinder heads and a camshaft, the manufacturer’s tuning software wasn’t sufficient for this project. A custom tune was created at Stenod Performance and the Corvette delivered 508 hp and 439 ft-lbs … [Click here to read more...]

This chapter offers in-depth looks at the two basic types of bolton supercharger systems: Roots/ screw-type compressors that replace the intake manifold and centrifugal systems that mount to the engine’s front accessory-drive system. Both systems are … [Click here to read more...]

This chapter discusses peripheral modifications that are commonly performed to support them, including fuel system upgrades, spark plug selection and the process known as “pinning” the crankshaft and balancer. For the most part, the factory cooling … [Click here to read more...]

Swiss engineer Dr. Alfred Buchi is credited with developing the first exhaust-driven turbocharger, sometime around 1912. By 1915, he published a proposal for employing a turbocharger on a diesel engine, but the idea was mostly ignored for the next … [Click here to read more...]

Superchargers come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are related by a common attribute: They generate boost pressure via an engine-driven mechanism. Typically, superchargers are driven by a belt connected to the crankshaft. … [Click here to read more...]

In general terms, and assuming everything else is equal, an internal combustion engine with larger displacement flows more air than a smaller-displacement engine. The engine with the greater airflow makes more power.   This Tech Tip is … [Click here to read more...]