What can the stock LS3 bottom end handle?
 

I'm sure i'll get many differenct answers here, but i'm looking for multiple opinions. I was around 610-620 whp for about 6 months before my CAM install (today)...between CAM and a few other updates, i'm expecting to be 660-680. I was planning to pulley down to get 700+, but i'm concerned about my bottom end if i break the 700 mark.

At the moment I have stock bottom end, clutch, drive shaft, axels & diff. The clutch is the only thing i'm changing proactively (sitting in my garage), although the stock clutch has served me fine the last 6 months.

I've heard 600 is the safe mark, but i know a few folks who have past that w/o issue (so far)...


If you are at or over 700 whp on a stock bottom end, i'd be curious how long and how often do you race/WOT pulls? On a side note, i'd also be curious to know if you broke a drive shaft, axel, etc...

My advice would be don't pulley down. Leave the power where its at after the cam. Also think your in dual fuel pump and ID-850 injector territory. As long as you have enough fuel supply, good tune and octane I think mid-high 600's will be good. PD blowers like the Whipple put more strain on everything plus they eat up more power than a turbo or centri setup. Over 700Rwhp WITH a centri is probably like mid 600's with a PD. What people can get away with on those blowers is probably not the same as what you can get away with on a PD blower. I would think a 9inch, 12 bolt, or ZL1 rearend is in your near future. Really surprised you have not broken anything already with that kind of supercharger and power. Good luck and remember dont skimp on fuel delivery..

I can't say personally (Til March) but you can look up scottywheels setup on here. He was at about 750rwhp, with a centri. I agree with the above.

jannetty racing and don have a 800 rwhp stock bottom end car. it runs nines. and they have many many passes on it.
it can do so and live, only because of ted's tuning.

I went through similar hp gains. I had problems with the syncros in the tranny. I have a manual with aftermarket 4.10's. the after market gears had to be replaced. I proactively switched the axles. All in all I rebuilt the tranny, switched to a DSS 9 inch rear, dropped the gears down to 3.70. Also upgraded injectors and went to a dual fuel pump. I run a little over 650 rwhp and most of this stuff had to be done. I built up my block as well, this is highly debatable if it was necessary. Stroke kit add a lot of torque and you get piece of mind knowing you have forged internals

The bigger fuel injectors will allow to raise the rev limiter. Please keep in mind my opinions are for a manual. I waited/expected for things to break and they did. I am pulley down to 2.8 My car is actually being finished up this week, I should be around the 700rwhp mark

Last comment lol. Stroke kit adds torque but more importantly it drops peak torque into the useable range ... over 600 at 4500 rpms wasn't getting that before

If you can perfect the tuning where you're at, I wouldn't mess with more boost. Be thankful it hasn't grenaded yet. The tuning is the key to survival. Not longevity. That went out the window when you boosted a motor with flat top cast pistons. You can't add big boost and hundreds of additional hp to a stock motor and expect OE like reliability/longevity. But top quality tuning can make it survive for quite a while.

If tuned really good, the motor can handle quite a bit of mods. Clutch, driveshaft, diff, axles... may be a different story. I'd do upgrades there. Trans internal upgrades too if the budget allows.

The problem is there is no safety margin. A cast flat top piston not designed for boost has no safety margin if it runs into detonation under boost. It will fracture the upper ring lands or blow a hole through the top. It will beat up the small rod bolts.

Compare an LSA piston side by side to an LS3 piston. The LS3 takes advantage of the flat top design, great for power for N/A. The LSA piston is dished, upper ring lands are moved down, piston top designed to handle the load in the dished center instead of the fragile edges. Then an LS9 piston even takes it one step further being forged. Plus...improvements all over in strength... head gaskets/bolts, crank, rods, piston squirters... non of that in an LS3. The piston squirters are a big deal for a boosted motor to control hot spots from forming on the pistons. Keepin the pistons cool, another key to avoiding detonation. Pistons are very application specific. At high boost, it is way out of the comfort zone of a cast flat top with no oil squirters. But it can survive with really good tuning.

So how much boost can I do on a Stock bottom end

I was told by a pretty good shop after they paid through the nose to get an SS for testing early 2010 that 10 psi on the stock motor and any more always destroyed a piston. I know a lot has been learned in all areas since then. Here is what I have learned from all the knowledge I've seen come across this forum.

1. Octane is the limiting factor(Mr. Jannetty)
2. Fuel supply and tuning properly is a must
3. Eliminate potential problems-Cats-trunion failure-dual valve springs
4. Axels break and Trans brake around 630 RWHP after that everything else
5. If you're going to double the power on a motor not designed for it you better have 10-12K for a quality shortblock install (or do it yourself)

Man, make that power and run the crap out of that thing! It'll be fun and it's not going to last forever anyway. So enjoy it, get tuned by the best possible and don't worry about it. One thing is for sure. When it goes , you're gonna know it. Good luck , let us know some feedback for the future on your success with the project.

There was a thread on here somewhere covering this same question. Can't find it but in a nutshell, it broke down the recommended parts needed for 600hp, 650, 700 and so on. If i find it i'll link it

very interesting.. i would like to know what is necessary things to upgrade my parts.
i try to google it but i can't find the thread!!!:(:(

I believe this is the article that you were looking for:

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/g...e/viewall.html

ahh the what breaks on 2010 camaro article ... that article is deadly accurate ...