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I’m using a 1995 lt1 engine in a custom installation and want to get rid of all the piping for the throttle body. At the rear of the engine is a pipe that goes from the driver side head to the passenger side head then forward across the intake manifold to the throttle body. Do I need to keep the piping between the heads, or should I plumb it back in some how? Remember this is in a custom application not a corvette. Thanks
The piping is designed to carry coolant from the back of the heads and send it back to the radiator. The throttle body coolant passage can be bypassed. However, the pipes from the back of the heads are essential to the cooling system for the LT1 engine. They are required because coolant does not pass through the intake manifold on the LT1 engines, unlike that of the earlier small block chevys.
Thank you John,where would be the best place for me to plumb that pipe back into the cooling system, top or bottom radiator hose or one of the heater hoses? Again thank you
Last edited by scott hovey; Oct 21, 2021 at 10:15 AM.
Thank you John,where would be the best place for me to plumb that pipe back into the cooling system, top or bottom radiator hose or one of the heater hoses? Again thank you
The pipes that come off the back of the head are carrying hot coolant. Send it back to the top of the radiator.
I can look at mine tonight, but I thought the TB coolant water came from the heater core line, through the TB, and then into the upper radiator hose?
I agree that the steam vents need to remain functional, but I don't recall them having anything to do w/the TB coolant part of the loop.
Yeah, let us know what you see on your's. BTW, what year is yours. I have a 96 LT1 Corvette and all the hoses are still in the stock configuration. I also have a 94 LT1 from an F body Z28 that currently lives in a 79 Malibu wagon. On that one I bypassed the TB and ran the steam pipe to the top of the radiator. We're using the Z28 radiator in the Malibu too so the fitting is there on the radiator tank.
We still have some finishing touches to do in this engine compartmant with covering and securing wiring and such. But in this pic you can see the hose from the steam pipe to the top of the rad on the passenger side. Anyway, different years and different platforms may have slightly different hose routing. There's B body, F Body and Corvette across the various years between 92-97 that were equipped with LT1 engine.
I confirm the 96 Corvette comes from the back of the heads, goes through the TB then to the top of the radiator. If your project vehicle does not have an appropriate fitting at the top of the radiator, an upper rad hose from a 94 Camaro Z28 might work for you. They have a T vulcanized into the hose for the steam pipe return. Here's a pic of one.
Throttle body bypass
