I enjoy these kinds of videos! Interested in building a turbo LS, purchased the vehicle to put such a powerplant in a couple of weeks ago. So many ways to approach a turbo build, always remember- Its safe and all kinds of fun, until it's not. Then you have greasy hands and it's much less fun. 👍🏽😁
In a previous video he answered fan questions. Someone asked "who during your tv days do you still talk to?". LT admitted he's not good with keeping up with people or let alone family. But here we get a shout out for 52,000 pocket pen protector Pat @26:55 . So glad to hear this LT. It adds validity and a good relationship.
Great video, LT! Truck sounded & took off like a boss when you got into it & your reaction to the power increase validated the testing 😄😎Keep after it...this is fun to watch!😎
Great to see you, LT! I happened to run across your channel this evening, and I’ve had to check out what you’ve been up to. Truck tech hasn’t been the same without you, Dave, Stacey, and Mel. Congrats on the 8.1 in the 1500! You’re right; the turbocharged 5.3 and 6.0 has become the same song with a different verse! I can’t wait to see the 8.1 opened up and built for peace of mind. From my understanding, they were loosely based on the 7.4, but of course everything uses metric fasteners, and the journals, bore, and stroke is expressed in mm. Your data log looked great, and the timing is probably spot on for stock components; the engine was still responsive and the ‘charger was spooling well, so cylinder pressures are probably about as high as the rings, head gaskets, and rod bearings are happy with for now. I agree that the timing retard the ecm was commanding was likely torque management during gear changes, and possibly gear ratio error (slip detected), and therefore pulling timing? I was starting to worry when you went for the boost controller and put 2 1/2 rounds into it, followed by 2 1/2 more 😂. I thought oh no... the spring rate may not be linear, and I was afraid boost pressure was going to suddenly spike several psi. Keep up the great work, and God bless you and the family!
It sounds great. If you want to find the 8.1’s limit, just send it. If it survives it will be amazing. if it blows, it will make great content when you have to build a better one. 😅🎇
I’ve found this channel right after you swapped the 8.1 in and when I realized I watched you when I was younger on tv and now your is doing a big turbo NBS Silverado... like I’m visiting my childhood again (btw watched you on tv when I was 13 or 14 ish and here I am 17 putting a motor and tranny in my 06 cat eye watching someone do exackly what my future plans are for this truck and explaining every detail. I can go on and on how much I enjoy your content. I hope you have as much fun recording these videos as much as we enjoy watchin them. Appreciate all of the tips and entertainment. Stay safe in that big block haha
@@LawrenceTolman When you got back in the cab.. "alright that's actually 3 turns" 😂 Love it! Keep up the awesome, LT. Slick name drop on Pat, too. Haha. Couple'a famous wrenches!
I've been hunting 8.1s, cuz that's what it seems like. I found a descent one and the guy is holding me up. But when I double my budget next month I'm shooting higher. Enjoyed your series, thx.
Open the ring gap, splash 2-4 more degrees and change the rod & mains to stronger bearings then you can worry much less about the bottom end coming apart. Use some race gas concentrate as you’ve mentioned in the past to get into the 105-110 octane level and you can probably add another 1-2 degrees safely and still keep the engine in one piece. Then stop screwing around, bore & stroke the block upgrade what you can for better intake flow I.E. intake, heads, cam etc and make 1,000-1,200 crank HP easy without ventilating the block or scattering the guts as you say. Love the build and content on you GM’s and that customers Ford 408 stroker, keep it up man and show us real world info that PowerNation wouldn’t allow you too.
Nice improvements. I'd suggest doing a pull on new plugs and that should give you a good timing indicator on the ground strap. See how far down the tip you get a color change.
Can’t wait brother. Love your channel. You explain everything so detailed and it’s awesome. It’s great to watch you work. I know your ready to let it rip.
It's both great and sad to see you having to go through the same trials and tribulations the rest of us go through hunting parts online. But it's also good seeing you overcome them in the end.
Haha I love that LT... can't resist... she runs good and I like that you are incorporating your tuning as well. I am finding my way in HPT and it really helps. Maybe more of that format? Also a spedo shot or 2 for the acceleration would be sweet just for a visual reference. Keep it up man!
