Okay, I am going to pick up a 1986 lroc-z in the morning.
The body is mint,interior is in great condition all except for the headliner needs re-glued.
Problem is the motor needs rebuilding.
I'm getting the car for $1500, the owner has one place priced at $1200 to rebuild the motor.
It's a stock 305 TPI, with 700r4 automatic.Tranny is fine.
Since I'm going to have to get the motor rebuilt, what are some things l could do to beef the engine up..since it only rates @ 190hp stock.

Also, l have a friend who is selling a 94' z28 parts car with a great running 5.7/auto trans for $1000 obo, I could get it for $800 easy...How hard would it be to swap in the LT1 in place of the motor thats in it now...as far as wiring and such.
I have pulled and dropped motors in small trucks and cars roughly 20 times..but it was always the same motor that came out, so wiring was all the same.
Swapping the LT1 and auto trans from the 94 into the 86 iroc is a direct switch,or would l need to rewire?How hard is it to rewire?

 

What exactly is wrong with the "motor"?

 

Honestly l have no clue.
I found it two days ago,called the guy today and he said the motor needs to be rebuilt and he had a place around here quote him a $1200 rebuild price.
I would love to just buy the 94' off of my friend and drop that motor in it.. 275 stock versus 190 isn't a hard choice.
Any ideas on what exactly it would take to swap in the LT1?

 

Keep in mind that it's impossible to get an accurate quote on a rebuild when it's not even known what is wrong with it.
That's really the first order of business.

 

If the motor is just worn out and needs rebuilding then I would just recommend a rebuilt long block 350 from a local supplier. (Autozone, checker, pep boys, etc) You can use the entire intake and electronics setup from the 305 and not have any problems. The 350 does use larger injectors and a different PROM (Chip) but it will run with the 305 stuff until you get the money to swap these out. This is the easiest way to go. I have run the LT-1's before and I'm not too impressed with them. You can usually find a rebuilt (With warranty) long block for around 800-900.oo. This would be money better spent than on a tired LT-1 with no warranty and lots of re-wiring needed.
My .02

 

When I bought my '85 the guy said the engine was bad and needed rebuilt; It knocked like hell and shook badly and I figured he was probably right.
I found out the harmonic balancer was bad and had slipped back on the rubber bushing and almost had a hole worn in the front of the oil pan. If that wasn't bad enough the crank pulley in front of it had 2 missing bolts and the other 2 were half backed out.
Of course I didn't notice this untill the engine was out.

 

Bummer!! I have had this happen, but caught it in time. It can be a small problem.... NEVER assume the seller is telling the truth or that he/she knows what they are talking about.

 

It's not exactly a "drop in".

Check the LT1 sticky in the top section of the Engine Swap forum.

 

As I recall there are some cooling system issues...
There is a reason GM only made these motors for 6 years.

 

Yeah, they got sued for patent infringement.

 

Really? I was always under the impression it was because of all the problems they had! LOL JK. Who sued and why?

 

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