How Late Model Engines Makes The Best GM Motors Even Better

How Late Model Engines Makes The Best GM Motors Even Better

Since 2003, Late Model Engines, or LME as it is commonly called, has provided race teams, professional builders, and power-hungry individuals with some of the best fully built LS and LT motors money can buy.

When listing the plethora of reasons to choose LME for your next GM engine build, transparency is not always the first thing that comes to mind. But knowing precisely what goes into a particular internal upgrade, and understanding what sets LME apart from the rest of the performance pack is extremely important.

So in the spirit of being as straightforward as possible, here are a few core details about the LME advantage, along with some really snazzy in-house shots of this diverse Houston, Texas, team doing what it does best.

Slapping billet aluminum rods and polished pins into LME’s custom 2K forged Diamond Pistons for another 2,000 horsepower rotating assembly. Street, strip, or somewhere in between, chances are LME has a winning combination with your block’s name on it.

Despite making a name for itself for producing some of the world’s most bonkers GM engine builds, LME continues to support those who are just looking for a modest bump in performance, and a bit of deep cleaning to boot. LME will port pretty much any factory LS or LT head, removing carbon build-up, deburring, and valve jobbing with fresh exhaust valves.

Each head is then reassembled using the spring height that correlates to the camshaft you have chosen, after getting a hand-blended valve job. This way the heads are ready for immediate installation, and the customer doesn’t have to fret over whether or not the job was done properly.

Meet the 770 horsepower, 14:1 compression naturally-aspirated (NA) LME LTX. This NA LT package is engineered from the tarmac up for road race, as a C7 Z06 intends to tackle Pikes Peak later this year. Since the LT line of engines is capable of making an impressive amount of reliable power in NA form, LME custom spec’s out every camshaft around the package that is being built.

That’s Jim you see there. Jim is taking off some material with LME’s Hines balancer. He uses a spot drill to get the exact spot marked and pre-drilled. Then, he comes in with a full-size drill bit at a much slower speed to remove any erroneous metal. This process allows the LME team to balance cranks at a staggeringly swift pace, with each engine builder balancing that day’s build with the specific crankshaft. This additional level of quality control allows fewer slip-ups and provides a detailed build sheet for every square centimeter of the assignment at hand.

Meet Mike. When he’s not busy fighting crime in Gotham City, you can find him keeping LME’s proverbial pistons pumping as the company’s shop manager. From keeping track of every build coming in, making sure each motor gets modded properly, and every engine heads home happy, Mike does it all. With over 20 years of engine building experience, and a resume that has both NASCAR and NHRA in bold letters up top, this caped crusader strives tirelessly to do each engine build that comes through LME’s doors justice.

Sometimes an engine build is intended for endurance rather than unbridled performance. Unlike drag racing, events like drifting, and road racing see extreme RPM situations for prolonged periods of time. By machining and outfitting a block with piston oil squirters, LME’s ingenuity keeps pistons cool and lubricated for both performance and reliability purposes. After utilizing a drill to bore an angled hole within the mains, LME is then able to tap the hole and install squirters at the ideal location.

Planning on turbocharging your C8, but not sure if that LT2 has what it takes to cut the kimchi? LME has the ability to turn the average LT2 engine into one extremely reliable rocket.

For more information on the different engine combinations that LME offers, please visit LateModelEngines.com.

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About the author

Micah Wright

Raised on LEGOs by grandfathers who insisted on fixing everything themselves, Micah has been a petrolhead in training since age four. His favorite past times include craft beer, strong cigars, fast cars, and culinary creativity in all of its forms.
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