Okay, I was sitting here thinking and realized that I'm never going to need 500hp or even be able to really open it up so I'll be able to see what it's like unless I took it to a track. So I figured if I can hang with the ls guys and be able to atleast give them a run for their money id be happy. From what I read it looks like LS engines put out around 350 hp atleast on the 5.7s. So if I can achieve that it even around 400 hp I'd be happy.

whats a spectra filter if you don't mind me asking? And it sounds like you got some goodies. Iv tossed the idea around about grabbing a grant or an aftermarket wheel but I like the airbag wheel I have now for some reason lol

A spectra filter is just an aftermarket air filter, he's probably referring to a cold air intake. And no offense but there is a good chance you would kill yourself with 500hp, especially if that was true rwhp. 350hp is very respectable street horse power and will be more than enough to get the car sideways under normal driving conditions. I'm going for around 400rwhp with my 383 build but it's going to be a street/ strip car. 500+ hp on the street without alot of experience driving hp vehicles can get very unpredictable even with the suspension upgraded accordingly.

Yeah I wouldn't mind 400 rhp. Like I said I just wanna give the ls boys a run. Got some work done today, got my power steering bracket and everything off, got my intake, valve covers off. And man you can tell that the intake gasket blew, the back to ports where it blew are all corroded and dirty and orangish. Last thing I did was fence all my rocket arms, nuts, and pushrods and tossed them in some purple power to soak. Man that fluid didn't stay purple for long. It's black now. But I also took a wire brush to the engine and it cleaned up nicely. I can see all the stamping on the block and timing cover. There were some letters after the 5.7 L on the back of the block I'm not sure of so I'm going to post those up later and hope someone can tell me what they mean.

Does anyone know if I can put an lt4 hotcam in this engine? Or atleast an lt1 cam. I realize I'm going to have to upgrade the springs in the heads to take the larger lift but is it possible?

You better start considering upgrading the rest of the car, if you do not do the brakes and suspension you will be in trouble. Most people only do the motor and ignore the rest, it takes a complete package to be a high HP street car.

I know, I'm looking at an lt1 brake setup now and I'm keeping my eye open for a fourthgen rear with 3.73 gears and I want rear disk brakes.

Which sway bar should I get for the front of my car?

I dont believe you have an LT series motor. In 96 it was still a "generation 1 small block"

and as far as a cam, you dont really want to go over .460 lift. technically .480 is supposed to be max for those heads

Look at my build thread I have changed every componant on the car, I am looking at around 500 HP

Yeah I know I dont have an lt style motor but I'm just curious if I could instal an lt style camshaft. And is .480 with thr stock heads or worked on heads?

.480 is considered max on the heads stock, but .460 is the max recommended since not every engine is exactly the same. And as far as i know, no. You need an gen 1 style cam.

I'm not looking for 500 hp anymore I'm looking for around 350 hp and at the most 400 hp and I'm going to update the components on my car.

Okay that works and from what iv read I have a roller cam aswell so that will perk it up alittle. I'm going to see what the cost is to have my heads reworked with stronger springs and some other work done

Id imagine you have a roller cam, my 96 454 had a roller cam and I upgraded to roller rockers as well

well i hope i have a roller cam but how do you convert to roller rockers? i might be interested in doing that. but anyways i am sold on purple power, i picked up a gallon jug of it today so i could clean my engine and bolts and everything and so everything was clean, well i pulled out a bucket and poured most of it in that and tossed my rockers, push rods, nuts, ect in the fluid and let it sit while i went and had dinner, well when i came back i pulled out a rocker and it was spotless, the purple power had eaten 98% of the oil and crud off everything, i got a slight oil resadue off everything as i pulled them out and was wiping them off and they were like a mat grey, the nuts were really clean and the push rods looks brand new so im going to be buying more of this stuff because what i had in the bucket is pure black and nasty. im going to let it sit in the valve covers tomorrow to see how it cleans the inside of those out. so heres a picture of pretty much how far i got on the engine today, took this before i took out the rockers. and i have a picture of a rocker, the picture doesnt do them any justice though. they are nice and clean

Just buy a set of full roller rocker arms that fit your heads. 1.5:1 is the stock ratio, if you go over that you will need new springs, but get more lift. Keep in mind you need a set of 16, not 8, they sell them both ways.

im getting new stronger springs anyways so i can get a bigger cam so that will work, ill start looking for a set or atleast keep my eyes open. can i use factory roller rockers from another engine?

i dont believe any gen1 engines came stock with roller rockers... you will also need taller valve covers, I have a set from edelbrock for my engine

thatll work, i want chrome covers anyways, adds alittle shine to the engine bay. do you know where i can go for headers bolts? iv heard of a company called APR i think? APR? im not sure

ARP probably, they make bolts for it all, and im fairly certain 300-350 horse should be attainable with just a cam, headers and a good 3in catback, you dont need to beef up your internals, unless your replacing worn out parts, dont forget important stuff like sensors/plugs/wires/alt/starter

ARP that seems right, the minum i want is 350 rwhp, the max is 400 rwhp.

the point of going over to roller with everything IMHO is simply for drive-ability. If you are putting the motor in a street car you want it to last for 150K if it can, you dont want to be pulling it apart to replace a cam because it wore the lobes off it from beating on it. If you have it apart you might at well do maintenance replacements (pistons and rings, ect...) and a few, essentially cheap upgrades that will save headache in the future.

