Hi got another question for you guys. Do I need an LT1 350 radiator or can I just use any 350 radiator? Thanks Barrett

 

you need to get the LT1 radiator becous the LT1 uses a Reaves Flow Radiator.

 

I don't think you specifically need an LT1 rad

 

well i just did some reading on http://home.attbi.com/~markolc/
he just used a 5 speed Thirdgen Raditor so i guess you could use any Raditor.

But if your car is a LT1 auto car id go a head and get the Right raditor from that car so the Trans lines and Stuff all line up right with the Raditor.. i plan on geting a LT1 raditor just cous im using a 4L60E Trans.

 

you dont have to get the LT1 radiator, it just makes things a whole lot easier in the long run. Because I didnt get the correct one and just used the thirdgen one, I now have about 4 feet of Goodyear wire-bound hose running down along my sway bar and back up the other side to connect correctly to the water pump. It works fine, it just clutters up the front of the engine real bad. If you can, go ahead and get the LT1 radiator even if you are using a manual trans.

 

the motor that i got is out of a 1996 Impala SS and I beleive that it came with an oil cooler. For the engine to run good do I need one? Thanks
Barrett

 

it is better for your engine to have one, but not necessary

 

If you don't run the oil cooler (like most people I know don't) then you don't have to have any weird routed lines that TexasLT1 talked about.

 

Ok here's the deal, you can use a 3rd gen rad , it will work, a rad is a rad ...

Now the main issue is the steam line. There's a steam line that runs from the back of the heads up to the front of the engine. this has to be plugged on the rad ...

Also the way the water is made , there's one medium coolant line going to the bottom driverside of the rad , you'll have to fabricate a setup to "accommodate" (don't know how to write that word! ) all this. That setup is what Texaslt1 has !.

Just buy a 4th gen rad, life will be easier and your engine bay will look better.

 

Well I had to modify my radiator a little to make it fit perfectly in my car. I used the LT1 radiator and had th cut the clips off the back of the radiator because they rubbed the condensor. Also I have to make a top support for it yet. But as for the routing of the hoses and such do yourself a favor and get a 4th gen radiator.

 

I have a 94 LT1 that I am putting in my car and I can't figure out how to route the oil cooler lines. I am using the third gen radiator. I was also wondering about the bleeder in the heater hose and where to hook the steam vent

 

ok, for the oil cooler, its the type that screws onto the oil filter mount, correct? If so, I believe its the top line connects, if you are looking at the front of the engine, to the nipple coming off the bottom right of the water pump. the other line connects to the radiator. I think. my friend had one on his car and I think thats how it was connected when we pulled the engine.

 

You can use your stock thirdgen radiator to make things bolt up much easier. You can IM me with questions if you'd like...My SN is Thirdgen Camaro.
About the cooling setup, It's not very difficult to figure out. You can EASILY reuse your existing radiator and fan setup...you just run your lines slightly differently. Here're the pieces you need:

'94 corvette lower radiator hose
'95 Camaro Z28 upper radiator hose
3/8" brass coupling
18" 3/8" ruber cooling line
6' 5/8" heater hose
6' 3/4" heater hose
assorted hose clamps
Two caps for about a 5/8" tube.

Here's how you need to run this using the stock radiator: use the 'vette lower radiator hose to connect the radiator to the gooseneck on the LT1 water pump. Use the Camaro upper radiator hose to connect the radiator to the LT1 water pump. (you may have to grind off a little of your existing radiator shroud, but it's very minor work). Now on the upper radiator hose, there will be a 3/8" rubber line kinda splicing off of it. What you need to do with that is take the brass coupling, put it on, and take the 3/8" extra piece of tubing you bought and connect it to the brass coupling, therefore extending the tube coming off the upper radiator hose. Now route that 3/8" hose under the throttle body so it pokes out past the TB on the passenger side. There you will snake it around and connect it straight to a metal coolant line that runs along the bolts on the passenger side of the intake all the way to the back of the heads. That will eliminate the need for you using the TB to pass coolant, and giving you the cheap TB bypass mod. Now to route the lines to the heater core. Take 6' of 3/4" coolant line and run it from the upper port on the water pump all the way to the 3/4" opening on the heater core. Since you have 6' to play with, you can route it pretty much anyway the hell you want (they sell pre cut 6' rolls of this stuff for $3.99 at the auto parts stores). Now take the 5/8" heater hose and run it from the lower port on the water pump (BTW, both the ports for the heater core on the water ppump are on the passenger side) and run it all the way to the 5/8" port on the heater core. Now you have pretty much all the lines run. This is now an optional/conditional point of the coolant routing. Are you going to be using the stock LT1 oil cooler? If you are, you will not have to buy the 2 caps for mentioned in the parts list, but you will have to buy 6 more feet of 5/8" cooling tubing. There'll be one port one the drivers side of the waterpump for the oil cooler. You run a hose from that port to the oil cooler, and a hose from the oil cooler back to the opening in your radiator (which was originally used as a return from the heater core in a stock setup). If you do not plan to use the oil cooler, just block the ports on the radiator and waterpump. You'll be all set. That's the whole cooling setup. Not too hard if you understand it, and I think I explained it fairly well.