Short block should take a whole big bunch of power. I bet yer fine at 14 psi. You're at 900 / 1150 using fuzzy math. Rock on Lawrence! Regards to Pat Topolinski. Good man that Topolinksi.
Many years ago, I could source Higher Octane fuel from the local small Air Port... ( 101 Octane ) So you might take a drive and see if they would let you grab some. I used to keep a 32 gallon drum in my garage for those times I wanted the most out of the engine...
Can't wait to see this with new engine, love the first couple years of the gmt800, don't care for the cat eye style taillights, to each their own, keep the vids coming
Just found the channel. But just heads up, you can run 13lbs all day in the 8.1. Factory heavy duty parts come in those work horses. Iv seen over 20lbs safely before. Just correctly tune it.
Cool build and it'll be great to see what it would do if you get some upgraded valve springs in that bad boy and dam Utah is a mile above sea level i bet it would wake up a fare bit at sea level.
@@J0eBl0e the ring gap probably won't even come into play on this one like it would with other engines. The pistons are thin / weak by the ring land where the stock valve reliefs are and that section of metal tends to chip off leaving the rings intact. There's a picture of this failure (which even happens in NA engines) on the right column of this page: www.raylarengineering.com/forged-pistons.html
LT are you Italian? At 15:15 you can see your hand moving in the white board behind you as you speak but it doesn't show on camera :D :D Good work LT love the content!
@@LawrenceTolman You and Pat doing a Engine Power 3 part episode. Showing the tear down, clean up, and stock rebuild. A episode with upgraded pistons, rods, intake and head and a episode where a 4.5 crank and a bigger bore size is used. Kinda like the old 454 vs 460 episodes went.
upgrading your intercooler to a water to air setup would do better for power increase because the colder the air charge is the better the horsepower increase will be. The higher the boost the more heat is generated due to compressing the air.
I wanna do this in my wife's suburban so bad. She has a 2500 with the 6.0 LY6. But I can't have the truck down more than a day since it's her DD! I guess I need another project vehicle.
I'd probably set it back down to 10-11 PSI. You might be on the limits for those rods. Anyhow, sent you an email about doing some work on my truck since you're close in Utah. Hope to hear from you.
I love this build and if it was mine I would really only change like few things to really see what a sbe 8.1 can handle. That would be a t400, holley efi, Bosch 210s and a couple of walbro 525 for all the e85 its probably need a bigger fuel line the stock return should be good and a vs racing 94mm clone with a 1.32 or 1.58 t6 housing and a 1500hp capable air to water setup, I'm not sure its 100% true but in my turbo learning over the Past 5 years side note it hasn't been as much as I should kno LOL but with big power sbe ls stuff high cylinder pressure and tourqe especially at low rpms kills them ×2 in a heavy hot rod. So basicly I would throw some good valve springs in it and see how far I can go
LT, great video. I was wondering if you would consider installing a pyrometer before your turbo. I am curious what the exhaust temp is with the timing set where it is at full throttle.
Honestly with the 8.1 being technically in the ls era of engines I would assume it could take around 16 to 17 psi on boost and have the snot beat out of it with little to no repercussions
They share basically nothing with the LS line. It's all alone in the big block world too and has a reputation for not tolerating much power over stock before ejecting rods.
You're running a 3.42 rear now, right? It sure sounds good going through the gears, it's making some big torque for sure. Looking forward to the built engine when it comes but this one is doing well.
It's interesting how that mph sensor was "glitchy" and was reading higher than you were "actually going". Hope that gets fixed soon because you need to have accurate information from your testing.... and that bad sensor will skew the data.
I wonder what effect adding some octane booster to that 91 octane gas would have on the readings from the knock sensors at peak boost.... I realize you don't want to hafta add octane booster to every tank, but I'm curious if it would eliminate the knock you've seen... You could also probably safely add a little timing with the octane booster... :-)
My 8.1 used to squeal from the manifolds because the manifold gaskets are mls so it whistled. After I cammed it and they had to change the gaskets it went away
Took a long time for the wife to agree with this huh LT. But on a more serious note since you're limited to 91 that probably is a little spark knock because it looked like it went rich when that happened too. I wonder if something in the computer is telling it to advance for a brief second in between shifts and if so if that can be taken out of the tune?
the computer actually retards timing by about 10 degrees during the shift to pull out power during the shift to help the transmission live, and I'm so back and forth on the knock thing. I'm actually trying to make a whole video about it
I have an 8.1 with 250k on it. You got me wanting to mess with mine a bit. I'm running stock except true dual 3" straight pipes. Oh and a Bullydog but that doesnt do much.
