# building engine



## jnkydgto (Aug 12, 2015)

hey guys new to the forum! nice to meet everyone! i have a ls1 gto 6spd. its completely stock(except for full length headers, and straight with h-pipe.).i plan on yanking it out and taking it to an engine builder. my plan is to have a set of heads, intake, cam, and build the bottom end for boost eventually. Was wondering if anyone had any advice/experience for what i plan on doing(price, horsepower expectations). Thanks in advance!


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Having someone build your engine is going to cost thousands. With parts I'd expect in the range of $10,000 or more. I built mine myself. It is a very easy engine to work on. I have about $5,000 in it in parts and machine work for a stroker build. 

I pulled the engine myself and stripped it down to the block bagging all the bolts and labeling them. I took the block to a machine shop where they honed the cylinders, clearanced the block for the stroker rotating assembly, balanced it, installed cam bearings, installed the connecting rods onto the pistons and measured everything so that all I had to do was put everything together and torque it down. It cost me $900 for that. I had ported 243 heads already. I got a complete rotating assembly of Callies crank and rods with Wiseco piston and ring set along with Clevite bearings and ARP bolts. I also got a FTI cam kit, high RPM Morel lifters and Melling oil pump. With a $50 Harbor Freight engine stand it was a very easy, stand on my feet without stooping build. If you can take it apart, you can put it together.

Your HP end is going to depend a lot on the parts you get. Heads and cam make the power and you can spend thousands on heads. With the cam you have to decide if you want a top end Dyno/drag strip queen or something that makes a lot of power in the RPM range you'll use on the street.

The stock bottom end is good for 700-800 HP so if you want to save a lot of money you can put the heads and cam in without pulling the engine. There are How-to's on installing them. With better heads and a good street friendly cam you can make 450 RWHP and not lose much in drive-ability of gas mileage. Expect to spend a few thousand more in the drive train to support that.


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