Ready to feel old? The LS engine turned 21 this year. If it
were human, it would have a high-school diploma and could legally down a
six-pack of beer. After two decades of LS swaps, builds, records, and
race wins, it's as popular as ever, and there more of cores than ever to
go around.
If you've picked up an LS core for your project, there's a good
chance it has considerable miles on it. A bore, hone, and hot tank
almost always work into the build plan, but what about the crank? The
stock LS crankshaft is a stout and admirable piece, but one of the many
strong points of the LS architecture is its taller deck height (over
the gen I small block) and the ability to stroke it to torquier cubic
inches.
That's where K1's line of LS stroker crankshafts come in.
Currently available in 4.00in, 4.125in, and 4.250in, strokes, these
longer arms can add invaluable displacement to your build. Better yet,
they are also available as rotating kits prepackaged with the correct
rods and pistons for an easy inch increase.
If
you've picked up an LS core for your project, there's a good chance it
has considerable miles on it. A bore, hone, and hot tank almost always
work into the build plan, but what about the crank? The stock LS
crankshaft is a stout and admirable piece, but one of the many strong
points of the LS architecture is its taller deck height (over the gen I
small block) and the ability to stroke it to torquier cubic inches.
That's where K1's line of LS stroker crankshafts come in.
Currently available in 4.00in, 4.125in, and 4.250in, strokes, these
longer arms can add invaluable displacement to your build. Better yet,
they are also available as rotating kits prepackaged with the correct
rods and pistons for an easy inch increase.
A Sum Greater Than The Parts
K1 built their reputation around crankshafts and rods that deliver
quality at an affordable price, offering value that your average
imported parts can’t match. However, they've teamed up with Wiseco
pistons to provide complete rotating assembly kits that pair
professionally-matched components into a single part number to make
ordering simple.
“We
currently offer Chevy LS applications as an off the shelf rotating
assemblies,” K1’s Nick DiBlasi explains. “However, many of our
customers make their own combinations with our pistons, rods, and cranks
daily. We found it easy for our customers to pick and choose any
combination they wanted and we could suit their needs.”
It’s no surprise that the LS engine family would be the first target
on K1’s radar for complete kits; factory blocks are so ubiquitous and
cheap that they’ve become the hands-down favorite for racers and hot
rodders looking for a solid foundation for a high-horsepower build.
Though the stock LS components can definitely take a beating, upgrading
the internals is a sure-fire way to create a durable, powerful race or
high performance street engine.
Crank it Up
K1’s LS rotating assemblies start with a high-quality crankshaft,
with a number of options. Both 58 and 24 tooth reluctors are available,
and customers have a wide selection of crank throws from stock to
stroker. Per DiBlasi, “The K1 LS cranks are all forged 4340 steel and
are designed for the latest demands of our customers. We offer strokes
from factory 3.622 all the way up to 4.250, in 3.622, 3.900, 4.000,
4.100, 4.125, and 4.250 throws.”
A
nitrided finish improves crank strength and bearing life, and the
large-radius fillets remove potential areas of stress concentration and
potential failure. K1 employs a straight hole oiling system for superior
bearing lubrication, and tolerances are held to plus or minus one ten
thousandth of an inch.
The second ingredient in the successful recipe is a robust connecting
rod, and K1 has that covered as well. “We offer our K1 H-beam 4340
forged rods with our kits,” DiBlasi explains. “They are designed
specifically to be matched with our crankshafts and clear all the
stroker applications. They feature ARP2000 bolts and have seen over
1,500 horsepower on many of our customers’ race cars.”
Many
racers will debate the relative benefits of an H-beam versus an I-beam
design in terms of ultimate strength, but for applications where shaving
grams isn’t absolutely critical, the H-beam delivers additional
rigidity and better load distribution than a comparable I-beam
connecting rod, and makes perfect sense for K1’s rotating assembly kits.
Dual reinforced ribs add strength on the big end, while radiused sides
maximize clearance. A shot peened finish is the finishing touch, placing
the outer surface in compression and removing any potential locations
for stress riser formation.
Slugging it Out
When it comes to pistons, Wiseco offers a wide selection, no matter
what bore or compression ratio you’re shooting for. Per DiBlasi, “Our
main rotating assemblies come packaged with Wiseco pistons. We offer
various popular compression ratios based off the combinations we know
work best.” Depending on combustion chamber volume, the shelf stock LS
rotating assemblies range from 9.3:1 to 13.0:1, suitable for boosted or
naturally aspirated builds.
Wiseco’s
Professional Series forged pistons also utilize their proprietary
ArmorGlide skirt coating that reduces friction, increases horsepower,
and improves wear resistance. “If you are looking for a compression
ratio that we do not offer [in a stocking part number], we can gladly
build a rotating assembly with the same components and another piston
combination that we offer,” DiBlasi adds.
Proven Performance
“Our kits are designed to go together and have been tested on our
in-house dyno,” DiBlasi says. “We have an in-house engine dyno just for
LS-based engine testing. Everything was designed to work together. We
take the work out of ordering parts from different places, and do the
testing for you. Creating rotating assembly kits for the LS family was simply a no-brainer."
