i was thinking between 3 different swaps an lt1 an ls1 or an older 350 and i was wanting to know with building up a 350 be better than getting an lt1 or ls1 and beefin' it up alittle?also what would be the most hassle and money?

 

Those LS series motors have got to be the best option. It does not take much to get them running in the 11's

 

Hopefully someone else will chime in but I remember reading somewhere else here something along the lines of:
Horsepower------Cheapest engine platform
0-x SBC Gen1
x-400 or 450ish LT1
400/450+ LS1

I don't remember the exact numbers but with that general format you can probably look it up if someone more knowledgeable doesn't chime in first.

For equivalent HP it seems you'll get better fuel economy and torque with an LS rather than a Gen1, although I don't know how much of that is the electronics and how much is the intake/whatever options.

 

alright thanks and also would you have to get different motor mounts to swap it?

 

There are stickies for the details of the LT1 and LS1 swaps in the top section of this forum.

 

bang for the buck is hands down Gen I small block. you dont have to change accessory drive setups, if you're staying with the same induction type, very little has to be changed with the fuel system, exhaust can be reused. Gen I parts are typically cheaper too.

for drivability, i wouldnt mind an LSx, but its certainly not in the bang for the buck category.

 

Since the question is "best bang for the buck", I'd also suggest a gen 1 SBC. It's not going to be the best or most powerful out of all the choices but it is the cheapest to build, install, maintain and modify.

 

I like the LS1 and the LT1 is a damn good engine but as everyone stated the gen1 block is best bang for the buck. I plan on a engine swap next year and I will do a gen1 427 sbc and it is worth the machine shop bill because the cost will still be cheaper than a LS1 swap and give about 500 rwhp. My old 83 Z28 had a junkyard engine that I built up and pushed to 419hp and handled nitrous and alot of abuse for 3 year till it blew a couple rings but in total the engine was built for under 700$ and is still running just with new rings and owner lol. Though there is a couple statements that can be said for auto performance.

1. cheap & fast, exspensive & reliable - choose one
2. If it has **** or wheels it will give you problems
3. The performance of your car is equal to your total displacement of your wallet.

Being said I have built some cars that were fast and not so reliable and I have had some flukes where the vehicle shouldn't be running but just won't die. My father told me that if I blew the engine in my 78 monza he would pay for a v8 swap and it had the original iron duke and I have tried so hard even drained the oil and overheated it till the valves sounded like a machine gun and the block was glowing and it still runs, damn pontiac for designing a good engine.