Seems like you have some false knock going on with the shifts... How much timing with the boost? I'll guess it can hold 20 psi with 20 degrees in it... but probably won't last long...
Those stock rods and Pistons will turn your 8.1 into a grenade. Need a 6.8 connecting rod and a 1.24 compression height 4.250 bore forged piston. Then upgrade valve springs. Throw 14.4 lbs of boost.
Its been long enough at a safe and conservative boost level, so its time to TURN IT UP! we'll see how long it lasts, but its a blast to drive
I love this attitude!
2 more turns 🖒
I enjoy these kinds of videos! Interested in building a turbo LS, purchased the vehicle to put such a powerplant in a couple of weeks ago. So many ways to approach a turbo build, always remember- Its safe and all kinds of fun, until it's not.
Then you have greasy hands and it's much less fun. 👍🏽😁
8.1 will last 15k on 13 psi
@@blackbuttecruizr oh?!
"It showed a number a little faster than I was actually going." ;) That cracked me up. But yes, I'm sure there's something wrong with that signal!
Gonna have to investigate that a little further
@@LawrenceTolman haha just head to Mexico for the tuning sessions, that’s what I do!!😂
A nod to law enforcement
Are u ever going to go back to truck tech
In a previous video he answered fan questions. Someone asked "who during your tv days do you still talk to?". LT admitted he's not good with keeping up with people or let alone family. But here we get a shout out for 52,000 pocket pen protector Pat @26:55 .
So glad to hear this LT. It adds validity and a good relationship.
I swear, every video gets this thing 3 steps closer to be a beast
“Let’s turn it up just a little more and then I’ll be happy”
“…ok maybe just a liiiiiitle more” haha great content man
Little heads up brother, don't say your on back roads, Everytime you go to play "took a quick trip to Mexico" love the content 🤙
Great video, LT! Truck sounded & took off like a boss when you got into it & your reaction to the power increase validated the testing 😄😎Keep after it...this is fun to watch!😎
Great to see you, LT! I happened to run across your channel this evening, and I’ve had to check out what you’ve been up to. Truck tech hasn’t been the same without you, Dave, Stacey, and Mel.
Congrats on the 8.1 in the 1500! You’re right; the turbocharged 5.3 and 6.0 has become the same song with a different verse! I can’t wait to see the 8.1 opened up and built for peace of mind. From my understanding, they were loosely based on the 7.4, but of course everything uses metric fasteners, and the journals, bore, and stroke is expressed in mm.
Your data log looked great, and the timing is probably spot on for stock components; the engine was still responsive and the ‘charger was spooling well, so cylinder pressures are probably about as high as the rings, head gaskets, and rod bearings are happy with for now. I agree that the timing retard the ecm was commanding was likely torque management during gear changes, and possibly gear ratio error (slip detected), and therefore pulling timing?
I was starting to worry when you went for the boost controller and put 2 1/2 rounds into it, followed by 2 1/2 more 😂. I thought oh no... the spring rate may not be linear, and I was afraid boost pressure was going to suddenly spike several psi.
Keep up the great work, and God bless you and the family!
It sounds great. If you want to find the 8.1’s limit, just send it. If it survives it will be amazing. if it blows, it will make great content when you have to build a better one. 😅🎇
I’ve been waiting for this 😀🎉. Lets see how long it’ll take the boost
I’ve found this channel right after you swapped the 8.1 in and when I realized I watched you when I was younger on tv and now your is doing a big turbo NBS Silverado... like I’m visiting my childhood again (btw watched you on tv when I was 13 or 14 ish and here I am 17 putting a motor and tranny in my 06 cat eye watching someone do exackly what my future plans are for this truck and explaining every detail. I can go on and on how much I enjoy your content. I hope you have as much fun recording these videos as much as we enjoy watchin them. Appreciate all of the tips and entertainment. Stay safe in that big block haha
Really liked this video. Great combination of tech and fun!!
