Long time but finally happening
 

So I know this is a long overdue post from me. The Monte has been in a barn for the past 4 years but it’s coming back better than ever!

Emissions testing in Ontario is gone so it’s the perfect time to do some work that will be not so environmentally friendly.
I’ve got L67 heads that got full port polished, oversized stainless valves, bronze guides and port matched intake. My SC pulley is down to 2.8” with a ZZP intercooler and the SC is ported. YT 1.9’s and LS6 springs. SLP headers and exhaust front to rear with the cat U-bend delete. I’m still deciding which cam to run but I’ll get the LS6 lifters (likely an Intense stage 2 blower cam). All this going on an L36 engine with other existing mods that will likely be the death of my transmission in the near future but meh, it’s worth it.
After a quick generic PCM flash I’ll head down to Intense for a dyno tune (6.5 hours drive).

I don’t really have questions but just wanted to write this post to let everyone know I’m still keeping the Monte going and I’m not dead lol.

Welcome back! Look forward to seeing some updates!!

Couple things to keep in mind:
-You wont want to run that cam plus the 1.9 rockers as that's a ton of combined lift. If you really want 600+ lift, just get it all ground into the cam with matching duration.
-Assuming you mean LS7 lifters, keep in mind that they're not really an upgrade, they're just standard replacement lifters for anyone going in for replacements now. Just didn't want you to expect some kind of high end race lifter, they're just new stock and aren't drastically different from what you've got now.
-Id skip the IS2 cam, they never really did super well. S1X does pretty well for a mild cam as did the S3 if you want something bigger, but I'd go with a different cam if you're looking for something in the middle. IIRC people have made more power with the S1X than the S2 despite it being a more mild cam. Other options are the XP and XPZ that both fall between the S1X and S3 that have both made good power.

Ordered everything needed.
 

I ended up getting comp R lifters and comp #125 springs. The 1.9’s and stage 2 cam are going in. The lift will be correct for what I’m doing. Took the engine apart and the 260kms of hard driving has taken most of the hash marks off the cylinder walls so I’ll be doing a hone out and likely do Piston and ring refreshing now as well. Better to get a tighter seal with boost anyway. Also thinking a meziere wp is gonna happen.

Out of curiosity, who recommended that setup to you?

I know the total lift is fine for modded heads, but it's just an awful lobe profile to start with. If you're fine running that much lift, I dont know why you wouldn't want to take advantage of more duration as well - it's just an odd setup and would seem to be needlessly limiting.

Only reason I really mention it is no one has ever been able to make any real power with the S2. IIRC the world record wasn't much over 300 whp and the only common 3800 cam it was able to best was the S1 (which has long since been discontinued because it was so bad). Literally every other normal 3800 cam has proven to make more power (including the smaller S1X and VS). Its been awhile since I looked at the records list, but I could've swore there were people on the stock cam (with 1.9 rockers) making more power that some of the top 5 S2 cam guys.

Well, I wish you luck with it, itll definitely be an uphill battle!

So after a long conversation with Intense yesterday morning and my machinist it looks like I’ll be excluding the YT 1.9’s and I’ll be looking for some 1.7 rollers. With 1.9’s the lift issue is valve to piston clearance. .600 is pretty much the limit. But if all the information available saying the stock L36 bottom end is good up to high power numbers Intense is saying it’s going to be the weak link?? I don’t think I believe that when I’ve worked on these things a lot through my career modified and stock and never seen a bottom end grenade.

I guess I’ll find out and seeing as how I’ve got another running L36 I could use for parts I’m not worried. Almost 20 days later still no shipment from Intense but the tracking says it’s close. All but the Cam will come because it hasn’t been cut yet. Which is kind of annoying because that’s the part that needs changing first. Hurry up and wait I guess.

anyone wanna buy some YT 1.9’s? Lol

Uhh yea maybe.. How much you want?

Why not just go with stock rockers at that point? The lift / power difference is very little for the money spent. You're far better off tossing that money towards your trans fund.

PV clearance is fixable if you're dead set on that combo. You can fly cut the pistons for relief. Just saying, you have options if you really wanted to.

The problem isnt so much the mechanical interference as that's relatively easy to fix between cam timing and fly cutting, it's the awful heads. There are people running over .600 on 3800s, but the head flow isnt really there to support it on stock castings.

Of course their salesperson is going to say that, they'd love to sell you a fully built $5k bottom end for a 300 whp setup. If you've searched their history much, they're not exactly the most trustworthy company, lol.

Easy to disprove their stance though, a few minutes of Google searching will show the results of plenty of people who have installed intercooled turbo kits on their stock L36s. Plenty of people putting down way more power than you're shooting for.

