Since I'm now keeping the 06 SS, I'm planning on rebuilding it.

I'm wondering if anyone here had done a re-build of the LS4, hopefully with a little more power. I've already had the Tranny re-built by Dave at TEP.
I'm thinking new heads with cams and NO DoD.
Who or where would be the place to get that done?

Since I'm rebuilding, and I'd like it to last, I'm also interested in that hood with the air intake. Its that really the intake or just for show? Is it possible to do air induction with that hood?
I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions as this goes on, but first I'm wondering if I should stat collecting parts, or just let an experience engine builder supply all the parts?

 

Hi `Tom,
It's great to read that you are keeping your Monte & going to rebuild I hope that you get good input from our member's on this subject.

It's great to do your homework & research + a cost budget...

Wish you the best on getting your Monte the way that you want it to `be...

Below are just a few links to check out that may give you some idea's & cost...Good Luck 4-Sure Oh, keep us updated on what you are doing or start a rebuilt progress thread on the MCF



800 Horsepower Front-Wheel Drive Monte Carlo SS | GM Authority

Chevrolet Performance 5.3L/327HP High Output Engine ...

 

Where to start... there's definitely power to be made..

You're on the right start with heads, also you only have one cam, you will make decent power with a mild cam.

Also, while you're doing it, you might as well do headers, mod an LS6 intake to fit and do a TB. That should get you almost 400 at the wheels.

 

Also, the MPD1 hood is a ram air hood, you can get the air box that will force the air into the intake. Really only benefits at highway speeds, but it is functional.

 

Can I ask what the purpose is for the rebuild? Is the engine blown? LS engines are pretty stout and can make pretty good power on a stock bottom end if it doesn't have crazy high mileage or isn't blown- similar to the 3800s.

Secondly, what are your budget and power goals?

If you are having the engine rebuilt- you're likely going to need a machine shop for the machine work. If you aren't experienced at building engines, you may as well just have them assemble it- the cost won't be all that high compared to the rest of the machine work.

I don't think I'd let a builder pick the parts. It's true that the engine is still an LS at heart, but a lot of the normal LS bolt ons don't work for an LS4 without modification. IMO, you're better off getting ideas for mods off of forums to see what works and what doesn't on this platform.

As far as what mods to do during a rebuild, I'd suggest a cam, intake, and headers- but it really depends on your power goals. IMO the stock heads don't really hold the engine back that much. You'd certainly gain power by having them ported- but some of the aftermarket ported heads are crazy high price, and the power gains aren't really worth it at that level IMO.

Of course, depending how much power you want to make, you may need heads if you're looking for big NA power.

 

Thank you for your input, that helps a lot. First, it isn't blown, but I've got a bad valve ticking noise, slowly getting worse. And its eating more oil, again. I replaced the oil pressure/switch and had the DoD tuned out, but it still needs oil.
Plus, I'm looking for more horses. Not crazy, and not for racing, but I definitely want more get-up-and-go. I'm looking for about 400 hp, and still reliable.
I don't know what to say budget wise, I'm looking for value for $$$.
I suspect it will all add up.
would a good engine re-build run around 5,000 ??
Plus starter alternator, calibers, brakes, suspension, ram air hood, body work and paint, maybe 10,000 all in ?? If I can get another 8 years out of it, that would be worth it.


Also, finding out what fits and what works, is exactly why I'm asking the questions here. I guess I'm looking for somebody who's done one. That would be a big help.


Thank you,
Tom

 

What kind of mileage is on the engine? If it isn't real high, and it sounds like your problems are all valvetrain & DOD related- I would leave the bottom end of the engine alone. Doing a full rebuild of the bottom end (especially using performance parts) will drastically increase the cost.

To give you an idea, it ran me a little over $1k just in machine shop costs to prep/assemble my 3800 bottom end at a professional engine shop. That includes assembly up to the point where you would install heads. That doesn't include the prices for the hard parts (pistons, bolts, bearings, cam, etc). That would certainly take a good bite out of your budget, and other than the cam - it wouldn't really add any power unless you made a decent change in compression, or bored/stroked it.


400 whp or 400 bhp? For 400 whp and a $5kish budget, I think the turbo kit is the way to go. You'd certainly go over budget a little since the turbo kit is over $5k unless you found a used one, and since you'd still need to fix your valve train issue- but it would definitely minimize the amount of labor needed to easily exceed your power goal. Trying to pick up 160 whp NA is certainly doable, especially in a full rebuild where you could bore/stroke the engine, but at what expense?

400 bhp wouldn't be nearly as hard, but IMO the cam is going to make or break it. Cam / heads / headers / intake / tune would certainly get you there- but I'm just not sure if you could keep it in budget. Most cams run the same ballpark on price- it just depends how aggressive you go as to what supporting mods you need (new springs, pushrods, etc). Heads can range from say $600 for a quickie port job on stock heads (or even free if you had the skill and time) to $2700 for full aftermarket heads.

Headers could be the cheapy OBX ebay headers or the more expensive Doug Thorley headers (which used to be almost double the price of the OBXs).

The intake is the same deal, the cheap and easier swap route would be to swap to another stock LS intake like an LS2, LS6, etc. These manifolds can be had for a few hundred bucks. The more expensive upgrade would be to a FAST manifold which is closer to $1000 and requires more modification to fit.

You can probably see now that using the best of everything + a custom tune could easily eat up your $5k, and you still may need to spend more to fix your valvetrain issue if it is a part you didn't end up upgrading (like lifters, etc).

Unfortunately, this isn't an overly budget friendly engine to mod on this platform. The LS4 market never really took off. My suggestions for best bang for the buck would be to spend the minimum to fix the problem (assuming the engine's overall miles aren't crazy)- put a beefy cam in it with supporting mods, do an intake swap to something like an LS6, and see where that puts you. If you want more, you can try and find some used headers to add a little more grunt.

Depends how crazy you go since you could dump massive money into an LS rebuild. An LSX block alone runs $2500, and a Callies ultra-billet crank is $3k. Obviously you would have a bolt pattern issue with the trans, etc- but just trying to show you an example of how expensive a hard-core rebuild could go.

IMO, I would do everything you can to save stock parts for what you're looking to do. Rebuild the bare minimum to fix the issues, and spend your other money on mods. A totally stock rebuild won't be crazy expensive, but it really depends what needs replaced.

Are the starter and alternator bad? They're both available through regular parts stores if they are for reasonable prices- but if they're both shot, I wonder what else is worn out (AC, PS, water pump, etc etc).

 

Its currently got 234,000 KM's on it. By spring, it'll be 9 years old and almost 150,000 miles. Seals are seeping. I suspect it'll need a full re-build.
Monte is my 6th Chevy. I've never had a GM alternator go more than 4 years, but this one's original. (Turns out its made by Denso, so Japanese and the stereo can draw up to 90 amp)
Water-pump and PS Pump and rack have been done.
TB, Intake, headers, exhaust were in the plan. That I can do. But i can't build an engine.
I suspect I'll need to find a builder who's willing to work with me on the parts and pieces.

 

Honestly, 150k on an LS engine isn't really that bad. It certainly could be bad, but on average I definitely think it's got another 50k in it easy.

Certainly you could rebuild it- it would just be nice to prolong that for another few years. I'd fix the valvetrain issue, check compression, and maybe even send an oil sample out if you're concerned- but my guess is the bottom end still has some good life left.