1992-97 LT1-THE "OTHER GUYS" SBC! BIG SCORE, NEW PROJECT OR JUST A BIG WASTE OF MONEY? WILL IT RUN?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- OTHER GUYS' MOTORS RULE! IS THE GEN 2 LT1 THE BEST SMALL BLOCK EVER MADE? HOW MUCH POWER DOES A GEN-2 LT1 MAKE? WILL A MOTOR THAT SAT FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS START AND RUN? CAN YOU RUN A GEN-2 LT1 WITH A CARBURETOR? WHY DOES THE OTHER GUYS SBC NOT GET ANY RESPECT? WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT A HIGH-COMPRESSION, ALUMINUM-HEADED, REVERSE COOLING SMALL BLOCK? CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO WHERE I PURCHASED A QUESTIONABLE LT1 THAT HAD BEEN SITTING (UNLOVED) FOR DECADES. WOULD IT RUN, OR WAS THIS A BIG WASTE OF MONEY? CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO WHERE I BOUGHT AND DYNO TESTED A GEN-2 LT1 IN THE HOPES OF STARTING A SERIES OF PERFORMANCE UPGRADES ON THE ALUMINUM-HEADED 350. BEFORE MAKING MORE POWER, WE HAVE TO MAKE IT RUN!
The LT1 was a game changer. The reverse flow cooling (head first) allowed compression ratios to bump back up to factory muscle car levels. Finally a low tech solution that cut through all the "high tech" BS.
Gen II LT-1, the most underrated engine ever!
Agree, I was able to kick mustangs to the curb in a caprice wagon! lol
Idk, L98 seems pretty underrated
Gen 2 SBC, the optispark killed it
@@shadowopsairman1583 it's not that big of a deal 😂
Great little motor, I had one, with bolt ons, exhaust, gear, converter it ran a 12.9 in the 1/4. I then stroked it to a 383 with ported stock heads and ported stock intake by Lloyd Elliot along with his LE3 cam, it had 12.5 compression and ran 11.08@123 with a pretty tight converter at 3600 lbs race weight.
Takes me back. Back in the 90s early 2000s, dads were putting these in their 40 fords all day.
Finally! Long time lt1 guy here.. I've been patiently for you to do some more gen 2 content!
Your timing of this series couldn’t be more perfect!
Two weeks ago I purchased a 1996 Z28 with only 49,000 miles…an ex Arizona car for summer driving. Have been doing lots of research on the OG LT1 and have been impressed.
Really looking forward to your results.
For a while I had a bunch of those in my shop, one of my customers loved those motors, we called him LT-1 Bob. I`ve still got a set of heads and virgin block for them. They have reverse cooling flow and require special heads and block aswell as a specific water pump and respond well to modification. No one seems interested in them anymore propably due to the mistique of the LS. I`ll await the next of your vids on this engine, I never dynoed them.
I just bought a 96 camaro 6spd lt1 a few months ago. 100,000 miles all stock original. Im very pleased with the performance and reliability. The motor runs like it was just broken in.
I can't tell you how happy I am to see more "Other Guys" installments! Much appreciated Richard!
I had no idea you could just throw a distributor and carb on a stock lt1. Now I know what I want in my blazer!
Me neither. My local junkyard has quite a few that look like they are in pretty good condition. Looks like my next option for my Monte Carlo
Camshaft and valve springs away from 375-400hp also.
Lt1’s are fantastic! Where else can you get an aluminum headed 300+ hp 350 for $500 or less! I love them i have dozens lol couple lt4’s and 6 lt cars! John is right throw some ported heads from lloyd elliot on one with a cam and valve springs and a carb manifold 450-475hp easy
@@johndelta00you realize this is 236hp wheel after optimized set up as Richard said a monster cam would only put this at 320 wheel or so lt1 always needs heads
@@utahcountypicazospage5412 where did I say anything about wheel horsepower?
Yes just picked up 4 of the 93 to 95 Lt 1 and fixin to buy 95 Trans AM. to terrorize the streets.
Love it when you do the Gn2. LT1 and 4 stuff so cool
one of the fastest stickshift cars in the world runs an lt1, Grub Worm
it runs 6.50's at 200+
I guarantee it’s only lt1 block nothing else lt1 lmao lt1 had horrible head flow small ports
I think there an older TFS 21* heads, still an LT-1 block is mega stout if you know what you’re doing.
