Sidewinder!
Tickling the 5.3L DOD V8
There’s too much going against this in the first place, but hot rodders being the enigmatic souls that they are, have made some meager advances on the latest configuration of the LS engine series, in this case the LS4 5.3L. Though appreciative that the SS Impala has a V8 option for the first time since 1986, we are not enamored of its literal place in the order of things. When we asked about the V8 mules Chevrolet had running around three and four years ago, we were told they were for laughs only and that the car wouldn’t crash “right” with the V8. Either safety requirements have changed or someone was fibbing.
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The LS4 is an all-aluminum form with a specific oil pan. Factory output is 303hp and 323lb-ft of torque. |
Crane’s rocker kit includes all this hardware, including stouter pushrods that are 0.100-inch shorter than the stock ones. |
From its transverse cradle, 323 lb-ft of torque steer comes in gobs, usually adding thrills and chills to an ordinary get-away. No matter. It’s all in the name of fun. It won’t be very much fun changing the cam, though, and even putting shorty headers to it will present a knotty problem. Entrepreneurs: Develop and market a replacement fender complete with trap door so the cam can be extracted without having to pull the motor to do it. Nah, this is really the perfect place for some type of a bolt-on power adder—if someone made a kit, that is.
 Structural differences between cast 1.7:1 ratio rocker arms and Crane billet 1.8’s. |
Meanwhile, the Crane Quick-Lift 1.8:1 rocker arm kit is all we’ve seen so far. It contains roller tip rocker arms, shorter 5/16-inch chromemoly pushrods, locks, adjusters, studs, and pushrod guide plates. Crane dual valve springs and titanium retainers were extra. As applied to our Silverado 5.3L, these same parts produced an additional 20hp and 9.8lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels.
