The 6.0-liter engine was introduced into Chevy pickups in 2001 when the Heavy Duty, HD, lineup was released. This engine had two different "personalities." There was the utility driven base Vortec, which was placed in all HD model Chevrolet trucks, and the high-performance versions that were placed in the Chevy Silverado SS from 2003 through 2006 and the Corvette from 2005 through 2007.
HD Trucks
The base 6.0 liter V8 was put in the Chevy Silverado 1500HD, 2500HD and 3500HD from 2001 through 2006. This engine produced 300 horsepower at 4,400 rpm and 360 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm. It had a bore, cylinder width, of four inches and a stroke, piston travel in the cylinder, of 3.62 inches and a compression ratio of 9.4:1. The 2007 through 2008 Chevy 2500HD and 3500HD had a version of the 6.0 liter that produced 353 at 5,400 rpm and 373 foot-pounds of torque at 4,400 rpm. The only internal change was an increase in compression to 9.6:1. The same 6.0 liter had an increase to 360 hp at 5,400 rpm and 380 foot-pounds of torque at 4,200 rpm in 2009, with no mechanical changes.
SS Trucks
From 2003 through 2006, Chevy manufactured a Silverado 1500 SS. This truck used a 6.0 liter V8 that was externally identical to HD models. This engine produced 345 hp at 5,200 rpm and 380 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm. This engine had the same four-inch bore and 3.62 inch stroke as the HD version. Where this engine differed was the compression ratio, it was increased to 10:1.
Corvette
The Corvette even made use of the 6.0 liter V8 with a slightly modified version from 2005 through 2007 Corvette. This engine produced 400 hp at 6,000 rpm and 400 foot-pounds of torque at 4,400 rpm. It had the same four-inch bore and 3.62-inch stroke as all of the other 6.0 liters. The most noticeable internal modification was the compression being raised to 10.9:1. This engine was replaced by the 6.2 liter V8 in 2008, thus ending the 6.0's short run in the Corvette.
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