CamaroZ28.Com Message Board - 500whp LS3 swap build!

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500whp LS3 swap build!

Hi guys! I’m pretty sure nobody’s in here, but maybe I can attract some attention.

Back in October 2017, I took my 2002 Z28 to a track day at Gingerman Raceway. It was my first time on track with my new suspension (Strano SP141 springs, Koni SAs, BMR swaybars, plus a UMI adjustable torque arm). Had an awesome time and set a new personal best lap time of 1:36.57 seconds. I still had a ton of room to improve.

Anyway, after six sessions, most people had gone home and they did an Open Track session, where anyone from any run group can go out at once. My friend Conan was there in his 2005 Porsche 911 and had been running in the Advanced run group while I ran in Intermediate, but for this session we were both out at the same time. Conan is an extremely skilled driver, and his car is (obviously) more capable than mine. We’re a close match in the straights, but his brakes (14” StopTechs all around) are way better than mine (13” Baers in front, stock rear), his tires are better, his handling balance is better, etc. So anyway, I started the session a few cars ahead of him, and it took him until the end of my second lap to get past the traffic and catch me. I pointed him by, knowing that the alternative was to have him on my ass for the entire lap. I decided I’d rather chase him. So I did that for a lap, trying to follow his line to the best of my ability. I had been maxing out at about 127mph on the straight, and on the next lap, I decided to see if I could touch 130mph. I chickened out at 129mph and braked, and was too late anyway. I locked them up and spun into the gravel pit. :cry:

(Conan first appears at 3:18, and **** hits the fan at 5:20. In the video, I’m being followed by a coworker in his 2016 Camaro SS; his footage is on top in the video.)

I restarted the engine and discover that the exhaust is now 10x louder. Fun! You can hear me rev it a little at the end of the video (~5:45). Turns out the exhaust broke on the driver side at the flange where the manifold connects to the converter pipe.
https://jakerobb.dev/images/camaro/l...kenExhaust.jpg

I have a strict policy of not replacing broken factory parts with more factory parts, and that meant it was finally time for headers! I also believe strongly in paying good money to get quality stuff with minimal compromises, and for me that meant Kooks longtubes. The engine has 120,000 miles on it, so I figured it would be a good time to do spark plugs and wires too. It’s gotta be easier with the manifolds out, right? :)

So anyway, Kooks longtubes are expensive, and I had recently learned that my wife was pregnant with our second child, due in July 2018. I determined that, budget wise, this project needed to wait. So I parked the car and started making plans. Since the car would need a tune, I decided I wanted to do a few other things to get the most bang for my tuning buck. That meant a camshaft and upgraded valvetrain, and a bunch of other stuff. I also decided it was time for a tubular K-member, and so rather than do those upgrades in place, my plan was to drop the engine, perform the upgrades while it was out of the car, and then put it all back in together.

Time passed and I continued detailing my plans. I ended up calling Sam Strano during his 2018 Black Friday sale and got a great deal on the following:
https://jakerobb.dev/images/camaro/l...tranoOrder.jpg
Kooks LTs and catted Y
UMI road-race K-member
NGK plugs and Magnecor wires
UMI adjustable rear LCAs
All new Moog front suspension bushings
Strano swaybars (I don’t like the balance with the BMRs; too tail-happy. Strano’s rear bar isn’t as stiff.)

I hadn’t yet decided on exactly what to do for cam and valvetrain, so I waited on those items. Fast forward to Spring 2019. My annual bonus from work comes, and I get the go-ahead from my wife to spend it any way I want on the car. :D

I start shopping around. I’ve got a cart of stuff at briantooleyracing.com all set to go — their Stage 3 cam, trunnion upgrades, timing set, lifters, ATI underdrive Superdamper, various ARP bolts, Bosch 42# injectors, and poly engine mounts. Then from a few other places, I had pushrods, conical valvesprings, a ported LS6 oil pump, a fuel pump, a windage tray, and a crank scraper. The total was a bit under $3500, which was right at my budget. I was disappointed because I had wanted to throw a TurnOne power steering pump on the list.

Anyway, I’m like a day from pulling the trigger on all that when Facebook Marketplace shows me an LS2 with 40k miles on it, fully disassembled, for $4k. I’d be able to buy that, still throw most of those upgrades at it during reassembly, and then sell my LS1 and the LS2 takeout parts for most of the difference in cost. I contact the guy and start going over details. A couple days go by, and I’m close to pulling the trigger on that, when FB Marketplace shows me an LS3 for $3500. It was listed as “longblock or complete engine.” I contact the seller and ask if the price changes for the complete engine. It does — he wants $4500 for it complete. I’m still interested. We start talking, and it turns out he’s an engineer at Katech (i.e. knows his **** and has access to some really great resources), and he offers to do some upgrades to the LS3 for me before I come get it.

To be clear: this is not a Katech engine. It’s an engine a Katech employee removed from his own car and then modified after-hours, using resources available to him in his position at Katech.