I have a set of forged pistons for a genI block will they work with an LT1 block..i got them for free and id really hate to not be able to use them..also do the cams that work with the genI block work with the LT1's too or do they need a certain type of cam.

 

yes they should both work but make sure there is enough valve clearance and the cam has a retainer plate that cant be put back on if it a the older flat tappet style

 

ok so how about an msd 6al and the probillet distributor would that work?

 

No, the pistons for an LT1 are special lightweight piston, different than a standard SBC.



The camshafts for a regular SBC won't work because it doesn't have the pin long enough to drive the opti spark.

The 6AL will work, but the distributor will not since the LT1 has the distributor in the front of the engine driven by the front of the camshaft.

Also for cranks

CRANKS
350 - The crank for the LT1 looks just like the one in the late 350 and has the same casting number 14088526, but it’s balanced for the lightweight pistons that were installed in the LT1. Be sure to keep these cranks separate so they don’t end up in a regular 350, and don’t ever use a regular 350 crank in a LT1. In fact, if you are short of LT1 cranks and don’t have a balancing machine in your shop, you would be better off using a crank from a 305 instead of a 350 because it’s actually closer to the balance specs for the LT1 crank.

 

The cam is a no go.. if the piston is for a standard 3.48 stroke 5.7inch rod small block chevy they will work if you are doing a rebuild and have a shop balance the assembly..

Some criteria..
1. they must match the crank stroke you have..
2.they must match the rod length (if you are doing a rebuild get some nice scat rods to replace the stockers, almost as cheap as reconditioning and stronger)
3. they must be in the range of 5cc - 7cc so you keep compression, otherwise you will make a dog, or a good blower engine.

If you are not doing a rebuild don't waste time with switching pistons.. The LT1 is standard 1 peice rear main seal small block on the internals and those parts interchange if machined and balanced correctly.. My new build uses Mahle forged pistons that are -5cc for a 3.48 inch stroke with 6inch rods, they don't care that the engine is an LT1 just that it is a small block chevy..The only stock LTx rotating piece is the crank.

As mentioned above though, the cam does not interchange, the MSD 6al will, and the distributor will not unless you convert the car to carbureted..

 

The only thing that dimensionally different from the lt1 piston and a reg 350 piston is the ring grove the lt1s use a thinner ring.

 

I thought that any factory "style" roller cam (one made for sbc roller blocks) will work in the l98 or lt1 it's just the lt1 needs a longer dowel at the front end of the cam thus a non roller cam would not work in the lt1

 

The l98 roller style cam will work but you have to do two things... First make sure the dowel pin is the correct length for whichever style optispark you have. Second the hole in the cam must be machined out for the optispark drive pin to fit in. I have a friend who did that on his caprice using a zz4 style cam.. it worked but not worth the effort for the novice, especially when you can get purpose built LT1 cams off the shelf or made to order..

my friend did it because he had the cam for free and had the access to the machines, I think if anything for giggles.

 

you can buy the pin from gm for the lt and have it put in any cam so long as its the right pin for the opti it will work

 

Not without drilling out the center of the cam to fit the opti drive.

 

CAMS
1992-’95 350 WITH ALUMINUM HEADS - The 1992 Corvette had a steel roller cam with a shallow hole in the snout that measured .450" in the front and tapered down to .240" at the bottom. It had a short dowel (.320") that was used to locate the timing gear and a hole with 16 splines in the center of the gear for the stub shaft that drove the early distributor. The 1993-‘94 H.O. cam had a few subtle changes, but all of the early H.O. cams are the same for all intents and purposes. They can be identified by the number "241" stamped on the barrel in front of the first lobe.


1994-’96 350 WITH IRON HEADS - The distributor drive was changed on the iron-headed motors only in 1994, so the front of the cam and the timing gear were changed, too. The cam had a pilot hole that was bigger and deeper (0.500" x 1.0625") and it had a longer (.685") dowel pin that stuck out beyond the timing gear to drive the new distributor. This iron-headed motor was used in the Chevy Caprice, Buick Roadmaster and Cadillac Fleetwood, so it came with a milder cam that improved low end torque and reduced valve train noise. These cams have the long dowel pin and either "600" or "779" stamped on the barrel of the cam in front of the first lobe.

1995-’97 350 WITH ALUMINUM HEADS - In 1995, the aluminum-headed motors got the late, pin-drive distributor, so there’s a second version of the H.O. cam with the big pilot hole (.500" x 1.0625" ) and the long (.685" ) dowel pin. Look for a cam with the long pin and either "242" or "705" stamped on the barrel in front of the first lobe.



This info from Rebuilding the Chevrolet LT1 Engine, Doug Anderson, Automotive Rebuilder, September 1999

http://www.automotiverebuilder.com/ar/ar99928.htm

 

also the LT1's had offset piston pins for some reason.