poopapooman

i ve been looking for a LS1, LT1, or Lt4 to put in my 92 firebird. so ive been searching for some cheep beetup 93-2007 camaro, firebird/transam and corvette engines.

Someone has recently told me that buick roadmasters and chevy caprices came with Lt1's.

r these LT1's the same as the ones in camaros, firebirds and corvettes? and r they as worth while to convert in to my 92 as the camaro, firebird and corvette lt1's

also another question.... if i bought a brand new crate engine from gm would it be the same as the LS1? I want to convert b/c of the 300+ stock HP and better gas mileage that my 3.1L gets now!

slim64

iTrader: (2)

The caprice and roadmaster LT1's were different than the camaro/vette LT1's. The caprice/roadie's were rated at 260hp, while the camaro/vette's were 280/300 (i think) The caprice/roadie's heads were cast iron instead of the aluminium ones the camaro/vette's had.

Caprice/Roadmaster LT1's were available from 94-96
Camaro LT1's were available from 93-97

Hope that helps

Firebat

iTrader: (7)

GM LT engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

poopapooman

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Coach Hawk

The Caddy Fleetwood and Impala SS also came with the LT1. With the B and D bodys, be sure your buying an LT1, not the smaller but visually identical L99.

the iron LT1 heads flow better than the 93-95 aluminums. 96-97 AL's finally caught up, although castings were thinner(less room for porting)

B/D shortblock(less cam) is identical to the F body, Y body(corvette) got 4 bolt mains.

The power difference between B, F and Y bodies was cam, compression and tuning, not heads or anything "magical".

Also, there is nothing special whatsoever about the Caprice LT1 Police motors. they are identical in every way to the standard LT1 Caprice.

poopapooman

thanx sodo u think its worth it to use a caprice, impala, fleetwood or roadmaster instead of a camaro, corvette or firebird engine if i can get the engine for much cheaper?

1991CamaroRslow

iTrader: (3)

There is also a "baby LT1" which is a smaller displacement engine (I believe a 265). This is the "smaller but visually identical L99" I believe these only came in the Caprices but I may be incorrect. You're also probably going to have some issues shoehorning the wiring harness from a Caprice into a third gen but then again you'll have issues getting a 4th gen wiring to fit correctly.

Vader

Coach is right on. The B- D-Car cams were very tame by comparison. The PCM tuning was also very tame, and the torque converters were a lot tighter (1,465 RPM). A quick visit to the dealer for a 3-year guaranteed replacement L35 converter and shopping trip to Comp Cams levels the playing field for under $500 total. You can go even further like I did, and fit the iron heards with 2.02/1.60 Race-Flows (try that on aluminum heads) and reposition, raise, and enlarge the ports on the iron heads (impossible on aluminum heads) to flow right up there with LT4 castings, then you've got something.

The compression numbers are the same as far as I can tell. I measured 53cc chambers on mine after the valve work.

poopapooman

thanx for the info vader. but im not as much a gear head as u . but i think ur sayin that the iron heads were better because you could port them and also that a few mods to the engine and the caprice's, impala's, fleetwood's and roadmster engines would be equal to camaro, firebird and corvette engines.

also jusst to let u guys know before i put the engine in my car i plan to rebuild it and put some performance parts in it. if u go to any performance parts website they list a lot of parts for the f body Lt1's but will all or most of these parts fit lt1's from b and d bodies?

poopapooman

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Klortho

The only differences between the B and D body LT1 and the F-body LT1 is the cam the heads and the tune on the PCM. The iron heads flow better than the aluminum ones, however you are jumping from about 20lb a head to probably 50lb a head and you can port the fool out of the aluminum ones, the most flow I've ever seen was around 270 on a set of aluminum castings, but it really depends on what you want to spend and what you are looking for.

poopapooman

thanx more info please

poopapooman

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chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

