Stock LT1 runs on 87 octane with 10w-30 all day its one of the only motors he could cross his fingers on the 13.5 time he's trying to get - stock - to minimize shop time. The 4L60E that usually comes WITH the LT-1 junkyard swap is the real asset he needs... That extra gear w/ OD is the the ticket to good fuel mileage for a daily driver. Of course the vortec is a better motor and he would do better to 'build' the top end on one... Yes I know that the Lt1 is trash - that's why its like $350-400 lately. I don't doubt that the vortec is a better swap, nor deny that it can often times be acquired w/ the same 4L60E since it came in Silverado obviously... What I doubt is that he can do that swap for $2,000 or even $2,500... Basically I agree w/ everyone that it probably can't be done for $2,000. But if he would have bought this
Roadmaster I saw the other day w/ a trashed interior which sold for only $650... That's a smoking LT-1 / 4L60E on wheels. Suddenly getting to 13.5 with $2,000 seems plausible in a scenario like that, where you have this big heavy scrap pile to get money back after doing the swap... not to mention parts like the doors. Anyway, I know shops in rural areas and Canada are an entirely difficult culture, but as for the shops around here they don't 'build' top ends of engines and do cam swaps... That's considered oldschool. Most shops around here would tell you to do that at the engine shop separately, and have it transported there to be installed at the shop afterwards. The ones that do build top ends on the spot would definitely charge high shop time rates and accrue more than the specified $2,000 allowance... That's just in my experience around here; not the OP necessarily, but if the shops he knows are anything like the ones I know they would want him to choose which ever option is taking up the bay for the least amount of days in a row.
Anyway, without typing a 2nd book: it's definitely a better hypothesis to the OP's question than for us to tell him: no it can't be done because I'm Hank Hill and my OCD won't allow me to jam a slip-shod stock LT-1 swap into my G-body without rebuilding it entirely first and run 13.5's by hooking up a beat up hypertech computer bought used off ebay because it feels like 'cheating' to achieve a 13.5 without doing any actual work or real physical improvements to the engine. That's not the question he asked. He didn't ask how to spend the $2,000 until he can stack up a 2nd pile of $2,000 to do the 2nd half of the job. The ways you guys proposed achieving a 13.5 qtr mile are all ways that would achieve more like a 12 second qtr mile time - but cost $4,000 by the time he's done doing all that.. It seems ridiculous to tell someone that the way to run a 13.5 qtr mile for $2,000 is 'go save another $2,000 or it simply cant be done' is basically what you guys are telling him and I disagree... I say it can be done.
