This Going Pro 5.3L buildup had one goal in mind—making 1,000 hp!

Naturally, we would be using boost, but before we could add said boost from our ProCharger, we had to have a suitable base motor. While the 1,000 hp mark was the goal, the motor was also designed to serve as a reliable driver (though not a daily). As a side note, the motor was also destined to look the part, given it would be on display at the upcoming SEMA Show.

Given the multi-tiered goal, the 5.3L build started with an ATK High Performance Engines Boost-Ready short block.

The first power producing modification for the boosted build was actually displacement, as the LM7 iron-block punched out to 3.903 inches. This over bore stepped displacement up from 5.3 liters to 5.7 liters. When it comes to power production, bigger is always better.

Plus, because they look identical, you can always tell them it’s a 5.3L, or if you are feeling extra deceptive, just a 4.8L!

To ensure strength, the short block featured a stock crank combined with Wiseco forged, dished (-11cc) pistons and SCAT, forged, I-beam rods. With the short block completed by ATK, it was time for the power producers.

man holding turbo near an ls engine
You can almost hear the 5.7L LS motor whispering… “we always run better with boost!” (Image/Richard Holdener)

Since pressurized power is always a function of the naturally aspirated power plus boost, we made sure the 5.7L combo offered plenty of power prior to pressurization. The ATK short block was combined with a blower-specific cam profile from Brian Tooley Racing. The dedicated blower cam featured a .613/.596 lift split, a 227/244 degree duration split, and a 115 degree LSA. We were excited about seeing it in action under boost.

The BTR cam was combined with a set of AFR Mongoose cylinder heads. Thanks to full CNC porting and a 2.02/1.60 valve package, the CARB-legal head package flowed over 300 cfm, or more than enough to feed our relatively mild 5.7L.

The finishing touches included a Holley Hi-Ram intake with matching 105mm throttle body. Holley also supplied the HP management system and 83 pound injectors. After all, the supercharged LS would need plenty of fuel once we added boost.

Prior to installation of the Procharger centrifugal supercharger, the motor was run in naturally aspirated trim. Equipped with 1-7/8 inch Hooker long-tube headers (and mufflers), the low-compression 5.7L produced 466 hp at 6,400 rpm and 412 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,200 rpm.

Now it was officially time for some positive pressure!

Adding the ProCharger Supercharger

Boost for the 5.7L was supplied on the engine dyno by a ProCharger F1A-94 supercharger kit.

We specified “on the dyno” here since the motor received a different blower kit once installed in the vehicle. On the dyno, we wanted to push the motor (slightly) harder, and the fitment in the vehicle required a reverse rotation kit from ProCharger. This simply made life easier on the dyno for
testing, especially if we had to run multiple blower pulleys to reach our target of 1,000 hp!

As it turned out, we nailed the pulley size on the first try, but we did resort to running a radiused air entry (see photo) on the F1A-94 to reach the 1,000-hp mark. In truth, the F1A-94 could support another 200+ hp on the right combination, and since we were nowhere near the rpm limit of the impeller, we will utter the words of every racer: There was plenty left in the combination.

The F1A-94 was installed onto the 5.7L using the supplied mounting kit. The blower was configured with a 4.25 inch blower pulley and combined with a 7.75 inch crank pulley. Installation of the crank pulley required both the use of an ATI Super Damper and drilling the crank for a crank dowel (see photo). This ensured the normally press-fit damper did not spin on the crank when subjected to the extra load of the supercharger.

With the pulleys in place, and the blower ready to supply boost, we elected to install an air-to-water intercooler in the system. Given the elevated boost pressure required to reach our power goal, the intercooler was deemed a necessity.

ProCharger supplied one of their air-to-water intercooler systems. Having exceeded 1,300 hp previously with this core, it was more than adequate for our little 5.7L. The core was plumbed with (cold-side) aluminum tubing from CXRacing. The air-to-water core was fed ambient (94-degree) dyno water, though additional power could certainly be had with ice water. The efficient intercooler dropped the inlet air temps from 287 degrees to a maximum of 115 degrees.

Once we added the radiused air entry and all the tuning was completed under boost, the supercharged 5.7L pumped out a peak of 1,005 hp at 7,100 rpm and 758 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,900 rpm. These power numbers came at a peak boost reading of 21.5 psi using 114 octane race fuel (with 11.5:1 A/F and 21 degrees of total timing at the power peak). E85 would have offered even more power.

