biggrizzly

LSx and SBC has tons of options for Crate Motors, any crate LT-1 out there? Not Golen either...

STL94LT1

http://www.golenengineservice.com/ht...t4.html#LTlong

JimiHendrix

Lack of demand, and the preference for LSxs. IMHO, Lt1s will be pretty rare in the next ten years.

88BlackZ-51

Why do u think they will become rare? The opti was a flaw imo.....

PLRX

This is not a new topic in here. We mention that the C4 market is dead. The LT1 and LT4 were produced for 5 years only and they came with cancer (opti) from the factory.

The question is, what are we going to do when no ones makes parts for it? The ones with the 96s know there are engine parts already discontinued. We will figure out a way to survive

biggrizzly

I'm not interested in Golen's services at this time.
I was looking for some other alternatives.

STL94LT1

Sorry, thought you were saying Golen didn't offer a crate engine. I wouldn't go with a Golen engine either.

STL94LT1

IMHO, the opti has very little if anything to do with the lack of LTx popularity in the aftermarket. The Gen II opti has been proven to be very reliable. I feel it has more to do with the LTx engines having a specific block and heads, and just a few years of production.

I'll take my LT1 over any early C4 engines with their anemic intake systems!!

SurfnSun

Is the opti really any worse than the water pump leaks on a regular SBC motor? Every one of the SBC motors Ive ever had needed water pump replacement b/c of leaks.

mnstrlt1

The lack of support is definitely due to the block itself (among other things). I think Dart or Bordix was prepared to develop an aftermarket block, but they pulled the plug.

You "can" adapt earlier heads to an Lt-x block (I believe). the internals are essentially the same as earlier SBC's with the single rear-main...

Otherwise, a few companies to offer remanufactored Lt-x's.

BrianCunningham

If you can locate a block, and a shop you trust, they can do it for you.

aboatguy

Vented OPTI is not a flaw, my LT1 has years of 7,000 plus rpm operation using an OEM OPTI....(same opti since 2006...when I fell for the since your there and replace the original WORKING OPTI during a head cam change )




The reason they will become rare is the limited production (albeit relatively limited production only used in the F, Y, and B bodies) when compared to the Gen I SBC and the LS series of engines. Even when they were in production the Gen I and derivitives were in production in the truck/suv lines.

Mike

lt4obsesses

It's simply a numbers game. The Gen I was being produced for what 40 years? The LSx for 13? The LTx for 5. So there are a heck of alot of GenI and Gen III, IV out there to make parts for compared to a very limited number of LTx. If they made an LTx crate they would have to make a variety of parts for what is a comparitively small market. There would be no profit in it, and GM doesn't need anymore no profit deals.

So the question we need to start asking is who is going to be making parts to simplify the LSx swap in our cars?

96GS#007

Opti dies, car is dead on the side of the road. Older ones get wet and are often ruined by the coolant. I've had the rotor in one grenade at 6000+ rpm and >100mph on the race track, while in a high speed sweeping turn in a pack of cars....big pucker factor. The opti is a 90 minute R&R job if you know what you're doing. It can take rookies days. Cost....several hundred dollars for OEM & up for aftermarket (which I personally think are worse).

Short of catastrophic failure, a leaking water pump on the Gen 1 SBC is just that...a leaky annoyance.

Cliff Notes answer: yes

Corvette40

I just received the JEGS catalog in the mail and they have an LT1 crate motor. I believe it was a 450HP long block.

SurfnSun

Good call. Im not a road racer so that affected my paradigm.

j-vette

Why the no go on golen? TIA

BrianCunningham

Golen is local, he started selling on the internet when none of the locals would touch his stuff.

One guy dropped his pan to find the relieved rods installed backwards.

lt4red

The Gen II was produced in production cars for 6 years, not the 5 that has been posted, minor detail I know. 92-97

lt4obsesses

technically you are correct. But '92 was the Vette only introduction with regular production in other models in '93.So while it was in a production car in '92, it was not in regular production until '93 making it five years. Just kidding, you're right.