3100 LH0 Power Potential

[ItsVince725]

I'm curious as to what kind of power potential the LH0 has. It seems to be a better motor than the L82 aside from the heads and intake, and there seems to be a larger variety of parts available...could a LH0 make it to 200 hp?

[95b4u]

why does it seem to be a better motor? im curious.
pretty sure the LHO is still a flat tappet cam engine while the L82 is a rollerized cam setup.
plus you can swap to a bigger intake on the L82 with little problems. the L82 has alum heads while the LH0 has iron heads. depends on the application but could be good or bad.
and yeah, the LHO could make it to 200 hp.

[ItsVince725]

Aren't there more LH0 cams than L82 cams?

[robertisaar]

i'd say gen3 has a better cam selection than gen1/2 do... for gen1/2, there are a couple of options from comp, but not much else.

with gen3, Ben seems to be able to make nearly anything you could want.

[ItsVince725]

i'd say gen3 has a better cam selection than gen1/2 do... for gen1/2, there are a couple of options from comp, but not much else.

with gen3, Ben seems to be able to make nearly anything you could want.

Huh, how about that. I guess I shouldn't bother with a 3.1 Sunbird GT, then. =P

[trotterlg]

You can get anything made up for any engine, no disrespect ment to Ben, but I doubt he "makes" the cams, he likely has them gournd to spec from blanks just like you can. Nearly every cam made in America starts out a a blank from a single company, the blanks are then shipped out and ground and stamped by most all the "famous" cam makers. Larry

[ItsVince725]

You can get anything made up for any engine, no disrespect ment to Ben, but I doubt he "makes" the cams, he likely has them gournd to spec from blanks just like you can. Nearly every cam made in America starts out a a blank from a single company, the blanks are then shipped out and ground and stamped by most all the "famous" cam makers. Larry

Huh, wow.

[caffeine]

I think the intake is the major restriction on the aluminum head gen IIs. 200 hp should be easy with boost, possibly doable N/A with cam, ported intakes, ported heads, etc...

For example the TGP engine which is a gen II 3.1 is rated for 205 crank hp with an undersized t25 turbo.

[ItsVince725]

I think the intake is the major restriction on the aluminum head gen IIs. 200 hp should be easy with boost, possibly doable N/A with cam, ported intakes, ported heads, etc...

For example the TGP engine which is a gen II 3.1 is rated for 205 crank hp with an undersized t25 turbo.

The intake seems to be a problem with most 60V6s. The L82 intake is utter garbage with its small fairly low runners.

[Superdave]

a Gen 2 LHO needs a massive cam, lots of porting, stupid high compression, headers and a miracle to hit 200 HP

a Gen 3 3100 (latest, 2000+ version, whatever the RPO is) can hit 200 with a moderate cam, good exhaust and tuning.


Delta can grind Gen 1/2 cams and so can WOT-Tech (outsourced obviously). The advantage WOT has is that Ben knows these engines, has all the port flow numbers and will actually work with you on designing something. With Delta you have to do all the work, or rely on forum advice which may or may not be the best for your situation.

Crane cams is also back in the picture, the H260 and H272 are for sale again. Crane's 260 grind is much better than Comp's IMO. Single pattern cams are for suckers.

[ItsVince725]

So what you're saying is that if I bought a LHO car, the easiest way to performance would be to get a later engine?

[trotterlg]

The road to power has always been and always been "cubic inches or cubic dollars" do as you please, but that rule will stay with us for a very long time. Every off the shelf cam you find is a compromise for what you really need. If you are serious about getting the final ounce of power you will do your homework with tons of online cam tools avaliable and get a custom one ground for you really need. Plus, you won't be a little follower with something that a thousad other people have. You may be wrong, but you will have something that no one else has tried and it may work really well. Larry

[ItsVince725]

The road to power has always been and always been "cubic inches or cubic dollars" do as you please, but that rule will stay with us for a very long time. Larry

So what you're saying is that I should just buy something with a SBC in it, then?

I was just curious because I love the Pontiac Sunbird GT and would love to find one, but most of the ones that are still left probably have 60V6s.

[Superdave]

Look up "3500Z" on Youtube. That was my 91 Cavalier Z24 with a '04 3500 V6 in it.. Still holds the N/A V6 record for Wheel Horse Power, ET and MPH at the track.

[SappySE107]

The road to power has always been and always been "cubic inches or cubic dollars" do as you please, but that rule will stay with us for a very long time. Every off the shelf cam you find is a compromise for what you really need. If you are serious about getting the final ounce of power you will do your homework with tons of online cam tools avaliable and get a custom one ground for you really need. Plus, you won't be a little follower with something that a thousad other people have. You may be wrong, but you will have something that no one else has tried and it may work really well. Larry

Plus, you won't be a little follower? On a track, you most certainly will be following with that logic.