Help with 5.3 Engine build in rock crawler

[Bodie]

I would take about .030 off the heads for a nice bump in power. 400 to the crank is possible. 350 to the wheels can be done.

Granted its degreed correctly, do I need to worry about piston contact with the flat top pistons and a larger cam that meets my goal, sub .600 lift? Any guesstimate, maybe from similar setup as to what CR would be?

[kerrige]

Max lift how aggressive the lift milling and more is going to Effect PTV issues. I wouldn't be surprised if it became an issue at 600ish lift flattops and milled heads. You may need to fly cut piston reliefs or go will a lower lift cam. In order to be in the power at 3000 rpm I would imagine you would need to keep the duration below 224. However, utilizing a good split will sacrifice peak power for a wider power band. A 222/226 .591/.598 LSA111+3 would be a fantastic cam matched to a 2800 stall. Lots of mash able power and the compression will keep the torque strong out of the gate. There is no magic combo however about 11:1 compression with everything else should make for a very fun setup. I could see a setup like this producing over 400@the flywheel.

[Bodie]

Will the stock rods handle 11:1?

[kerrige]

Will the stock rods handle 11:1?

Should do just fine, however, LS2 style rods would be better and are cheap. Arp rod bolts are a good idea.

[Bodie]

I tore the engine down today, looks like I am going to need to have it bored. I couldn't run a 6.0 piston could I?

[jansen]

No, but it can be bored to ls1 specs which would make your 400hp goal more attainable. A high compression ls1 would make 400 pretty easy with the right cam and a little port work.

[Bodie]

Is that .030 over? What are yall porting on a mild job? Port matched, or bowl work?