ive been all over the place looking for a block that will handle boost. i dodnt trust the stock lt1 and want something that will handle a lot of power. is the victory race engines block victory lane short block suitable for good amounts of boost or should i be looking elseware

http://www.victoryracingengines.com/...TX&BLOCK=SHORT
scroll down to bottom of page

thanks for your help

 

You're barking up the right tree here...It's not the block that's the weakness, it's the internals such as pistons and rods...Just about any forged shortblock with lower compression will be fine with boost...

 

There are no "aftermarket' LT-1 blocks that are being manufactured, so anything you run across will be a factory GM block. There are plenty of LT-1 motors that are running with 20+ lbs. of boost and are not having issues. Partially filling the block will give it some added strength, but you obviously cut down somewhat on the ability of coolant to circulate through the block.

Why do you say you don't trust the stock LT-1 block for boost??? What do you have in mind???

 

ive been told buy a few engine builders that the bottom ends can and have been ripped out of the engines with a lot of boost. ive been in the process for a few years now of aquiring the parts to build a turbo lt1. when i came across the guys who will be doing all the tuning and the headers and all for my setup they brought it to my attention that the lt1 was a weak design for a block. and used a dart block as an example of a strong block that can withstand alot of boost for extended amounts of time.
http://www.flatlanderracing.com/dart...allblocks.html

i just dont want to go the wrong route when building this the right way. im at the point where i dont want to have a mishap with the block comming undone at the bottom and have to rebuild everything i spent my time on.

 

You have been told wrong. Unless you are planning on 1000+hp a properly prepped LT1 block will be fine for street or street/strip use. Beyond that, you need to ditch the LT1 architecture and go for either an LSX based Gen III or a Gen I setup with a Bowtie or Dart block.

As already stated, prep will include a partial fill, careful machining, installation of steel 4-bolt main caps, a good rotating assembly and avoidance of detonation with boost and CR chosen with the fuel to be used in mind.

This one (mine) runs on 100 octane unleaded and has had no block related issues. A stock pan and a HV pump did it in, however. With a 15% drivetrain loss, 818 rwhp = 962hp. Others have made more with no issues related to block integrity.

 

as mentioned, the block isnt the problem... its the internals. Victory Racing Engines (as well as most of the other supporting vendors) use seasoned LT1 blocks on their shortblock builds. Its the cranks/rods/pistons that need to be beefy.

BTW, who is building your turbo kit?

 

im thinking on ACS racing for the turbo kit and tuning needs. theyve been around for a very long time and have a reputation that speaks for themselves

 

well also if my block wich had a head gasket go on it would be rebuilt to hanlde any power wouldnt it be cheaper in the long run to get something already done correctly that to build mine to take the punishment of 20 psi

 

Obviously, if someone has what you want sitting on the shelf, you can have it right away. Not sure what the question is? In that case, your block can be used as a "core" which will decrease the cost of the new shortblock.

Rich

 

I would ask around about that reputation

There have been some supsect work out of there and I have had a bad expereince there as well. If they are giving your info about block having problems from LT1's then clearly they dont have enough experience with LT1's.

 

well as far as something local who would you suggest? ive gt to get it done soon and i would love to see 1000whp it was a goal of mine for a long time. something that needs to be strong enough to handle track use and the drive to and from the track as well.

 

I seem to always be in this role, but here goes again: there aint no such thing as a 1000rwhp pump gas small block LT1. At least not with any reliability. There are cars that do see street time with close to that kind of power, but they either have the boost turned down, are driven conservatively, or have the N2O turned off when running on pump gas. Mine, as run on the street (no N2O, less timing, more fuel, lower red-line) on 93 octane, is at the 650rwhp level. In any case, any 1000hp small block needs THE BEST components assembled with GREAT CARE to have any chance of longevity. If you really do want that kind of rwhp, the best way to approach it with a small block Chevy is with the new Gen III architecture. Ditch the Gen I/II stuff, get the LSX block and go from there. Just remember to bring $$$.

Lots of people can put it together for you. Each will have own ideas of exactly how to do it. But bring a blank check and an open mind. This is NOT a put down, but you seem fairly inexperienced. Most of the people who have actually done this stuff have pretty strong ideas, based on hard won experience. There is a new breed of customer out there who "learned" from the 'net. The two often have a hard time mixing. If you go to someone knowledgable, do yourself a favor and don't come across as an internet know-it-all. I am not saying you have done that here, but I can see it coming and just want to warn you. Approached wrong, the kind of people I know will either not want to work for you or will jack the price up to compensate for their annoyance. IOW, do not come in and say "I want a 1000rwhp LT1, how much?". Start slow, admit you are new to high-po engines, LISTEN to what they have to say. Come up with a mutual plan, which will either end up with a much more reasoanble goal (6-700rwhp) or an enitrely differnet plan (Gen I or Gen III, which I advise). There are people around here who could do it, not too far from you, but I worry about the relationship being an oil and water thing and don't want it reflect on me. That's why I am not mentioning names.

Good luck.

Rich

BTW: this does NOT contradict my earlier post about the LT1 architecture. Recall that I qualified my statements with "unless you are planning on 1000+hp" and I am now reacting to "1000whp".

And another thing: budget at least as much for supporting parts if you plan to USE that 1,000rwhp.

 

I would check the "Eastern" section on ls1tech as their are alot of sponsors in their that build engines. The tough part is finding one that is willing you do Gen1 & 2 stuff. You may have to just order from VRE or someone not local and have it shipped.

 

To piggyback on what Rich said, do you have a specific goal for your car other than to say it has 1000rwhp? Most people that have been doing this for a while will tell you that HP numbers and claims don't really mean that much. More important is what you want to achieve with your car. You can have an incredibly fast street car and a competitive track car with out 1000rwhp. But any way you decide to do it, be prepared to spend some money in order to get there.

 

its going to cost a lot of money to get 1000 HP and you might as well plan a budget since every season an engine like that has to be pulled down and gone over, Im looking to try to get low 10s maybe a 9 out of my car and my budget has been shot for over 3 years now, I can add up my slips and tell you its not cheap, if you want 1000 HP your going to need the parts for the rest of the car to go with it as well, rear, transmission, chassis work, fuel system, 1000 HP your probably not going to be running the stock ECM anymore your going to need a stand alone system, Im in the middle of doing all that right now and I dont even want 1000 HP and I can tell you I have well over 20000 into mods to where Im sitting right now.