Sorry folks, I'm yet another Lt1 swappy with questions. I'll start at the best place to start... The beggining. This is long, I am sorry.

I have a 1986 2.8L Camaro, I've already pulled the engine and tranny, marked the wiring harness and it still sits under the hood still intact. In the garage on an engine stand lies a 1996 LT1 engine from a camaro, waiting to be stripped and built. And the computer BTW.

The plans are as follows: Strip engine, have block hot tanked and honned. Maybe bored 30 over, please give me advice on boring the engine if you have any, I'm not sure if I should just hone the engine and replace it with the current pistons, or bore it and get brand new set up. We're hot tanking the heads, and port/polishing them. Intake manifold/throttle body are being scrapped for performance set up( any ideas). Electric water pump in the plans. New 255 in tank fuel pump. Cam/springs/rods. T-56 rebuilt tranny, or some other good tranny, open for ideas. I'm purchasing a painless wiring harness. I'm looking to send the computer to have the Vats removed, and possibly tuned if I dont just tune the engine. New front end suspension, including spohn K-member with LT1 motor mounts from Hawks. Most the suspension will probally be from spohn unless anyone has better advice. Not sure which springs/struts. Open for advice there too. And I want to replace the rear, with a posi disc brake unit. Any adivice for good prices? I was thinking 410's or 411's.

I'm sure theres alot more I am going to need, we're looking and couple month project, and alot of cash. We're 3 begginer mechanics, myself an elevator mechanic. And the occassional help of a master mechanic when we beg him to stop by. Any advice in good parts, any ideas will be taken into consideration. Anything you all know I am going to need or problems I will run into.This car is going to be driven on the street, but also on the track. Mainly a street car with massive power i hope.

Thanks everyone, and sorry again for the long post.

 

1. Let the machine shop make the determination if it needs to be bored or not, mine with 150k miles didn't have to be bored.

2. Do not hot tank the heads, they are aluminum and the chemicals they use in the tanks can harm them.

3. There are no performance intakes for the LT1's since the intake is a really good piece from the factory (and please don't put a carb on it, they run really good with the FI setup) If you're not going witha huge cam and really big port job, the stock TB will be fine

4. Rods will be fine, I have friends who spun theirs to 6700 with the stock PM rods with no problems, but the machine shop again can tell you if they have to be changed.

5. T56 will be fine.

6. 255lph walbro will be fine.

7. Ditch the '96 PCM and find a '95 and do an OBD-I conversion, you will be better off, programs to tune and monitor aren't as expensive and the OBD-I LT1's take the changes done to the programming better than the OBD-II. Also, I wouldn't waste the money on the painless kit, if you can find an OBD-I car to get the PCM from, snag the engine harness as well....8-10 wires to splice in and you're set (not buying the painless kit will save you $400 that you can spend elsewhere).

8. No reason to have to buy a tubular k-member unless you just really want it. This motor is based on the Gen 1 SBC so standard V8 mounts will work. There are two sets of holes on the stock k-member. Move the brake line to the rear of the k-member and put the frame mounts on the front. I swapped my LT1 into a V6 Firebird originally before it got totalled and didn't change any of the front suspension at all on it.

Good Luck

 

If you're looking to get into suspension/chassis upgrades, get some subframe connectors welded in first. Really, every thirdgen needs subframe connectors.