How To Add Hp To Chevy 2001 6.0 Vortec

[Editor'southward Notation:This L96 engine upgrade guide is part of a series of LS engine upgrade guides assembled by a team of LS experts at Summit Racing that we are sharing at OnAllCylinders. For a primer on the entire LS engine universe, readLS Engines 101: An Introductory Overview of the Gen III/IV LS Engine Family.]

…

Intro to L96 Engines

The L96 engine came in Chevy and GMC 2500 and 3500 HD serial trucks, vans, and full-size SUVs from 2010-2017. It was a replacement for the LY6 with added flex fuel capability.

It's the next best thing to an LSX cake when information technology comes to adding boost or nitrous.

The rugged iron cake 6.0L came with VVT, but without Agile Fuel Management, which saves you the toll of an AFM delete kit.

You also become the sturdy 4th-gen full-floating connecting rods and a boost-friendly 9.vi:ane compression ratio. About vi.0L truck engines came with cathedral-port heads. The L96 (along with the LC8, L76, and LY6) came with high-flowing LS3-type rectangle port heads.

These engines first life in trucks, simply today you're merely as probable to spot them nether the hood of a turbocharged drag car.

Because of their strength, these engines are slap-up candidates for power-adders.

…

[ Every engine spec you'll need tin be found here:L96 Engine Specs: Operation, Bore & Stroke, Cylinder Heads, Cam Specs & More than.]

…

How to Get More Power From Your L96

For many people, upgrading an L96 starts with calculation acommon cold air intake and aftermarket exhaust. This will definitely gratuitous up a few horsepower and the V8 burble will brand your ride the center of attention at a end light.

Trucks often come up with mechanical fans that sap horsepower. An electric fan kit will free upwardly that power.

These mods can be done in your garage, but the melody won't be optimized.

We recommend that you talk to your local chassis dyno tuner and determine on a calculator developer.

Whether y'all're towing on depression-octane or springing for skilful fuel, a tuner tin can dial the ECM and have it to the next level. Raising the factory redline is a big part of this because it allows your vehicle to be in the meat of the powerband longer.

Torque limiting can be completely close off, shift points can be raised, and it makes it easier to tune for a bigger cam and injectors later on. Before beginning the tuning process, we recommend installing a colder thermostat to open upward the L96 tuning window.

Below are some more upgrades you can make to ameliorate the functioning of an L96 engine.

…

Upgrading the L96 Camshaft and Valvetrain

At 196° of intake duration and .467 in. lift, the L96 cam isn't a bad option for people using AFM delete kits who want to maintain the stock idle and tune. But that's not why you're here—so read on!

VVT is great in a street car if you install a VVT cam and phaser-limiter along with a tune. If you don't want to mess with information technology, you tin can hands convert to a standard not-VVT one- or iii-bolt cam.

[Read LS Tech: How to Delete Variable Valve Timing (VVT) on an LS Engine for more info and part numbers.]

An LS3 or LS9 cam makes adept power, only non where you want information technology if you're using the L96 engine in a truck. What you lot need is a cam that delivers a gut-punch correct when the converter hits. We recommend a defended truck cam.

If the engine is going in a lighter machine with deep rear-end gears and a high stall converter, you can be more aggressive with duration.

What's the difference?

To maximize torque in the mid-range in a truck cam, articles close the intake valve at nigh 35-forty degrees (@.050 in.) afterwards lesser dead center and change the intake valve opening to set the idle quality.

The 6.0L engine can have a petty more than cam than a 5.3L and still idle well.

What if you already have a power adder?

More often than not,supercharger cams and nitrous cams will have slightly more than lobe separation and longer exhaust elapsing.Turbo cams reduce overlap with less exhaust duration split in relation to the intake.

Drib-in .500-in. lift cams are popular, but LS6 springs allow you lot to run .550-in. elevator and extend the rpm range. Spring life isn't a trouble considering trucks mostly don't spend a lot of time at high rpm. Beyond that, .575 to .600 in. isn't a problem with dual valve springs.

The stock rockers are good up to 175 lbs. of seat pressure and 450 lbs. open up. You will desire to install a trunnion kit for added reliability.

There are a few other parts needed for a L96 cam bandy such as an LS2 timing chain , LS7 spec lifters, LS2 timing chain damper and thick-wall chromoly pushrods.

…

L96 Ability Adders

In general, an L96 upgrade will involve adding boost or nitrous before starting whatever serious work on the cylinder heads.

Before we become into the power adders, there are a couple of things to address:

A iv-corner steam kit reduces hot spots that cause the rings to barrel and snap the piston'due south ring lands.
Any power will put you lot well past the limitations of the early injectors. We'll accost those in the next department.

Okay, here's the fun stuff:

Anitrous oxide kit (at low settings) is great for street driving with stock internals. Up to a 200-shot is common. If you're wanting to get serious, a single plane intake is less prone to break from a nitrous backlash. A plate arrangement has better distribution than the original intake, only an eight-nozzle fogger system is even improve. Running college octane fuel is advised.
Truck engine bays make fitting turbos easy. Unmarried turbo systems using turbo exhaust manifolds are an cheap way to make large power. If you're running a single turbo, the T4 hot-side fits well, but the small turbine diameters limit frazzle flow. The 650 whp begins to experience similar 400 did in a bustle, so take this into consideration. 5-band style exhaust housings are bachelor with larger turbines and make plumbing easier. Although twins are a little more expensive out of the box, you'll take more room to grow.
Aroots-style supercharger is undecayed and makes great torque in the low- and mid-rpm range. It'south great for melting tires.
Acentrifugal-style supercharger is lightweight and makes more than power at high rpm. This is partially due to a larger intercooler mounted in front of the radiator.

