[danhr]

Dont even bother with the heads or cam if 600 rwhp is your goal. I honestly wouldnt even touch the high side. Lt4 low side pump, p1x, single nozzle m15 meth kit, usual bolt ons, and you are over 600 rwhp.

Heres the results my p1x build got me....

https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=565560

[laynlo15]

Danhr is right if that's your limit, if not you'll have to upgrade.

[oneredry]

Originally Posted by KPzypher

Thanks. I guess stock fuel system is kinda pushing it on the low 600s range without E or meth setup?

there is no question that you'll need to upgrade your fuel system if you want to achieve anything over 600WHP. so anything over, you'll need to upgrade in tank fuel pump, injectors and a few other stuff. so the "simplicity" of it just increased by that much.

[KingLT1]

If he uses meth then he could run the stock fuel system on the high side and either do a aux low side or LT4 tank pump with JMS booster. Most will say not to use Meth for fueling but there isn't really anyway not to without it running too rich. You will have to lean the fueling out to compensate for the Meth to some degree.

That being said, I don't run meth, I spent money on a fuel system so I could run E85 only. If I mix down to E50-60 and upped the boost I could probably get close to 680-700whp. But you Can't argue with Dan's approach based on his results either...his car is making great power and flying!! It seems Meth makes the most power being it frees up fuel system headroom without needing a cam lobe to cover 12psi of boost which is about as high as I would push a SBE LT1. 12psi should put you into the 750whp range depending on dyno and gear pulled.

[EDFHOBBIES]

Originally Posted by KPzypher

Thanks. I guess stock fuel system is kinda pushing it on the low 600s range without E or meth setup?

just some food for thought!

I haven't figured out why no one drops compression a little on the LT1 SS FI builds, I get it they make drop in pistons with little or no balancing.. but you can get oem LT4 crank, rods and pistons for the same price as the high end drop in stuff.. Could even use the Lt1 crank and re-balance.

I'm constantly watching builds and it seems like the stock bottom end LT4s make more power than a SS with LT4 fuel parts, granted the LT4 can take more abuse but I always see an octane limit reached 1st before integrity of the oem LT1 pistons.

yes I know the higher compression will make more power than lower compression but, you will also need more octane and a better fuel system to do so.

my point is I see the SS in the 620 range and the zl1 making 700s with the same after market blower setup, fuel system, headers, and intake both on 93 octane.

Look at the new GT500 I think it's old school like 9.5:1 760 hp, LT5 of 10:1, and the SS LT1 11.5:1

You drop the compression, change the cam and a good power adder and you can do 800 with no meth ect all day long... if not your be spending a lot on meth or a fuel system to run full e85.

Even with bad ass drop ins I don't think you will see much over 700 on 93 octane with 11.5 compression unless you go meth injection.

Your talking drop in pistons and 630 range why bother you could slap a 2650 on and make that easy. They installs just as easy.. You need to pull the manifold on both units if your doing LT4 fuel, Both require a Heat exchanger front has to come off, Both need a way to drive the blower so the balancer comes off, and Both require bolting on brackets and pulleys.. If you where not using the lt4 fuel parts and the low centri psi kit with no exchanger then ya your right a lot less work.

[danhr]

Originally Posted by KingLT1

12psi should put you into the 750whp range depending on dyno and gear pulled.

say that again in 3 weeks.

[laynlo15]

I dropped mine last year to 10.5, no knock issues, no pulling of timing.

[oldman]

heads and cam are not needed, but it is very easy to get to his HP level with heads and cam and minimal boost. The least amount of boost to reach any HP level the better for longevity. The 32% cam lobe is also a big help in fueling. It really took a while to max out the stock LT1 stuff with a 32% lobe and a 6800 fuel cut. More lift and more RPM does pump more fuel.

Cam and heads sounds BAD action, I'm on a much bigger cam to 7200 RPM (may up it to 7400 rpm) and the sound is really stimulating. Putting on an loud exhaust is one thing. But being able to hear a high CR V8 under boost to 7200 RPM with a quite exhaust, you can actually hear the mechanical whine of the engine.... it is phenomenal. More like Shelby flatplane. Very hard to describe, I guess maybe somebody with a boosted Z/28 with stock exhaust would experience the same thing.

I am picky on the way the build sounds. It is en essential part of the build. I've tried on this car 20 or 30 setups and in fact have a Borla 60608 on order just to keep on finding the ultimate quite system with decent flow. I intend to put 2.5 metal core high flow cats in front of the 60608.

