LS1GTO Forums banner

LS3 + LSA Blower Complete Build

50K views 148 replies 21 participants last post by  LS3goatee 
#1 ·
My intention for this thread is to guide those through my budget minded builds. I've done a LS1, LS3, and LSA build in my Hyundai Genesis Coupe, so I am not a newb and I have become very resourceful as far as getting parts and getting them cheap. I have done ALL of my own work with every single build I have done, so while my verbiage may not be up to par I certainly know what I am doing.
Here is the Genesis so nobody can call me a liar!




*THIS WILL BE A PICTURE HEAVY THREAD*

Finally, before we begin, I will do my best to explain the steps and the costs and reasoning behind the direction I went with this build. But please. Be proactive. Don't copy my shit verbatim... well, I can't stop you lol
I will post approximate prices, I am not going to scrub my receipts, but I will ball park what I paid.

So. 2004 GTO with 145,xxx I got just before the midway mark of the year in 2018. I got it for something like 4800 but I always round down for cool points and tell folks I got it for 4k lol but it was beat. No grills, paint bad, some damage in the rear driver side etc., so I knew it'd be a project and I also knew I'd be doing an engine swap then a LSA blower. I replaced just about everything on the carI found a LS3 short block for 1400 with 38k on the clock, and L92 heads (823) for 500 bucks that the seller insisted on selling L92 exhaust manifolds, L92 intake/TB, flywheel, coil packs and some other items that I may be forgetting, so... I sold all that junk and quickly recouped the cost of the heads. I sold the 241 heads off of my LS1 for $200, and the LS1 shortblock for 1k (it must have been recently rebuilt, the cylinder walls were perfect, and oil pressure was 45psi hot with a stock oil pump) and transferred the OE accessories over to the LS3 with some goodies added for the valve train, cam and melling oil pump. To use the LS3 w/ 58x reluctor on the 411 ecm on the 04, I used a 250 buck TRG-002, MAP sensor adapter, injector adapters, knock sensor harness for LS1 to LS3, and obviously a tune (I have HPTuners).



No hood/bumper removal, and the engine tranny attached. It can be done contrary to popular belief.



Flash forward about two weeks - the Melling oil pump seizes, sending metal everywhere, and the crank ate the bearings and itself, but miraculously the cam still looked brand new! I took it for a rebuild, king bearings, ARP rod bolts, Tick ported/blueprinted LS6 pump etc... Local machine shop said they'd never seen it before, but ehh.. what can ya do?



(cont.)
 

Attachments

See less See more
10
#71 ·
Here it is installed and snug into the firewall


Here it is attached to the gas pedal properly
 

Attachments

#72 ·
I always had a shifting issue coming out of first and just blamed the Monster clutch I had and trans mount. I replaced the trans mount with a new rubber one and revshift insert and there was virtually no change. I remembered I was not the original owner, and since my GTO was a bit of a project when I bought it, I knew the engine mounts were probably shot. I was SHOCKED at what I saw. Completely torn in half on the driver side! Another issue I had was squeaking that I thought was the suspension, but it was the bad engine mount!



So I went big! Victor Mora's aluminum engine mounts AND I DONT REGRET IT. My biggest fear was install from hearing the horror stories, but with most things you read online, take it with a grain of salt. It took about 15min tops to install them, the engine lifted up plenty to slide the old mounts out and pop the new in.



I know everyone will have their opinions on solid mounts, most of which never used them, but I had them in my genesis and loved them. Starting the car is where I feel it the most, the starter thuds are felt in the cabin. There is a bottom of the car vibration that is very light and comes when shifting, other than that iI don't feel much. I will do more test driving and update this thread.

Throttle response is amazing, but obviously my old mounts were shot beyond belief. I had to learn how to shift out of first again, the car wants to fly at a tap of the pedal.
 

Attachments

#73 ·
I put around 5,000 miles on the car since the LSA blower. They were not easy miles. They consisted of a mix of daily city driving, long cruises, car meets, and late night Mexico trips every weekend. I spin the engine to 7k. Pat G remote tuned but hasn't been on dyno. Here are the TR6plugs:




Someone can probably read them better than I can, but comparing them to charts online they look good. I absolutely have no issues to report. My T56 is having 2nd gear synchro issues, but it has 160k on the clock. I will probably snag a low mile M12 T56 and toss it in and either rebuild my current M12 T56, or sell. I still plan on going 6p front, stock rear, with a 15x10 weld setup in the rear and get some time slips.
 

Attachments

#74 ·
+1 on the Solid Motor Mounts, things vibrate a bit more, but they feel fantastic.

I've been lurking more than commenting on your build, I have nothing to add, it's amazing!