…

Upgrading the L96 Fuel System and Tuning

The flex-fuel engine injectors are pretty good to get-go and rated at l lbs. GM through some other goodies in to make them uniform with Eastward-85. Stainless fuel rails, SIL-1 nitrided intake valves, and Brico 3010 valve seats were standard.

The factory pump and injectors are good for nearly 550whp from the manufactory.

In-tank fuel pumps and external pumps are popular, but mild fabrication will be required. Other options to maintain or increase pump force per unit area includeelectronic voltage controllers and hotwire kits.

When running boost, you can use a water-methanol arrangement to supply extra fuel and lower charge air temps.

I last note on tuning: The L96 has a 58x reluctor ring and isn't compatible with the early ECMs. Information technology'southward best to keep the E38 ECM as it'south faster and tunes ameliorate with bigger cams.

…

Upgrading the L96 Intake Manifold and Throttle Torso

If you take a power adder, the intake and 87mm throttle body tin can accept a backseat for a while longer.

The factory truck-manner manifold has long runners for improve low-end torque and makes adept power from idle through 6,000 rpm. It's also very proficient for boost.

Porting the intake is an option and a practiced value.

If you have the L96 in a vehicle with deeper gears, bigger converter, cam, and the rev limit bumped, you lot may want to trade a piddling of that low-end torque for some peak-end horsepower. If then, go with a tunnel ram. Gains of 35 whp are possible with the crossover point starting at around 5,500 rpm.

Enquire your tuner most going with a speed density tune. Doing then will remove the MAF brake and will give you a bit more than power.

…

[ Trying to detect an LS or LS-based Vortec engine for a swap or build? Cheque outPart 1 andFunction 2 of our LS Scout's Guide.]

…

Upgrading L96 Cylinder Heads

The L96 cylinder heads are like to the LS3 heads, and brand expert ability.

The stock heads can be CNC-ported for more airflow and milled up to .030 in. for more compression. Flow numbers tin be as high as 373 cfm at .700 lift. Lightweight hollow stem LS3 valves will drop right in. Between the low-cal valves and better springs, the engines will pull cleanly to vii,000 rpm. Go on in listen, if you're looking to heave to 800+ hp; a heavy duty aftermarket stainless intake valve is a bit tougher and won't tulip as apace from the heat.
A improve option isaftermarket heads. They reduce downward time, they're all-new, and yous can usually offset the added toll past selling your original heads. Valve angles are typically laid over to xiii.5 degrees. They flow better and the cantankerous-sections are great for naturally aspirated or boosted engines. When comparing heads, look at the .400 in. lift numbers every bit a general indicator of how the heads volition perform. With a medium-sized cam, 475+ whp naturally aspirated is common even with the heavier truck drivetrain.

…

Upgrading the L96 Rotating Assembly

On the L96, the pistons are the weak link and you probably know a guy that's popped 1.

A gear up offorged pistons should exist high on your priority list.

They accept stronger wristpins, thicker ring lands, and the added valve reliefs allow you to run big cams. If you lot're going over 800 hp, a prepare of .200 in. wall tool-steel pins is a expert idea.

The L96's Gen. iv rods are stronger than the Gen. 3 rods and have total floating pins. They tin handle nigh 800 hp and 7,000 rpm in additional applications (at least for a while). They are probable to bend before they break when subjected to existent track conditions.

If y'all're getting forged pistons, upgrade toforged connecting rods at the aforementioned time. Big 7/xvi-inch rod bolts will become a long way to keep things together over 7,000 rpm.

The L96 crank was cast but strong. They've been known to handle over 1,000 whp.

The main reason for going with a stroker forged crank is for the added cubic inches. The extra cubes bring boost on quicker which means y'all can use bigger and more-efficient turbos.

Performancerotating assemblies are available in many combinations.

A few notes of circumspection:

The 6.0L iron blocks had shorter cylinder sleeves than the aluminum blocks (five.430 in. vs. 5.500 in. on average). Much of the piston brim drops out of the bottom of the cylinder at BDC. The best piston manufacturers have compensated for this past eliminating brim taper until a point well above where it meets the bottom of the cylinder sleeve at BDC. Whatever skirt taper at this intersection acts as a razor blade and will wear out the piston quickly.
The blueprint deck pinnacle of the cake is nine.240 in., but it'southward common to find them in the 9.230-in. range. It'southward all-time to measure out deck height earlier ordering your rotating assembly. Thicker caput gaskets or using an aftermarket half-dozen.098-six.100 in. rod will ensure enough piston-to-head clearance.

…

Upgrading the L96 Engine Block

The L96 has a 4.000-in. bore diameter and can exist safely bored to 4.030 in.

After that, it'southward recommended to hone in .010 in. increments with successive builds. Having your motorcar shop sonic check your block is a good thought.

You tin can make 1,000 hp with a couple of uncomplicated upgrades like head studs and LS9 head gaskets.

Four head bolts per cylinder aren't optimal, only you lot can O-ring the block if you're aiming for 1,000+ whp.

The factory main caps aren't doweled. Information technology's meliorate to reduce ignition timing and compensate with added heave to reduce the cylinder force per unit area spikes that lift heads and crusade the main caps to dance.

Main studs should be added anytime you're this deep in the engine.

The blocks have been known to withstand 1,300+ whp with proper machining, racing fuel and an excellent tune.

…

(Information for this article originally appeared in the "Upgrading the Gen. four, half dozen.0L, Atomic number 26 Block, LS Truck Engines"article atHeight Racing's searchable database of FAQ tech info.Go there and search "LS engines" for a comprehensive collection of LS engine tech information.)