404CI LS2 Carburetor Engine Build - High Winder

Back then we had a friendly in-house competition to find out how a 402ci LS2 would fare against a conventional 406ci small-block ("Old School Meets New," page 20). All said and done, both engines generated a tick over 580 horsepower with costs being nearly identical; the biggest difference was in how docile the Gen IV was in comparison to the traditional mill. Either way, there was no clear-cut winner; instead it went to show that fairly aggressive LS engines could be built more attuned for the street at a very reasonable price.

Just under two years later, we reintroduced our mill with a completely different top end package and were able to push the power levels even higher by eclipsing the 600hp barrier with a solid-roller Comp camshaft and a set of Trick Flow 235cc cathedral port cylinder heads ("Thumper," Dec. '08, page 28). While those numbers were plenty to write home about, we went on to try the then new Zex Perimeter plate; the net results showed 780 hp and 801 lb-ft of torque!

For the third round, we maintained a mostly similar package, only we opted for maximum compression by utilizing a set of AutoTec pistons and rings, a larger valve package by stepping up to a set of 2.10-inch on the intake side over the previous 2.08-inch valves, and made way for one of the largest Comp solid-rollers we've ever seen for an LS engine with all the supporting valvetrain, including robust springs and their shaft-mount-style rockers. For induction duties, we swapped the Edelbrock Victor Jr. manifold for a much larger Super Victor and topped it off with Quick Fuel Technology's latest three-circuit 1,050-cfm carburetor with a 4150-style base. We even borrowed a Peterson Fluid Systems oil/vacuum pump setup in order to make sure we would extrapolate every bit of power from this combination.

At the heart of our project, the credit for this creation goes to Rocco Acerrio from A.R.E. Performance & Machine in Simi Valley, California. This is a one-stop shop that offers everything from detailed machining to complete engine assembly. We're absolutely pleased with his work and if you're looking to build something similar; he's certainly the man to get the job handled.

If you thought the previous combos were something, you're gonna get a kick out of this one. For now, we're going to introduce the build, but be sure to keep an eye for the results in an upcoming issue as we put it to the test at Westech Performance in Mira Loma, California.

Quick Notes

What We Did
Put together a rowdy 404ci Gen IV

Bottom Line
Swapping a few select components can get you under way to a potent combination

Price (Approx)
$5,000

404ci ls2 Buildsheet
Specifications not listed are the same as stock. Except as noted, all dimensions are in inches or fractions thereof.