I have an 05 LQ4 that will be installed shortly. Motor will be stock except stage 3 Trick Flow cam and springs and an LS1 intake for now. I was thinking I should switch to the LS2 timing chain, LS7 lifters and upgrade the pushrods. I was reading that the oil pump should be changed as well. Thoughts? Is the OP on the LQ4's any good?

 

Its a good idea to put a new oil pump into any used engine before reinstalling them. Cheap insurance to a part thats a huge PITA when the engine is installed

Id upgrade the pushrods. Stockers are easily bent with rowdy drivers. They're so cheap, why not go with forged and not have to worry about it

LS2 timing chain is also a good idea. Not dead critical either

Do a few searches on LS1tech about the LS7 lifters. Some have great results, some have disasters. Cadillac lifters seem to be more reliable for some reason. Do your research there or risk wiping the cam

A LQ4 wont let you down. The stock compression is nearly perfect for boost and aftermarket pistons are common/cheap for a higher compression NA build. The 4" bore opens up a whole new world of great head choices and top end kits that can switch from GEN III to GEN IV with very few other changes. They will get pretty nasty too with a little bit or work, just read over BlueZee28's 6.0 build

 

yes the push rods for sure! I wouldnt worry too much about the later pumps but its not a bad idea.. arp rod bolts.... and rod and main bearings the HP ones I would leave the chain stock style

 

Yep, and I consider mine a relatively mild build, all things considered.

My current setup has kept an '04 Z06 at bay


I would definitely not put the motor in the car without replacing the oil pump, pushrods, lifters, and depending on the specs of this "stage 3" cam, I would also replace the valve springs.

For reference, my 317 casting heads would have originally gave my 6.0 a 9.5:1 CR, but I had them milled and with the aftermarket Mahle pistongs, I'm sitting around 10.6:1 CR. The motor has a lot more HP that hasn't had a chance to unleash yet since I really need a set of AFR 215's and a bigger intake/TB. I don't know what kind of power you're looking for but if you want anything somewhat mild to wild, look into the F.A.S.T. 90/90 setup. It works great for stock cube 6.0's, and is what I'm planning on picking up after I buy some sticky rubber and a 9".

And while you're in there (you will find there are a lot of, "while you're in there" moments), you may as well replace the crank pulley with an underdrive pulley. They're relatively cheap and are an easy couple horsepower. PowerBond makes a nice 25% underdrive SFI certified piece. It's what I'm running on mine. And it runs right at 14.0amps with no a/c, but it has power steering on it.

 

Oh and for what it's worth, I'm running the LS7 lifters from Texas Speed.

 

Cam is 228/230 585/585 Which oil pump? I'm going to do the basics for now. I splurged on a nice K member and arms for the swap.

 

Stock LS6, maybe port the openings a little with a washer or two to shim the bypass plunger a few thousandths

 

Myself and others have had great success with Melling oil pumps. It's right around the same price as an LS6 pump.

 

I have a ported melling on mine.

these are another good choice too.. http://sdparts.com/details/gm-performance-parts/sd1830c