Help with 97 LT 1 swap on 86 Elco

[ElJoemino]

I hate to pile on but the Vortec injection wouldn't be my first choice by a long shot. The engine itself is great but the fuel system leaves a lot to be desired. If you leave everything as the factory intended it will run just fine -- like a Chevy truck. You can't deviate much with a cam swap without tuning. Injectors are not upgradeable. Spiders are somewhat prone to failure and expensive. Distributors wear out prematurely (also, always use AC Delco cap and rotor). Fuel pumps have to be up to snuff for early spider system to work at all. Plus, the whole system is pretty ugly.
Maybe all of this is fine for your El Camino if you use it like a work truck and never pop the hood to show it off.
I really like the longblock you have. But I think you might be happier in the longrun by putting a carb intake and aftermarket "self-learning" EFI system on it. Least amount of hassle plus it looks good when its done.

I WAS going to put a FITEC on my 305 so that I could have FI and also put it on a 350 when I got ready to install one but I came across this engine deal and thought that would be a better choice.. I work at Advance Auto (delivery) and have asked several mechanics questions about what I am doing and between you guys and them I am getting soooo many conflicting answers. I am by no means an expert when it comes to building an engine but its a dang engine right? How is it that different from any other engine? It seems it takes time and patients to figure everything out that will work together to make the power I am wanting. They said you couldn't get 400HP out of a 305 but it has been done. Took a while too.

 

[ElJoemino]

Can somebody direct me to a page that can help me with my steering? I am so sick of spending money and time on this p.o.s. I have installed all new Moog parts in the front end along with new shocks. I have put 6,yes 6 steering boxes on this thing. I have the jeep steering shaft and a jeep Grande Cherokee steering box (which helped a lot) but I still am getting pulled by road grooves..

 

[DRIVEN]

Steering? Sounds like questions for a different thread.

What conflicting information are you getting about the engine?

 

[ElJoemino]

Steering? Sounds like questions for a different thread.

What conflicting information are you getting about the engine?

That it can get to 400+ HP easly. The FI is good. The heads you want are the 906 not 062. You can upgrade the jets. Then the opposite of all that. No one says its a bad block but everything else is up in the air.. For the steering question,I was ASKING someone to point me in the correct direction. Not sure why you didn't see that part?

 

[DRIVEN]

I did. My suggestion was to start another thread rather than to ask about steering in a thread titled LT1 swap thats actually about a Vortec. Just trying to get you to a more appropriate audience.

On your Vortec build, we've been over much of that. Its a truck engine. It was designed for torque over horsepower. They run fine and roast tires at will when swapped in lighter vehicles. The fuel system just isn't ideal for upgrades. There are no jets to upgrade. The injectors are part of a spider assembly and aren't replaceble. Have the guys you work with pull one off the shelf so you can see what I'm talking about. In stock form the Vortec doesn't tolerate much in the way of cam upgrades either. Also the valve springs won't take much lift so big cams or 1.6 rockers need extra head prep. You'll end up having the ECM reprogrammed as well. All of this costs time and money. As far as it being any different to rebuild, it isn't. You can absolutely build a Vortec longblock to 350-400hp. Its been documented all over the internet. You just aren't going to do it with a stock Vortec fuel system, stock cam and heads, or a $1500 budget.
For the reasons listed above, I believe that an aftermarket fuel system will get you to your goal cheaper and easier than trying to do it with the factory fuel system.

 

[ElJoemino]

I did. My suggestion was to start another thread rather than to ask about steering in a thread titled LT1 swap thats actually about a Vortec. Just trying to get you to a more appropriate audience.

On your Vortec build, we've been over much of that. Its a truck engine. It was designed for torque over horsepower. They run fine and roast tires at will when swapped in lighter vehicles. The fuel system just isn't ideal for upgrades. There are no jets to upgrade. The injectors are part of a spider assembly and aren't replaceble. Have the guys you work with pull one off the shelf so you can see what I'm talking about. In stock form the Vortec doesn't tolerate much in the way of cam upgrades either. Also the valve springs won't take much lift so big cams or 1.6 rockers need extra head prep. You'll end up having the ECM reprogrammed as well. All of this costs time and money. As far as it being any different to rebuild, it isn't. You can absolutely build a Vortec longblock to 350-400hp. Its been documented all over the internet. You just aren't going to do it with a stock Vortec fuel system, stock cam and heads, or a $1500 budget.
For the reasons listed above, I believe that an aftermarket fuel system will get you to your goal cheaper and easier than trying to do it with the factory fuel system.

Well even going with a aftermarket FI system is going to cost a good deal of money.. I was looking into the FITECH ,like I said before, and the cost on it is low but the problem is coming up with the cash all at once. Even if I went in that direction, I think I would have problems trying to use the transmission from the truck. I am disabled and only work part time so extra money doesn't come around so quick. I also found this.. http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/1012or-csfi-to-mpfi-vortec-engine-fueling-fix/ ..Thanks for letting me know about the fuel delivery system,got educated.. So GMC went from CSFI to MPFI, and all the reviews I have found from people buying this had positive things to say.. Maybe I can't add a big cam and really awesome heads and bigger fuel injectors with the current setup, but I can afford to do it my way with less money and not a big chunk at one time.. I already have to rebuild the motor and probably get new heads. Almost positive about the heads. Maybe later on if I am not happy with how it performs then I will do some research on what I need to do to get it the way I would like it..

 

[DRIVEN]

Yes, good article. Does a great job of explaining. Photo #8 shows the side by side and you can see how the injectors are integrated making them non-upgradeable.
Your El Camino should be a strong runner even if the whole swap is bone stock. You'll love all that torque.