03 Sss Engine Upgrade

[RebelOne]

Alright, its time for me to beef up my 03 SSS. Ive been searching everything and Im so lost on what to do.

Intake Manifold-Which is better?stock, LSXrt, or TBSS?

Fuel Rails- I want red ones, where do I get some at?

Cam- Want a nice cam compatable for a blower down the road

Tune- I want to go with Wheatley, but when I do more upgrades, how do I get an updated tune without getting a whole new PCM?

Heads- I do plan on a blower down the road, am I going to need new heads for this? If so, which one's are good?

 

I can think of anything else right now, but this is a good start. Thanks in advance

Edited February 7, 2012 by RebelOne (see edit history)

[Blown 346]

Alright, its time for me to beef up my 03 SSS. Ive been searching everything and Im so lost on what to do.

Intake Manifold-Which is better?stock, LSXrt, or TBSS?

Fuel Rails- I want red ones, where do I get some at?

Cam- Want a nice cam compatable for a blower down the road

Tune- I want to go with Wheatley, but when I do more upgrades, how do I get an updated tune without getting a whole new PCM?

Heads- I do plan on a blower down the road, am I going to need new heads for this? If so, which one's are good?

 

I can think of anything else right now, but this is a good start. Thanks in advance

 

You can go with a Fast intake etc. Stock intakes wouldnt work as well as aftermarket especially if you plan on forced induction later down the road. Go with a good aftermarket Intake so your only buying once.

 

High flow Anodized fuel rails you can find almost anywhere now online. Im not going to name name since Im not sure who is sponsored here and who who isnt. The cam will all depnd on the heads and how much boost you want. Your cam will reflect on the heads, and boost to get the most out of it. Just becasue a cam sound snice and is real choppy doesnt mean its going to be the best to make power with.

 

 

When you get a tune, and you add more power the best result is to get the truck re dyno tuned. You normally dont need an aftermarket computer like Fast etc until you reach a certain HP level. That is usually over 800 or so. It would be best to add as much as you can at once and get the tune so your not going getting tunes after every thing you upgrade. Tunes get expensive, dynp tunes out here in Illinois range at $500 a dyno session which is normally about 8 or so pulls.

 

 

You dont need to go aftermarket with the heads but if you do or oven get the stock ones ported etc it will help out a big deal Then comes the price, Aftermarket heads un touched can be $3k and then having them all done up can be anywhere from $1,200 to over $2,000 depending on what parts and brand names you choose.

 

Basically you should talk to a builder and tell them what your goals are and future goals so you can piece the truck together one time, instead of starting one way and then having to sell off parts and go another route to make things work together. You also have to think when ading any more air, you need to get that air out as fast as its coming in. Full exhaust, headers etc the works. The adding a fuel system, Braided line if need be, fuel pump, injectors etc. Things start to add up real fast and you forget about things like fuel delivery etc.

 

 

 

I have built a few LS based vehicles.(2000 Camaro SS, 2001 Z06, 69 Camaro, 91 camaro etc) This is what I have done and the order I did it.

 

 

1. Full exhaust

 

2. Camshaft and upgraded valvetrain like springs locks retainers keepers, pushrods.

 

3. Intake, Throttle body.

 

4. Blower, fuel pump, High flow fuel lines, Injectors, braided line, and a Inline Pump.

 

Basically out of all of this, The blower is added last along with the fuel system, then I go get it tuned.

 

 

Getting the right parts the first time and making sure they will work with your combination down the road is the hard part.

 

 

Heres a few of my cars I built.

 

2001 Z06

 

 

 

 

 

 

2000 Camaro SS

 

 

 

 

 

 

1991 Camaro Z28

 

 

Edited February 7, 2012 by Blown 346 (see edit history)

[aasilveradoss]

I dont really have anything to add to Blown 346 that those builds look extremely well done!!

[shadowsniper3006]

You can go with a Fast intake etc. Stock intakes wouldnt work as well as aftermarket especially if you plan on forced induction later down the road. Go with a good aftermarket Intake so your only buying once.

 

Isn't the reverse of this true? Everything matters, but with FI doesn't the importance of the intake become less?

 

 

When you get a tune, and you add more power the best result is to get the truck re dyno tuned. You normally dont need an aftermarket computer like Fast etc until you reach a certain HP level. That is usually over 800 or so.

 

I think he was talking about getting his pcm re flashed with an updated tune. You can either send your pcm back to the tuner to get updated, buy another one and keep one in the truck until the new one gets tuned and sent back, or buy the tuning software(like HPT) and have the tuner email you a tune update and you can just load it your self.