Grub worm doesn't run a lt1 anymore. Lt1 heads flow around 300 cfm when ported and polished
Put twin turbos on it and make it the Callaway engine we never got
Yes, I have six of these. Trying to figure out what to do with them. I'm definitely interested.
Love the gen 2 Lt1. They make a great 1/2 ton truck engine. They respond well to cam swaps.
Congratulation for 1.start up! I loved to see the 4-barrels view of the pull :) Can't wait to see the following episodes on this engine and the L-98!
I have an 95 LT1 out of a TA . There great engines first reverse cooled American production V8.
had a '92 corvette with the 2nd Gen LT-1, ran it for 14 years without a problem... Poti-Spark even behaved well over that period
Love seeing this revived for some testing on the dyno
Super interesting. Been waiting with fingers crossed for some lt1 tests. Looking forward to more.
YES,YES,YES more testing and mods PLEASE I will follow all of it.
Back when I had my LT1 cars (94, 95, 96) I used the Truck Vortec oil filter.
Same threads, taller filter, more capacity and filtering media.
It was fun, I was younger and had much more energy and motivation.
Today I would tell you keep the LT1 and give me a 4cyl Highlander Auto and FWD or a Tacoma 4cyl, auto and RWD.😝
Yes! More LT1 videos please :) is thatLT1 with 2 or 4 bolt main caps?
not sure
Probably 2 bolt. The corvette only got the 4 bolt.
I think part of the reason the lt1 got left behind in the hot rod community back in the day is it just doesn't look as good as the tuned port injection. My dad never cared for them or at least he would way rather swap in a tpi engine. I'll have to get a hold of him and see why lol.
Optispark was the problem
Definitely opti spark.
I'd rather have a dual plane or Holley stealth ram over the TPI.
Great video, very much looking forward to more testing on this platform! Carb cam was awesome 🤘
I left engine parts in that room once… 😂 btw love the carb camera
Sure would love to see some twin Holset HX35s or cheap GT3582s on there plus 1.6rr/pac 1218s and a cam
So timely Richard! carb swapping my 93 Camaro as we speak!
My lt1 is getting rebuild again by new owner. It did 525hp with 383, 07-503-8, 1.6rr and head port, intake port. Its getting redone with welded intake holes and redrill for SBC victor jr intake with carb, insane LE2.5 stage 4 porting. Expect 600. Will see.
Yesss! Richard always bringing the good stuff
You know we always want to see more testing 😎
Man I dig these engines. I wish they'd have made more lt4's and 5's too.
so fun seeing the engine not spin high enough for the crossover point
The dyno runs crossed at 5250. Maybe not the first one, but that was unrelated issues.
Please test a set of Trick Flow Gen X 185 heads with the 54cc chambers and 21° valves. I'm looking at replacing my ported stock heads with a set of those.
If your heads were properly ported they will do better then the as cast Gen x 185 heads. For more power get Llyod Elliot to port the 21* trickflow heads and get the 2.05/1.6 valve options.
Like you swapped the optispark out and not many people know you can swap it to a dist. Also doing the 24x kit from EFI Connection works well for fuel injection setups but might not be in the budget for some. But a good dist swap, Holley carb or Terminator x Stealth works well too!
Need to do one on the new 4.3L v6 all aluminum heads & block makes tons of HP.
For anyone wondering they make a coil on plug conversion for these thats really inexpensive.
The lt1 was the best sbc ever built. 10.5:1 compression from the factory. They were all roller motors. A lot of them were 4 bolt main but not all. Reverse cooling from the factory. The best efi system ever put on a factory sbc. Factory aluminum heads. I can look past the opti for all that or even delete it wich yes you can do.
I just got a 65 Malibu that
Has a 383 lt1 with trickflow heaads and 12 to 1 compression. Cam is 248/258 .576/.576 114+4. & its pretty strong coming from an LS guy. Thinking it needs a procharger though😊
Carb camera was intense!
I bet this one surprises a few people after the mods start. I know mine did back in the day, lol...
Great job 👏🏻
Test a Torquehead 24x coil on plug conversion!
I would like to see an lt 4 hot cam test please
I have two full LT1 swaps just sitting here doing nothing. Hmmmm maybe modify an old Yorker intake I have and see what happens.
Dang chocolate milk coming out of there sheeeeesh.
