all lt1's the same?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,329
Likes: 17
From: woodbury new jersey
all lt1's the same?
hey guys, i have a 94, and have been going through ideas between swapping in an lsx, or beefing up an lt1. my block has about 136,xxx miles on it so i would want to rebuild it before i put too much power into it. since im only looking for around 450 hp, i decided itd most likely be easier/cheaper to go the lt1 route. iv helped rebuild a chevy small block before, but i dont know a whole lot of what im doing so these would be a slow build. not wanting to have my car off the road for an extended period of time, iv looked into getting a used lt1, and rebuilding/upgrading that, then when its ready just swapping it out with the block in my car. so my question is, are all lt1's basically the same? could i get one out of an impala or camaro? im pretty sure the vette is a 4-bolt main, are they all? if theyre not all the same, then which one would be the best to look for? thanks!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 2,949
Likes: 23
From: Bowling Green KY
My car has an F-body LT1 in it, there are a few differences here and there though not many.
The Vette block only has 4 bolt mains on a few of the mains, not all. All of the mains on F-body's are 2 bolt.
Do a Google search - there are some good web pages out there that cover this.
And no question, as far as $$$ go the LT1 route will be cheaper. . . . .
The Vette block only has 4 bolt mains on a few of the mains, not all. All of the mains on F-body's are 2 bolt.
Do a Google search - there are some good web pages out there that cover this.
And no question, as far as $$$ go the LT1 route will be cheaper. . . . .
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,329
Likes: 17
From: woodbury new jersey
ya i did a little searching earlier and found that only the vettes got the 4-bolt, everything else has 2. would there be any negatives to running a 2-bolt? i mean, iv seen some lt1 camaros pushing over 600 700 hp. did they upgrade to a 4 bolt or is it really not that big of a deal? i just ordered a book on how to rebuild an lt1/4. i rebuilt a small block before but still dont have a great hang of what im doing (although we took that camaro out earlier for the first time and it ran like a champ. starts up easy and rips the tires up nice). the main reason i wanted to go ls1 is because iv heard it saves around 200 pounds. thats a whole hell of a lot of weight off the front of these cars!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 917
Likes: 2
From: Charlotte NC
2-bolt vs 4-bolt is a very little difference and I would only consider a 4-bolt main if you plan to run lots of boost. The 2 bolt main is a strong block, and should have no prob building the power you want.
The weight difference between the aluminum block ls1 and iron block lt1 is only approx 100lbs. But the LSX is better. The amount of aftermarket support is amazing compared to the LT1. But A stock LSx conversion will cost about 5x times the cost of building a 350hp LT1
The weight difference between the aluminum block ls1 and iron block lt1 is only approx 100lbs. But the LSX is better. The amount of aftermarket support is amazing compared to the LT1. But A stock LSx conversion will cost about 5x times the cost of building a 350hp LT1
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,329
Likes: 17
From: woodbury new jersey
so do you think id be ok putting a 2-bolt main in there? plans for this motor are 400-500 hp ultimately. and if i were to ever get the need for more power, i could hang on to my stock block, and build that up being a 4-bolt main? how much boost could a 2 bolt reliably run? i know how the aftermarket support is for the lsx (has made me consider the c5 a few times), but like you said, the cost would hurt. a used ls1 is around 2500-3000, then i would need custom harness, motor mounts, headers, etc etc. so say i rebuilt an lt1, what would it take to build a reliable 450 hp to the crank? i was looking at afr's website and their 195cc heads look pretty good. think it could be done with the afr's, a ported to match lt4 intake, cam, headers, 1.6 rr, and a few minor add ons? where abouts would that put me? just poking around ideas, have about 3k saved up and just got a new job where my paychecks will be about 3x my old paychecks, so after i get a new dd in august, the vette is going to get some loving
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
450chp should be safe for a 2 bolt. guys have built much stronger 2 bolts that hold up but if youre going to hammer a motor and crest the 500 mark Id go 4 bolt or take your 2 bolt and have some splayed 4 bolt mains put it. Things start moving around at that power level or try to anyway.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,329
Likes: 17
From: woodbury new jersey
anyone know where i can find a 4-bolt shortblock? or a used 4-bolt? i can find plenty of 2-bolts out of camaros impalas caprices, but no 4's out of a vette. being as i may eventually push to the 500 mark, i think itd be safer to go with the 4-bolt
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 2,949
Likes: 23
From: Bowling Green KY
Plenty of folks are running higher than 500 on 2 bolt motors.
I'm not an engine builder but I have heard on more than one occasion that you can convert a 2 bolt to be stronger than a 4 bolt (you would of course only do this while building up a motor)
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,615
Likes: 3
From: Tampa Fl
keep an eye on e bay,2 months ago there was 2 with around 95 K on them, one a 95 and one a 94 for about 1300.
I bought a cluster from that same person and almost got a glass top last night for 270 bucks but got outbid.
the guy is vette333
I bought a cluster from that same person and almost got a glass top last night for 270 bucks but got outbid.
the guy is vette333
Last edited by tblt44; May 4, 2010 at 06:58 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,283
Likes: 0
From: Houston Texas
450chp should be safe for a 2 bolt. guys have built much stronger 2 bolts that hold up but if youre going to hammer a motor and crest the 500 mark Id go 4 bolt or take your 2 bolt and have some splayed 4 bolt mains put it. Things start moving around at that power level or try to anyway.
Cheaper blocks plus your going to have to probably take to machine shop anyway. Open it up to a 355 with forged pistons and have them splay the block for 4 bolts while it is there. Then you will be stronger than vette 4 bolt and ready for boost or spray depending on what c.r. you go with.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 6,564
Likes: 6
From: Woodstock Georgia
You can always call him at 770-546-3504, his name is Chris.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 18,346
Likes: 1
From: D / FW
You would be surprised at how well todays engines wear in the cylinders burning unleaded gas with todays engine management systems.
Most engines tore down still have the crosshatching in the cylinders.
The bottom ends and the heads go first !
Whichever you go with make sure the builder knows LT 1 engines and get it balanced and blue printed.
I would go with forged internals and a stroker crank to 383 .
Cheapest power on the market and the torque is amazing.
Build with more mods in the future in mind it's cheaper !
Most engines tore down still have the crosshatching in the cylinders.
The bottom ends and the heads go first !
Whichever you go with make sure the builder knows LT 1 engines and get it balanced and blue printed.
I would go with forged internals and a stroker crank to 383 .
Cheapest power on the market and the torque is amazing.
Build with more mods in the future in mind it's cheaper !
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,329
Likes: 17
From: woodbury new jersey
so lets say i picked up a 2-bolt block, had it splayed to be a 4-bolt, went with a forged 383 bottom end, and basically build a badass bottom end, then go moderate on the top end to make roughly 400-500 hp, then if i ever need more, the bottom end is already built to handle it. what would be the rough estimate? i could find a block for a few hundred bucks, what would a nice forged bottom end cost me + the machine work, balancing, etc? the afr heads are about 2k. do you think this entire build could be done good for about 5 or 6k?
