L77 DOD Elimination and Cam Upgrade

[9C1fanatic]

That pic leads me to believe the engine can be removed without removing the hood just like the 91-96 Caprice. Awesome!

[CrashTestDummy]

And while you have access, don't forget to add a converter.

[IDLife Caprice]

Well I wanted to share some updates for those who have been following this thread. I was not able to post yesterday because we had a few new cars come into the shop... one being the Brumos Porsche from the GrandAm racing fame. Nothing like tuning a 4.0L N/A motor that rips off 470whp in a lightweight car!!

Oh I digress... back to the Caprice.

I did in fact confirm the block in my 2013 Caprice PPV is the same part number as the 2006 Z06 Corvette 6.0L LS2. See the pic:

LS2 Corvette


L77 Caprice


I also spoke with Derek at Texas Speed (http://texas-speed.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) who was incredibly helpful with finding all the parts I need to complete my DOD Delete as well as selection of a camshaft that will work well with the stock converter and single beehive springs. I opted to not go all out just yet with the converter since I will do that when I get the turbo motor built. The cam we selected is their custom grind, Texas Speed 220R 220/220 .581"/.581" Sleeper Camshaft. This should not have a crazy lope but maybe a little "giveaway" idle, killer midrange and decent top-end to 6300rpm with my stock exhaust.

Another shout out goes to my friend Jason Harding at Katech for supplying me with many of the parts needed to replace ones that were missing, plus a handful of new parts such as lifters, valley tray and gaskets. I have participated in Katech's "Track Attack" event at Autobahn Country Club for four years now... and served as their photographer for many Pro Racing events where their engines were a part of Cadillac & IMSA/GrandAm Racing's program.

Engine Services by Road Atlanta will be cleaning all my parts with Soda-Blast this week and because many parts are being used from one block to another, having a professional assembly with everything checked & re-checked will go a long way.

After much looking into... I think the EFILive is the way we are leaning for the tuning. So once again... stay tuned!!

[CrashTestDummy]

Isn't that a casting number? Still, the same casting would indicate they're pretty much alike.

EFILive is a pretty decent programming platform. It's the one BlackBear uses for their tunes. They did our 2010 Tahoe PPV, and will probably do our Caprice, once I get some under-hood mods done. Still replacing broken bits right now, but building quite the wish list.

[CrashTestDummy]

That pic leads me to believe the engine can be removed without removing the hood just like the 91-96 Caprice. Awesome!

After looking at the facepalm pictures, it looks like that will only happen if you pull the engine as a shortblock only.

[IDLife Caprice]

Just an update... The engine is going back together nicely.

Click here to check out the updates.

https://www.facebook.com/SecondServiceV ... =1&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[xcidmigs]

Anyway you can make a thread about the entire engine build when its done and post on here? Probably will be lots of people interested in that years from now and not everyone uses the facebook.

[IDLife Caprice]

Anyway you can make a thread about the entire engine build when its done and post on here? Probably will be lots of people interested in that years from now and not everyone uses the facebook.

Honestly, the topic of removing DOD/AFM has been covered a bunch on other forums. The only benefit here is that I am probably the first ever to do so on a Caprice PPV. I am taking pics of every step, but truly so I can remember how I need to put it all together and document that I have completed, not missed anything.

We will see what it puts down to the ground with the stock exhaust before I begin really turning it up on the dyno... I know the exhaust will be the limiting factor.

The biggest factor for me is time... I am now three weeks past when I thought I would have this car running and my business schedule/sales are suffering HUGE because of it.

[CrashTestDummy]

You're doing great, even though you may be behind a personal schedule. We planned a LS* engine for our autocross Frebird, and it took 10 FREAKING YEARS. It get it in the shop to install.

Never, EVER tell an engine builder you're not in a hurry for your motor. Just ask me how I know.

[IDLife Caprice]

I have a bunch more pics on the Second Service page but here are a couple of the highlights so far...

Here is the process I am using to block off the DOD oil ports. I use a #Q drill bit to open the bore just a bit more. This is very easy to do with a smooth shank bit. DO NOT USE A BIT WITH FLATS on the shank... they can not spin and can break off, causing serious headache to remove.



Once I have drilled the port, I then run the 1/8" NPT Tap all the way til it has 3 threads left to go. That is where the pipe plugs will tighten up flush.



When done, it will look like this:



Things to note... on the engine stand, I had the engine rotated so all aluminum would fall down onto my catch tray. I also installed a lifter in the bore to keep any debris from falling into my new engine. When finished, I would spray brake clean into the bore to flush out the remaining debris and grease. My final step was to use a thick wire with a cut piece of Clorox Clean Wipes wrapped around the tip of the wire... these do not disintegrate like paper or shop towels do. I removed the lifter and push it all the way through, using long handle needle nose pliers to pull it out.

Repeat, 16 times!