I'm new to the ls based engines,i've been a ford man and still am but on a dare i'm going to play with a 99 z-28 automatic car that i've run across at a steal!I want to go fast cheap but this is an oxymoron in the camaro world,intakes are high,heads are on par prices,andcams well if you going to play you goin pay.My frist planned mods are 3.42 gear,3000 stall,and exhuast.After that it's kind of up in the air,i can get a set of brand new ls2 heads for $875 but what intake and cam are the bigger ?'s i have any help would be great.also how big can you go on the cam lift with out hitting the pistons? and how much nitrous can a stock bottom end handle i figured 175 shot easy?

 

Back up for a minute.

How fast do you want to go? How much are you willing to spend? And how streetable do you want to be?

There are LOTS of ways to make an LS1 go faster.

 

werdd. longtubes+lid+exhaust+stall+tune should net you low 12s on a good tire. i would go a little larger on your stall though, around 3500 or so IMO

 

oh and the most popular intakes are LS6 for boltons or mild cam setup...and there are several F.A.S.T. brand intakes as well(90/90, 92/92, etc etc)

 

i want run 12.0's on motor and throw a 150 shot on and let her eat!what do yall think about ls2 heads with a ls6 intake?what cam lift without cutin the pistons?

 

If a 12 flat on motor is your goal then forget about heads or camshaft. You won't need them. Put in a take out rear from a stick car with 3.42s get a good, high quality, brand name 3500-4000rpm lockup torque converter, and do all the boltons (full exhaust with longtubes, LS6 intake with ported TB, underdrive pullies, lid, SSRA).
With that done you should head to the suspension and add a few pieces to aid traction then drag radials on light rims for the back and matching skinnies for thte front.

 

A well-driven LS1 can get under 12.5 without even touching the motor. Once you can launch in the power band (torque converter), all you need is traction and weight transfer.

Be warned that the rear end and transmission will probably need some TLC if you want them to survive launching like that.

 

These cars are not 20+ year old 5.0 Mustangs. Have you priced a similar year Mustang to build? The LS1 is cheaper than any N/A mod motor overall and FAAAR superior in power output.

Forget about the LS2 heads. You can get A LOT more cylinder head for just a couple hundred more, and one that actually works too

What lift cam without cutting pistons? It's more about the duration than the lift. You can safely fit cams in the low 240 duration range with lift around .600-.650" before cutting - assuming stock heads and gaskets.

3000 stall torque converter? You need to scratch that. You're probably looking at something like a TCI converter? Yank or Precision Industries are the only converters you should look at, and something more aggressive too. 3000rpm isn't enough for even a stock LS1.

 

not to start a gm/ford debate i know how to make a fox body fly thats why i want to mess with a camaro,but my brain doesnt compute the chevy stuff(LOL)!so how much stall are we talkin 3500,4000 maybe,and what head/intake combo.i love bolton cars because it show backyard hp.i dont think it will be harder to build than a mustang it's just i dont mess with z28's and am behind the 8-ball on knowledge.

 

While the potential is greater with the LS1, wait until you install headers and see the carnage done to your hands before you say it's easier to build then a mustang...