Thanks!
Richard holdener would be proud. Haha. More boost = better!... just keep your ears perked for if Uncle Rodney comes knocking 😅
Maybe if it lasts long enough we can get to 20 psi lol
@@LawrenceTolman When you got back in the cab.. "alright that's actually 3 turns" 😂 Love it! Keep up the awesome, LT.
Slick name drop on Pat, too. Haha. Couple'a famous wrenches!
Is that a turbo cam
@@james10739 the motor is bone stock at this point
@@james10739 "Every cam is a turbo cam" -Richard Holdener.
I've been hunting 8.1s, cuz that's what it seems like. I found a descent one and the guy is holding me up. But when I double my budget next month I'm shooting higher. Enjoyed your series, thx.
Can’t go wrong with cranking up the boost. Oh yeah. So fun.
20:49 baby steps, hahaha. You can't resist the pooowwwaaaahhh of the Boost Side!!!!
I like watching these videos so I can look for places that seem familiar. And I can say that it doesn't disappoint.
Open the ring gap, splash 2-4 more degrees and change the rod & mains to stronger bearings then you can worry much less about the bottom end coming apart. Use some race gas concentrate as you’ve mentioned in the past to get into the 105-110 octane level and you can probably add another 1-2 degrees safely and still keep the engine in one piece.
Then stop screwing around, bore & stroke the block upgrade what you can for better intake flow I.E. intake, heads, cam etc and make 1,000-1,200 crank HP easy without ventilating the block or scattering the guts as you say. Love the build and content on you GM’s and that customers Ford 408 stroker, keep it up man and show us real world info that PowerNation wouldn’t allow you too.
Great job LT Im doing the same on a 6.0 lq9
This video was a gem! Interpolated, I love it!! Keep up the good work LT, God bless you, and God bless the USA 🇺🇸
At about 13min pretty hilarious. I busted up laughing as I was working on wife's car. Just hearing that in the headphones. Good content man.
Nice improvements.
I'd suggest doing a pull on new plugs and that should give you a good timing indicator on the ground strap. See how far down the tip you get a color change.
Can’t wait brother. Love your channel. You explain everything so detailed and it’s awesome. It’s great to watch you work. I know your ready to let it rip.
Great stuff! I really appreciate you showing us the data you are tracking with HPTuner. It's interesting to see how it changes with each pull.
It's both great and sad to see you having to go through the same trials and tribulations the rest of us go through hunting parts online.
But it's also good seeing you overcome them in the end.
Haha I love that LT... can't resist... she runs good and I like that you are incorporating your tuning as well. I am finding my way in HPT and it really helps. Maybe more of that format? Also a spedo shot or 2 for the acceleration would be sweet just for a visual reference. Keep it up man!
hey thanks a lot! i find the tuning part frustrating at times, but its rewarding to be able to say I did it myself.
Even if i haven't time to watch it when a new video pops up i hit like and watch later as i know its always great content. Keep at it mate. 👍
I appreciate that
Hey u hit 50k brother congrats half way there keep up the great work
Thanks! Will do!
Congrats on the 50k subscribers 👏
Short block should take a whole big bunch of power. I bet yer fine at 14 psi. You're at 900 / 1150 using fuzzy math. Rock on Lawrence! Regards to Pat Topolinski. Good man that Topolinksi.
Many years ago, I could source Higher Octane fuel from the local small Air Port... ( 101 Octane ) So you might take a drive and see if they would let you grab some. I used to keep a 32 gallon drum in my garage for those times I wanted the most out of the engine...
Massive BBC CC = 0 lag amazing 👏
I can hear the rods piston's and valves colliding from here But I am excited
Can't wait to see this with new engine, love the first couple years of the gmt800, don't care for the cat eye style taillights, to each their own, keep the vids coming
Just found your channel, thanks for this 8.1 content. Subscribed
i do the same exact thing to swap wastegate springs. so easy
Haha looks like the West side of Utah lake! I grew up in Orem and have gone out on the road that goes around Utah lake. Out through saratoga springs
LT: I always use an arbor press or hydraulic press…
Lauri: Vee must deeeel veeth eeet!
Love this build and love to see you experiment!
