92 Corvette LT1 and 6speed trans

[TURNA]

The years of LT1's 350HP was nice compared to what the factory was turning out.

Now you starting with an LS that has 300-350 factory HP and a power booster of coarse your going to make more power.

 

[L92 OLDS]

And what is your personal experience and not what you read on the internet?

The LT1's take boost just as well as the LS engines. !

You can boost anything and get away with it. How much boost is another question. What horsepower level an boost did your "fathers" LT1 have?

 

[gnvair]

You can boost anything and get away with it. How much boost is another question. What horsepower level an boost did your "fathers" LT1 have?

My father's was a naturally aspirated car. But some of the cars I was involved in building made 800+. The stock LT1 block and crank were not the weak points. The only LT1 crank I ever saw broken was an after market Eagle 4340. All of the pistons I have seen failed were due to tuning issues on forced inducted cars and not because the pistons were weak. I can say the same thing about LS engines, Ford 4.6, 5.0, 5.4, etc engines as well. Heck, one of the local LS turbo guys told me every time he hurts a piston he will just throw another used or new one in and continue on.
The powdered metal connecting rods were the weak point on the LT1 and only on higher horse power forced inducted cars. They were good to about 600-650 rwhp. The Gen 3 LS rods are the same as for power limits and durability. The Gen 4 rods are what guys building Gen 3 engines typically use for budget builds. Guys going 1000 plus will use after market stuff. Even GM had proprietary rods on the LSA LS9 supercharged engines so even GM engineering was aware of issues.
For some one who wants a cheap fuel injected power upgrade the LT1 would be my choice. It will bolt in using most of your exist Gen 1 small block peripherals (headers, mounts, transmission, etc). Stock they make between 265 and 330 horse power. They can definitely make more with some bolts ons.
I'm not posting this to one up you. I am posting from my own experiences and to help the original poster.

 

[DRIVEN]

For some one who wants a cheap fuel injected power upgrade the LT1 would be my choice. It will bolt in using most of your exist Gen 1 small block peripherals (headers, mounts, transmission, etc). Stock they make between 265 and 330 horse power. They can definitely make more with some bolts ons.

In the context of the original post, I couldn't agree more. They were a fine engine but they were quickly overshadowed by the introduction of the LS. Now they're dirt cheap. For a daily driver or fun weekend car, they're tough to beat. They rev quick, make good torque, get good mpg, and are reliable.
They just aren't the latest or greatest.

Side note; Almost 20 years ago when my shop was sending me to Delco training on a regular basis, I heard a lot of city and county fleet guys who were really disappointed that the 94-96 Caprices were being rotated out for Crown Vics. They said all the officers were doing everything they could to keep their "old" LT1 cars.

 

[TURNA]

Yes the LT1 Caprices were awesome but most had that bullshit 4.3 V8. When we switched over to the Vics we were happy as sh*t!

 

[roger1]

Here's the LT1 I have in my '83 El Camino. It came out of a 1996 Impala SS. It has the original 4L60e behind it.

 

[Ribbedroof]

Here's the LT1 I have in my '83 El Camino. It came out of a 1996 Impala SS. It has the original 4L60e behind it.

Can you tell me more about the air cleaner assembly? I like that it's not just a cone stuck out there drawing hot air from under the hood. Hope to get mine into the wagon this spring...if the coupe ever gets finished.

 

[roger1]

Can you tell me more about the air cleaner assembly? I like that it's not just a cone stuck out there drawing hot air from under the hood. Hope to get mine into the wagon this spring...if the coupe ever gets finished.

The air filter box came from the '96 Impala. I modifed the box opening for the air entry to be from behind the headlights. That makes it a true cold air intake. I did have to trim a little metal out of the way to get the box to slide forward some but it was pretty easy.

 

[gnvair]

Here's the LT1 I have in my '83 El Camino. It came out of a 1996 Impala SS. It has the original 4L60e behind it.

Roger, Do you have any details on your build or a build thread. I still have access to some complete LT1's and have been thinking about doing this on my car

 

[roger1]

Roger, Do you have any details on your build or a build thread. I still have access to some complete LT1's and have been thinking about doing this on my car

I installed this engine back in 1998. The engine and transmission were a brand new takeout from the Impala SS. Even right now the engine and transmission only have 27K miles on them.
So no, I don't have a complete build thread but I do have a project thread that has the link in my signature. I started what I call a total refresh last year where I made many upgrades to the car and documented it all in that thread. As far as the engine, I added headers and a new dual exhaust system, new A/C condenser and lines, and several other small details.