Vortec Big block performance upgrades.

Mangonesailor said:

From what I've compiled on another forum, the big ticket items for helping these motors are:

-New injectors: If you want your engine reliable you'll want to start here. This should help your fuel economy a little and prevent you from having a failure to start when hot. If you go much bigger than 21lbm/hr (@ 3bar) or 24lbm (@4bar) you'll need to have your ECM tuned. Factory flow rate is somewhere around 22lbm @ 4bar

Factory flow rate injectors (but are 19lbm@3bar), 4-hole nozzle: 0280150556, FOTE-D5B (5-0 motorsports sells these on Ebay and they are what I have)

-Headers and exhaust: Banks used to sell a full tri-Y kit for our trucks, now you can only find stuff used or for RV's. I have Gibson shorties on mine. (The fit out of the box is not right, you will have to grind some of the header flange off to clear a couple of head bolts. You will also need your exhaust adapted to it as their pre-bent pipes do not fit correctly.

Headers and opened exhaust really make a big difference with this motor, and have been totally worth it in my opinion.

-Whipple supercharger: Whipple made a supercharger kit for our trucks. Now you can only find them used, but the supercharger can still be rebuilt. 88GMCtruck has done this and has had his charger rebuilt.

-Cams: From what I can find a 502ZZ cam is a direct swap into our motors, with the exception of needing a new timing set to properly set the cam. Our cams are 12* retarded from the factory... they're ****. There are plenty of other cams out there as well.

-Rocker arms: There is an set of rockers out there that are made by Comp, but if I remember right they will not fit without spacing the valve covers or the plenum. You'll need to get self-aligning rocker arms.

-Tuning and such as: Do a 0411 swap and you can have a local tuner work on it. It would be the same as if they were tuning an 01-02 camaro at that point. If you do the swap you will have to do a Crank relearn. Tell the dealer to do it like it is an '02 Express van with an 8.1 and you'll be fine. With this upgrade you also have "towing mode" and if you swap your shifter out with one from an 01-02 Astro van, then wire it to the ECU (and ground) you'll be golden. A shifter from a newer truck can also be modified to fit.

There are aftermarket tunes for the black boxes. That is an easy forum search away to find.

-Intake: If you feel like you need to, there are cold air intakes available for these trucks, but you already have the HD intake box and "snorkel" behind the fender to scoop up cold air. If you're doing this you're scraping the bottom of the barrel for HP. Then again... HP is HP.

I am not aware of any programmers for the black box that actually add any performance, I also do not know if there are any programmers that would play with a 0411 and our engine combo.

A 28lb injector swap and a dyno tune are in my future. If I get those done I'll be sure to post results.

Click to expand...

Welderdad said:

Morning sir, in your response you detail utilizing 0280150556, FOTE-D5B fuel injectors, which are in fact ford injectors. I found a set of 8 priced around $100 . I wondering did you have to tune after utilizing the " Ford" injectors. Technically there Bosch manufactured but there intended use is ford. Unless I'm mistaken of course.

I have a 1998 k3500 454 L29 My project started as a fuel pressure regulator and quickly turned into lower intake manifold gasket, fuel injectors, oil pressure sensor, distributor cap, rotor. And unfortunately while the lower manifold was removed I found a pool of oil sitting on top of a exhaust valve so valve seals are in my future. My simple $50 fuel pressure regulator has turned into $500 + list of needed repairs. The cheapest injectors I found are $300 but the ones you suggested run as low as $55 for 8 ( assuming there not counterfeit) Ill leave a link to the Amazon listing. I know this is a old thread but I can't tell you how excited I was to find far less expensive injectors after reading it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BYZ3QDN5/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=AWE3D97EV13X&psc=1

In the description it says it's a oem swap for the detailed part number you listed.

Thank you for your help sir

Click to expand...

Welderdad said:

Morning sir, in your response you detail utilizing 0280150556, FOTE-D5B fuel injectors, which are in fact ford injectors. I found a set of 8 priced around $100 . I wondering did you have to tune after utilizing the " Ford" injectors. Technically there Bosch manufactured but there intended use is ford. Unless I'm mistaken of course.

I have a 1998 k3500 454 L29 My project started as a fuel pressure regulator and quickly turned into lower intake manifold gasket, fuel injectors, oil pressure sensor, distributor cap, rotor. And unfortunately while the lower manifold was removed I found a pool of oil sitting on top of a exhaust valve so valve seals are in my future. My simple $50 fuel pressure regulator has turned into $500 + list of needed repairs. The cheapest injectors I found are $300 but the ones you suggested run as low as $55 for 8 ( assuming there not counterfeit) Ill leave a link to the Amazon listing. I know this is a old thread but I can't tell you how excited I was to find far less expensive injectors after reading it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BYZ3QDN5/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=AWE3D97EV13X&psc=1

In the description it says it's a oem swap for the detailed part number you listed.