 

However, you don't need an aftermarket computer at all. The stock computer is more then capable to deal with high hp, but once you reach the airflow limit of the pcm you have to scale down everything in the tune that deals with grams of air.

 

You dont need to go aftermarket with the heads but if you do or oven get the stock ones ported etc it will help out a big deal Then comes the price, Aftermarket heads un touched can be $3k and then having them all done up can be anywhere from $1,200 to over $2,000 depending on what parts and brand names you choose.

 

Unless you skimp out and get the aftermarket "as cast" heads, most aftermarket heads are already cnc ported and flowing great numbers. 3 grand is a little steep on price as well especially if your adding porting to that. I'm running a set of trick flow 225 heads(in my small opinion, the best aftermarket head for most cases) and fully assembled with custom ls3 valves turned down for the intakes, and PAC .700 lift springs i paid $2600. Granted i got a 10 % discount for buying two sets at once, but even adding $260 to that gives you an idea of a bad ass set up head and the price.

 

Love the red camaro

 

Edited February 7, 2012 by shadowsniper3006 (see edit history)

[Blown 346]

Factory intakes can work with Forced Induction, but going aftermarket gives you better airflow and larger chambers of airflow to be forced thru the motor. The problem with the factory intakes that some people have is under any type of boost, the intakes cant support the volume of air as the factorys molded chambers arent large enough and they have the tenancy to come apart.

 

 

I have had 3 intake manifolds come apart and seperate on me in my Corvette with spirited driving under 8 LBs of boost. Due to the fact of the composite manifolds coming apart, most will go with a sheetmetal intake that can support the volume of air and which will allow for bigger HP numbers.

 

 

 

My opinion is based on how I would do the build. I look at it as I want this now, but I know I will want to add more down the road, and I build knowing that I want to only do it once, especially after having to pay again for an upgrade when If I would have done that the first time I would have saved some money.

 

 

Basically do alot of research, and if you think this is all I want for now go one step up to have a little room knowing you are covered and what you choose will handle more power.

[shadowsniper3006]

Factory intakes can work with Forced Induction, but going aftermarket gives you better airflow and larger chambers of airflow to be forced thru the motor. The problem with the factory intakes that some people have is under any type of boost, the intakes cant support the volume of air as the factorys molded chambers arent large enough and they have the tenancy to come apart.

 

I have had 3 intake manifolds come apart and seperate on me in my Corvette with spirited driving under 8 LBs of boost. Due to the fact of the composite manifolds coming apart, most will go with a sheetmetal intake that can support the volume of air and which will allow for bigger HP numbers.

 

 

My opinion is based on how I would do the build. I look at it as I want this now, but I know I will want to add more down the road, and I build knowing that I want to only do it once, especially after having to pay again for an upgrade when If I would have done that the first time I would have saved some money.

 

 

i think your kinda right but kinda wrong in what your saying. The amount of air an intake can hold(as you said "chambers of air", or plenum volume) does not matter on a FI motor because the blower is pushing a constant amount of air. However, the runner size allows for less resistance of the air flow going into the head and therefor allows more air into the motor, with out increasing the airflow or cfm the blower is putting out, or increasing the plenum volume.

 

As far as the sheet metal intake goes, i was under the impression they are used more for equal distribution of air going down the runners not so much the ability to handle moderate boost numbers. However, i agree that when a motor gets to a certain cubic inch or requires a very high amount of airflow the sheet metal intake might be needed to get larger runners then what is available through production aftermarket intakes. Where that air flow line is, i have no idea, and what size head runner you need to keep up with a sheet metal intake would be interesting to know as well.

 

Although i can't explain your experience with the composite intakes, i can say we have a lot of trucks on this site using p1, d1, f1 and turbos with no problems what so ever. I'm aware of trucks that have seen 16 pounds of boost and lost pistons due to tuning before an intake has given out. We had a gm engineer at my shop and i was able to question him on the testing of the intakes. If i remember right, he said they test them to over 100 psi and when they let loose its actually the wall section that blows out not the weld joint. However by your logic i don't under stand how a 3 piece lsxrt intake that is sealed with o-rings can hold more pressure then an intake that has been bonded together by the factory.

 

I may be way wrong on all of this, as FI is an area i need to learn more about. Even if i am wrong, this should be a great conversation and maybe some of the other experienced FI guys can add to it as well.

 

Brad

[zippy]

I'm really curious about the 3 intakes that have come apart. Other than a nitrous backfire I don't believe I've ever seen a Gen III or Gen IV stock intake seperate this includes running them to over 20psi.