[Stang Killer]

So since my motor let go in late september (titanium retainer failed on me dropping a valve...you know what comes after that) Ive been slowly taking it apart in my spare time, slowly becuase I have no clue whats going back in there. Theres a couple combos thats come across my mind latley, each has its advantages, but not sure what to go for. This is an LS1 BTW.

1. Budget 346 (3.905b x 3.622s)
LS1 block
Stock crank
Stock rods
Forged pistons

Easy to get the ball rolling on seeing as I already have 2 sets of stock rods, 2 stock cranks, and 2 blocks. I would upgrade the rods with ARP bolts and have nice forged pistons with flycuts. Cam selection would be easy because theres so many off the shelf 346 cams that work.

2. Built 346 (3.905b x 3.622s)
LS1 block
Stock crank
H-beam rods
Forged pistons

Again, easy to get the ball rolling on as the only other major parts I would need are pistons and rods. Cam selection would be the same, and with this bottom end id also consider going solid roller. That is if I think ill take the time out for valve lash adjustments. Only down side is thoes that have gone solid roller have told me that its not too much fun on the street with stock cubes because of no low end.

3. Stroked 374 (3.905b x 3.900s)
LS1 block
3.90 crank
H-beam rods
Forged pistons

This is the biggest storke im willing to go with on the stock LS1 block because I don't like the idea of under-square motors. Id gain a good bit of CI in the process and I would be more likely to go solid roller with this combo becasue of that. Id also get more compression with this set-up without having to mill the heads as much. The only down side is there are no off the shelf cams for this motor.

4. Big bore 387 (4.125b x 3.622s)
LS7 block
LS1 crank
H-beam rods
Forged pistons

This is assuming the price on the LS7 block comes down like GM said. I wouldnt have to wait around for the block to get sleeved. A bore this size would allow me to run the LS7 heads, but I would go with a hyd cam because the only aftermarket rockers available for these heads are Jessel and thoes run 1300 bucks...no thanks.

5. Huge bore 398 (4.185b x 3.622s)
Sleeved LS1 block
LS1 crank
Forged pistons

This is the motor ive talked to my builder about, he seems just as excited about building this bad boy as I am. Again with this motor id be allowed to run LS7 heads, but then becuase of the bore id have to get a custom piston, and I belive a head gasket. This would also be a hyd cammed motor. The down side to this motor is that the cost of the shortblock alone is in the 5k dollar range. Looking at this motor on paper knowing that LS7 heads are capable of 380+cfm 600rwhp is an attainable goal, but that calls for a 12 bolt. While this motor does sound fun, it would be a handfull on the road course, and I would feel safe pushing it without a rollbar.

All of the motors would have fairly high compression 11.8-12.0 and the goal would be to make as much possible hp on less that 400 cubes because it seems that everyone is running a 402/408/427 ls1 these days. The car wouldnt be daily driven, and im not looking to change rear gears. Redline on all the motos would be around 7k, but 6500 max on the road course. It would also use an accusump for safteys sake. Ive considered building a motor around an LS2 block, but theres some minor things betwene the knock sensors for the LS2 and the computer of the LS1 that I don't really feel like getting into right now. So, if you have any input on any of these combos, let me know your thoughts.