Just found the channel. But just heads up, you can run 13lbs all day in the 8.1. Factory heavy duty parts come in those work horses. Iv seen over 20lbs safely before. Just correctly tune it.
I like your hi-way dynamic Lt, good stuff man
Appreciate it!
Nice progress! 👍
did you shoutout Pat from Engine power, good guy, the 8.1 will crack at 15 PSI
Cool build and it'll be great to see what it would do if you get some upgraded valve springs in that bad boy and dam Utah is a mile above sea level i bet it would wake up a fare bit at sea level.
Can't guess how long it will last but great video, you are a braver man than I am.
Great content! Thanks for creating this and sharing your passion!
My pleasure!
Pat says don’t be a chicken on timing, but remember he likes rebuilding engines…😊
Let the cast piston stress test begin! 😂
Yeah, this is what's got me worried. 13 psi on stock ring gap?!?
@@J0eBl0e the ring gap probably won't even come into play on this one like it would with other engines. The pistons are thin / weak by the ring land where the stock valve reliefs are and that section of metal tends to chip off leaving the rings intact. There's a picture of this failure (which even happens in NA engines) on the right column of this page: www.raylarengineering.com/forged-pistons.html
Open your intake it will increase the flow and lower your boost for the same horse power
People underestimate the importance of un-impeded airflow.
LT are you Italian? At 15:15 you can see your hand moving in the white board behind you as you speak but it doesn't show on camera :D :D
Good work LT love the content!
That's a pasty Italian 😂
This music always reminds me of a 90s Nickelodeon commercial
Pat should do the 8.1 build in a Engine Power episode!
I agree
@@LawrenceTolman You and Pat doing a Engine Power 3 part episode. Showing the tear down, clean up, and stock rebuild. A episode with upgraded pistons, rods, intake and head and a episode where a 4.5 crank and a bigger bore size is used. Kinda like the old 454 vs 460 episodes went.
Should live a long time with that timing.
upgrading your intercooler to a water to air setup would do better for power increase because the colder the air charge is the better the horsepower increase will be. The higher the boost the more heat is generated due to compressing the air.
Hell ya, spin that knob like it’s a top👍🏎🏎🏎🏎🏎
I wanna do this in my wife's suburban so bad. She has a 2500 with the 6.0 LY6. But I can't have the truck down more than a day since it's her DD! I guess I need another project vehicle.
I say turn it up 😉 find the week spots for the build
I'd probably set it back down to 10-11 PSI. You might be on the limits for those rods. Anyhow, sent you an email about doing some work on my truck since you're close in Utah. Hope to hear from you.
Cruising down the highway or anywhere else, not even in boost, I run 15-20° over ambient temperature. I need a bigger turbo!
Boost is the new drug! Nice to know your in Utah, I'm from salt lake! What turbo kit are you running planning on boost my 04 Sierra with a cammed lq4.
Could you put out some videos on how to bulletproof a stock 8.1 for cheap?
They pretty much are at stock power.
I love this build.
Thanks!
I love this build and if it was mine I would really only change like few things to really see what a sbe 8.1 can handle. That would be a t400, holley efi, Bosch 210s and a couple of walbro 525 for all the e85 its probably need a bigger fuel line the stock return should be good and a vs racing 94mm clone with a 1.32 or 1.58 t6 housing and a 1500hp capable air to water setup, I'm not sure its 100% true but in my turbo learning over the Past 5 years side note it hasn't been as much as I should kno LOL but with big power sbe ls stuff high cylinder pressure and tourqe especially at low rpms kills them ×2 in a heavy hot rod. So basicly I would throw some good valve springs in it and see how far I can go
It is a big block brother.
Lmao when you went out the second time i literally said 3 sounds better!! Nice!!
That looked fun!
Brother, Im stoked for ya but man you have to put a bit more timing in that thing and I know it will really wake up! Not a lot, just a pinch!
That low humidity must be awesome I mean it gets that hot here but you would be drowning with no ac and windows up
4:20 i thought it was project farm for a second lol
LT, great video. I was wondering if you would consider installing a pyrometer before your turbo. I am curious what the exhaust temp is with the timing set where it is at full throttle.
