I would appreciate any feedback. I read through some threads that talk about L98 vette motors and the vette LT1 rated at 300hp. Here's why I ask...I've come across 2 for sale camaros (not at the same time) that state "stock L98 vette engine". Short of getting the vin # and documentation, is this possible? Here is the listing of one car. He says it came stock that way.

Quote:

1991 Camaro LT1

Camaro LT1 . 1 of 478. SLP1LE option a/c delete LT1 Corvette engine. Original 16,000 km In climate control storage for the past 5 years. As new as they come and extremely rare.
Price - $ 23,500

 

Not unless someone took the engine out of the Corvette and put it in the Camaro. I wouldnt worry about that too much though.

 

Thanks Madmax. But this is where I'm kind of stumped, he says it's original to the car not taken out of a vette

 

Then the seller is giving you outright BS. ..walk away.

 

Alot of people also don't know about the L98 designation so they think they have an LT1. The 4th gens advertised the LT1 and LS1 designation so much that people think that the older 350 in their car must be an LT1. Contact the seller and ask to see a copy of the SPID label from the rear hatch area. The car will say L98 if it has a 350 in it. You could also ask to see the engine pics and tell by that. The LT1 and L98 look completely different.

 

The LT1 I believe was released in 1992 in the Corvette, With that said it would be impossible to have a Corvette LT1 in a 1991 as there would not be any emissions testing.

The LT1 had an 8th digit Vin code of "P" IIRC, the L98 (350) an "8" and LB9 (305) an "F". By simply looking at the VIN you would be able to see what originally came in the car. I highly doubt that GM would have released a "Test Car" as it was very possible that the engeneers did toy with the idea of putting an LT1 in a Camaro. In the end they probably decided not to go with the LT1 in a 3rd gen because the 4th gen was being released in a year or so and getting emissions testing for a single year would not have been lucrative.

ALSO it should be noted that in 1991 the L98 WAS also used in the Base Corvette, the engines look almost identical except the Corvette had better exhaust manifolds and Aluminum heads.

In short... no LT1 until 1993 in the F-body.

John

 

"SLP1LE option"

That right there is bogus, aside of that LT1 nonsense. SLP made the Firehawk, and had nothing to do with GM's 1LE option.

I looked up that ad, that photo of the engine quite clearly shows a TPI motor so the owner doesnt even know the difference between that and the LT1.

 

Thank you all for responding. I now have a better grip on the subject because of what you all have said. Just for clarification, I'm not looking to buy this, but wanted to know if this was BS. I kind of thought so from reading the threads, yet my knowledge of the various engines in our cars is limited. The TGO brain trust rocks

 

Here's another example of what I'm talking about John and Scottmoyer. How can this be stock? Thanks.

James



Seller's Description and Comments
Collector condition. Low mileage: 27 K original miles. Always garaged. Maintenance records available. Original car. Interior still smells new. All options work. 1987 Chevrolet IROC-Z: 5.7L (L98 Corvette engine) with Tuned Port Injection, PW, PDL, PS, PB, A/C, Automatic, 3.27 Borg Warner Posi-Traction Differential, Performance Suspension with Bilstein Shocks, 4 Wheel Disc Brakes, Optima Battery, Remote Alarm, BFGoodrich G-force tires. Exterior Color: Medium Garnet Red. Interior Color: Gray. Original car with 27 K original miles. No trades and serious inquiries only. Please call 440-639-2681. Email: wksjauw@hotmail.com

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...reset_crumbs=y

 

THe car looks Stock, From a certain point of view the Corvette and the Camaro did share a similar engine, Cosmetically speaking they look the same, Internally I believe they were the same, the only difference to my knowledge is the aluminum heads and the Exhaust manifolds... I think some dealers may have marketed the cars as "With Corvette Engine" so it may not be an attempt to misrepresent on the behalf of the owner... just misinformed...

John

 

every idiot seller out there pulls the 'corvette engine' line.
That's when you look at them and tell them. "oh well i really wanted the camaro engine."
Every LS1, LT1, L98 is a corvette from the sellers point of view, because that makes the car faster and worth the higher prie they want.

In reality it's just a GM corporate engine put in both the vette and camaro with the vette having better exhaust, or some other slight variation.

 

27k on the odometer?? Pus 100,000 before it rolled over.
In that case I have a 87 IROC-Z with less then 5000 miles.

 

I guess you didnt look at the pictures. Kind of obvious that car does not have 127k miles on it.

 

I guess you didn't look at the picture of my 5000 mile car with the Corvette engine??

 

Why do you suspect that the car has 127K miles? It certainly looks like a low-mile original car to me. CARFAX also supports the mileage. Are you seeing something I'm not?

 

Well until I checked the pictures in the ad and contacted the seller, I found out I know the history of that car. It is what the ad says and the condition is mint with 27K being the actual mileage. I almost bought that same car in 87 and know the previous owner and also the present seller before I moved. Small world.

 

Now I can understand the misleading info... Corvette heads = Corvette engine in a Camaro. No dealership or salesman would ever use this tactic .

 

Hey DJP87Z28, since you almost bought this car, did it have Corvette heads?

 

ur misunderstanding
l98 camaros and vettes use the same motor, the vettes use different heads and exhaust...people call it a vette motor because regardless of the heads and exhaust they are both engine code l98 in both cars....when someone says that their camaro has a vette engine it usually is a stock l98 that came in the car. u cant really change the exhuast to corvette style at best u can put the aluminum heads from the vette on the camaro with no problem though...its like the 3.8 v6 in my 99 camaro is used in several different cars but when u see it in like some impallas ss or somethin u dont say its got the camaro v6 in it...its just a motor and other people are stupid..

 

Thank you igotta355z28 for the further explanation.

 

The only cars that had the Corvette engine were Corvettes, and remind anyone of that fact when you come across this urban myth.

 

No...Just the optional 350 TPI for $1045. Since the 350 was new there were no Dealer discounts on these cars.

 

You guys are making way too big a deal about this "vette" engine thing. Pick up ANY Autotrader, and about 1/3 of the adds for third and fourth gen F bodies will say "Vette" engine. ....and outside "our" hobby, for all intents and purposes, it's true.

I always wanted to buy a vette, just so I could resell it with a "Camaro" engine!

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but the 4th gen Engines had fewer changes than the 3rd Gens when comparing them to a Corvette Engine from the same year. In contrast the 94-96 Impalla and Roadmaster LT1's had the Cast Iron heads vs the Aluminum heads like the F-body and the Vette from the same years...

Granted this is a 3rd Gen site so I do not claim to "know all"

BTW, Abubaca... I want one of those Corvettes with the Camaro Engine, I bet it would be more rare too

John

 

I believe the 4th gen Fbodies had a different cam. Not sure though.