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 aftermarket EFI system, or by converting over to a carbureted induction setup. All three methods […]

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 efficiency of the intake manifold. In fact, the only way an engine can use all of […]

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 2006 Corvette Z06. Needless to say, valvetrain technology has elevated the OHV platform far beyond what anyone dreamed […]

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 closing the valves at precise intervals falls on the camshaft, which makes […]

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 educated. Without question, a durable, big-inch short-block is the foundation of every […]

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 hp, with some very basic modifications, the small-block Chevy oiling system could easily support […]

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 reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotating motion at the crankshaft. As such, the connecting rods are […]

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 combustion can lead to block distortion, poor ring seal, and power loss; […]

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 supercharged LS9. Each has its pros and cons when asked to serve as […]

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 coincidence. Internal-combustion engines are nothing more than glorified air pumps, and, as such, the engine that moves […]