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 with high silicon content. They’re stronger than old-school cast pistons, and they’re more stable in terms of thermal […]

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 likened to the brain because the cam profile determines how effectively (when and where) breathing […]

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 small-block. However, there are literally thousands of ways in which those components can be mixed and […]

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 […]