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I ran MSD on my stock LT1 then i built my 383 and ran it on that with no problem for about 30,000 miles between the two motors and it ran perfectly fine. and i sold the opti and the guy has put about another 50,000 on it and still nothing at all wrong with it. i would recommend either MSD or OEM Replacement. or go through DEL Teq and get the LS1 coil swap.
VicePresident of West Michigan Firebird Club A.K.A The Maverick http://www.cardomain.com/ride/660128/1 93 TA Currently Under Construction AGAIN 2007 2500 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab w/ 6.0L & 3.73's
He is talking about 400HP at the wheels + 100+ in Nitrous.
That would be a 500 + motor and the setups he is talking about from Eagle don't recommend that much for there I-beams.
It's just my preference but there is no way I would run anything but an H-beam in a setup like that.
And you know that we never stop there so he might as well do it right the 1st time and then he don't have to worry about it later.
VicePresident of West Michigan Firebird Club A.K.A The Maverick http://www.cardomain.com/ride/660128/1 93 TA Currently Under Construction AGAIN 2007 2500 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab w/ 6.0L & 3.73's
the stock resized PM rods with ARP bolts wouldnt even make a sweat at that power level. Upgrade if you want, but an H-Beam is not necessary here. The stock crank should be reused as well. The only thing you should do is get a set of forged pistons and file to fit rings and gap them for nitrous.
dont waste your money on bottom end components that you dont need. I did, and shouldnt have.
yeah i wish i had the money to get rid of the opti.. but i dont think i can swing it. lol but in the future it could be a great possibility, thanks for the site! and i thought that i would need h-beam rods also.. i would just hate to put I beams in there and mess something up
yeahh thats what I assumed. I wanted to know why he was so crazy about H-beam rods for this application? The stock PM rods would be totally fine
one of the machine shops i went to said that they wouldn't even re-con the stock rods, he told me they are junk/throw away rods.. but i have heard of people using them and having no problems..
He is talking about 400HP at the wheels + 100+ in Nitrous.
That would be a 500 + motor and the setups he is talking about from Eagle don't recommend that much for there I-beams.
It's just my preference but there is no way I would run anything but an H-beam in a setup like that.
And you know that we never stop there so he might as well do it right the 1st time and then he don't have to worry about it later.
yeah thats excatuly the way i think of it also.. i will probably want to use a bigger shot sooner or later.. and i deff. DONT want to do this again in a few years! i would rather build it right in my mind. the ohio crankshaft H beams are only like 370 so thats not too bad! thanks guys! keep them coming! o yeah one more ? i see most people run Speed Pro Forged pistons, 2256 is the part number i believe, one of the machine shops told me to go with a SRP piston? just wondering what you guys think
And if you're going all out on the shortblock, get a forged compstar crank, and 4 bolt splayed mains. why not get some oliver billet h beams while ur at it, GOOD pistons. When you blow all of your money on the bottom end, you can then throw stock heads back on it with a cam and make 330 rwhp! yay!!
see where im going with this?
spend money where it needs to be spent to make power, do research on what people run bottom end wise, dont take our advice as gold. I have personally seen the stock crank take as much as anyone can throw at it, and same goes for the rods.
this is OBVIOUSLY not a max effort build and does not need a bottom end built for that
BOTTOM LINE: I dont want to see a nice bottom end topped off with a half-assed top end and become another LT1 statistic that gets walked by anything out there.
Last edited by ThreeHonks; November 28th, 2009, 07:53 PM.
I'll just put it this way, I would be (...and will be...) investing in a good ignition and PCM system before I spend any money on a bottom end. And if it lasts that long heads too.
400rwhp is not a serious build. When i get my tune squared away ill only be 25 or so short of that with a cam-only engine. My bottom end is bone stock w/ nearly 100k miles.
If security is worth the cost to you then thats fine. But if it were me i would replace the bearings, stud the caps, and use ARP rod-bolts and it wouldnt bother me one bit. (also a white oil pump spring). Just those basics go a long way.