Currently my LS1 makes 437rwhp by 429 rwtq. I am still finalizing all the little things since doing my manual swap and I want to do the LSA install, but I doubt the LS1 could take it.
 
#76 ·
I appreciate it! I thought I'd get more flack for some of my methods, but it has been positive so far LOL

I always try and push folks to go LSA if they can get as lucky as I do as far as part sourcing costs. I imagine your LS1 could take another 100whp easily with a stock pully setup.
 
#75 ·
I'm no expert, but those plugs do look rather dark. The strap is a nice ash though, so maybe it's just a positive cylinder pressure thing? Safe, slightly rich, AFR I'd guess.

Also interested in where the front end is going. I'm not a fan of cowl hoods, although I know yours had function to it and I can always appreciate that.
 
#77 ·
Idle/cruise AFRs are around 14-15
WOT pulls 11.5-11.8
DFCO is turned off, so letting off the throttle its around ~13. Pat G recommended I keep DFCO turned off, I didn't really ask questions after that, but I did ask him if I can turn it on because I miss the pops/bangs from the exhaust. I ALWAYS use shell vpower 91 (AZ), occasionally Chevron when caught low. All that being said, you already sound like you are better reading plugs than I am, I just seen a few charts online lol

Front end should be done at the end of the week. My driver side headlight was so dry rotted it fell apart when I touched the top. It is also being repaired, and tabs replaced. I'll be sure to post tons of pics!
 
#79 ·
S/O to Bobby, my body guy over the last few years. Best part about using him is he sends tons of photos along the way. Dropped my headlights off as they were super beat, and the previous owner cleared over them and it was starting to haze. My passenger headlight was dry rotted so bad, when I touched the top it crumbled and caved in - Bobby was able to repair them and even reattach the top tab that was broken. Here is a pic of the clear. Can't wait to see the finished product.



A little bumper update...
So, the previous owner drilled the bumper into the clips, bondo'd over the holes, then painted the bumper. I found this out when I had to remove it the first time, you can see the holes below - I ended up throwing some touch up paint to attempt to hide it for the last few months.



SAP lower epoxied and seam sealer added. Holes in the bumper filled. Paint soon after a bit more prep and I can't wait for it to be done! I do miss driving my GTO lol got a small but unique thing coming that I'm probably over-hyping, but it'll help me stand out a ton since the sap lower isn't exactly unique itself. Carbon fiber splitter will be a visual upgrade over my previous splitter





Here is the carbon fiber splitter. I was disappointed with the quality, the weave isn't even as you can see, but it still looks dope.

 

Attachments

#80 ·
All issues fixed before priming.



Primed and ready for paint! Should get it back tonight or tomorrow.

 

Attachments

#82 ·
Thank you!
 
#83 ·
I've been following this thread. Incredible work performed for sure. This section doesn't get much traffic so don't get discouraged if only a few respond to the posts. There are lurkers who enjoy following your project. Also, outside of the lounge and the DR this site is not as busy compared to its earlier years.
 
#86 ·
Thank you! And I just figured with the heavy amount of messages I get on FB and IG (over 75 message requests on FB, it is cumbersome) that this thread would be lively, but its all good.. I'll keep posting

Bro you still at it??


Where the mexico videos
I have some Mexico runs on my IG, still filming enough material to make one long video. I have found cars here are either too slow, or too fast, nothing really competitive. The strip isn't really my scene, but I'm working on changing that.
 
#84 ·
I'm inspired for sure. Just finished my LS3 NA build in my 04 and this is the next step. I'm hesitant to go cutting on the stock hood, looks like you went with the mavman cowl, how do you like it? Also, what air intake set up is that going over the radiator? Love that you did all this yourself, you and I are the same. I'm weighing the option of adding LSA to my current setup or starting a new LS build on something like a Porsche 944.
 
#87 · (Edited)
Picked my bumper up yesterday! My guy Bobby always gets it done. I did pick it up early in an attempt to go to a car show, but it ended up not working out. The 'unique' portion I alluded to in earlier posts was a yellow accent on the "D" of the lower grill - but last minute I canceled that idea thinking I'd have to change the emblems yellow, although it'd match the brembos perfectly. I don't like SAP upper grills, they look grand-prix-ish to me, the stock grills are the best in my opinion!



I ceramic coated it myself this morning and it turned out great. I ended up tipping the bottle over on accident and spilling it everywhere smh ($70 down the drain) and have less than 1/4 left. That bottle was supposed to last years, as I only used it on the hood to protect the carbon fiber, as well as the front bumper.



I took a vote on my instagram, as I usually do, and the people chose for me to go aluminum instead of the sleeper black heat exchanger. Aluminum BARELY won. To my surprise, the HX was a massive upgrade in size and capacity (I ordered blind, as I usually do). I did have to remove the lower air dam, but with all the cooling upgrades I have I doubt I'll miss it. For the first 3-4 months I owned my GTO, it didn't have an air dam.