Thank you for your help sir

Click to expand...

Mangonesailor said:

From what I've compiled on another forum, the big ticket items for helping these motors are:

-New injectors: If you want your engine reliable you'll want to start here. This should help your fuel economy a little and prevent you from having a failure to start when hot. If you go much bigger than 21lbm/hr (@ 3bar) or 24lbm (@4bar) you'll need to have your ECM tuned. Factory flow rate is somewhere around 22lbm @ 4bar

Factory flow rate injectors (but are 19lbm@3bar), 4-hole nozzle: 0280150556, FOTE-D5B (5-0 motorsports sells these on Ebay and they are what I have)

-Headers and exhaust: Banks used to sell a full tri-Y kit for our trucks, now you can only find stuff used or for RV's. I have Gibson shorties on mine. (The fit out of the box is not right, you will have to grind some of the header flange off to clear a couple of head bolts. You will also need your exhaust adapted to it as their pre-bent pipes do not fit correctly.

Headers and opened exhaust really make a big difference with this motor, and have been totally worth it in my opinion.

-Whipple supercharger: Whipple made a supercharger kit for our trucks. Now you can only find them used, but the supercharger can still be rebuilt. 88GMCtruck has done this and has had his charger rebuilt.

-Cams: From what I can find a 502ZZ cam is a direct swap into our motors, with the exception of needing a new timing set to properly set the cam. Our cams are 12* retarded from the factory... they're ****. There are plenty of other cams out there as well.

-Rocker arms: There is an set of rockers out there that are made by Comp, but if I remember right they will not fit without spacing the valve covers or the plenum. You'll need to get self-aligning rocker arms.

-Tuning and such as: Do a 0411 swap and you can have a local tuner work on it. It would be the same as if they were tuning an 01-02 camaro at that point. If you do the swap you will have to do a Crank relearn. Tell the dealer to do it like it is an '02 Express van with an 8.1 and you'll be fine. With this upgrade you also have "towing mode" and if you swap your shifter out with one from an 01-02 Astro van, then wire it to the ECU (and ground) you'll be golden. A shifter from a newer truck can also be modified to fit.

There are aftermarket tunes for the black boxes. That is an easy forum search away to find.

-Intake: If you feel like you need to, there are cold air intakes available for these trucks, but you already have the HD intake box and "snorkel" behind the fender to scoop up cold air. If you're doing this you're scraping the bottom of the barrel for HP. Then again... HP is HP.

I am not aware of any programmers for the black box that actually add any performance, I also do not know if there are any programmers that would play with a 0411 and our engine combo.

A 28lb injector swap and a dyno tune are in my future. If I get those done I'll be sure to post results.

Click to expand...

Mangonesailor said:

Yeah, those look like Chinese copies.

When you swap the injectors, you don't need a tune, but they may flow a little different. Your STFT's and LTFT's will vary a smidge but it'll be something the ECU can compensate for on its own.

Find some real OEM Ford injectors or some from a wrecking yard and have then bench tested by witch hunter. Toss any that were stuck and they freed up. So send them like 10-11 to have them tested/cleaned. I use some from a newer LS engine that flow more, two were found stuck and cleaned out, and one of those failed open and flooded one cylinder of mine. Thankfully that didn't blow my engine up.

Click to expand...

Welderdad said:

Morning sir, in your response you detail utilizing 0280150556, FOTE-D5B fuel injectors, which are in fact ford injectors. I found a set of 8 priced around $100 . I wondering did you have to tune after utilizing the " Ford" injectors. Technically there Bosch manufactured but there intended use is ford. Unless I'm mistaken of course.

I have a 1998 k3500 454 L29 My project started as a fuel pressure regulator and quickly turned into lower intake manifold gasket, fuel injectors, oil pressure sensor, distributor cap, rotor. And unfortunately while the lower manifold was removed I found a pool of oil sitting on top of a exhaust valve so valve seals are in my future. My simple $50 fuel pressure regulator has turned into $500 + list of needed repairs. The cheapest injectors I found are $300 but the ones you suggested run as low as $55 for 8 ( assuming there not counterfeit) Ill leave a link to the Amazon listing. I know this is a old thread but I can't tell you how excited I was to find far less expensive injectors after reading it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BYZ3QDN5/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=AWE3D97EV13X&psc=1

In the description it says it's a oem swap for the detailed part number you listed.

Thank you for your help sir

Click to expand...