Project Novakane - LSX376 Crate Engine - Assembly

Project Novakane Crate Engine Assembly Rendering

Project Novakane suffered a temporary lock down after the birth of my son. Life got in the way of going fast, and that’s why you haven’t seen any updates in a few months. But now we’re back on schedule and ready to assemble the heart of our beast. A quick recap is in order; you’ll remember us pulling out the worn-out factory 4.8L and ordering a boost-friendly GM Performance Parts LSX376 crate engine. That 6.2L LSX engine is going to be fitted with a MagnaCharger TVS 2300 supercharger, American Racing Headers long-tube headers, an ATI Racing 8-rib pulley setup, LS7 throttle body, complete ARP bolt kit, and new sensors/OE parts from Summit Racing. In the last Novakane installment, we showed you the necessary parts to make your GM truck engine swap go more smoothly and what parts we recommend upgrading for optimum performance. In this issue, we’ll show you how everything goes together in preparation for our break-in and engine dyno appointment in next month’s issue. For photography and illustration purposes, we’re going to show you the engine’s assembly on an engine stand, this way you’ll be able to get a clear idea of what our new engine will look like before we drop it in our ’04 GMC Sierra. If going fast gives you tingles and jingles, check out our LSX376 engine buildup and don’t miss next month where we’ll see just how much power our combo makes.

1. Opening the crate and placing the GM Performance Parts’ LSX 376 engine on an engine, stand let us take a look at the cast-iron LSX block, high-flow LS3 heads, and what you can’t see is the forged-aluminum pistons inside to make the compression ratio a boost-ready 9.0:1. To give our engine a hot-rod, race-truck feel, we painted the timing cover VHT Wrinkle Black. All other components will be powdercoated black for a stealth and fast look.
1. Opening the crate and placing the GM Performance Parts’ LSX 376 engine on an engine, st
2. Supplying the boost for our GMPP crate engine will be the latest and greatest supercharger from MagnaCharger. Delivering 2.3L of volume, the TVS 2300 uses a four lobe rotor design which maximizes power potential and, thanks to the internal intercooler, keeps air temps at a safe level. We used an 8-rib setup to keep belt slippage to a minimum and the overall pulley diameter is three inches.
2. Supplying the boost for our GMPP crate engine will be the latest and greatest superchar
3. & 4. To ensure the base of the MagnaCharger didn’t interfere with the intake valley cover, we swapped it in favor of the new MagnaCharger piece. First, we had to remove the oil pressure sender and remove the eleven 13mm hex-head bolts, then the factory cover could be pried loose. You can see the MagnaCharger unit (right) uses female Allen bolts with a beveled head to sit flush with the new cover for a lower profile.
3. & 4. To ensure the base of the MagnaCharger didn’t interfere with the intake valley

3. & 4. To ensure the base of the MagnaCharger didn’t interfere with the intake valley cover, we swapped it in favor of the new MagnaCharger piece. First, we had to remove the oil pressure sender and remove the eleven 13mm hex-head bolts, then the factory cover could be pried loose. You can see the MagnaCharger unit (right) uses female Allen bolts with a beveled head to sit flush with the new cover for a lower profile.
3. & 4. To ensure the base of the MagnaCharger didn’t interfere with the intake valley
5. We were now ready to install the new intake gaskets onto the lower manifold of the MagnaCharger supercharger. For the LS3 heads on our LSX376, the ports are rectangular and we picked up a new set of gaskets at our local dealer for an ’09 Escalade with a 6.2L. The gaskets simply snap into place on the outside and in the center for a trouble-free install.
5. We were now ready to install the new intake gaskets onto the lower manifold of the Magn
6. The entire supercharger unit weighs about 70 pounds and after some help lining it up, we dropped the MagnaCharger in between the heads and torqued the new bolts from the center out to 89 in-lbs.
6. The entire supercharger unit weighs about 70 pounds and after some help lining it up, w

7. One step we forgot to show you was the coolant crossover vent tube replacement. The factory LSX376 vent tube outlet hose won’t clear the new supercharger, but thankfully MagnaCharger includes a new tube in their kit.
7. One step we forgot to show you was the coolant crossover vent tube replacement. The fac
8. Up next, we installed our new throttle-body gasket into the MagnaCharger plenum and then bolted on the new 90mm LS7 throttle body (p/n 12605109) we purchased at a local dealer. To make our factory 4.8L wiring harness operate the newer-style LS7 throttle body, we’ll be using a product called the X-Link, by Torque Rush Racing, which will mate the two connectors and operate the throttle body. We used black, 12-point ARP bolts throughout the build for superior strength, longevity, and great looks.
8. Up next, we installed our new throttle-body gasket into the MagnaCharger plenum and the
9. Belt slippage is a big problem with high-boost applications and to remedy that issue before it started, we upgraded all our pulleys to 8-rib pieces. The conversion (p/n 917339) is from ATI Racing and includes a race-certified harmonic balancer/crank pulley. We first pulley the original crank pulley and replaced it with a stronger and wider unit from ATI. This is the back pulley, which controls the A/C belt. It needed to go on first and with a new crank bolt used, was torqued to 240 lb-ft.
9. Belt slippage is a big problem with high-boost applications and to remedy that issue be