I'm building up an LS6 engine from pretty much the ground. I've got a FEW parts (crank, connecting rods, that's pretty much it), from my blown LS1 that are useable, but there are a few I need.

Notable, forged pistons. How many variables are involved when it comes to pistons? Not many as far as I know, but if there is anything I should know about it, help me out. As far as they go, where can I buy forged pistons and what kind of price range am I looking at? I don't want to cheap out, but I want to get a good price.

I want maximum horsepower headers. I don't have a lot of money, but again, I don't want to cheap out in this department. What kind of headers does everybody suggest? Are y-pipes a must? Where can I get the best deal and how much money should I be paying?

My cam will be determined when I get the flow numbers from my stage II ported LS1 heads. I'll probably end up getting a 224/228 duration with ~580 lift at 114 separation. But like I said, these numbers aren't set in stone. I'm not worried about money in this department because all cams are about the same price depending on the store.

I'm hoping to get 450 RWHP with everything. Hopefully this number will be achieved with the heads/cam/headers. My fingers are crossed. I just need these parts so I can get the ball rolling on the assembly/swap.

 

as far as the pisons go... there are many dirrerent kinds. you can get them at jegs,summiracing, basically any performance page or store. and forged pistons are kinda pricey but well worth it.

 

What kind of results would I get from black painted Hooker headers? They're so cheap, it's very tempting.

What drawbacks are there of cheaping out and getting the black painted as opposed to the ceramic and stainless steel?

 

i would stick with some cost-effective headers like pacesetter or flowtechs.

my flowtechs fit GREAT as did the Ypipe. and the coating seems to be holding up well for 8 months.

as for exhaust, for max hp you probably will want either a 3.5" or 4" mufflex exhaust if you are sticking with the Ypipe route. or just go ballz to the walll and get true duals.

even with ported heads, the 224/228 cam will probably not make 450 at the wheels. i've seen alot of guys with 230ish cams, ported heads and full boltons making 420-430hp at the wheels. maybe the forged internals will help out...hard to tell.