I would like to install one to keep an eye on it... I am curious as well how the timing changes will affect EGT
Honestly with the 8.1 being technically in the ls era of engines I would assume it could take around 16 to 17 psi on boost and have the snot beat out of it with little to no repercussions
They share basically nothing with the LS line. It's all alone in the big block world too and has a reputation for not tolerating much power over stock before ejecting rods.
You're running a 3.42 rear now, right? It sure sounds good going through the gears, it's making some big torque for sure. Looking forward to the built engine when it comes but this one is doing well.
yeah, the 4.30s were just too much for this engine combo, I love the 3.42s a lot, and it pulls so much harder now
It's interesting how that mph sensor was "glitchy" and was reading higher than you were "actually going". Hope that gets fixed soon because you need to have accurate information from your testing.... and that bad sensor will skew the data.
i think it must be a wiring issue to be honest
I really wanted to see that 1 bar. Maybe all those weak 8.1s are bad tuners?
Building a 72 up in Canada, any tips? Any good short fleet boxes around there?
Great video and a great build. What kind of press do you have in your shop? Again great work.
Harbor Freight special
Speed sensor was wrong, right!😀
I wonder what effect adding some octane booster to that 91 octane gas would have on the readings from the knock sensors at peak boost.... I realize you don't want to hafta add octane booster to every tank, but I'm curious if it would eliminate the knock you've seen... You could also probably safely add a little timing with the octane booster... :-)
yeah, a few more points of octane can help tons
My 8.1 used to squeal from the manifolds because the manifold gaskets are mls so it whistled. After I cammed it and they had to change the gaskets it went away
yeah, thats a pretty annoying sound
I’m just wondering why you wouldn’t put boost in top of the waste gate and keep the softer spring?
Took a long time for the wife to agree with this huh LT. But on a more serious note since you're limited to 91 that probably is a little spark knock because it looked like it went rich when that happened too. I wonder if something in the computer is telling it to advance for a brief second in between shifts and if so if that can be taken out of the tune?
the computer actually retards timing by about 10 degrees during the shift to pull out power during the shift to help the transmission live, and I'm so back and forth on the knock thing. I'm actually trying to make a whole video about it
@@LawrenceTolman did you replace the knock sensors before the install. I hear they go bad and short etc.
I have an 8.1 with 250k on it. You got me wanting to mess with mine a bit. I'm running stock except true dual 3" straight pipes. Oh and a Bullydog but that doesnt do much.
What is the elevation where you live? Here in FL 13 psig would be nearing 190 kpa on the map.
It’s about 4,600 feet
If you flat foot your truck for 12 seconds, when it's already doing almost 60, should result in 120. Right? Only in Mexico I guess.
Lifters clacking is very common in these engines, Ive seen it get bad on more than one. would the knock sensor be picking up one of them?
Hey, 120 mph is no big deal. When you get up to 150-160 then you need to be careful. What's up with the Ford trk?
Once did 142 mph in my 1991 dodge Dakota 2wd v6 and I was only in the middle of 4th gear and it was a 5 speed hahaha. Completely stock
Waiting on some parts at the moment…
Hey 13 is my lucky number too.
Are you going to Dyno it at these boost levels and you could probably dial in the timing there and see how much of a difference it makes
And what HP do you think you are at
I do want to get it on the dyno to find out...
480 and 620 torque.... 620. That's no joke.
Great video
is there a dyno in this things Future?
Man that thing should never knock with 11 degrees and a nice fat AFR. Safe city.
I like the tunes!! Catchie'''' lol
Seems like you have some false knock going on with the shifts...
How much timing with the boost? I'll guess it can hold 20 psi with 20 degrees in it... but probably won't last long...
in this video, it was about 10 degrees of timing, way conservative for sure.
Those stock rods and Pistons will turn your 8.1 into a grenade. Need a 6.8 connecting rod and a 1.24 compression height 4.250 bore forged piston. Then upgrade valve springs. Throw 14.4 lbs of boost.
Just re watched the ugly truck series when are you starting on the new motor..?
I'm waiting on parts at the moment, soon hopefully
Good job keep it up
Thank you, I will
Good video!
thanks man!
If Pat says too.... who are we to argue?
Will you swap a 8.1 into my 77 k20?
Jegs needs to support you and at least credit you back the shipping! Come on Jeg hook up JT!
LT sorry