Oh I know and I don't beat on my car now, I only do thr occasional burnout or speeding and I'm going to replace the parts on the inside of the engine, that's shy I'm looking at the master rebuild kit

got a line on some motor mounts, i think after i get these im done besides getting my from acc brackets that i need, and my oil pan, but do i need a new timing chain cover aswell?

I like the direction this is moving in man. Just don't skimp out on some of the things that will support the engine. Looks like you are thinking it out well, but keep in mind basics. To plant that power, you want to get a solid non abused rear end. Although your car is a hard top, I'd look into sfcs... How is your tranny? Before thinking about hp numbers, keep your sights on reliability and function. I have made that mistake a few times.

Thanks bubba, yeah I know I'm looking at getting SFCs, new LCAs, new panhardbar, and iv tossed the idea around about tossing a locker into a fourthgen rear just for peace of mind that it's all getting planted and I'm going to have the new rear rebuilt anyways, along with the trans.

just to be clear you can use a LT style cam. you just have to take some of the dowel pin off

Think I just found my mind changer, just found the TPI intake that was released for the vortec heads and will except the TPI setup

Block and heads are going to the shop next week if I can get it stripped thr rest of the way down this weekend. My shop can't magnaflux anything but they are going to pressure test my heads and hot tank my block and heads for me, all for $80. $45 for the block to be dipped, $35 for my heads to be dipped and tested.

got the engine stripped down pretty much tonight, got all the sensors, all the brackets, plugs, oil pan off oil pump out, i losened the main caps and the rod bolts so i can remove them this weekend, all i have left to do is remove the harmonic balancer, timing chain cover, removed the springs and valves from the heads then remove them from the block, mark and remove the mains, mark and remove the pistons, remove the cam and the crank and i think thats all.

following this guys thread. he seems to be doing alot of what i want to do and its easy to follow. has anyone here read it and recemmend anything else? im going to go with his lt4 hotcam idea but im going to use 1.6 RRs instead

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...-vortec-2.html

I also read that the l31s truck pan will fit in the car fine.

goodlick, hope you can remember where all the sensors and everything go when its time to re assemble, also great time to take a rag and some wd and clean all those sensors brackets, bolts, plugs, well everything i say wd because hey it cant hurt anything

I'm sure I can find a schamatic over everything when the time comes and I'm already cleaning everything in the purple power. I want clean parts to work with

looking at a TH350 right now

id never put a turbo 350 in a performance build.. just my 2c

a stock turbo 400 will hold up better than a built turbo 350

The 350 will hold up better than a 700 though, and for the price it'll do

yep, im going TPI. just got a quote from a friend of mine for a complete TPI setup minus the lower intake since i cant use it, motor mounts, and the oil filter adapter for $120, gonna be alittle higher since i also asked for the rubber boot that goes to the MAF but seems pretty solid. also looking at an A piller pod that can hold up to two gauges, ones going to be for my trans temp i know that, im not sure on the other just yet.

TPI is more trouble than it's worth even at that price. You're not going to make close to the hp you want without runners, probably an intake throttle body and injectors, and tune if not more. You're cost is going to skyrocket before you can exceed 300hp.

I thought they flowed better and ran better and were one of the best FI intakes

There is a bit of an argument between direct injection and tbi. They claim one makes more power at low rpms and one at high, eat... essentially a carb will give more power cheaper and easier but the sacrifice is fuel economy. Injection is more efficient (power for fuel consumption ) but it's expensive to build to perform.

TPI stone walls at 4850 RPM, makes great torque but not woth the time to put on

even if its ported?

right here is everything i would be getting if i could use them or atleast use it to get to my 400RHP...

runners, plenum. fuel rails with injectors, throttle body

TPI is fine if you have an aftermarket base, big tube runners (AS&M, TPIS, Or ported SLP) and a ported plenum. There is a vid of someone on youtube using dyno don headers and a aftermarket TPI intake making over 400 hp at the wheels with a 355. I have TPI on a 355 and its a boat load of fun but you gotta be realistic. Mine basically stops pulling at around 5000 or a bit after. I built the motor knowing that though so its a torque and hp monster down low. Its all picking the right parts to do what you want. In other words don't pick heads that flow well at 7000 rpms and a cam that wakes up at 4000 rpms when your intake runs out of breath at 5000. Do your homework and read as much as you can about tuning and cams and heads and put together what works for you. TPI is fun as long as u dont mind the shortcoming that it will not flow super well above 5000 without a TON of work.

By the time you get all the aftermarket parts (base, runners, intake) you will be in for a grand, you can port it out but you can ruin them if you are not careful. Remember money does wonders for horsepower, its how much you are willing to spend going this route. You may just be better off going carb and a decent intake.

I am running a Vortech motor in my car, I went with a Holley Stealth Ram, picked up a brand new polished unit (blemished) but I only paid $550.

Know a guy with a 383. Had it on dyno, with injectors, runners, and tune. 280rwhp and over 550 ft/lbs of torque. My mild 355 pulls way harder up top. If you need cheap power I'd suggest an Edelbrock performer rpm intake, and a Holley with vac secondaries. Would be a cheap solution to your issues if you can't she'll out over 3k right now. Similar combo on my car and I'm over 20mpg on the highway cruising.

iv never seen a stealth ram that has that logo in the middle like that. mine says "holley"... man i wish mine was polished, it looks soo good.