Shame we didn’t get to see the stock intake
They're great except that they suck for upgrades. The intake bolt pattern isn't old pattern, but it also isn't Vortec. The heads are also old school design unless you get the much rarer LT4 variant which are basically Vortec clones. The Optispark is a disaster of a distributor and isn't supported AT ALL in the aftermarket. The reverse-flow coolant system adds more weirdness to the list of things that don't interchange. The accessory drive doesn't work with old or new SBC stuff (it's unique to that gen of LT1).
Just start with a truck Vortec motor and you'll make more power for FAR FEWER DOLLARS and greater interchangeability.
I agree on all points made.
Didn't know the block is supposed to be stronger.
The only thing really bad about the Lt1 from that time was the opti spark.
And today we don't even need it. My LT1 uses a cam position sensor and 8 coils now instead of a distributor.
Not to mention the reverse flow cooling that didn't work with anything else. It never had the junkyard engine potential of other sbc and it didn't have the power potential of "ls" platform.
Loved the one in my roadmaster despite it not having as much aftermarket support
@@michaelallen2501 👍😎👍
Can't speak for others, but the one's on my Corvettes have always worked perfectly.
Ohhh goodie, I'm building this block right now!
these engines make their extra power because of higher compression. The reverse cooling system allows them to run on pump gas with that higher compression. In my experience the best plan is to save the rotating assembly and put it into a regular SBC block and throw the rest away. Also they have skinny piston rings which is worth a little power.
Pretty sure the LT1 heads are a considerable improvement over any factory SBC head...
@@RotaryJunkie no they are not. They don't swap easily because of the reverse cooling passages, and they are not better than vortec heads
@@therocketshop Oh wow, now that I actually look into it, they're actually completely shithouse. Surprised they make the power they do now.
Guess I'm buying an LT1 corvette
Seems like it made alot of torque over the stock intake!
If that oem spline drive opti is good its worth a pretty penny! Probably 350-400
I’m doing this build but using a 411 ecu and running the LT1 like a LS motor
I may have to start buying these up now
Can you try the classic cc306 cam and gm847?
That engine is so clean inside you should have been wearing a surgical mask! 😷 😁
IKR
LT1 all the way!
Best thing is it's a roller engine.
Was always curious about those
What is the best Optispark upgrade/eplacement??
236hp 306tq wheel lt1 stock ports are so small but a high dollar heads and big cam should wake it up
What were the squirters/ jetting when you switched to the edelbrock carb?
Cool man!! Will that motor bolt up to a TH350? ;-)
yes
Richard this is a pointless thing to do. The whole point of the gen 2 LT is to be run with the fuel injected intake manifold and the opti spark not a garbage dual plane carbureted intake and a drop in distributor...you might as well be using a gen 1 sbc at this point..
Ridiculous comment. How many gen 1s came with ali heads, reverse cooling and stock compression over 10/1, oh and with a roller block
Not bad for a motor that’s 25+ yrs old.
Hi Richard can you do an sbc bottom end with ls style heads on it please
that doesn't work
What was the timing set at for the last 2 pulls?
Does lifter preload effect pistion to valve clearance?
no sir
I have a 1997 LT1 w/4L60 and a 1998 Vortec 350 w/700R4. Both run great. One of them will be used in my 68 Camaro soon.
Richard, how does the head flow compare between the 2 sets of heads?
too close to call
@@richardholdener1727 I've got a set of Canfield Racing LT1 heads. "Supposedly" over 310cfm intake and 225 exhaust at .600
Want to test them?
312hp=base 336 =tunedhp to save all you the 20mins
thnx for supporting the channel
Can the Holley term X control the LT1 4x1x crank and cam set up ?
I asked same thing ,that ls supra has it done on his page with a break down of how he did it. Torque head and terminator x
@@adamreynolds1851 torqhead is 24x/1x im asking about 4x/1x like the vortec 350s it would still use a distributor for spark want a single coil
I know there are simple firing order swap cams that pickup 40, 50 hoarse just swapping some firing orders but does anyone make big high lift big duration firing order swap cams?
there is no firing order change that picks up 40-50 hp-we have tested 4-7 swaps and it does not change power
@@richardholdener1727 ask Holley to add the 4x 1x crank and cam files to the term x software and use a 96-97 front cover and reluctor the use the opti or another standard distributor for spark
How much timing did you have in it?
35
Surprisingly dismal performance compared to Richard's usual naturally aspirated engines.