If there are any more questions about wiring/routing or what not, don't hesitate to give me an IM or e-mail.

 

Hey guys, what's up? Mark pulled me over here to chime in - so blame him! LOL


Here's the deal. 450hp 355cid LT1 in a 1991 RS.

Now Mark conveniently laid out all the info you'll need to do it. Trust me, it is NO BIG THING. Easy as pie.

I even had the factory T-junction for the heater core and the factory LT1 water pump on it before and it never broke 175 to 180. Now I have a CSI electric pump and I decided to just route the coolant through the heater core full time. The car STILL runs at 175 to 180. It will pop up to 185 when its been driven hard and I get stuck in traffic. But it is at 185 for maybe 1 minute before it cooles down. I run a TPIS 160* T-stat.

How does it look? Better than stock 305 TBI lines by a FAR sight. I have the 4th gen tube coming off the top of the rad to the pump housing. And I have the C4 tube coming off the bottom of the rad and going to the other connection on the pump housing. I actually used my factory 305 tube in that spot initially - and of course, no problems.

I don't see what the problem is here. Can someone enlighten me?

Edit: Just read down through. Obviously you don't need the 4th gen radiator as exampled by Mark and I. The swap has enough little headaches, save yourself this one. My engine is around 450hp and I intend to see MUCH MUCH more after I supercharge is (12-14psi.... someday when I have money again). If the radiator can't keep things cool then? MAYBE I'll get a Griffin replacement for a 3rd gen. But so far, I am confident. Like Mark said, feel free to contact me w/ questions.

The ONLY thing I don't like about how I have mine set up is how I have the heater core return set up. I was able to snake the other one along the intake, but the 2nd one I ran down with the PS lines. I can always redo it, but compared to ALL the lines, wires, and tubes everywhere with the factory 305? It is still ngiht and day better under the hood.

One more edit: I don't frequent TGO too much anymore. I spend my time when I have it on Corvetteforum.com But I recommend that people use databases such as at Mark's site and others to get HARD info from people who have done successful swaps. I used to field dozens of questions and corrected many more dozens of incorrect responses on the boards here and at CZ28.com I know Mark and others try to stay on top of it and keep people straight. But how about the folks who don't have an LT1 swapped car themselves, or haven't yet finished it, not chime in and muddy the waters. People out there read these things and spend hard-earned cash on their cars and these or similar swaps. They don't need to waste free time or cash because someone "thought" they were right.

 

Also, Brett's using his stock radiator for an AUTOMATIC car. Nothing special needs to be done if you're using a 4L60E tranny, hook up the tranny cooling lines the same as you would for a 700-r4.

I run a rad for a 5-speed in my automatic car because I have a seperate tranny cooler in a direct airway path and it keeps my tranny at a nice and cool level, so I didn't have to run fluid through an auto radiator.

 

Brett, what all have you done to reach 450 hp? and is that a dyno number or an educated guess?

 

It don't take much to achieve 400+ HP. All you need is heads that flow 270+ CFM on the intake, and around 200 CFM on the exhaust at .550" lift. You need a healthy cam. Most of the time not emmissions legal without proper tuning. Get a good flowing exhaust and headers (Long tubes or an 1 3/4"). And definately need tuning. You need the regular bolt ons like electric waterpump, 1.6 rrs, good timing chain, 160 thermo. But it's very easy and realtively cheap to make power with these motors.

 

To be fair, it is an educated guess. Here's what I've got.....


