IM DOIN THE LT1 SWAP AND IM MAKIN IT A CARBED LT1, WHAT IVE RAN INTO IS WHERE CAN I GET A TIMING POINTER FOR IT? I HAVE A BALANCER THAT HAS TIMING MARKS IN IT, NOW JUST HOW TO TIME IT?? PLZ HELP

 

here is what i did when i ran into that problem...just an FYI...there isnt a timing pointer that will work nor made...youll have to do what i did in porder to get it right...

Make a mark anywere close to the timing cover so you can see it when shooting it for time...what i did was take a dremel and cut a little notch on the lower passenger side of the timing cover and used that as my refrence point

get #1 to TDC...use a piston stop to achieve this...you screw it into the spark plug hole and it essentially stops the piston (turn it over by hand)...make sure before you start its on #1 fire (both the valves closed) instead over overlap (#6 fire)....spin the motor around untill it stops...make a mark on the balancer at that notch and then spin it back around the other way...make another mark there....then split the difference between the marks on the balancer and whoolaaa TDC...then when you go to time it in use that notch on the timing cover...

i didnt have a balancer with any marks on it so i had to get timing tape...you put that on at the TDC mark and wrap it around clockwise...

 

so since mine has the timing marks on teh balancer already, just find TDC, and take my timing cover and a regular SBC one and get the timing pointers as close as possible, or even just make a mark where its visiable, then put the balancer on so the TDC is matched up with the line in the timing cover, just make sure its TDC when i match up the 2 lines? then just time it like normal?

 

if you want to switch to an electric waterpump, you could run a standard timing cover as I believe the bolt patterns are the same. then you'd have the pointer. only other way I see to do it would be like f-crazy suggested.

 

yea i looked into that, but the standard sbc timing cover is more rounded at the top.. the LT1 is egg shaped, so i would have to stick with the LT1 cover, which is a bummer but yea

 

yeah I guess so since it has the waterpump drive gear above the timing chain. forgot about that.

 

yea that fact kidna threw me off too, but im just gonna stick some freeze plugs in the opti spark and w/p holes and be done wit that, lol, lt1's are so much fun, i cant wait till i get to go threw all the fun putting it in. lol

 

you can use a distributor plug from gm. It bolts in place of the optispark and has a timing pointer. The gm part number is 12367600.

 

well im using the 92 timing cover...will that still work? cuz if memory serves me right the 92 is totally differnt than the 96 which is what gm says it fits (96 LT4) which is a large hole for the dist, i got the small hole...

 

it does need a 95 or newer timing cover. It could probably be modified easily to work since you are planning to plug the holes with freeze plugs. you would have to grind the piece off of the back side that fits in the larger seal. or just change to a newer timing cover.