Welcome to Just Commodores, a site specifically designed for all people who share the same passion as yourself.

New Posts Contact us

Just Commodores Forum Community

It takes just a moment to join our fantastic community

Register

Engine rebuild or crate engine?

PIR4TE

Banned
Joined
Mar 15, 2011
Messages
2,747
Reaction score
74
Points
0
Location
AWOL with Ari
Members Ride
Black Pearl
Before you make a decision you need to find out why (likely the lifter(s)) shat, then look at this as an opportunity to make you car better, no big deal.
Remove rocker cover to check if rockers have free play as they should be tight with a slight movement. Lifter collapse will lower the pushrod and reveal some movement of the rocker.
If that is OK then:
1. Remove head and sump, mill heads, port valves gaskets $750
Inspect damage, remove broken item(s), clean and replace as necessary.
If is lifter failure remove and refit 16x lifters... and broken lifter(s) may have scored the cam... Remove and refit new cam with better spec for VE ute like 218/224 112+0 .600, moly rods, fail proof timing chain block, and new PAC 1511 valve springs.
2. Modify oil pickup*
3. Modify oil pump*
All above $5000 in Sydney including dyno tune, you will have a better performance motor than before and can rely on the internals.
Otherwise unopened refit L98 is a drama, cost $1k-2k more and no more performance.
But depends on what you find when you crack it open - lifter / cam lobe / pushrod / rocker / valve spring or retainer / timing chain.
I reckon is worth spending the time / money to look at what went wrong so YOU can see what the problem was exactly.
 

PIR4TE

Banned
Joined
Mar 15, 2011
Messages
2,747
Reaction score
74
Points
0
Location
AWOL with Ari
Members Ride
Black Pearl
^^ yes good value, and likely better option to recoup overall investment at resale, re-use performance bits, but his L98 motor with cam is a known item, easier in terms of compliance etc, and loom may be different?
 

murphy77

New Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2010
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Where ud rather be
Members Ride
ve ss
^^ yes good value, and likely better option to recoup overall investment at resale, re-use performance bits, but his L98 motor with cam is a known item, easier in terms of compliance etc, and loom may be different?

Appreciate the help. Im thinking to dismantle it and start again complete rebuild, i do no a guy who has plenty of knowledge in ls engines as he use to work for a tuner. Pretty annoying but am very confident it has come from a lifter issue.. So im assuming bearings, camshaft is all stuffed to?

Thanks again
 

murphy77

New Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2010
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Where ud rather be
Members Ride
ve ss
LS3 has some very nice internals though, way better than the 6L. Do the sums though. Then of course there is always the LSx454...

Yeah, the ls3 do i have to change computer etc? I no that from ls1 changing to ls2 there was issues?

Had my mechanic dismantle the engine and a valve spring broke and due to that cracked the piston. Hes
Going to have a look further and hopefully the bore is not damaged and maybe rebuild the current engine.. As i have had the heads ported and a fair bit of other work. The ls3 would be very nice, however they do very exy compared to a new
Ls2 for 6500$ ? Is there much benefit or very lil.
 

Cava454

Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2012
Messages
876
Reaction score
10
Points
18
Age
35
Location
Box
Members Ride
VR SS, VZ SS
To rebuild it yourself will cost around $4000-5000 k
 
Top