Thirim

looking to rebuild my LT1 .. want to go 383, with the trickflow heads I acquired. It would be far easier for me to acquire a 4bolt 350 (GEN I) and build it to be an LT1 than to lay my car up and build that motor and splay the block.
Are the blocks interchangeable? Obviously I would need a later model GEN I block. at least post 87

.. Anyone know?

Thanks

Dtimekw

Water pump holes are different I believe as well as the timing cover. Front accessory bracket holes are probably different too. I think the motor mount holes are different as well.

Stay with an LT1 block and have it splayed. There are probably more differences, these are just the ones that come to mind. You can pick up an LT1 block cheap and have it splayed while keeping your ride on the road.

Thirim

thanks.. LT1's aren't cheap here (Eastern Canada) .. I'm looking though.
305 thirdgen motor mounts work with the LT1 .. (mine is in an 89TA)
Water pump maybe a non issue if I go electric.. planning on ditching the Opti in lieu of megasquirt

Thirim

timing cover and accessories would be a show stopper though..

Dtimekw

You mentioned an 89TA? What year is your car/motor?

Thirim

motor is a '96 LT1, alumn heads.. running '94 computer.
original motor was a 305tpi.

Thirim

I have a new set of 185cc trickflow's and seriously considering building a 383 for them. Thinking Lloyd Elliot intake and cam.. haven't picked a 383 kit yet.

Dtimekw

Lloyd gave me a nice cam for my 383

He'll be able to match a cam to those heads with a 383. They are full of torque and A LOT OF FUN!!

Injuneer

The Gen 1 block will not mount the Optispark distributor. Gen 1 block will not accept LT1 heads without reworking the coolant passages in the heads. Gen 1 block is not a reverse flow cooling system, so you might have to give up a few degrees of ignition timing. The LT1 block appears to be stronger than a standard Gen 1 block. Measurements the shop that built my engine took, when looking at building a 1,000+HP LT1 showed that the LT1 block was very similar to the Gen 1 "Bowtie" block. And the LT1 block has the "meat" in the webs to support the straight 4-bolt configuration, since that is what was intended and used for the Y-Body (Corvette LT1's). The engine they built up to 1,125HP used the Corvette straight 4-bolt main configuration. They did mine with splayed Pro-Gram caps, but I'm not sure it's any better than the straight configuration.

Some good info in this article:

http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Arti...t1_engine.aspx

Thirim

good article, thanks! .. I was only thinking of a GEN I block to save down time and machining. Splaying the block or porting the coolant passages is probably the same cost since the business's around here probably have done tons more splaying than custom porting.. lol

.. Down time it is. lol
Thanks.

Injuneer

If you want to use a Gen 1 block, just use good, aftermarket Gen 1 aluminum heads. Why complicate things by modifying LT1 heads. Which Trick Flows do you have? Some of them have a large (62cc) combustion chamber that reduces the compression ratio in LT1 applications.

Thirim

I have the 185cc LT1 heads. I think you're referring to the 195cc ones which TF says are for wilder non- nat aspirated applications?
I already have the heads.. otherwise I'd likely be looking at a LS stuff

popo8

MS is not going to replace the opti. Even a stand alone MS3 Is not a replacement for the distributor (opti)


Larry (Popo8) Co-owner
LTXtech.com

Injuneer

MS3 + MS3X + V3.57 package will give you 8-channel sequential spark control. But it's going to need a cam position sensor and a crank position sensor to provide 8 channels of spark and full sequential injection.

On the other hand, EFIConnection can provide the cam and crank sensors for a Gen 1 SBC, and runs the LS1 PCM for full sequential and 8-channel ignition. But they would have to custom build a harness (~$1,000) for an 89 F-Body.

But all of this - crank/cam sensors, ECU and converting LT1 heads to fit the Gen 1 block - is going to cost a lot more than simply buying an LT1 block to rebuild rather than a Gen 1 block.

Seems sort of illogical.

KW Baraka

Ya don't need a kit.....not when you can get an already built motor .

https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/par...-block-870670/

KW