Engine Builder: Olivia Scaffidi's 6.0L LQ4 Rebuild

Engine Builder Magazine featured Olivia Scaffidi's junkyard 6.0L LQ4 rebuild in its Engine of the Week series on August 3, 2021. The story, "6.0L 365 cid LQ4 Engine," was written by Greg Jones and follows a young builder from Southern Ontario who turned a salvaged truck engine into a 570 horsepower combination for her 1971 El Camino, topped with Granatelli Motor Sports coil packs and valve covers.

A Builder Who Taught Herself

According to the article, Scaffidi has no family background in cars. Her interest in engines grew out of watching MotorTrend's Engine Masters show, and she says she enjoys how much math and science goes into making power. She and her boyfriend, Travis, share their projects on Instagram and YouTube.

The El Camino and the Junkyard Find

The El Camino is being set up as a naturally aspirated, stick-shift drag car, with the goal of running endurance events such as Hot Rod Drag Week or Rocky Mountain Race Week. It previously ran a 350 small-block Chevy. The pair regularly visit a junkyard in Sun Valley, California, where the article says they have found three usable LQ4s. This one came out of a three-quarter-ton van.

Machine Work and Parts

The block had a chipped piston but no cylinder wall damage. It was machined and honed .050 inch over, and the original crank was reused. The article lists these key parts:

• 365 cubic inches, 4.005-inch bore and 3.622-inch stroke
• Gen IV LS rods and CP Carrillo flattop pistons
• AFR Enforcer cathedral-port heads with 210cc runners and 64cc chambers
• Tick Performance Polluter V2 camshaft
• Holley high-rise single-plane intake with a QFT 750 carburetor
• Granatelli Motor Sports coil packs and valve covers for an old-school look

The build was kept budget-minded on purpose. As Scaffidi put it in the article, "Not everybody has $3,000 just for cylinder heads." For more on carbureted intake choices, see our Intake Manifold FAQ, and for coil questions, the Ignition Coil FAQ.

The Result

According to Engine Builder, the finished 6.0L made 570 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque on the dyno. It is a strong example of what a junkyard LS block, sensible parts choices and careful machine work can produce.

Read the Original Coverage

Read the full article at Engine Builder Magazine

Written by JoJo Granatelli — third generation at Granatelli Motor Sports in Oxnard, California, and the one who drives what the company builds. He set a quarter-mile record of 7.06 seconds at 157 mph at Famoso Dragstrip in August 2026. More about JoJo.