Are you planning to sell the TPI you put on the L99? I need one for my 69 Nove with L99 engine
that was owned by TPIS
@richardholdener1727 I tried calling them, emailing them, but they never answer or call back. Do you know if he is still in buisness
LT1! LT1! LT1!
🙌🙌
dude...no, not even free is one of these worth it in 2024
❤
Chevy is not the other guy !
The LT1 is definitely the "Other Guy"
Why not just run the better Opti?
WE DON'T WANT TO RUN THE STOCK ECU
@@richardholdener1727 SO YOU ARE SAYING THAT YOU DON'T HAVE A MSD BOX LAYING AROUND?
If this is a stock cam and heads LT1 I question your dyno because these were rated at 285 hp and 325 torque from the factory. I know accessories will drain some power but that's a huge jump from factory numbers.
accessories, tune, water temp, headers, air intake
Hated that opti spark
These can be run off of a GM 411 PCM if you have the OBDII reluctor and timing cover. That's how I'd run one on the street. Eliminates the opti bit of the opti spark from the equation on the cheap.
This is exactly what my 1997 Trans Am is running with. Just using the cap and rotor on the opti.
The optispark is very accurate at reading specific camshaft location. They make a coil on plug conversion that still uses the optispark optical sensor that works really really well
@@Johnman3341what is the conversion called?
The conversion kit was last seen hitchhiking when it got picked up by a starfish heading for the beach.
Now we're talking. Let's test 1.6 rockers, camshafts etc
Thanks for the video.
I am very happy with my LT1. Fully built 383 with Forged SCAT crank and H beams. Mahle pistons. LE2 heads. 24X through a 411PCM etc.. 11:1 SCR.
I also have free access to dyno so I tested every single change I made to it.
Last year I tested in at 506chp @6400 rpm, with 58mm throttle body (yes the intake is ported to that), and an off the shelf 280XFI cam.
Swapped out the XFI cam with a TrickFlow very similar cam (230/234 - same lift), but with 110LSA instead of 113LSA, just to see how much of a difference that would do.
The curve was a little more steep as expected - Nothing radical. Was approx 10hp less below 3500rpm, curve crossed over at around 4000rpm, and ended at 525chp @6100rpm. So more hp with less rpm.
Then swapped out to the stock 48mm TB (with air foil) just for the fun of it. To my surprise, that had almost no affect. 518chp. Identical curves. Just the last 100rpm was less hp... That stock TB can in fact flow pretty well.
Next project is to lower compression to about 9.7 SCR (around 7.4 DCR) and then add a VS 7875 and see what that will do :-)
Richard! I have a 91 Chevy Truck with a 2Brl TBI Fuel System. I want to have the Engine Rebuilt. How can i increase Horsepower to about 300-350 ? Best route to take?
That's not a later version with the 4x crank sensor? That plus the high voltage part of optispark, done; same as average distributor as far as fuel injection.
That's interesting, but its not really an LT1, without the stock manifold...
Please explain. The manifold isn’t what made the LT1 different. The cooling system was the main difference. It’s still a LT1 regardless if it has a fi or carb intake manifold.
Looking at the fuel reluctantly dribble into the carb throat in a stuttering manner makes me wonder if heating the boosters or the fuel up to near-boiling would help to make more thorough atomization.
I did not know the behavior of the fuel was so NON-atomized and stuttered.
Awesome I've been waiting for this ,I have a torque head system and a terminator x for a 5.7 from a 93 z28 ,it will be cool to see how much they can make and hold up to
I kept hoping for a shot of the passenger side of the balancer to see if it was a 96/97, or 95-. If it's a 96/97 they have a crank sensor with a 4 tooth reluctor. You can easily run them on an 0411 PCM using an L31 tune file. Or you can buy the timing cover from eficonnection and convert it to a 24/1x reluctor to run coil near plug ignition.
How about running the TPI intake on this one like you did the L99 4.3l?
I don't have that intake any more
Hi Richard, When do you think you will get back on the LT1? Thank you!
More LT1
Love the content Richard
Hey Richerd you probably get this question from time to time but how do you run the Gm TPi on the DYNO with out the stuffy GM computer thanks.
we use Holley ECU
Hey Richard, if money wasn’t an issue what heads cam intake setup would you run on a mild 454 that can still rev too 6000rpm?
to achieve what desired power curve?
I was gifted a 96 Corvette engine/trans ...this is very promising...my 79 Z28 may get this engine now
They also make a coil on plug conversion that works really well a s you can keep the EFI