Lq4 / Lq9 ?

[Tim Baillie]

Anyone worked with them ? Are they worth doing or is the expense of a LS2 worth the huge difference ?

Looking to build one in my Regal instead of my TPI and I can get one for cheap and do all the LS upgrades to it (intake etc) and get about 480hp out of it for less then what a stock LS2 would cost....

Opinions and thoughts ?

Thanks.

[rking]

From what Ive come across, theres really only 3 main differences between the LS2 and the iron block 6.0s...

Price, the iron blocks are about half the price
Weight, the LS2 is about 100lbs lighter
Overbore, the iron blocks can be taken out to 30 over if damage ever occurs, where as the LS2 cant...

Some will say that there is a strength difference, but for the power that you are shooting for, you wont have to worry about that.

Im using an iron block in my regal too. Im going to be pushing it a little harder though and like the idea of a future overbore, and in my mind, iron will always be stronger than aluminum ...

[ArisESQ]

i believe the weight difference is less than 100 pounds... closer to 60 or 70.

and the iron block motors are, from what i understand, significantly stronger (stock vs stock).

[QSPres]

I'm using the LQ9 for my project for all of the above reasons.

For what people are still asking for the LS2's, you can build an entire LQ9. The weight difference can easily be made up with fiberglass/carbon fiber and you'll keep the weight (in most cases) lower in the car to boot.

[Tim Baillie]

Originally Posted by QSPres

For what people are still asking for the LS2's, you can build an entire LQ9.

That is what I am thinking...............considering most of us are going to go with a new drive system, headers and other things, why pay big bucks for a LS2 when half of it will come off........

You can take a LQ4/9 and bolt a FAST intake/Throttle body and a few other things and get the thing to 450+HP for what a stock LS2 will run you......

Judging by the prices on eBay......they charge less for a 4L60/80E if it's attached to a LQ then if it's attached to a LS2............

Car Craft andn GM High Performance (magazines) have some really good tech articles on their sites.

One had a LQ4 with a intake carb set up that was somewhere around 450hp for a build total of $3700.......

[QSPres]

I paid $300 for my 4L60E.... It needs a rebuild, but anything I bought was going to have to be gone through (at the least) anyway. And I'm only using it for mockup right now as it is.