I would like to know the same pooapooman. I have found a LT1 off a member here he has a complet swap set up. But If I can buy one for 600-1000 and use the extra money to upgrade I too will consider it. Not to say that $1200 is a bad deal by no means. But IMOP I dont think that 20 more hp and aluminum heads are worth the extra $200-500. But I'm keeping my eyes open

Klortho

The cam is also different, the heads are what make the F-body motors desirable since you can port them a bunch.

chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

Ok one says go Iorn one says go aluminum not trying to start a war but witch is going to be better? Vader says you can put 202/160's in the iorn cant aluminum and port them.Klortho said you can port the aluminum heads a bunch. I still dont know witch one I'm going to go with. Only problem I have with aluminum is if it has been overheated alot and cracked a head(s). Those arent cheap.

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

The B/D body iron heads are essentially the same as the L31 vortec. The intake ports, exhaust ports, and combustion chamber are identical. Stock for stock the iron heads flowed better than the stock early aluminum ones. I like the cast iron heads myself.

Rebuilding the Chevrolet LT1 Engine, Doug Anderson, Automotive Rebuilder, September 1999

Klortho

Stick with the aluminums you save yourself a bunch of weight and also get the better cam by going with the f-body motors. By early aluminum ones he means 93-mid '95 model motors, the very late model '95-'97 the aluminum heads flowed better than the iron ones.

As for porting the heads, I talked to a guy in Cleveland Tn who told me he could take my stock castings and have them flowing around 276-278 which is moving some air quite a bit.

chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

Yea but What I was thinking about doing was picking up a iorn head LT1 and with the money I'll save put a cc306 cam in it and a diffirent convertor and probally a rebuild. Not sure I can do all that with the money I'd save but would get a good jump on it.

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like a good plan to me. Save the extra $$$ and put it where it will make a difference. 50 lbs is not that much weight. My preference is iron heads as I hate dissimilar metal combos. Aluminum heads on cast-iron block or cast-iron heads on aluminum blocks (4100 Cadillac POS).

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like a good plan to me. Save the extra $$$ and put it where it will make a difference. 50 lbs is not that much weight. My preference is iron heads as I hate dissimilar metal combos. Aluminum heads on cast-iron block or cast-iron heads on aluminum blocks (4100 Cadillac POS).

As an added benifit, the iron heads with all things equal other than iron/aluminum will make more power than aluminum. The aluminum heads dissapate the heat of combustion faster to the water. If you take two heads of the same port shape, size, valve size, flow, etc with the same compression, the aluminum head will have to use atleast 1/2 point more compression to make the same HP/TQ.

Klortho

If that's the case, then why does most of the hardcore race drivers use aluminum heads, aluminum = less heat = more HP. It's not 50lb period, you will be shedding around 100lbs of weight...that is alot. Plus if iron heads made more power, then you would be seeing AFR, Edelbrock, Holley and other manufacturers making all cast iron heads rather than aluminum. Even the high end Dart and Brodix heads are aluminum.

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

Its not ANYWHERE NEAR 100 lbs, hell a pair of THICK casting SBC heads doesn't weigh but 95 lbs or so. Aluminum heads are 17-20 lbs each. That is 50-60 lbs. Think what you want and take out a scale before you post useless information.

More heat= More power unless we are talking about intake charge heating. They go aluminum for ease of porting, detonation resistance, and rapid cooling between rounds.

jwscab

the iron head caprice impala engines are a great buy, for sure. Shoot for the 94-95 variety, as they will be the improved cam/opti/vented engines as well as have OBD1 systems. If you upgrade the cam, BE SURE to upgrade the valve springs. A 96 (probably 97-98 too) engine can easily be run from OBD1 as well, just leave the crank sensor unconnected. The tuning software and data scanners are much cheaper.

chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

I have to go with Klortho on that one he dose make a good point

Klortho

I ment 60 lbs, sorry about that, but I don't see where more heat = more hp since just about all of the people I know who drag race want the car to run as cool as possible to get the most HP out of it.

chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

I dont know it's 50/50 with witch one I'll go with both iorn/aluminum has there good and bad to both. I was hoping just to save a little money and add a few hp along the way.I talked to a guy here toady at a shop. He and a couple guys there do only gm work.He was a tech for 20+ yrs he said that if it was him he would go aluminum. So I dont really know I dont want to wonder well what it would do it I went iorn/aluminum. Dose anybody in here use a iorn head LT1?

