Wish you never built your motor?

[Harbin_22]

I wish I never found this site! I would probably still be driving around on a tune only super nice truck instead of a fully built super nice truck that sets more than it moves :roflmao: I am a little back and forth on the built truck thing. I've had some bad luck. Honestly had 4 different engines, 2 stock and 2 built. Trans has been gone through 4 or 5 times. Engine is out again for head gaskets. Thinking about triples right now, it seriously never ends. Don't want to and won't add up all the money I've wasted on this thing.

 

[DPC]

When my truck was at the 600ish mark it was an awesome, fun, and an actual daily driver. Once you get over the 700hp mark get yourself another daily driver or you will be calling for a ride to work, lol.

 

[TROJAN366]

I wish I never found this site! I would probably still be driving around on a tune only super nice truck instead of a fully built super nice truck that sets more than it moves :roflmao: I am a little back and forth on the built truck thing. I've had some bad luck. Honestly had 4 different engines, 2 stock and 2 built. Trans has been gone through 4 or 5 times. Engine is out again for head gaskets. Thinking about triples right now, it seriously never ends. Don't want to and won't add up all the money I've wasted on this thing.

This, only I am like 1 motor and a couple trans rebuilds behind you Kyle.

 

[quinton]

I'm glad I built my motor. Now when I hammer down on it I don't tense up waiting for a bang.

 

[04chase]

i have my 750 rwhp sedan and its fun on the streets, sure 1st and 2nd gear are useless but lets throw another 300 hp at it and make 3 and 4th useless as well. This is full time on drag radials too. It is a great car to drive and dam reliable. stock trans and stock rear , the next stage will push those limits im sure.

For the lbz ive planned a mike l trans and stg 2r turbo . i drive it alot to work and had an lsx truck money pit that i recently sold and just like your stating it was the funnest at 650 awhp . once the lsx and twins went it , it just kept breaking. Ive learned making heevy things fast is expensive and redundant. Things breaking are inevitable. Age and hard lessons have taught me , never mod your daily to the grey area, keep it reliable .

 

[Lb7_Katie]

I wish I wouldn't have built mine, I wish I would have tuned it and put an exhaust on it and call it a day. If I could do it again I would leave it as close to stock as possible. 1000+hp = stuff breaking all the time. I miss the truck being a true daily driver.

 

[04chase]

what do you guys think the limit is? where does the grey area start? the built trans for me is kind of the hurdle im scared of. its a big one and after it , getting alot more power is a turbo swap away. I do not see myself building a dmax motor . too much money and you always add better parts because doing so doesent cost much more and usually makes more sense. have a solid bottom end would be great but would also enable you to push it harder. I have little self control here and want this truck to keep the mpg it has and be reliable with the same driveability.:woott:

 

[dirtydmax]

what do you guys think the limit is? where does the grey area start? the built trans for me is kind of the hurdle im scared of. its a big one and after it , getting alot more power is a turbo swap away. I do not see myself building a dmax motor . too much money and you always add better parts because doing so doesent cost much more and usually makes more sense. have a solid bottom end would be great but would also enable you to push it harder. I have little self control here and want this truck to keep the mpg it has and be reliable with the same driveability.:woott:

Built is where the Grey area is.If u build it it's never enough and will never stop.you want reliable...just drive it and don't start the ball rolling.

 

[04chase]

That's what I'm scared off , I'd be happy with near 600 rwhp and a built trans to cover the reliability aspect. Right now I have a tune dsp5 from atp. Level 5 is 150 hp . It's quick but not fast. On 33's doesn't help but I know I'd be happy with 600. I have my caddy for go fast days. So debating on the built trans which I'll probably wait until I kill this one before I go down that route.

Sorry for the hi jack . Back to your regrets.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

[SwitchBack]

Mines been apart at my friends house for 2 months or so. Nothing broke just switching things up. Honestly though I like having a built motor but it's not my daily driver either. So if something broke and it sat for a couple months it wouldn't matter to me much.

If it was my daily driver I'd probably be a little more leary of building it.

 

[mike diesel]

I haven't broken a single hard part on my truck yet even at over 1100whp. Been almost a year so far.

