Im trying to decide weather to put an ls1 or a lt1 in my camaro. I want an ls1 a little more,but lt1s are much more affordable and I could still get what I want after I spend alot of money on the lt1. But my engine would remain some-what stock for awhile after the swap.so sway me on way or anoter guys

 

Cant beat an LsX. Great Gas Mileage and they react very well with modifications.

 

It all depends on YOU and how much you want to spend. But I went LT1 for the cost of the swap. There are a few post on here of LS1 "swap prices".

 

do a search. It's been debated a thousand times. no reason to beat a dead horse

 

Aw, com'mon, we all like to talk about ourselves here. . .

My evaluation process went something like this:

Premise - "dream car".

Must haves:
- Manual tranny
- EFI
- At least as much or more power than current 350
- Creature comforts

Considered:
Vette, GTO, T56 behind current 350 (would compromise on the EFI part)

Decided to go either LT1 or LS1 in Camaro I already had.

LT1 - a stock engine would need upgrades to match my current power. Installation would require almost as much effort as LS1 (front engine mounts and exhaust about the only savings LT1 vs. LS1).

LS1 - a stock engine would have as much power as current, with EFI a big plus, and a lot of upgrade potential. Cost is higher, but about the same compared to upgraded LT1.

After deciding on the LS1/T56 and getting one in the garage, I had 2nd thoughts about taking the current Camaro apart, and ended up finding another swap candidate - hence, Berlinetta #2 became part of the family.

So, that's how I got to where I am today. Swap is WIP, haven't touched it since March, I'm afraid. Hope to get back to it this weekend.

 

I went with the lt1 cause of the price. Almost ready to put it all back in. Waiting on a few small parts and still have to do the wiring.

 

When I do this thing again it will be with an LS engine in it.

 

I think it's probably fair to say that "reward is *roughly* proportionate to cost". The LT1 is definitely a decent swap candidate, but the same things that make it a relatively easy swap (limited architectural differences from Gen-I engines) also limit the ultimate potential as well.
The LSx-series engines definitely cost significantly more to swap in, but the ultimate "up-side" to them is significantly higher as well.

None of us can make the call for you, it all depends on what you're looking for, & what you can realistically budget. My personal advice to you is to sit down, REALLY think about what you want to do, how much time & work you can put into it, & how much money you can spend. You may find that your decision is made for you...

Good luck.

 

I've had an Lt1 in my car for about the last 7 years. While it's a great motor and in it's current for makes over 400whp. I'm strongly considering going Ls1 over the winter. There seem to be alot of ls cars in the 400-450whp area that are getting around 30mpg on the freeway. I have yet to see one Lt1 do that.
Just my .02
Kory

 

I went with the LT1(mid swap now) for pretty basic reasons. Just the little things like appearance, sound, and cost( although i will be in the 6-7k area when i am done).
I did a full rebuild on the motor and had my heads ported with an LT4 hotcam and some 1.6 rockers. Also bought the vette accessories(big chunk of change). And i put a T56 in at the same time.

I will be making a decent amount of power, more than you could hope for for a TPI motor with the same amount in mods(under 1k). And it will look awesome under the hood and sound great too.

Like everyone else said, its all on what you want and what you think is important. If you want the most power possible then go LS1. IF you arent so much concerened with that, and want a good looking/sounding engine for less, and still a good ammount of power, then the LT1 is a safe bet as well.

Jake

 

Isn't it nice that now we can say that a 400+rwhp Lt1 is just middle of the road.. Wow things have come a long way, and we have it really good.

In 82 my car was a 175hp 305 E4ME 4bbl and that was hot **** I remember it scaring the ******* out of me when I was 10 years old with my dad driving.

I mentioned LS above simply because for future goals I am looking for more N/A horsepower with better driveability.. It is opinion but the LE2 cam in a 355 is for me right on the edge of streetable. I would like santa to give me more cubes, with variable valve timing in a lighter engine..