I'm gonna build a 5.3 twin Turbo,lots of questions ... LOL! I was thinking of going with an l33,is this motor 4 bolt or 2?? And I want everything forged,what is a good crank?? Pistons? Rods? And what turbos should I get with 900 rwhp in mind?? This is my first build and after hours of research I'm still a bit confused.. Any little details would be helpful and maybe links to similar builds.. Thanx!!

 

Welcome aboard thirdgen.org.

The L33 is an LS-family engine. Therefore, it isn't 2-bolt or 4-bolt, it's 6-bolt.

I'm no expert here, but from what I've read about what others have done, those engines are pretty tough. Those HP levels have been achieved with stock bottom ends. To keep doing it reliably - well, you may want to do some aftermarket forged parts. But, you may want to consider using a cast iron block engine instead.

How to get there is better asked on the "power adder" forum.

Curious what you're going to do with 900 RWHP. I can get in plenty of trouble with 300.

 

I saw the *plenty of trouble* LOL. Not sure yet,bragging rights I guess and I'm getting used to 500 hp.. Some people said iron blocks are better some said aluminum so I'm not sure what to go with yet.... I was hoping somebody can get me pointed in the right direction.. And I was planning to go all forged, I want it to last.

 

The only advantage to aluminum is lighter weight. Go with the cast iron block and up the boost by .25 psi, that should make up the difference.

A magazine (Super Chevy, was it?) got 1200 HP out of a stock junkyard 5.3 with only rings and bearings to freshen up the bottom end.

Wait this just in: It was actually a 4.8, which they didn't realize until they did the post-test tear-down and discovered the shorter stroke crank...

 

A factory aluminum block twists above 700 HP or so, we approached 1000 rwhp in a Vette with LS1, broke the water jacket. Aftermarket aluminum would work but then a 5.3 would. It be worth it or possible as they start with a 4 inch and larger bore. Unless you wanted to destroke. At any rate, if you are forging, a 5.3 has gone to 4 inch bore now days with older blocks, so a 3.905 LS1 bore would make more cubes making more power with less boost. But then the 5.3 bore with thicker cylinder walls also is less likely to distort.

 

What trans? 900 thru t56 is easier than 900 thru th400/4l80 e. those are the only 2 trannies id bother with.

For a single 74-80mm in one of the newer wheel technologies out there will cover it.
Twins something around 61-64 mm should do it. T4 hotsides, p trime or equal for twins, larger for single turbo. Use vendor recommendation.

 

If you're looking for 900rwhp, the L33 block is NOT what you're looking for. If you want that kind of power with an aluminum block, the LS2 is the best foundation.

The L33 is a great choice for a 500-600rwhp turbo build. I'm in the middle of one right now

If this is your first build and you're picking the wrong starting point, don't know anything about the LS engines in general, and can't figure out what turbos you will need, then you clearly haven't done anywhere enough reading!

 

Turbo's a pair of garrett GT3071's - GT3076's, either will get you there.

 

I want the 5.3,a little cheaper. What would you guys recommend? And t56 trans.

 

Iron block 5.3, will work great.

 

It was HotRod, they did 1203 HP with CNC-ported heads, a shelf cam, a pair of CXRacing T76 turbos, and the stock pistons survived because they used 118-octane race gas to guarantee NO detonation. To make the T56 survive 900 RWHP means 1 of 2 things: Either forget using sticky tires, or investing around $3500 for a Tranzilla from Rockland Standard Gear. You're also gonna have to invest another $2500+ for a Strange S60 axle, and who knows how much in getting a full cage installed correctly. It'll be mind-blowing at first, but after a while you'll find yourself de-tuning it to reduce the horsepower by a few hundred.

 

900rwhp goal, and you're looking to build a 5.3 over a 6.0 because of the $200-$300 price difference?!

 

Part of me wants to agree with this, but here's the counter-point: The requisite S60 axle locks you in to at least a 3.54:1 gear, so MPG should be better with the 5.3, and you don't need the 6.0 to get to the 900-RWHP goal. 5.3s are far more common, easier to find and less cost to get. That's money you can put toward the other huge costs involved. Why spend more to spend more ( up front and in fuel later )?

 

I was thinking the same thing Marc

 

Magnum T56 is $2900 New, from jegs or summit.

 

I have the roll cage already,my car has about 500 hp right now.. Im just looking for a bit more...And like I said this is my first build and I need some help,everybody needs to start somewhere and asking questions is a start.

 

So what? Not strong enough if the car does hook, overkill if the car doesn't.

 

You do know that the Magnum uses an even larger mainshaft than that "tranzilla" and likely larger gears as well, right ?

 

What?

Neither the 5.3 nor the 6.0 will handle that kind of power on the stock rotating assembly. The 6.0 will be easier to source parts for, will be more reliable, and in the end CHEAPER than the 5.3 (especially over the L33).

And when you're looking for 900rwhp, a few MPG here or there makes no difference to anyone.

Of course, NONE of this matters. This build will never happen.

 

At 900 RWHP, the only thing that can cause the stock short-block assembly to fail, turbocharged with re-gapped top rings and rev-limited, is detonation. Limit the boost when running pump gas, run 118-octane for full output, a stock LM7 WILL live. And why not have MPG with this build? There's no need to give up on MPG, you gain nothing by it, so embrace having your cake and eating it too. Matter of fact, this proposal can be done emissions-legally, for a total driveline budget of $10K, not including any labor or un-necessary upgrades. Matter of fact, I could do my own for $6K, including my truck-spec Dana 60 axle swap ( already done ) and a self-rebuilt 4L80E.

 

i have a set of manifolds if you decide to do a aps style kit..... off a 2010 camaro... this is a pic of what they look like ( these are not my manifolds in the pic) just showing what they could look like

these are my manifolds