Mating up with the camshaft would be a set of Comp Cams Short Travel Hydraulic Roller Lifters, which are designed for high-revving applications. The patent-pending design limits the lifter’s internal piston as it is pumped up, reducing power loss at higher rpm.
The next piece of the puzzle is the Comp Cams Max-Lift BSR Shaft Rocker System. This bushed shaft rocker system increases system stiffness, improves valvetrain dynamics, and reduces deflection. Thanks to its superior control characteristics, very aggressive camshaft profiles can be used.
The final piece of the valvetrain overhaul was the Comp Cams Keyway Adjustable Billet Timing set. This timing set offers eight degrees of cam timing adjustment, and features a heat-treated, double-roller timing chain.
With the block back in order, we sourced a new set of pistons from JE Pistons, which is optimized to work with the new LS9 cylinder heads. The pistons would marry to the crankshaft via the LPE-spec connecting rods, which were still in good shape.
With the motor out, we began to evaluate the ancillary systems in the hunt for more problems, and we believe we may have found the source of some of the detonation problems – one of the turbocharger wastegates had a seized actuator, preventing it from bleeding off pressure.
Not knowing for certain the last time the pressure side of things had been serviced, we sent the turbochargers to Turbos Direct for a rebuild and took the opportunity to have a thermal coating applied to the housings. New actuators and wastegate springs would also be installed at this time, resolving the original problem.
As is all too often the case, the mechanical portion of the engine rebuild has taken longer than expected, but we anticipate having everything ready to go back in the car by the time this issue reaches your mailbox. Once that’s done, we’ll jump into our next portion of the project: a new intake system. Oh, and we’ll also be hunting for a clutch that can harness the power of this beast.
SCCA / SportsCar Magazine