I've heard the limitations of the stock bottom end of Z06's are about 500-550RWHP? Lets say I wanted to raise this limit, what would I need or do? Beef up the pistons and rods? Where is the weak point of these motors? Thanks for the help.

I'm not sure where you heard that. The bottom ends on the Z's are very strong. You have to start worrying about it if you are boosting high pressure with superchargers or turbochargers, but building a stock bottom end with cam, heads, headers, intake, etc, you can see 500-600 rwhp numbers fairly routinely with long lifespans. To get past that you then realistically need to mess with compression ratio's or stroking the motor, and maybe that's where you're coming from?

I'm not sure where you heard that. The bottom ends on the Z's are very strong. You have to start worrying about it if you are boosting high pressure with superchargers or turbochargers, but building a stock bottom end with cam, heads, headers, intake, etc, you can see 500-600 rwhp numbers fairly routinely with long lifespans. To get past that you then realistically need to mess with compression ratio's or stroking the motor, and maybe that's where you're coming from?

Is that for the C5 Z's or newer Z's?

I only have experience with the C5/LS6, but from what I've heard and read, it goes for both. Except it's getting hard to stroke a small block when you're already pushing 427 cubic inches!

OK, not really HARD, but I believe Chevy has put everything they have into pushing these engines, holding back just enough for the NEXT supercar after the C7, but that's just a guess on my part. Since they're using the LS3 supercharged in the C7 (*IF* that's true :cool: ) then whatever is NEXT is going to have the LS7supercharged. Whatever they choose to call it, LSx....

The concept stays the same, and Chevy proves that...by supercharging the LS3 for the new ZR1. And it doesn't look they've done much to the bottom end of the LS3, so that should hold true for the LS7, and we know it's true for the LS6 motor.

Whew, that's a lot of acryonyms! :D

It depends what you intend to do with the car. I have 740 rwhp and a stock bottom end. I use the car for street duty and road race weekly. I have no problems.

If I put drag radials on the car and dumped the clutch hard for 1/4 mile, I would need a new trans and hardened output shafts.

It depends what you intend to do with the car. I have 740 rwhp and a stock bottom end. I use the car for street duty and road race weekly. I have no problems.

If I put drag radials on the car and dumped the clutch hard for 1/4 mile, I would need a new trans and hardened output shafts.

740 RWHP? So that is what at the flywheel? I have to ask what sort of mileage you get on gas with that beast?

740 at the tires. The blower doesn't affect millage unless you jump on it.