Another benefit is not having a hose run along the front of the HX. Less hose, less bends.

 

Attachments

#88 · (Edited)
Before I could mount my bumper, I had to either replace the bumper clips, or add a new means of attaching it. I added a Quik-Latch to it! Measured once, cut about 3-4x!!!



Kinda silly, but about 12 hours into my 48 hour cure period for the ceramic coat, I drilled into my bumper for the quick latch. I should've done this first! Had to blow dust and shavings off of the bumper as well as use a microfiber to softly whisk away debris. Stepped drill bit made quick work, and a dremel to flatten the backside so the nut would tightly secure the latch.



You can see the Quik-Latch here. Bumper is secure! Driver side is a bit low, but I'll leave it alone for now.

 

Attachments

#89 ·
Completely changed the look of the car (ignore the smudge on the hood)!

 

Attachments

#91 ·
That is fair, I never realized how ugly my original front end was until the facelift. I think a Mavman spoiler will balance the front and rear. Maybe even a diffuser.



 

Attachments

#92 ·
I posted these in the FB page since I get so many questions about my intake. Colt, understandably, has left a bad taste in a few folks mouths... But my IATs are phenomenal. With the new HX, I got IATs (read from the lid / IAT2) within 1* of ambient with highway cruising, and 3-5* consistently with spirited highway driving (shoots up and right down WOT), and 5-7* in moderate traffic in the city hitting every light (Bell rd). It is important to note that due to the law of thermodynamics, it is not possible to be below ambient air temps without something like an interchiller, which is overkill for my setup of just 7lbs where I will stay. It gets 110+ here, and on days like that it'll sit in the garage lol

Mid day here. First time driving in two weeks so I drove aggressively on the backroads and pulled into an empty lot and idled for about 10min taking photos. Short highway drive and I snapped this photo.



This was later that evening. Peaceful cruise. Temps switched between 1-3* of ambient at 70mph.

 

Attachments

#96 ·
Means a lot man. Thanks.

Sick. Ever considered a drag wheel setup? I’m contemplating that now
I have, I do want some 15x10 welds in the rear. Traction is an issue. I bought some Racestars but them shits said made in China so I sold them. Welds are made here in the US and look much better anyway, they'll probably be my next mod.
 
#95 ·
Here is a walk-around vid

 
#98 · (Edited)
3" Magnaflow. Pure garbage, so many people like it but I miss my 2.5" Borla (vids of it on my channel), but wanted a 3" system for the blower. I'm cutting the mufflers out and replacing them with Borlas again.

Only credit I give to Magnaflow is it is loud WOT, and I get a lot of compliments from people who spot me on the road.

I am catless LTs btw. Infuriating how quiet it is.
 
#99 ·
Front bumper quick release latch mount idea is cool. Ease of access to service things and it eliminates the problematic factory piece, win win.
 
#102 ·
I agree. They were only 26 bucks each, support up to 150lbs, and I figured since I'm not removing the bumper frequently, the push-button mechanism will be free from failure for a long time. Removing 4 screws (2 on top, 2 on the sides) and pushing 2 buttons gets my bumper off! The SAP lower and splitter make the bumper much stiffer/sturdier, so it goes right on and off without issue - I hope that makes sense.

:hbang:

Nice thread, although my neck hurts after looking at all the sideways pics lol
LOL, they have a mind of their own. When I upload them they are the proper orientation, when I post, they have a 50/50 shot.
 
#103 ·
Some minor upgrades

Took her apart for a few minor mods:



DMS billet manifold. Upgraded this to tidy the engine bay, but peeking inside the OEM manifold, I noticed it is has jagged portions on the inside that could negatively affect flow.



12AN ORB fittings



12AN SS braided hose w/nylon cover

 

Attachments

#104 ·
I pulled the trigger on a Nick Williams 92mm throttle body. My previous 92mm Warr Performance TB made a LOUD screeching/whistling sound for the first 20-30 seconds of a cold start. RPMS would dart up to around 1100 and it would "cruise control" coming to a stop. It was evident the moment I looked at the Nick Williams that it featured a bigger IAC opening, as well as a small pinhole in the TB blade. The moment I fired the engine up, it had ZERO screech/whistle, and the IAC counts quickly dropped to ~49 counts as the car warmed up. Coming to a stop there were no more cruising, and the idle issues (random surges) were solved - even the VCM scanner showed a more stable idle. I was shocked it made such a drastic difference, but I see why people avoid the "china" TBs. And yes, I adjusted the Warr Performance TB almost weekly and I could never get it right, while the NW throttle body took ZERO ADJUSTMENTS.

Nick Williams on the left, Warr Performance on the right:







 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top