On CR, the higher CR does give better MPG and easier to drive more response, sub 750 engine HP I'd stick to 11.5 if 93 is easy to get. I build this setup for 800 engine HP and E85 so I stuck with 11.5, plus if and when I sell the ride this CR will support the cam NA.

Anything over 850 engine the CR needs to be dropped. Probably 750 engine if 91 is the best you can get.

So nope, a heads and cam are not needed but the 32% lobe is useful and the cam allows you to tune a sound and performance that you may want. I would agree that a simple pulley change would yield the same HP.

He does not need meth with a cam lobe, lt4 injectors and maybe lt4 HPFP on the highside.... No need to fill a meth tank and saves money on the install. Second hand LT4 pump and injectors should be much under 900. Like the idea of LT4 lower plus booster, or he can do the DSX or skidmarke garage second pump, easy peasy install.

[KPzypher]

Wow! Thanks all for the wealth of knowledge. I'm learning so much just by reading all the comments. I'm not ashamed to admit that my knowledge and experience in modding doesn't reach nearly as far as some of you seasoned modders in this forum. Nonetheless, I'm a car enthusiast by heart and am grateful to learn new things everyday. My rationale behind the P1X/meth combo is mainly influenced by the current reach (or lack thereof) of my finances. I wish my pocket ran as deep as some of you, but the truth is i'm on a budget, and sadly, $15K(cash) is as far as I'm willing to venture at this time without impacting other areas of my simple life. I understand for some, its a chump change in this world of modding, but at least for me, $15K is a substantial investment that I cannot simply brush off or write-off just to satisfy my curiosity.

So with my limited knowledge, I figured the best bang for the buck (safe and reliable) and keep it under budget is to go the FI route, i.e. P1X plus meth and pulley down, and leave some change to add other things like gauge setup and etc. But after reading all the comments, maybe it's not that simple. I would love to do heads/CAM+some fuel upgrades, but not sure the goal (620-630whp) can be reached under budget without E-85/meth (i'd like to stay on 93). If I can do it with CAM kit and minor fuel upgrade and stay under budget, I'll probably go that route. And not sure what lowering CR entails, but it sure does sound expensive. So right now, my goal is to safely break the 600 range and if I want to add more power, do it down the road. Like i've mentioned before, this will be my DD, so I doubt I'll ever go much past the low to mid 600 range. Thanks all again for your insight and look forward to learning more from you guys.

[KPzypher]

One other question. Can you safely run 100% meth from your washer fluid reservoir long-term? Or is it better to run a separate tank from the trunk? I've heard/read both side of the argument, e.g. "you don't want something that volatile in a plastic tank near the engine bay vs you don't want to extend the fuel line too much i.e. running from the trunk." And what happens when you get into an accident (frontal impact)?

[DorkMissile]

Well for what its worth - I spent a lot less than $15k, made 700hp.

2018 SS1LE, LT4HPFP & Injectors, E85, meth, ECS Novi 1500 (similar in size to the P1X), CA Primary cat delete pipes, gutted secondary cats.

As far as the meth kit - I used the windshield washer tank and mounted a tank in the trunk for washer fluid. The washer pump is in the same spot (mounted to the factory tank), I just ran a line from the tank and have a check valve inside the tank to help keep the line primed. It doesn't hold more than about two quarts, but it will get you by.

You would want to use the factory tank because it is very important that the tank is close and that you want to have a low level indicator - you can use the factory washer fluid warning for that. If you are under full load and ran out of fluid, you will detonate it.

As far as safety - you are not risking anything. Washer fluid is primarily methanol. Where I live, some people run 80% meth to water or strait meth for washer fluid as it gets so cold here.

[danhr]

Methanol isnt that volatile? Gasoline catches fire faster than methanol does. And you have fuel lines there anyways, and people put dedicated fuel systems in the front if cars too.

I use the reservoir kit from alky control. I'm a fan of it.

[laynlo15]

I'm not a fan of straight meth so I run a combo of 65 meth and 35 water. Get a little cooling effect and extra fueling. Probably a little safer also and I run mine in the washer fluid container.

[Drsagacity]

Or...you could lower expectations to 550-575whp and just enjoy the ride on straight 93 with no worries. Then when you choose to bump it up later, as you almost certainly will...that’s when you can realize that you should have selected the bigger blower and you can go in with cam, pistons, etc.

Meth works. No doubt about it. Of course you can be spraying and still detonating because you don’t have a way to monitor that the spray is reaching the intended destination. My $.02, for the power you want to achieve, maybe dial it back just a little to be safe on the regular fuel system...then when you choose to dial it up later you can build a complete plan of attack.