gogmcgo1687

Hello, I am new to this site and am looking for info on building up an engine. I have an 01' LQ4 that is my daily driver with 120,000 miles on it and has now suddenly lost oil pressure. There is debris in the oil from the pan so the motor will be getting to removed to investigate further and i see this an as oppurtunity to upgrade. My problem is though, i do not know enough about the difference in gains from one cam to the next and different head profiles that would work together. And on that note, is this block worth modifying in the first place or is it not designed for higher performance seen in more exotic 6.0Ls? Again i am new to understanding the differences in engine blocks (lq9, ly6, ls1) and what parts are interchangeable between them. SO after all that, my question is this: What would you guys recommend for combinations of parts that work well together with proven results??? I am not looking to build a chromed up race engine, but a solid "budget" engine with proven performance that can still be daily driven? I dont know if that is like asking to have the cake and eat it too, but any advice or info would be greatly appreciated, as the shops in town have been troublesome. As far as they are concerned the motor has no oil pressure, therefore it is blown and should be exchanged for a new one. Problem is they want $7500 Can. for a new engine (before labour) and i dont see that as a viable option. I believe that a lot of parts and tools can be bought for my engine for that amount. The engine has also had synthetic fluids run through it its entire life so i believe it is worth spending the money on. Again, any info is appreciated.

brent5631

iTrader: (7)

Before anyone can help you picking parts its best to define your budget and your goals.
Do you want a motor with more low end torque for towing or is that not a concern. How and what you will use your truck for will help there.

Also this site has a ton of info regarding these engines. So there is a lot to learn there but I think you will find it is definitely not rocket science.

Just a few posts down this thread might help you out some.
https://www.performancetrucks.net/fo...d.php?t=467573

gogmcgo1687

Yes, low end is more the gain here i am looking for, as i do not intend on racing my truck. As for budget, i am currently facing a $7500 for new engine, so with that in mind i am open to any suggestions.

black04

iTrader: (15)

Where abouts are you from? A relatively low mile 6L can be found in a lot of places for ~800$ or less

gogmcgo1687

Northwestern canada. The shop stated that is $6200 for a long block from GM performance and that to added new water pump, fresh pulleys a, gasket kits,..........be close to another $1000 just to have the motor assembled ready to drop in. Let alone they wanted another $2500 to swap it out. So i am heavily leaning on just tearing the motor down myself. I was just considering that if i did in fact pull the motor myself, what if any would be worthwhile combos to put on the engine if and while it was out of the truck? As mentioned before the truck is a daily driver and intended for low end gains.

black04

iTrader: (15)

I dunno if you're close to edmonton alberta but i could help you find one for pretty cheap and use the rest of the money for a used supercharger or turbo kit and have all the low end gains you want.

gogmcgo1687

yeah even if a guy knew a few shops to talk to as well would sure help to even begin looking for a motor. Im from northern bc, and didnt realize i was talking to someone closer to home as most the threads on here are from the southern states. I have been considering the supercharger idea for awhile prior to losing my oil pressure, but i have not had the chance to talk to anyone that daily drives a supercharged truck. Have you dealt or been around supercharged trucks? If so, what is a more common brand to select for these trucks?

black04

iTrader: (15)

Yeah i had a whipple on my truck for a few months and just got rid of it for a turbo. It was good for daily driving. A used radix 112 can be had for pretty cheap or a tvs1900 if you want to fork out a bit more.

moes04silverado

iTrader: (2)

Do some research on local engine builders/machine shops and take the short block to them. Get some references and make calls to people who have had work done by them. Even if they only have worked on SBC motors, they can handle LS blocks. Motor to motor (bore and hone, assemble there isnt much difference) You still have to take the time, steps to insure accuracy and tolerances and etc. If they are a decent shop and know what they are doing they will bore .030" (or .060" if you want to go a little bigger CI) and a new hone, new pistons to match,etc.

I bought a 6L block for 500 bucks and had a local engine build/machice shop rebuild mine.030" bore.hone, new, pistons, all ARP bolts for $2000... I had a set of 317 heads that were chewed up from a previous engine failure and he did all new seats, valves and machine work for $700 bucks. Everything was pefect! So @ $2700 bucks i pretty much had a brand new long block. I reused my TR224 cam and related stock parts from previous engines and it runs great! The only thing I would do is put new crank/cam sensors and other sensors like the knock, temp sending unit...etc those you can get from GMpartsdirect. That was my budget build. I dont think you can do it any cheaper.

Motor wise its very much a daily drive, I dont drive it everyday b/c I dont want to nor need to with two other trucks, but if everything is done correctly, there is no reason why you couldnt drive it everyday.

Just my $0.02 on budget building. I plan on doing a 383 from my 4.8/5.3 block in the future and I would do everything again the same way I did my 6L