When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I’m on my 2nd LS1 in my swap only due to the fact the seller removed one of the crank bearing caps before selling to me and didn’t torque the bolts correctly. That engine was $900 and had 130k on it. It ran great, even after doing almost exactly what zbomb has planned.
My current LS1 was more expensive, around $2500 for short block, but it had brand new crank bearings and 24k on the rest. It’s immaculate and I can feel the difference from the 130k mile LS1. Both engines put me in my seat and dynoed well! I’d still have the original ls1 if it weren’t for that crank bearing. I built both engines from a short block and I would’ve done a 6.2 with LS3 intake if I were to do it again. Zbomb is taking the right approach IMO because he has a custom engine need and will be “abusing” this engine.
The 5.3 in my swapped Wrangler has 150k on it with swapped cam and original heads. I routinely rip around the dunes in that Jeep and the LS doesn’t complain. These engines can last a really long time with proper oiling and maintenance.
Zbomb, I’d love to buy those coils and valve covers from you if you still have them. Mine are really old!
edit: for cam bearings, pull out the old cam and inspect it. If it’s in good shape, your cam bearings are also fine. Pay attention to cam installation videos, it’s a delicate but easy process. The key is not to force the cam into place and use a good assembly lube like Lucas. Also wise to upgrade to LS7 lifters and trays. I used wood dowels to keep them from falling out during my cam swap. I also used LS2 timing chain and gears which are beefier than previous years. Your L92 should have this already but it’s cheap insurance to replace it.
I need the valve covers (for now) and I was thinking about keeping the coils for spares... That said, I have new LS3 coils on the way, if they're the same as my L92 ones, I'll keep 1 and send you the rest. If they're different, I'll send you all of them. Just PM me your address and cover shipping.
I am putting in new trays with Johnson lifters and replacing the timing set with a Katech C5R chain and LS3 cam gear, this gets rid of the variable timing I won't be using.
@amargari - I was definitely hoping mine looked more like yours haha. The thing with the L92 as opposed to something like your LS6 that came in a performance car more likely to be owned by an enthusiast, the L92 came in SUV's likely to be owned by soccer moms. As a result of this, my expectations were somewhat tempered as to how beautiful the inside would look, I watched a couple of videos on refreshing these engines and what I got is pretty standard for an L92. That all said, you are getting a lot of foundational performance with the L92 for a short amount of money. Looks like LS6's are almost double what I paid. Since the stuff in the L92, or any other LS I ended up with that numbs it's performance potential was all going to be ripped out and replaced, it made sense to start with the lowest cost of entry for alum bock / 6.2L and rec port heads.
I got lucky with my LS6 and picked it up with the T56 Trans and everything needed to run it. Getting an LS from a Caddy instead of a Camaro seemed like a good chance at the time because I figured there was less of a chance of it being abused.
The crate motor always seems like a great price, until you factor in all the missing accessories and parts you need to complete the engine including the computer. Your choice of picking up the aluminum truck engine is good, because you can rebuild it with probably no machine work.
And a trip to the machine shop tomorrow. It's kind of a bummer but hey, buy a motor from a junk yard and roll the dice. When I went to pull the cam it was evident right away something was amiss, it didn't want to come out and when it finally did, the cam bearings were worn beyond the point I would risk a new $620 cam. While I am tolerant to some wear, I don't want to risk any of the new parts that are going in, they are the investment here. In order to repair the cam bearings the machine shop needs the crank out so I stripped it down the rest of the way. Additional tear down revealed 1 crank journal with visible marks on it, nothing that will catch a fingernail but kind of ugly. The machine shop will clean the block and do their thing, hopefully, a relatively small expenditure to get repaired. They will de-glaze the cylinders but beyond that, I am really hoping for no additional machining needed. Since I have it this far down, I will likely put new crank and rod bearings as well as replace their fasteners. I am going to drop the crank for them to inspect and hopefully they tell me I can live with the it as-is, at least for a season.
All in all, this motor, if it really has 111K on it lived a tough 111K miles. The more I tore into it, the more dubious I became that 111K is accurate. I have the ECU that supposedly came out of this truck, hopefully I can get an actual mileage off it.
my bet would be a lot of short trips and at idle .-didn't burn off condensation .......Since this is tore down I would do a little research on ring gaps .I don't know what is optimum for high rpm useage -stock may be fine but never hurts to check .
my bet would be a lot of short trips and at idle .-didn't burn off condensation .......Since this is tore down I would do a little research on ring gaps .I don't know what is optimum for high rpm useage -stock may be fine but never hurts to check .
The machinist said just throw a stock replacement set of rings in and send it.
The machinist said just throw a stock replacement set of rings in and send it.
if you've gone this far, may not be a bad idea for fresh pistons at 10 over. Factory cast pistons are not the best and can crack under heavy stress, especially cylinder 7 and 8. Get some +6cc DSS pistons and rings and you'll be done with the engine build. I personally wouldnt reuse the old factory pistons.
if you've gone this far, may not be a bad idea for fresh pistons at 10 over. Factory cast pistons are not the best and can crack under heavy stress, especially cylinder 7 and 8. Get some +6cc DSS pistons and rings and you'll be done with the engine build. I personally wouldnt reuse the old factory pistons.