95 LT1 block bored/honed/decked
GM 1056 forged 3.48" 1pc rmc crank
Childs & Albert 5.7" Trackmaster 4340 forged H-beam rods
TRW 21cc 4340 forged dished .030"+ pistons
Milodon billet splayed 4-bolt mains
good rings/bearings
GTP Stage 2 heads flowed at 276 cfm @ .550" lift
GTP 6 235/242 .568/.592 114 cam
AFR hydra-rev kit (not necessary, but good insurance)
All Comp Cams valvetrain.......
dual springs (forgot the part number)
Pro Magnum 1.6 non self-aligning rockers
.080" thick 1 pc chromoly pushrods
R series hydraulic lifters
and of course, guideplates
Intake wasn't ported, but was port-matched and polished inside.
Currently have a stock 48mm TB.
SLP 1 3/4" headers into full 3" single exhaust
ARP bolts and Fel-Pro gaskets throughout
There's other little **** like MSD and little mods here and there, but what I just typed down is the guts of it.

 

But also to back myself up.... folks with this combo are walking away with as much as 415 rwhp on at least one I have seen. Now mine needs more tuning, and my CR is 1 point lower. So I probably am making about ..... 430hp (at least 60 less than the car that put 415 to the wheels). But you can float me the other 20 until I go boosted can't you?

I was originally going to just boost the car w/ the current cam. My ideas have changed. The next time I tear into the car it will be driving away with an emissions-legal blower cam, a T-56, and a 6-pt cage. After that? Just needs the blower!

As far as the blower goes..... not SURE yet, but will probably use a D-1 or D-2 from ATI and run 12psi. I would run more, but I prefer to stick to pump gas if possible. :hail:

 

that sounds sweet Brett. I wish I would have known about the GTP heads when I was doing the head swap on mine. I could have driven up to their shop and picked them up and probably gotten it dyno'd too, if they have one. I might do that over Christmas. But next year I plan on going Stage 3 GTP everything, I want a screamer. good luck with your blower, its going to be badass.

 

I don't know if I will be finishing the RS next year or not. Right now I am gearing up for a Lemon Law suit against GM for the Corvette which has spent 3 and 4 months each year in the shop for problems that don't relate in any way to abuse or wear 'n tear, just a lot of freaky defects and problems. If I win the case completely and I get a new C5 (preferably a Z06 or a convertible this time around) and maybe a small cash settlement as well.... then the RS will get a lot more attention.

But if I fail, though I don't see how I could with all the info I have for the Lemon Law... but IF I don't win the way I want to.... then I'll have to sell the C5 anyway. I can't afford to keep the car past warranty if I am going to be paying insurance on a car that spends 1/4 of the year at the shop, nevermind the cost at the dealership! If THAT happens..... I don't know what I would do.'

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the RS and would not want to part with it --- but a C5 is addicting and kicks the crap out of the RS any day. So if I lose, I'll sell the C5 and maybe the RS and buy another C5. But I don't think I am going to lose.

If you're the religious type, pray for me! LOL GM has dicked me around for 2 years. Now I am bringing it back to them.

As far as the RS and hp...... I will be going with a smaller cam. We currently have emissions amnesty up here, so I have been enjoying the big grind. But that ends in March. So I will need to get past the sniffer again, and my cat is the only emissions equipment on my car. So I will have to do the cam by then. But since I plan to run about 12psi.... I will still be seeing about 600 hp or more out of it when I'm done. :hail:

As for any C5 I end up with.... I never touched the current coupe except for changing air filters with oil changes, getting a !cags, and I tried two different muffler systems. My plan was to wait until a point beyond warranty when I could afford to mod it up. It is going past warranty this week. I had intended to get a Cartek stage two set of heads and the best still-emissions-legal cam they had and then top it off with the ATI P-1sc 5psi kit. That or just do the blower for now until the engine died. But the rest of the car is crapping out, and the current engine and engine management system have the car stalling when I come to a stop and backfiring while driving...... BACKFIRING!!!! GRRRR. So I'm not about to put another red cent into this rolling lemon.

Anyway - in a perfect world I'll end up with a Z06 next year and the RS will find itself loaded with a few new goodies. I tried to like the auto w/ the Yank TT 2800..... and after some tuning it DOES feel better than originally..... BUT it still sucks. I don't like that mushy feeling on the pedal. So I am going to buy a built T56 and slap on a Star or Cartek clutch and call it a day. The whole idea with the RS is to have it built to hell, but not very noticable. So the smaller cam, the quieter D-1 or D-2 system, and the T-56 will help keep it sounding very unassuming on the streets. Right now the big grind and the 2800 stall leave nothing to the imagination of anyone driving near me! LOL