For those keeping score, the Procharger F1A-94 supercharger improved the power output of the 466 hp 5.3L by 539 hp!

Everything really is better with boost.

Dyno chart for a 1,000 hp LS engine
Does that say over 1,000 hp? Nothing adds power like boost, and if a little boost is good, then a LOT must be even better. We followed the more is better philosophy when building this 5.3L (technically a 5.7L) with a ProCharger F1A-94 supercharger. Looking for that magic four-digit number, we had to employ a few tricks to coax 1,000+ hp from the 5.3L. Run in naturally aspirated trim, the AFR-headed 5.3L produced 466 hp at 6,400 rpm and 412 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,200 rpm. Installation of the ProCharger F1A-94 supercharger and air-to-water intercooler pushed the power output to 1,005 hp at 7,100 rpm. In true centrifugal supercharger fashion, the boost rose from just 3.7 psi at 3,100 rpm to 21.5 psi at 7,200 rpm. The ATW intercooler lowered the charge temps from 287 degrees to just 115 degrees using 94 degree dyno water. Nothing like adding and extra 539 hp with your blower! (Dyno Chart/Richard Holdener)
btr camshaft in box
Wanting to match the cam to the boost, the 5.3L received a dedicated blower cam from Brian Tooley Racing. The blower cam featured a .613/.596 lift split, a 227/244 degree duration split, and a 115 degree LSA. (Image/Richard Holdener)
man fitting cylinder head onto an engine
Looking to maximize the NA power production, the 5.3L received a set of CNC-ported, 210cc AFR Mongoose heads from AirFlow Research. (Image/Richard Holdener)
holley efi intake manifold on an ls engine
Topping the 5.3L was a Holley Hi-Ram induction system that included billet fuel rails and a set of 83 pound injectors. The throttle opening in the Holley Hi Ram was sized to accept the 105mm throttle body. (Image/Richard Holdener)
holley HP efi management control module on table
The NA and boosted combos were tuned suing a Holley HP management system. The boosted motor was run on 114 octane race fuel, but in hindsight, E85 would be a better, more powerful choice. (Image/Richard Holdener)
ls engine on dyno prior to test run
Run on the dyno with 1-7/8 inch, long-tube headers and a Holley HP management system, the naturally aspirated 5.7L produced 466 hp and 412 lb.-ft. of torque. (Image/Richard Holdener)
large accessory bracket on an ls engine
We bolted on the blower mounting bracket, complete with aluminum spacers. Note the belt tensioner assembly which worked flawlessly during testing. (Image/Richard Holdener)
procharger supercharger housing
Since we were looking for four-digit power on the engine dyno, we selected our blower accordingly. The F1A-94 was capable of supporting over 1,200 hp, so 1,000 hp on the 5.7L was no problem. (Image/Richard Holdener)
supercharger drive pulley
To get thing started, we installed a 4.25 inch blower pulley, or as we called it, the 1,000 hp pulley. (Image/Richard Holdener)
supercharger intake plenum installed
To maximize flow into the blower, we installed this radiused air entry. This baby is good for as much as 20 hp at high flow and boost rates. (Image/Richard Holdener)
crank pulley on an LS engine
Since the 5.7L was equipped with a stock crank, we needed to pin it to the ATI damper using a roll pin kit. We then installed the roll pin in place to positively secure the damper to the crank snout. This stops the damper and blower pulley from spinning on the crank. We then installed the crank pulley for the blower and secured everything in place using an ARP damper bolt. (Image/Richard Holdener)
air to water dyno intercooler
Since the boost level would be high, we installed the air-to-water intercooler from ProCharger to keep the inlet air temps in check. Running 94 degree dyno water, the intercooler dropped the air temps from 287 degrees down to 115 degrees. (Image/Richard Holdener)
supercharged ls engine on a dyno test run
Run in anger with the ProCharger F1A-94 pumping out a peak of 21.5 psi at 7,200 rpm, the 5.7L managed to crank out 1,005 hp and 758 lb.-ft. of torque. (Image/Richard Holdener)

Keywords
dyno test , LS Engine , turbocharger
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Author: Richard Holdener

Richard Holdener is a technical editor with over 25 years of hands-on experience in the automotive industry. He's authored several books on performance engine building and written numerous articles for publications like Hot Rod, Car Craft, Super Chevy, Power & Performance, GM High Tech, and many others.