What to do???? I have an open slate with a bare block.

[will4242]

I recently acquired a 5.7l aluminum engine with casting #12559378 was told it came out of a 2000 Camaro. Anyway i am wanting to build if for my Trans Am. I want it to be a summer car and hit the track every now and then. Here's the thing i don't know much on these engines. I would like at least 500rwhp if possible. What are my best options without nos, turbo, or supercharger at this time. I have already pulled most of the motor apart still has crank and cam in it and looks good so far. My next step is to strip it down the rest of the way and have a shop check it for cracks and such. Where should i go from there what would be a good solid bottom end to invest in?

[98TransAmWs-6]

I recently acquired a 5.7l aluminum engine with casting #12559378 was told it came out of a 2000 Camaro. Anyway i am wanting to build if for my Trans Am. I want it to be a summer car and hit the track every now and then. Here's the thing i don't know much on these engines. I would like at least 500rwhp if possible. What are my best options without nos, turbo, or supercharger at this time. I have already pulled most of the motor apart still has crank and cam in it and looks good so far. My next step is to strip it down the rest of the way and have a shop check it for cracks and such. Where should i go from there what would be a good solid bottom end to invest in?

My first question to you is do you want it to be an extreme build? The reason I ask is that 500rwhp naturally aspirated out of a ls1 is going to be extreme for sure. It can be done for sure but you will definitely have to make sure all of the parts work perfectly together in order to get that 500rwhp number.

[will4242]

If i can hit the 500rwhp mark i would very much like to. If not as close to it as i can get would be good. I'm in no rush to get the motor finished and will take my time on it.

[SMWS6TA]

Hate to break it to you but unless you add some serious power adders like Turbo's, Superchrager or 250+ shot of Nitrous you'll not break into the 500's and still have a streetable car with a 5.7 block. Just not an easy feat.


You're on the right path..get it tore down and have a shop look it over. Make sure they check the cam bearing journals and the heads surface deck for flat and level no warping. Get it tank and install new cam bearings. Make sure you keep the oil barbell otherwise it will get lost at the shop and it is a critical part when rebuilding it. (You'll never have proper oil pressure is it's not installed)

After the shop gives it a clean bill of health that's when you need to start making decision on what to do & spend on. IIRC a stock 5.7 can only be bored out 0.005", just a little more over a hone job.

You can get real damn close to 500 RWHP but it's going to cost yah'

Heads - I'll always recommend getting some 243's at the minimum. Porting will help out much more. AI can really open them up to match performance with your cam. There are some other companies as well. Now if you got the coin after market heads like Trick Flow are out there. Going to cost around $2k for a set.

Cams - this is one of those subjects like "who makes the best headers" Everyone has an opinion. Talk with several CAM builders Like Martin from Tick or EPS. They have a ton of knowledge and can get you the right cam for what you want by either a produce cam off the shelf or a custom grind. Most run for $375 or $425-450 for custom.

Bottom end - Only way with a 5.7 to get to your 500 goal is to stroke it. 383. Requires a new crank 4", 6.125" rods and pistons. You're looking at about $2500 with all that plus rings, bearings and ARP Main Cap studs. If you do get the studs have the shop line hone the crank journals for the studs.

Intake/Throttle Body - LS6 intake will do for almost 95% of what you want, but since your goal is 500 you'll need a FAST 102 intake and that will require a new TB and fuel rails. This is an investment. The intake alone is about $900-1000, the new TB is around $400, Fuel rails - $250+, Injectors $350 all for about 20-30 HP increase over the LS6 intake. Nitrous shot will be cheaper


All of that will get you at your goal or just over it. That's not including the cost for tuning and ALL of the suspension, transmission & rear mods to support it.

BTW not trying to piss on your idea, just giving you the truth. We all want to break that HP number.


Are you going to do it yourself or have a shop build it? Got the tools and knowledge/drive to complete it? Some more things to think over....

[98TransAmWs-6]

If i can hit the 500rwhp mark i would very much like to. If not as close to it as i can get would be good. I'm in no rush to get the motor finished and will take my time on it.

What transmission will you be using as this will play a big role as well as the rear end used when talking about drive train loss as well as what rwhp you will see.

For this type of build you are going to need a lot more than just go fast parts to support this build. The following are just some if what you will need:

Engine: You are going to need some really high performance heads like Trick flow or AFR heads. Next you are going to need something like the FAST 102 and corresponding throttle body as well. For this build you are definitely going to need a custom cam spec'd for this build. As far as rotating assembly goes I would go with a company like K1, Callies, or comparable other companies. Another consideration is if you want to run high octane pump gas, race gas, or e85 as you can get more power by raising your compression but pump gas minis e85 can only handle around 11:1 depending on the cam and other factors as well. You can increase your compression if you decide to go that route by getting smaller chamber heads, thinner head gasket, and domed pistons. I can go into more detail about high compression and what it does it does if desired.

Driveline: You are going to need a transmission built to handle this power as well as a driveshaft and a rear such as a 9" rear made by Moser and any other corresponding parts.

Suspension: in order to get power to the ground you are definitely going to need to build up the entire suspension with superior parts and I would suggest UMI suspension.

Tires: It is the same deal as with the suspension as with tires, due to the power you will be making much stickier tires will be required for traction.

Brakes: The stock brakes are not going to cut it when making this level of power and be able to stop quickly. The options you have are either get aftermarket rotors and pads such as Rd concepts premium rotors and hawk hp+ pads or upgrade the calipers to bigger ones and get aftermarket rotors and pads for even better braking.

Fuel system: At a minimum at this power level depending on if using pump gas and not e85 you will need to get a better flowing fuel pump to support this power. You may want to to get e85 safe lines if you decide you want to do that route and larger lines as well as a much large fuel pump and injectors to support it.

I only touched on this stuff as there is so much to think about as far as your goals.

[will4242]

Thanks for the info. I want to get as close to the 500 goal as i can without the power adders first then possibly down the road i will add some power adders. I have been looking into the lunati 383 stroker kit with the trick flow heads that are in the so called 515hp package but i was thinking of using the vengeance vrx5 cam. I also intend on using the fast 102 intake and tb with there fuel rails and bigger injectors along with a different fuel pump. Wanting to run 91 or 93 pump gas. As for the transmission it will be a built th400 with custom driveshaft and the rear end will be a 12 bolt. As for suspension i had planed on using hotchkis. My plane is to build the motor then trans. The suspension and brake upgrades i am already working on. The motor won't be bolted in until the trans, susp, and axles is in.

[SMWS6TA]

Check out UMI Performance for suspension parts....I have them and using the Hotchkis 1" drop springs for my setup.