To be honest guys. The best platform is what we have. We have endless possibilities. We also have one main advantage above ls1's. Iron blocks. They can handle wayy more boost than an aluminum block can and for a farr longer time. Im going boost with my new build which is what kept me from doing the lsx swap

Post count has nothing to do with it. ....but I couldn't help notice that this went from a third grade level discussion to an adult level discussion immediately after my post. ....so maybe I'm not so dumb.

.....and since this is an interesting discussion that's going all over the map in relation to LS vs. SB1, I'll throw in MY opinion as well. Ultimately it comes down to whatcha want, and what your goals are. The way I see it, GM wouldn't have completely redesigned the greatest V8 of all time after 50 some odd years if they didn't think they had a winner. I've got friends who get better mileage, and gobs more power than my L98. It makes power so smoothly, so effortlessly, so.....so BORINGLY!!!! My car creaks and rattles, and lopes, and pops, and it feels like you're actually driving!!!! (in a good way of course). A bone stock LS1 with manifolds and mufflers would make more power than I currently have, but I wouldn't trade my L98. I LIKE what it is. My pickup isn't fast, but I can't haul stuff with my Iroc. Each vehicle does what I need it to do. It's all about what you want it to do. Motor to motor, it's the same idea.

I suppose I could put a blown LS7 in an old C10 pickup though.....hmmmmmm.

That is why guys go with the Iron LS based truck motors, LQ9 I think.

Right. And with L92 heads and a cam they make 550 hp. It's in a magazine. LSx is superior.

new lsx block can be bored/stroked to over 480 inches i believe. all Iron, its good for 2000 hp with the smaller cube setups. 2000 bucks for a block tho but thats not too bad

I bought a 01 Z28 A4 car last June. I love it. I do miss the lower torque of TPI. My Iroc is just sitting and I am trying to figure out what motor to go with just to make it the same level as the Ls1. I've put it up for sale a few times on here only to change my mind. lol My goal someday is to have a 3rd with a ls6/t56 in it. Money is a problem so in realty, I'll probably end up selling the Iroc for parts to fund long tubes, lid, TB, and converter for the 01 Z so I can run 12s all day and hear everyone whine about it.

All right I gotta put my 2 cents in here. I've seen alot of bickering on here so lets see if I can settle it. I have owned 3 thirdgen camaro's. One was a parts car for my current car and my first was an 89 RS with the TBI 305. My current one is an 85 IROC with a warmed over TPI 355. I love all small block chevy's with the obvious exceptions like the 265CID versions. I love the TPI system but lets face it there are more mods for the LS series engines than are for the tpi. I love both the GENI and the GENIII,GENIV series engines. Even though the GENI and GENII are fundamentally the same engine with a few differences mainly the reverse flow cooling. And the GENIII and GENIV engines are the same way. Except the GEN IV for was designed for the displacement on demand setup currently available on most GM engines now. I have friends with LS1 camaro's and firebirds and lets face it GM got it right with that engine. They are high 12 second cars out of the box with only the addition of slicks. Granted that is dependent on elevation and driver. Also the LS1 engined are very durable. From what I have seen about the only ways to blow one up is running it out of oil or overheating. I guess if you add to much NOS to it it could blow then too. I wouldn't trade my TPI camaro for a LS1 but if I could afford one I would buy one. Also having a low 13 second, high 12's and getting 25-26 MPG would be nice. Try doing that with a GENI small block without turbocharging it. Lets face it both engines are great and I don't see the GENI and GENII engines going anywhere any time soon. Chevrolet owes it's past, present, and future to the small block. It is the only engine that has stood the test of time. Not even ford or chrylser have produced the same basic design of one engine for over 50 years and there is a reason for that and it is GM has always had the goods with it's small block and hasn't needed to change it drastically to compete. The LS1 and above have just been the next step and it truly does owe it's heritage to the original small block. With out the original it is a good bet Chevrolet and GM wouldn't be where they are today. Long live the small block chevy in it's past and present form and whatever form it may come in in the future.

I agree the small block has stood the test of time. TPI's are becoming more and more extinct as I see the years to by, but have a nice caming 350 is a great feeling.

i own one of both. a 89 iroc 350 completely stock, and a 2000 camaro ss m6 with exhaust, heads and cam. i love the ls1. to me there is no better engine. but i love the look of a iroc. i am considering selling the ss to pay for a ls1 swap. the only problem is my iroc has 60000 unmolested miles on it. i thought about another iroc for the build but then i would just dump a whole lot of money in a beater to make it look like my 89. what do you guys think?

Hsr, 58mmtb? I thought you said it was completely stock?

i just changed my sig. that was my old car. just bought another iroc. i have been out of irocs for a year or so.

Id sell the take the rear, trans, and engine out of the ss, and put it in the iroc. (;
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Well id sell whatever was left of the ss.

