2.4L LE5 Performance Tech 16 valve 171 hp EcoTec with 163 lb-ft of torque

2.4 mild NA build

Old 06-06-2014 | 10:33 AM
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2.4 mild NA build

decided to just put together a post for my mild NA rebuild of my 2.4, nothing insane, motor has seen better days so I decided to just tear it down and give it a nice refresh and throw in a few extra's should I decide to supercharge down the road.
  • 2.4 head decked 7 thou, gasket matched to 1.75 primary size on the exhaust, 3 angle valve job with 30* back cut valves
  • compression bumped to 10.6:1
  • clevite HX rod bearings
  • delta camshaft LE5 regrinds (don't have the final numbers yet but ill post the cam card when i get it)
  • level zero balance shaft delete kit
  • melling oil pump
  • ebay long tube headers (catless) w/ factory catback
  • custom built intake with blox 6" vstack
  • alliance 4L60E torque converter

the cams are really the big thing in question, we measured 190/170 @ .050 for duration and .415/.395 lift so going up above 200 on the duration on both cams raises concerns for me as to how the VVT will respond and whether or not ill have to rewrite the tables completely. Unfortunately the only thing I have to compare to are the JBP triflow cams which are rated @ 209/202 @ .050 with .418/.417 lift. Wont be running a permanent AF gauge on this setup, only on the dyno. Will be using o2 millivolts like we do with all our other GM cars. Hoping for between 185-200hp.

Header (gonna wrap this thing second time around)



custom intake



revised timing chain oiler with the new cloyes kit



cylinder head back from the machine shop, soda blasted, intake ports look surprisingly good compared to the foam cast LSJ heads, not really much in the way of rough cast on these LE5 heads.







alliance torque converter



melling oil pump kit



clevite TM77 HX rod bearings


Last edited by Spawne32; 06-08-2014 at 12:35 AM.
Old 06-06-2014 | 10:58 AM
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subd
Old 06-06-2014 | 01:26 PM
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Run ethanol
Old 06-06-2014 | 03:41 PM
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the lsj head is sand casted not lost foam casted
Old 06-06-2014 | 04:20 PM
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Originally Posted by noorj
Run ethanol
unfortunately, not available within 30 miles of where i live in NJ

Originally Posted by mrbelvedere
the lsj head is sand casted not lost foam casted
All the LSJ heads ive seen have been foam cast. Here's a pic mike posted from AMM fab litterally the other day.



and heres a youtube video of a lost foam cast of a LSJ head, dont ask me how he got one of the original foam cast molds. lol

Old 06-06-2014 | 04:33 PM
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neither of those are lsj heads the head in that video is a l61 or lap 2.2 head the spark plug is way to long to be an lsj.
Old 06-09-2014 | 07:24 AM
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Originally Posted by mrbelvedere
neither of those are lsj heads the head in that video is a l61 or lap 2.2 head the spark plug is way to long to be an lsj.
Yup, I agree.
Old 06-09-2014 | 02:36 PM
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LE5 and LAP have the same head, that was probably the L61
Old 06-10-2014 | 01:43 PM
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delta just sent me pics of the cams fresh off the machine

Old 06-10-2014 | 01:54 PM
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details on the oil pump kit?
Old 06-10-2014 | 02:18 PM
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the melling stuff is good the kit is just stock replacement stuff nothing special like hardened gears
Old 06-10-2014 | 03:19 PM
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Originally Posted by JapEatr
details on the oil pump kit?
factory replacement like mr.b said, but the melling stuff is much more heavy duty, the gears themselves physically weigh more, I would assume just from being a better casting. Relief spring is also a bit heavier in terms of spring tension but it could just be that the old one is a bit worn. Don't think the car will ever see a need for hardened gears but the rebuild kit was a good investment for 120 bucks since the car will see some drag racing abuse.
Old 06-10-2014 | 03:29 PM
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got my level zero balance shaft delete bushings in, and stopped at the store to pick up some extra supplies, berryman chemdip to clean the pistons and rods off before re-ringing, and some permatex copper RTV for the oil pan and resealing the block halves.



Old 06-10-2014 | 03:39 PM
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I would use at least their oil resistant version of permatex, if not the OEM stuff
Old 06-10-2014 | 03:48 PM
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Originally Posted by noorj
I would use at least their oil resistant version of permatex, if not the OEM stuff

OEM specified. For high operating temperatures common in 4-cylinder, turbocharged or high-performance engines. The most advanced, high temp RTV silicone gasket available. Sensor-safe, low odor, noncorrosive. Superior adhesion. Three times more oil resistant than conventional silicones; eight times more flexible than cut gaskets. Temperature range -65°F to 700°F (-54°C to 371°C) intermittent; resists auto and shop fluids and vibration. - See more at: Gasket Makers : PermatexŽ Ultra CopperŽ Maximum Temperature RTV Silicone Gasket Maker

It's all I ever use when building engines.
Old 06-10-2014 | 05:29 PM
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the copper stuff is ok but I would not use it on the oil pan or block main bed plate for those I would use either the right stuff in the aerosol can or the gm engine sealant or the 3bond gm1201 you want to use a meaty sealant on those parts

Last edited by mrbelvedere; 06-10-2014 at 05:54 PM.
Old 06-10-2014 | 05:44 PM
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202 @ .050 x .425 lift, single pattern are the finalized specs on the regrinds

whats the difference with the GM engine fluid sealant,is it an anaerobic gasket maker?
Old 06-10-2014 | 05:55 PM
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fluid sealant?
Old 06-10-2014 | 05:57 PM
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Originally Posted by mrbelvedere
fluid sealant?
so its an RTV gasket maker.
Old 06-13-2014 | 12:13 PM
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Old 06-14-2014 | 02:46 PM
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gotta be a way to make that giant spaghetti monster of a wiring harness more convenient to work with

Old 06-14-2014 | 11:26 PM
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came out smooth as butter once we got the oil cooler off, that is definitely going to get blocked off this time around, i dont care if i have to tig weld the holes shut. Motor has definitely seen better days, the oil pan is full of hard sludge and crap, thats going to take a bath in the parts washer along with a few other pieces. Gonna be probably 2 days of just getting everything spic and span.



Old 06-15-2014 | 08:30 AM
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dropping it out the bottom is a lot easier and faster
Old 06-15-2014 | 03:08 PM
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Originally Posted by mrbelvedere
dropping it out the bottom is a lot easier and faster
didnt have any issues taking it out through the top, in fact its probably the eastest one ive done so far, plenty of clearance all around to slide right past the trans. We even left the AC fully intact.
Old 06-17-2014 | 06:49 PM
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So bit of a setback today, piston squirter stripped out beyond repair inside the block when I was removing them for honing, bolt was very soft for whatever reason, two of them stripped out but only one was stuck. Drilled the bolt out without any issue, then a large piece of the bolt decided to drop into the oil galley below the squirters, fortunately I was able to fish that out as shown below, and was able to clean out all the remaining metal pieces. Not typically an issue that would cause me any problems, UNTIL i measured the thread of the squirter bolts....M10x1.0....a very ODD size. Fastenal was the ONLY company i could find that had the threaded ezloc insert for the repair, which required another oddball size tap as well which is on a 5-7 day backorder. So looks like ill be down a little longer then I wanted.



here you can see the piston squirter hole drilled out to 1/2" for the threaded insert as well as the balance shaft delete bushing



another shot of the delete bushing pressed in



block honed with a nice 45* crosshatch with a 400 grit ball hone



and my cluttered work bench while im in the process of cleaning all the crap off the pistons and crank. sludge was...beyond bad in this motor.


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