I bet the radix pulls hard with a manual. I know when the TC locks up and I am in boost.. it feels much stronger

 

Amen

If I could have my cake and eat it, I would take a stroked SBC or a BBC and put it in my truck... I think they sound better, and I prefer the power down low.

My truck has way more power than my last truck, a 454, but off idle that truck would kill this one. The throttle response was right there and tq off idle would light em up like nothing.

 

Yes Sir it most definitely does...the first time I got on it with the radix, the clutch let go at about 4800 in 3rd gear. After that the clutch would slip pretty much every time I got into boost. But now with the stronger clutch, it just pins you back in the seat if you take it in 3rd at like a 40mph roll.

 

my 6.0 goat has more low end grunt , than my 360" small block in my elco which has 4:10's , 28"tall tires , to the gto's 3.42's and 25 1/2" tires , and both pull like a freight train to 6500

 

I'd just get a block that can swing a 4.5" stroke crank it should move the power curve down a bit

 

I have basically the same truck as you only mine is a vmax. It runs good but I have the same complaint. I just ordered a tsp 220/224 grind cam that Im going to put in it along with exhaust and see how it helps. My old truck was a 98 k2500 with a 454 and had lots of low end. Thats what I miss in my new truck. You get it wound up and it will scream however there are times I've nailed it merging into traffic, trying to get around somebody etc and it just wont move like it should. All I want to see hear and feel is a downshift followed by the speedo quickly heading toward 3 digits.

 

seems to me like I might be asking too much out of a 1/2 ton truck with a "race inspired" motor. that's where GM F*cked up.

they took their hot-rod based car motor, and stuck a slightly smaller (or slightly larger) version of it, in an over-weight, under geared (no matter what) truck. they suck in a 3300lb car, with 26" tires down low, let alone a truck that weighs a ton more, and has similar gears with 6" taller tires (285's)

problem solved: mexico produced NBS trucks with vortec 350's for a couple years, there's a pic of one on fsc.com somewhere.

 

You could just buy a 99-2000 3500 with a 350 in it if that is what you really want. My dad had one for a few years, then decided it was worth it to get a Duramax

 

I think I can understand the quest for power here, or the type of power. Fer those long grades, you'd like just a little more to put that Japanese box in his place but without downshifting and vexing the stock valve springs and pushrods. I think I've stumbled onto a custom grind cam, I need to do more study of course- but here it is; 196/204 .500/.508 112.....................

 

There's another issue here as well. Another 24 cubic inches of displacement are needed and the ports in the cylinder head ports are around 10cc larger on the 5.3 than the iron headed LT1, which could be affecting the velocity slightly..............