All true, long live the small block

Do not touch that iroc, thats too clean, I also have a 89 with TPI but i change to 383 with HSR, and i even had a chance to get a LS1 for a good price, but i didn't want the hassle, see i can work on a small block all day long but a LS1 never. I say find you a nice body and go that route.

Just gonna throw this out there. Clean LS1 powered camaros aren't cheap. Especially since the oldest you want to go is 99. Since the 98s have their own funky quorks. So if you have to look at paying around 7k to touch a nice clean are or 1800-2300 to get a clean TPI car which would you do if you were on a budget. I bought my first camaro when I was 16 and then built a mild 355 for it that winter. Still have it still driving it and with about 3k invested in actually performance parts I pull on a couple of the LS1 cars my friends have and loss to some of more heavily modded ones. But saying gen 1 sbcs are out dated is plain wrong. There are so many companies like AFR,Jesel....list goes on that continually reinvent them that I don't think they will be going anywhere for a long time especially when you concider horsepower per dollar.

if you car has truly 450hp and putting it in a lighter car even an auto behind that much hp you should beat a bolt on ls1 plzz

I've had my a$$ handed to me by LS1's all the time. As well as corvettes and exotics. So what?
I'd rather have my excess of low end torque anytime. I'm at like 325/350 at the motor and that's all just fine... for the street and 13's at the track.

TPI is about the best bang for the buck and I've still seen anything to match with n/a, and especially smog legal.

The word you're looking for is, visceral.

I agree with you on that note, same here, i use to race LS1 cars all the time when i had my L98 in my iroc, because of the low end torque and my 3.73 gears, i use to jump them out the whole at lease a car but oh mannnnnnn when those rav up here they come they always catch me about a 1/8 mile, but the stroker is done it shall be a new chapter for the 89 iroc i shall have my revenge

We're kinda like the flathead Ford guys when the 265 and then the 283 came out. They'll still be somebody building GEN1 SBC's in 20 years, but mainly for the nostalgia. I hope to still have my "antique" thirdgen to show off like an original '32 Ford today.

I got tired of reading al of that trash talke, look BadAz_Iroc, i had 1000$ in my 383, old as hell 292 casting 1970 over the counter ported and polished chevy heads from 1970, comp EX HR cam and a air gap intake, my driver header was hacked up from making it clear my slave cylinder, nothing special really, but i bought several parts cheap, used or whatever. My car is carbed because TPI sucks to tune yourself if you dont have a lap top and the GOOD intake which is basically a LT1 style intake. My motor with a carb WHOOPED the hell out of every LS1 i stepped too with the exception of 2 which was 1 spraying and the other supercharged, both vettes. 1 Z06 02 model cammed, i stayed a car ahead of him. This was all done with a 2.73 gear, i had to chase most down by second ear and the dissapear by the end of third. It all depends on how much you put into it and how it is set up. The motor dropped a valve after 4 or 5 months, a manly valve at that, so stuff happens. The new 383 i am building is aluinum Dart heads and a bigger cam so my next target is a friends built 408 01 Z28, ill see what happens but even if he beats me, he has more cubes and WAY more mony into it. The way i go is cheap and it works well, between all the new parts and used for the new motor i will have 2300$ in this new 383 which should make 550 HP at the flywheel. I look for deals and run witht hem. NOW, if he gets in your feeling that bad, a good deal on a LS1 or even a 6.0(which a friend of mine is doing) and drop it into your car even carburated for fairly cheap, a third gen weighs a little less so you would really have the upper hand. The older engines have older technology but they still make aftermarket parts to make up for it.



The TPI was never a king of much as it is, the FIRST third gen to beat the fox body was in 89 with the formula(TTA excluded) and it was due to no ground FX, it was just a torque monster. So it was never eally a champion, not till you ditch the stock plenum. Dont let a newer more expensive motor get you down, just get one, the parts are getting cheaper for them and the swap kits are to. The only reason i am sticking with GEN I engines is it is cheaper and more readily available and i am going with a Big Block eventually.

Hope i might have helped you a bit, i was impressed the 1k 383 did wht it did, the new one has more money into it and will go faster, so the more you spend the easier it will be to beat your buddy.

It's not that I hate LS1's. It's just frustrating that they can throw on a Vigilante 3200 and some slicks and run consistent 12's all day long....Meanwhile we're doing heads and cams and just barely getting to the same speed.

I went for a ride in a C5 Z06. Mods were exhaust and a K&N filter. That's it. He runs low 12's and gets 27 mpg on the highway. Very streetable. Idles smooth. Quiet. Going for a ride in that was very humbling.

The easy answer is to put a LSx in your car.

I have seen some fast LSx series.. Then again, I have seen some TPI's that are quick. If you aren't happy and you just wanna race.. Get away from the TPI and go LSx. My friend bought his 87 305 tpi Iroc the same time I bought my 87 305 tpi Iroc.. Both car's were 100% identical. His car on is worth alot more than mine because his is 100% original.