well after talking with the ladies insurnace company their gonna give me about $3700 to fix my car. In reality imma spend about 400 to fix it. So I have alot of extra money left over. Im battling with myself weither I shoudl swap a LT1 or a LS1. The LT1 is about $900 cheaper, the motor is more simple, its lighter then my motor, and it has good aftermarket support...while the LS1 is more powerful, even ligheter then the LT1, but yet its also more complicated...hmmmmm...anyone have any opinion on this? Like which motor would be better over all? thanks.

 

The LT1 swap is so 5 years ago. It's just a small block with aluminum heads and reverse cooling, and a sweet $180 opti-funk to go bad on you all the time. If you want to do an LT1, screw it, build a small block with incredible heads and make more power than an LT1 for less.

LS1 all the way if you want to swap in something to be different. In the LS1's case, all the power in the world, and an all aluminum engine. Drop in a stocker with a cam and you could do 11s.

 

An LS1 with a T-56 would be cool, but it requires a lot of fabrication and work for it to work.

 

What happened to the car?

 

I agree with Ed. The only reason to put an LT1 in your car is because you can't afford the LS1 swap but you want the newer computer. I've heard bad things about optispark, and I have a friend who had his die at 60k and it's been fine for three years since. But in reality I'm sure it's not as bad as you hear-no one is saying how great it is because there is no point, but you do hear everyone bitch when theirs breaks.

$3700 is a lot to fix a car, what happened?

 

Hmmm...well one reason I like hte LT1 instead of building a motor is the price. I can get a LT1 w/t56 for about 1,400-1,800. Alluminum heads alone cost like 1,200+ alone O_o Mostly cause I want a T56 trans. Cause its either build a 350 and buy a T56 seperate. Or buy a LT1 w/t56. Much cheaper that way.

As for my car I was driving down the road and a lady who wasnt paying attention zoomed out of a drive way. Smashing into the passenger side of my car.

 

If I had four grand to drop between my fenders all at once, I'd skip both options.

As stated, the LT1 is a good engine, but is simply an improved version of the old Gen I SBC - like we haven't already been doing that ourselves for about 30 years. I've got two of them, and they do just fine, but they aren't "all that". That being said, the older LT1 will spank most LS1 engines in a similar situation - daily. Then again, it isn't stock either.

The LS1 is a good design, and is gaining aftermarket support all the time. The most prevalent issues with the LS1 and LS6 engines is the parts availabilty, limited possibilities for conficguration, and limited displacement. Has anyone here run up against a 426 CID Gen III engine lately? Didn't think so.

The Gen I SBC has almost limitless possible configurations, displacements, heads, cams, cranks, rods, piston designs, yada, yada. They can be built from 230 CID to 430 CID, bolstered, boosted, blown, balanced, billeted, etc. You could get a lot more HP and torque from the Gen I SBC than a LS1 or LS6 engine, dollar-for-dollar. The big limitation is the cam journal size.

But with a phat check like that in my filthy hands, I'd be very tempted to start shopping for an aluminum case 502 or 535 marine engine. As long as you can engineer the fit into your car (and it has been done numerous times), you'll have far more torque, horsepower, and reliability than the LS-series engines have a prayer of achieving in their current configurations. And, you'll flat-out embarrass any of them that you encounter. I've yet to see a 3,500 HP LS1 or LS6 engine at the local track... maybe someday, huh?

 

Given a $3k budget, i don't think you could build an engine faster than a stock LS1 with a mild cam in it. And it sure wouldn't be as driveable.

LS1s have gone 9s NA, and 8s on the bottle. And we're talking stock GM casting heads and intakes. Could you build an aluminum big block to do the same or better. Sure. But what do single digit potentials have to do with a modest budget engine swap?

 

Well, maybe most people couldn't. If you could dig up a low-mileage LS1, PCM, wire harness, and transmission for $2,500, I'd say it would be a good deal. They're getting more available every day. Save the rest of the cash for the installation labor and assorted hiccups you'll encounter, like the torque arm mounting, driveshaft, etc.

As for the performance, there has also been a Toyota 4-cylinder running 7.97, but that doesn't make it a top fueler, and it certainly wouldn't do that in a streetable car as heavy as a ThirdGen. Even from GMPP, a 502 Ramjet with complete control and fuel system is only about $5,500. A builder should get close to that output for a lot less if there is a "free" time investment (no labor charges).

Depending on your willingness to invest your time and abilities, there are plenty of good options. Just do some homework (as you are now) before you commit.

 

Oh, so now you're backing down on the aluminum mountain motor

 

Not backing down for me, but possibly as a suggestion for him. It may be a little more than the average enthusiast would like to involve himself with. Finding a complete LS1 package at that price may be a little difficult, though. For me, I'd still like a relatively light ThirdGen car with a stiffened frame and appropriate springs with a RAT-like beast between the strut towers.

Actually, if I had my druthers, I'd try that with a FirstGen, since a few were made that way with no problems. Those tiny bodies can be made really rigid, and take the launch torque of 600+ ft/lbs repeatedly. Unfortunately, if I got my hands on a nice enough FirstGen, I'd be tempted just to restore it - unless I had several. The SecondGen cars are a little too heavy, and the FourthGen cars are just plain too small and awkward for me to even sit in (the main reason I got the first Impala instead of an '94 IROC). Pointing my toes to get my feet under the dash just didn't seem practical, and I'm not really fond of the engine location in relation to the cowl/body on FourthGens.

The availability of good ThirdGen bodies is still pretty broad, and once I'm settled into the new digs, that may be on my project list. The last BBC I toyed with was a 366T, and that just "ain't right", as my dog would say. I've gotta cleanse the palette a little from that one, and a BBC in a sleeper car may be just the flavor to do that. I know the parts can get pricey, and the design changes are more numerous than the SBC, but the temptation of that kind of torque in a reliable, streetable engine is just too great. Got an extra $3K to get me started?