L67 (series II supercharged) L32 (series III supercharged) L36 (series II NA): These will all support 500+whp with proper mods, octane, and a good tune. Pistons are the weak point.
L26 (series III NA): Engine is good to about 400whp. Rods are the weak point.
L26/L36 are 9.4:1 compression.
L32/L67 are 8.5:1 compression.
Blocks/Cranks are all interchangeable.
NA and SC cars have different wrist pins, so the rods/pistons do not interchange.
The only difference in the heads are the SC ones have the injectors in the heads, and the NA ones have the injectors in the intake manifold.
ECOTEC:
2.2: These need rods and pistons to make any sort of good power. Around 250 torque the stock rods will go. Stock internals aren’t good for much, especially the rods, but they can support a few PSI on our K04 turbo kit and are fine with our supercharger kit (3.1 pulley). Block is good for 400’s.
2.4 LE5: Early engines (06-07) rods are much stronger than 08+ rods. You can push 400whp on an early 2.4 but will eventually run into block/sleeve issues. Late 2.4 stock rods will bend and/or break on even a k04 set up (mid-upper 200whp). Torque will kill these engines, so a small turbo or a set up that builds lots of torque down low will break rods in these. The 2.4 cranks are also known to shake themselves apart at higher power levels, specifically at higher RPM.
2.4 LE9 (Slingshot): Stock rods and pistons are typically good to about 300whp. The Gen 1 and 2 blocks were fragile and typically break around the 350whp mark. The Gen 3 sand cast blocks have been up to 550whp without failure, but the boost must be ramped in steadily to keep the block intact. Typically, they are good for about 500whp.
2.0 LSJ: Stock block, crank, pistons, and rods are good to a recommended 400-450whp, but have been run over 500hp in some cars.
2.0 LNF: The stock LNF block is good for around 450hp but due to the foam casting block porosity is something that can happen at various mileages and various power levels, stock and up. The rods and block with fail around the same power level first.
2.0 LDK/LHU: The block is sand casted and stronger than the LNF block, but the rods are weaker. Anything at 350 or above and you risk damaging the block or having a rod fail. However, the block itself is good for around 500hp. For mid 300’s or higher an LDK/LHU with forged guts (ZZP 4340 and wiseco pistons) should be the goal. Above 500whp you will want a girdled gen 3 block with forged internals.
SONIC/CRUZE:
LUJ/LUV 1.4: Only difference in these two engines is the MAP sensor that comes with it. We have not broken one with a good tune yet at any HP, but we assume the block is good for at least 300whp.
ATS/CAMARO:
LTG 2.0: Rods and pistons are the weak point on these. They are only good for about 350-380whp before they will start to go, but sometimes pistons go sooner on the earlier years (2013-2014 ATS’s). Stock block and crank have showed that they can take 650whp+, we have not found the breaking point of those components.
ATS-V:
LF4 3.6: We have had these at 600whp without issues, but around 700 is when you will usually see rod bearing failure first, and the rest of the components are near failure point at 700 as well.