EDIT: If I could do it over again, I would have done something similar to what joel listed. Its nice to say I have a forged bottom end, but is it really needed? NO
Last edited by ThreeHonks; November 29th, 2009, 08:57 AM.
And if you're going all out on the shortblock, get a forged compstar crank, and 4 bolt splayed mains. why not get some oliver billet h beams while ur at it, GOOD pistons. When you blow all of your money on the bottom end, you can then throw stock heads back on it with a cam and make 330 rwhp! yay!!
see where im going with this?
spend money where it needs to be spent to make power, do research on what people run bottom end wise, dont take our advice as gold. I have personally seen the stock crank take as much as anyone can throw at it, and same goes for the rods.
this is OBVIOUSLY not a max effort build and does not need a bottom end built for that
BOTTOM LINE: I dont want to see a nice bottom end topped off with a half-assed top end and become another LT1 statistic that gets walked by anything out there.
actually i havent found a machine shop yet.. i went to AA but dont think i am going to take it there. any suggestions? i am going to run a LE2 heads and cam so it should be a decent top end. but i understand where you are coming from.
I'll just put it this way, I would be (...and will be...) investing in a good ignition and PCM system before I spend any money on a bottom end. And if it lasts that long heads too.
400rwhp is not a serious build. When i get my tune squared away ill only be 25 or so short of that with a cam-only engine. My bottom end is bone stock w/ nearly 100k miles.
If security is worth the cost to you then thats fine. But if it were me i would replace the bearings, stud the caps, and use ARP rod-bolts and it wouldnt bother me one bit. (also a white oil pump spring). Just those basics go a long way.
thank you, and i think down the road i will worry about getting rid of the opti, right now i just want to worry about my motor and try to build it strong(in my mind) like you say i could have probably ran all the stock bottom end stuff, but owell i guess ill be like three honks and will be able to say i have a forged bottom.. and like he says is it necessary? probably not but it will be worth it in my mind.. and who knows i might end up doing a bigger shot also..(175 or 200) then at that point i wont have to worry about anything.. but thanks again guys for the info and maybe if i wasn't this far into the build i would have just used the stock bottom end
sounds like you are moving in the right direction then.
the point he was making was dont throw all your money at a bottom end and then not have anything left for the top. If youve already got your top end in line, then by all means spend whatever your budget allows on the bottom. Just dont sacrifice the top end for it when stock stuff is decent. What you said about the ignition system is what made me think you didnt. I would not call anyone a fool for building a strong bottom, but on the contrary I have seen LE3 packages slapped on stock shortblocks and last a while. The other thing you have to keep in mind is luck. Some people have it, some dont. In many ways its like an insurance policy - how much risk are you willing to take? Some people also hide the reasons their engines failed because they did something stupid and are embarassed to say it.
VicePresident of West Michigan Firebird Club A.K.A The Maverick http://www.cardomain.com/ride/660128/1 93 TA Currently Under Construction AGAIN 2007 2500 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab w/ 6.0L & 3.73's
sounds like you are moving in the right direction then.
the point he was making was dont throw all your money at a bottom end and then not have anything left for the top. If youve already got your top end in line, then by all means spend whatever your budget allows on the bottom. Just dont sacrifice the top end for it when stock stuff is decent. What you said about the ignition system is what made me think you didnt. I would not call anyone a fool for building a strong bottom, but on the contrary I have seen LE3 packages slapped on stock shortblocks and last a while. The other thing you have to keep in mind is luck. Some people have it, some dont. In many ways its like an insurance policy - how much risk are you willing to take? Some people also hide the reasons their engines failed because they did something stupid and are embarassed to say it.
thanks man, yeah once i get rid of my LT4 set up then i will be sending my heads to Lloyd. and i hope luck is on my side 8-O lol.. but i get where you guys are coming from, what would be the point of building a good bottom end and then not have the funds to actually put money where the power is made.. lol but i should be able to shake the 355 LE2 forged..(it helps living at home still!) but i can tell you its is costing me about 2 times what i expected! but it will be worth it when completed, it should be a nice street car.
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