 

[Harbin_22]

Thought you were pushing coolant?

 

[WolfLMM]

what do you guys think the limit is? where does the grey area start? the built trans for me is kind of the hurdle im scared of. its a big one and after it , getting alot more power is a turbo swap away. I do not see myself building a dmax motor . too much money and you always add better parts because doing so doesent cost much more and usually makes more sense. have a solid bottom end would be great but would also enable you to push it harder. I have little self control here and want this truck to keep the mpg it has and be reliable with the same driveability.:woott:

IMO, built trans, marks stg2R, 60% injectors, and let Mark tune it with his new cylinder pressure setup.

Jmo, but tuning as come along way. 600hp on lbz/LMM bottom end is pretty reliable.

 

[Lb7_Katie]

I haven't broken a single hard part on my truck yet even at over 1100whp. Been almost a year so far.

Jealous lol I had mine back 2weeks before trans broke hahaha


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[mike diesel]

Thought you were pushing coolant?

It pushed coolant twice early summer but hasn't done it since.

 

[ecc_33]

I am glad I sold my duramax. I would say I was every bit of 750 and while it was crazy fun I was always scared of breaking shit. It was a huge money pit and never drove it because if I broke it it was a pain in the ass to work on. I'll stick to my 86 pickup and my 79 Malibu. Diesel stuff market wise is phuckin stupid. I can't believe looking back at what I spent on parts verses a sbc or bbc. trans and rear end parts are the same way.

 

[Chevy1925]

I have my ups and downs with it as well. I love the power it makes even though I don't use the race tune 90% of the time. The 600 tune is lots of fun and great on the street. 800 is fun for the every once and a while run or to shut someone up.

Really I'm not worried about it letting me down when I'm out of town. I worry the most towing heavy up the hills in the summer time but nothing has given me signs of issues. Pulling the heads in a few weeks will really help me feel better on how the pistons are doing. I just love the fact I have 200hp more on tap when ever I want, pulling hills with the trailer like a bat out of hell and know it's fairly over built for 600hp.

My biggest issue is the parts around the hp holding up. I'm really narrowing it down and improving but it does wear on ya. So far the pros still far outweigh the cons. If this motor does, I wouldn't even be happy with a stock motor. I've tasted the hp towing and I can't get off it!

 

[Ne-max]

No regrets here. But been in this stupid hobby for 15 years now and it keeps me happy. The times it is running right overrides the times it breaks. I could not imagine having a built motor if I had to pay a shop to do all the work and keep it going. Only issue I have is just leaving it alone and not trying new chit

 

[Hot COCOAL]

From what I've learned from my time here on this site, pretty much reflects Robs words from earlier in the thread...

It's not so much about regretting the engine build, it seems like the regret (or when issues arise) comes from pushing it for what it's got to prove what it's got, its going after records, titles...and basic prideful fun

I know there are going to be a few who experienced a genuine "failure" of a part, but its pretty rare...

I also believe that 650-700 is about as perfectly insane as a guy really needs in a street truck, as my truck proves to be a pleasant handful at less power than that, but for course I want more Ideally I think I'd like my street tune to produce 700+ and a competition tune that could have ALOT more, and be a TRUE COMPETITION ONLY TUNE that maybe even required a dedicated tcm

I've changed my goals and expectations in my time here, I no longer want that 1000whp monster, I'd be quite content with a 750whp wolf in sheeps clothing, street king kinda thing.

I like James' approach about owning the power, and guys like Ne-Max (and scores of others) who have had the power under their foot for a long time, lifers...lol
I'm a lifer too...I dont habe my built engine yet and still nothing quite compares to even a tuned diesel

And I like threads like these and think they're important as a good reality check for anyone lookin to "hog wild" on build.

It's good to keep the standards and expectations in check too...

 

[DMAXchris]

4 years later and my built motor is basically pointless. Never had dual pumps or big sticks. Never pushed the power past 700. I could care less about racing it now. If I could turn back time...I wouldve replaced it with a good yard motor and kept on trucking. Driving around on kill everyday is getting old and the lag from the big single is too. I never thought Id want to go back to 450-500hp, but the truck was so much more fun to drive with a vvt and a dsp5.