It's very rare, and is almost always one of the following issues:
-A modified part failed and took out everything
-Running out of pump / injector from cranking the boost too much, usually on turbo setups where it's easy to change
-Ran too small a SC pulley for the mods and chipped a piston(s)

Probably because they haven't sold a blower S2 in 15 years, lol. I dont blame them for not shelf stocking them.

Bumpin96monte you seem to have an opinion for everything and everyone. And it seems like you fact base all your comments from Internet research.
I’ve had my hands into hundreds of 3800’s and as my first post to this thread had mentioned, I’m not looking for advice.
Cutting piston tops is NOT a good idea and it’s not relatively easy. Unless of course you’ve got a machine shop at your disposal. But still a recipe for disaster.

The S2 grind has a purpose so you really need to stop looking for ways to bash it down.

I don’t know anything about you, but you seem like you would follow someone else’s build recipe and act like a pro after. Or possibly a google/YouTube home mechanic.

Just trying to help people out; I saw some potential issues (like 1.9s with a S2) and figured it was worth mentioning to try and keep you from running into issues.

On a side note, all of my comments are not from internet research, I actually do know something about 3800s. Here's a bit of my background:
-Have worked on 3800 vehicles since 99. Have owned them since 03.
-Have owned 5 different 3800 vehicles ranging from bone stock to fully built and just about everywhere in between.
-Was one of the first L67 swapped 5th gen montes. Built the engine 100% myself (aside from the machining of course) and did the swap 100% myself.
-Have been a part of multiple local 3800 / GP clubs across 2 states and have been to multiple track and mod days. Have worked on more 3800 cars than I can remember and have hands on experience with just about every type of 3800 builds from NA to blower to turbo.
-Have been a member of many of the 3800 forums for as long as I've owned 3800 vehicles (hence my comments on Intenses history as they burned numerous people in the past with their bad parts and bad advice)
-Degree in mechanical engineering including classes in thermo and ICs
-10 years of mechanical engineering experience
-Still own the fully built 3800 car and continue to wrench on it and LS stuff.

So yeah, I've got a bit more knowledge than just 'internet research'...

No problem, again was just trying to be helpful. You said that you didn't have questions, not that you weren't open to any suggestions or feedback. I apologize for misunderstanding your intent.

I do wonder though, if you've been into 3800s for so long, why are you going to Intense for advice / suggestions on the setup? Between their disasters with various mods: LSDs, head VSR, rockers eating themselves, blowing up L32s by rushing tunes to market for the 04s, etc etc and previous employees quitting and airing the dirty laundry behind these, it seems like that wouldn't be a company any veteran would have trust in. Perhaps that was before your time in 3800s? It's too bad clubgp is down, lots of really good stories from ex employees and customers with broken parts from them.

I only suggested it as an option since you seemed dead set on huge lift for whatever reason. You claim it's not a good idea but there are a TON of engines out there with fly cut pistons that prove otherwise. You're not talking a ton of material here, if it needed it at all. I just figured since you were taking the pistons out for a rehone that a bit of extra machining wasn't that big of a deal. It's hardly a recipie for disaster as you're trying to say...

What is its purpose if making power isnt it? Genuinely curious here.

Not trying to look for ways to bash it, it just really has never shown good results. It's really worth a look at the top hp cam list as the S2 is one of the lowest on there - barely higher than the stock cam records and nearly 100 whp under some of the other ones. Literally even the tiny ZZP VS cam has made more power.. If you've ever seen proof of one that did halfway decent, please post up the link in OT, I'd love to see it. Not sure why everyone would be covering up their S2 records though.

The first statement is very accurate, it's clear you dont have a clue. I dont see how you come to the conclusion that I follow someone else's build recipie-
-One of the early L67 swapped montes
-One of only a handful of running whipple 3800s in the US
-Multiple one off (or one of two / three) parts on the engine
-Only 5th gen I've ever seen with coilovers all around.
-Custom one off fiberglassed rear deck, door panels, center console, etc

There literally isnt another 5th gen like mine anywhere so I've got no idea where your comment is coming from.

The reason I focus so heavily on previous records and setups in my responses to others is that this isnt a brand new platform. The series 2 3800 is more than 20 years old and most of the mod development stopped at least 10 years ago. Many of the records haven't really budged since then (mostly due to the trans limitations and low car values). Numerous combos have been tried and documented especially with shelf stock cams. As such, theres really no reason to reinvent the wheel when a person is looking for X hp. If you can just follow a proven combo, it saves money and time making mistakes and there isnt really much undocumented territory on the 3800s.