If this can be moved to a different section please let me know because I don't know of a best place to post this at.

I am a lover of the SBC engine and it's amazing torque. I love the simplicity of the 3rd Gen. IROC and I love older cars in general much more than newer cars/computerized and controlled cars.

I've been going back and forth not really debating but more so it's like I'm having to prove why I want to stay with SBC instead of doing a LS swap to a guy on another site. I have made several good points about why I like the SBC and why I think it's a workable engine/platform (especially if you're not able to spend the money for LS swapping). But it seems like he keeps trying to get me to go towards even a LT1 swap. I even told him I'm not keeping TPI, but I'm going with the HSR swap so I can have the proper intake to support higher horsepower numbers later. Think 400rwhp and more.

But what's the freaking point of our engines if what he is saying about LSX motors being superior to everything? What's the point of modding and keeping it and changing to a different intake, putting cam/heads/headers, exhaust on? What's the freaking point besides the obvious?!? What's the POINT if all I gotta do is go get a LS1 Z28 or SS and put a cam/headers on and I'll make upper 300rwhp numbers?

I'm sorry, I feel like I'm being pressured by someone who is caught up in the LS crowd and while I know what I'm doing with my car is the right thing and I've had a few experienced TPI/LS/LT guys tell me that I'm going in the right direction, it's just eating at me that someone has no concept of the great parts of the PROVEN SBC engines. I work hard on my car and I've come too far to fall into the simpler mindset into just giving up on my car which is by no means a slouch or boring.

What makes it the more agitating is that I just spent roughly $1,400 on bigger mods for my ride because I've been waiting over a year to do so. It's going to change the attitude of my car and I can't wait for it to be done. I'm nowhere close to being done but the work I'm doing soon is going to be a big jump from 2 years ago, even a year ago. I've got a friend who owns a LS car in his 3rd Gen. who is helping me with the mods install and he seems to respect the TPI's. But he doesn't try to pressure me into getting in that direction. Maybe converting to the MAP system later on for my HSR, yeah, that I can do, but something's are best left alone. Tuning it yes, tuning is a very important aspect for making power and sustaining power/health for my car.

Any comments are welcome.

 

The LSx platform might be way better but it is also more expensive. A carbed SBC is the cheapest thing you can build and you can get more than enough power out of it.

If funding wasn't an issue, go LSx. Don't bother with LT1, their aren't any huge advantages over it from old school SBC.

 

Oh, I'm not doing anything with LT1. I just ordered my HSR the other night and host of other mods to accompany her. I am going to use my HSR to go with my future plans of making 400rwhp and more. It's the better intake and I think it's better than the LT1. As far as LS goes, I told this guy that if I wanted to do have done that route I would've started 2 years ago when I started doing work on my ride instead of keeping SBC.

 

once you get into big cubes and aftermarket blocks/internals/heads the differences between an lsx motor and sbc gets smaller and smaller. they have a better starting point so they shine in that category. nothing wrong with staying gen I, thats what i'm doing

 

Yeah, that's my thinking too but there's no telling this guy. I've got nothing against him but you know, some people think only one thing is good and the rest is not important.

To make the SBC like ours competitive with an LS based motor it does require some work but I think that especially the money to get there involved that working with the SBC is the better way to go and more fun too.

 

it's your car, do what YOU want with it. i started out with a 92 rs 305 tbi(1998) In college (1999), the engine took a big dump. i replaced the short block with a 350, left everything the same ('cept a few bolt ons) and was beating all these guys who thought it was an rs (at the track) doing 14.80's. mind you these cars are 16 sec cars stock....

I decided to get some heads cam and go the carbed route(2002). it did a best of 12.88 and spanked corvettes, 02 camaro's and TA all with ls engines. the look on their faces was always priceless

i spent 2500 on that 92.
500 on that 350
1400 on the heads
cam, springs, pushrods, etc.

u can get these to run well, cheap.
of course their (ls) cars are probably running 11's and 10's by now LOL

if i had the money i would have definitely gone LS but carbed....