This is an added cost of $1500-$3000 depending on the shop rate and parts cost. The added time crunch and waiting on the CNC to hone the block is also another delay. I see stock pistons surviving 20+ lbs of boost, it’s just the rings that can be checked or swapped easily here.
My advice, consult the machine shop and do what’s best for your budget and timeline. A stock NA 6.2L L92 is a great setup that has been proven to survive in many harsh environments. +10 pistons won’t really do much to help here and just add another level of complexity IMO. The factory bores look good and are well made, along with the pistons and rods. Don’t get lost in the weeds, keep it as simple as possible and as OEM as possible. This is coming from the guy that’s been down this road, just my two cents.
This is an added cost of $1500-$3000 depending on the shop rate and parts cost. The added time crunch and waiting on the CNC to hone the block is also another delay. I see stock pistons surviving 20+ lbs of boost, it’s just the rings that can be checked or swapped easily here.
My advice, consult the machine shop and do what’s best for your budget and timeline. A stock NA 6.2L L92 is a great setup that has been proven to survive in many harsh environments. +10 pistons won’t really do much to help here and just add another level of complexity IMO. The factory bores look good and are well made, along with the pistons and rods. Don’t get lost in the weeds, keep it as simple as possible and as OEM as possible. This is coming from the guy that’s been down this road, just my two cents.
This is all true, and generally it would be the route I'd go. This is however for a heavily used track car that sees virtually no street miles. All heavy abuse. Forged pistons help with detonation and the 10 over just ensures the bores are trued up. Just something I've done after destroying the first 2 motors in endurance cars. Sure its extra cost, but what is your time worth pulling a motor out and sending back to the machine shop mid season?
This is all true, and generally it would be the route I'd go. This is however for a heavily used track car that sees virtually no street miles. All heavy abuse. Forged pistons help with detonation and the 10 over just ensures the bores are trued up. Just something I've done after destroying the first 2 motors in endurance cars. Sure its extra cost, but what is your time worth pulling a motor out and sending back to the machine shop mid season?
Just sharing my experience.
I really appreciate the input man - from everyone thats been there done that. Because I had a budget planned out with not a lot of wiggle room - some things just are what they are. If I thought it was the difference between success or failure, I have to react accordingly and the money needs to go where it needs to go. In this instance after talking to my machinist, he thinks the path forward is minimally risky and it fits the financial constraints, that of course is all subject to change as he finishes the work on my parts. Remember, the bottom end is really a place holder until I can afford to get it right next season. That all said, I know that I know pretty much nothing here, if I make mistakes, I'll own up to them and people will know not to do what I did. If it works OK there is some value in that too.
He got the crank and block washed today and said he was pleasantly surprised with the outcome, He started the cam bearings but because O'Reilly gave me the wrong parts and I was too dumb to know better, he couldn't finish. I'm dropping the right parts to him tomorrow along with the stripped heads, rockers and pistons for cleaning. Checked the valve guides and in my noob opinion I think they are good.
Bought rings, rod and main bearings and rod and main fasteners today from BTR and they'll be here Thursday along with my Katech stuff.
Late to the guessing game of why the motor looks as it does: I would bet the oil level was always low and not changed very frequently using the cheapest non-synthetic oil they could find. You only need to add oil when the oil can on the dash lights up, right?
Well - $620 in machine shop cost later, we have the block (cleaned, honed and cam bearings installed), crank (cleaned and checked over), heads (cleaned and checked over), pistons (cleaned), rockers (cleaned after I pressed the trunnions out) back. A couple day turn around for all this was pretty remarkable. The bulk of the parts I need to put it back together are here.
The rest of the rotating assembly made up of new:
Piston rings
Main bearings
Main hardware
Rod bolts
Rod bearings
The parts cleaned up pretty well, one thing that I do have to do is clean the ring grooves before installing the rings - Aaron gave me the tip of soaking them in diesel and then using an old broken ring to clean the grooves, excited to give that a whirl. So, I have the pistons and other parts I'll be re-using marinating for a day or 2 - rocker bolts and rear main cover.
Hopefully will start making some progress and showing some reassembly pics in the next couple days.
Oh yeah - Got a big ole box from Katech today and this was inside. Not listed on the website... you know when they gotta go to the back of the store for ya, you're getting that good good.
And just something I found interesting after seeing some of the testing talk on the boards. This is an example of how Katech tests an engine, 20HRS straight of engine dyno time simulating a 20HR stint of a 24HR of Daytona race. They take the data and program the dyno to simulate the RPM and load of race conditions. Pretty cool. They also use a spintron for development of their valve train parts, a very trick piece of equipment that analyzes many facets of the entire valve train performance.
The parts listing to do what I am trying to do, from OE gaskets and sensors to go fast stuff is extensive. I have tried to stay relatively organized on what I bought, now it is time to organize the parts that have arrived.
12-18-2022, 05:56 PM
