I read a review on the trucks that was published circa 1995. Apparently GM knew exactly what they were doing by setting conservative timing and retarding the camshaft. Apparently it was done for "operator comfort" and to "reduce engine noise" which I think worked very well. A stock LS engine sounds much more like a V8 than a stock L29 which is horribly disappointing (and yes I do realize I'm not exactly comparing apples to apples here...). Leave it to GM to take what could have been an absolute monster of an engine which is capable of much more power than they were willing to give it, and choke it down to a neutered lap dog. Meager and unreliable 19lb injectors, conservative ignition timing, retarded cam timing, non adjustable rocker arms, and the most obstructive exhaust system known to man handicapped this truck beyond belief. I'm sure I'm missing one other thing they did to screw it up too.
