Folks,

I'm planning to drop an LT1 into my 87 engine bay to replace the engine I had in there.

To clarify the issue, I have a ca. 1992 serpentine setup in there now (actually a mutant mix), and would like to use the setup as-is. The LT1 setup I have my eye on has no accessories with it, si I'd like to just use the motor along with my L98 accessories / pulleys. So...

- Can I just pull the LT1 crank & hub, replace the cutback woodruff key, and install a neutral-balance L98 balancer? Crank doesn't have the keyway in it? I've seen conflicting info on this so far.

- Can I fabricate a spacer to position the LT1 balancer further out to line up with the existing bracketry? How much difference is there in terms of spacing, 1/2"? 1"? 3"?

- If the spacing differential is too great, could I fab up a special pulley mount to bring the position further out? Like a backset pulley around the bampener or something?

- What can be done about the belt geometry? It seems like an idler pulley is needed about where the water pump would normally go.

I'm fishing for ideas here. The answer is NOT that "It can't be done!". Everything can be done in various ways, I'm looking for some of them.

Thanks,
-Craig

 

I don't know Craig, I guess the only thing I could suggest is just try it. I don't know that its been done before, so there may not be a whole lot of help out there.

 

The difference between the offset is around 1" IIRC, you would of course have to fabricate some sort of idler where the water pump is to retain the serp setup. There is a good bit of grinding to the brackets required just to get them to bolt on, you *should* be able to use a regular neutral balance 3rd gen pulley and balancer to correct the offset, leaving you with a lot of grinding, and an idler to fab. Which accessories are you looking to retain ? I may have another suggestion.

 

How about stabbing a L98 distributor into the LT1 motor? Yet another twist: How about using an L98 intake on the LT1 block?

I think the idler deal can be made to work pretty easily, especially since I'm thinking of chunking the optispark in favor of a L98 dizzy. That'll be even more room.

This should be fun, eh?

 

Putting the TPI intake on it, you'd be asking for trouble and killing most of the performance benifit of the LT1

Putting a distrib in the whole LT1 would require modifying the intake for it, john millican can do this, you'd have to remove the oil pump drive slug after pulling the intake off, and use L98 computer / wiring and throttle body.

 

So the LT1 will take a distributor in it's a$$? That's good to know.

I've got this I could throw on the top. Might kill a little low-end torque, but it should be OK. Have to redrill it for the bolt pattern I guess:

 

gonna have to rethink your cooling system too

 

He'd just be using a 4th gen radiator and hoses, or a 3rd gen one with the hoses others have done, dont see where you find a complication.

 

fyi, if you remove the opti you will not have the low res pulse which is used to fire the injectors.
Kory

 

why are we removing the opti? Yea, it fails but there is aftermarket stuff out there to fix that as with all stuff.
IMO, i think it would be cheaper to find the belt set up off a lt1 camaro then to make new brakets and maybe not have everything line up.