Good to see you back !
Here is what's inside an LS engine guys so you know how to prevent disasters and have some fun. Hopefully this helps you guys, I work on them every week.
The platform is ok, but any part from Gm is garbage including the blocks. What I hate is that you have to pull the heads to gain access to the lifters, on the trucks with cylinder shut down, the lifters fail and it's a job to gain access when they could have left room in the head. The other problem is non adjustable valve train. The good news is they respond to a valve job better then anything else due to the valves being so crooked! You can't believe how good they run when the valves seal up!
Best advice, if you're going to build more then 10 % more then factory output, if you can afford it, get an aftermarket DART block or equivalent. We are seeing puked out LS Corvette stuff all the damn time along with Camaro and now trucks and everything else due to the one bolt oil-pickup tube used when they should have used two! There is provision for two but by only using one, it makes the engine a ticking time bomb!
The windowed out blocks WILL twist eventually with boost and make the mains come out of alignment. One customer had it happen twice on two new blocks he bought from Gm.
He brought me the third block and wanted it to work so I decked and bored, believe it or not the stock bores are out of round, and the decks were off from end to end and side to side!
We mocked it up putting a piston in each corner and all four were off differently in relation to deck!
I can't believe how bad their machining and finishing processes are!
End of story, I told him no warranty if boosted and he decided to remove the supercharger and use it naturally aspirated which after mostly aftermarket parts it SHOULD hang together awhile...
The bottom pic is how they decided to window all the blocks including the Z06 blocks on the high output LS stuff used in Vettes and Camaros, but choose not to on the trucks with aluminum.
From the top down, the valve springs break, there isn't a straight valve in one, the lifters fail takes out the cam, the cam bearings spin, timing chains break due to heavier valve springs especially if you modify!! The pistons rattle, the bottom end fails due to o-ring failure.
Other then that they are fine if you don't use them haha!
Good news is we are busy as hell keepin up with this all and it's all a secret so shhhhh!!!
Just a heads up nothing more have fun!