you know those LS engines that everyone keeps talking about?

turns out they are actually kind of awesome.. and it's proven by Freiberger and Finnegan..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpQlD-FLZMU&list=PL12C0C916CECEA3BC&index=1

I love roadkill!

my favorite part of that whole video is when they are setting out into a snow/ice storm in an ancient rwd car with no ABS or traction control and right around 700 horses under the hood.. there was just something poignant about that idea that resonated with me for some reason...

also when they fired it up and revved it a few times ("I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!") during the PRI show and probably got themselves and their employer banned for life...

I found this episode less entertaining than most. No drama. They already had the hood off when they started. The Road Warrior Charger episode was great, though.

i didn't care about the drama- i just like that they replaced an old school blown big block with a new age naturally aspirated small block and made the car better in pretty much every quantifiable way..

but, yeah, the Charger is badass.

I have yet to watch an episode of that show and not instantly love it!

berkeleyin a. That was fantastic.

The 5.3 in my truck doesn't seem nearly that cool.

mazdeuce wrote: The 5.3 in my truck doesn't seem nearly that cool.

It isn't.

I thought it was a pretty good episode. It didn't really follow their usual format of putting something silly together with a arbitrarily set timeline, and for that reason it's not as good as some of the others. But, whatever. It's still leaps and bounds better than 99% of the car shows I've watched on general cable.

Around 9 minutes when they are showing the time lapse of the show floor you can see me hanging out behind the production guys.

mazdeuce wrote: The 5.3 in my truck doesn't seem nearly that cool.

It could be if you flip the manifolds over and add a turbo or two, I think you can get 500hp or so out of it with a stock long block.

novaderrik wrote: also when they fired it up and revved it a few times ("I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!") during the PRI show and probably got themselves and their employer banned for life...

until that convention centre gets a new management.. which happens fairly often.

Great episode...and how can you not love the LS?!?!

mazdeuce wrote: The 5.3 in my truck doesn't seem nearly that cool.

This will help.

In reply to Appleseed:

I've spent a lot of time looking at that, or a nice simple single turbo kit. Eventually decided that getting back into autocross would be more cost effective than a 500hp truck. I still want the single turbo.......

I haven't watched it yet, I just wanted to add something. I love LS motors, and I think it's amazing what they can do with near stock idle levels and all. I love being able to floor it in any gear at any RPM without bucking or anything, but...

I saw a guy in a black Coronet leaving a parking lot. His dual quads were sticking through the hood and the thing sounded like it wanted to leap out of the engine compartment and tear every Camry it saw to shreds, just idling. I know it overheated, I know it was terrible on gas, I know it isn't as fast as a LS even without a bunch of work, but all the same, that's what I want. Of course, I drive an electric car, so what the hell do I know.

mazdeuce wrote: The 5.3 in my truck doesn't seem nearly that cool.

It could be, just swap it into something else.

Then swap in their 427" version into your truck.

tuna55 wrote: I haven't watched it yet, I just wanted to add something. I love LS motors, and I think it's amazing what they can do with near stock idle levels and all. I love being able to floor it in any gear at any RPM without bucking or anything, but... I saw a guy in a black Coronet leaving a parking lot. His dual quads were sticking through the hood and the thing sounded like it wanted to leap out of the engine compartment and tear every Camry it saw to shreds, just idling. I know it overheated, I know it was terrible on gas, I know it isn't as fast as a LS even without a bunch of work, but all the same, that's what I want. Of course, I drive an electric car, so what the hell do I know.

i'd rather have a mild mannered and unassuming car that totally shocks the person in the other lane- the smoother the idle and quieter the exhaust, the better.. my Camaro might be just that car once (if) i get the aluminum 5.3 with LS6 heads and LS9 camshaft screwed back together and into it..

novaderrik wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I haven't watched it yet, I just wanted to add something. I love LS motors, and I think it's amazing what they can do with near stock idle levels and all. I love being able to floor it in any gear at any RPM without bucking or anything, but... I saw a guy in a black Coronet leaving a parking lot. His dual quads were sticking through the hood and the thing sounded like it wanted to leap out of the engine compartment and tear every Camry it saw to shreds, just idling. I know it overheated, I know it was terrible on gas, I know it isn't as fast as a LS even without a bunch of work, but all the same, that's what I want. Of course, I drive an electric car, so what the hell do I know.

i'd rather have a mild mannered and unassuming car that totally shocks the person in the other lane- the smoother the idle and quieter the exhaust, the better.. my Camaro might be just that car once (if) i get the aluminum 5.3 with LS6 heads and LS9 camshaft screwed back together and into it..

If I only had one car to build and one small pile of cash to build from then I'd probably agree, but something about the "rumpitty rumpitty rumpitty" from a way-too-rowdy cam is awfully neat. Heck, I saw a supercharged rat in an altered making that "VROOM.........VROOM.........VROOM........" idle with the long pause and everything at idle. It was ridiculous to stage, but I wanted that exact sound.

Kenny_McCormic wrote:

mazdeuce wrote: The 5.3 in my truck doesn't seem nearly that cool.

It could be if you flip the manifolds over and add a turbo or two, I think you can get 500hp or so out of it with a stock long block.

If you start with a 4.8 you can get 1200 on the stock long block. http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/hrdp_1109_stock_gm_ls_engine_big_bang_theory/

I still want a 4.8/Super T-10 in something RWD made to rev.

EDIT: It doesn't help I've been driving the super-truck most of this week with it's K&N intake and Magnaflow cat-back. THose really pretty V8 sounds are very very nice.

In reply to Bobzilla:

That's ported, cammed, and the rings gapped. Real world, not on the dyno, LS1tech results indicate its around 500 with a stock longblock, with the work hotrod did 700-800 before the rods start getting shorter.

I'd be happy with a 350hp/300tq 7500rpm redline 4.8L. I think that alone in something under 3k lbs would be an absolute hoot.

Bobzilla wrote: I'd be happy with a 350hp/300tq 7500rpm redline 4.8L. I think that alone in something under 3k lbs would be an absolute hoot.

We still need to have that LS/RX7 face-off, Bob.

tuna55 wrote:

Bobzilla wrote: I'd be happy with a 350hp/300tq 7500rpm redline 4.8L. I think that alone in something under 3k lbs would be an absolute hoot.

We still need to have that LS/RX7 face-off, Bob.

I've been wondering more and more about an RX-8 4.8. It really does tick "all my boxes", if you know what I mean.