Klortho

I can tell you that a guy in Knoxville who has an Impala SS went with a set of Trick Flow aluminum heads when he put his new motor in the car because he had them ported and polished to maximize the HP he is going to be putting out.

jwscab

OK, put it this way......the money you would spend for an aluminum head LT1 vs a cast iron head Lt1, you could end up with an iron head motor with a better cam. and then later on, buy a set of better-than-factory aluminum ones when funds are available.

if however, you plan to do it only once, and never take it apart, and price be damned; then buy everything in pieces, and build the motor from scratch; or leave well enough alone with a bone stock al. head Lt1.

the difference boils down to this:

caprice/roadmaster: better heads, smaller cam, heavier, cheaper

camaro/firebird: lighter, better cam, more expensive

if you change anything from other than stock, it comes down to personal preference

poopapooman

i totolly agree. just to tell u guys the difference in prices of these engines is incredible the camaro/firebird engines are so much more expensive you could save money by buying the b/d body engine and buying used aluminum heads and camshafts from ebay rather than buying a whole f body engine. as far as i now cold = performance and hot= fuel efficientcy(but harsh on engine). but for my application dropping a lt1 engine ine my 92 firebird is the best performance mod i can do b/c my 3.1L only puts up 140 hp stock and w/ every performance part i could get (except nitrous) the best hp i could get is mayby 200 but with the stock lt1 thats like 260hp right there.

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

Heat retained in the combustion chamber is equal to power. Two completely different things here. Cold engine temps for power is for air/fuel intake charge density. More dense=more power to a certain extent, which is why cooler thermostats are used and aluminum heads for quick cool-downs. On a street motor there will be no cool-downs between runs, which is why that benifit is eliminated.

chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

I think thats what I'll do get the iorn head and later on down the road if I want pick up a set of aluminum. I can use the extra cash for more hp.

poopapooman

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poopapooman

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poopapooman

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tpi-hearse

iTrader: (27)

all in all from what i have seen in performance is the aluminum head lt-1s perform better stock than the impalas engines

chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

Well...... from a few hrs on the phones calling local junk yards I can find a iorn head motor. But most of them have sold the tranny,harness,comp or want so much that you could just buy a f-body combo cheaper. I have a question though I have a guy who will sell me a ste up for $1000 the motor is still in the car and I can drive befor I buy it. Only problem is that he won't throw in the harness,comp unless I buy the whole car. He dosent have a bad price on the whole car but it has no title. and it's a 7hr drive to see it no biggie though have family 1hr away could make a weekend out of it. how hard would a haenrss,comp be and a ball park on price to find for a 96 f-boyd LT1? Thanks

chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

ANYONE?

1991CamaroRslow

iTrader: (3)

We can't really make that call for you, only tell you what the pluses and minuses to the engines are. Are you sure this is the 350 and not the smaller engine? If you get the whole car minus title you can sell the other parts like the rear end, gauges, interior, doors, glass; it would really be up to you. I would check eBay and see what wiring goes for, or even check out Painless to see how much it would cost you to get a wiring harness made.

chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

Yea it's in a 96 Z-28 the man/woman becoming a di*k about it I offered $1300 for it reply was bring 1000 for motor or trailer for whole car 1500 I'm sure I can part it out and recover some of the money.But in the pic's I've seen looks like it has seen alot of strip time big slicks on the back.

Coach Hawk

I seem to be late...again... here's my take on the FY/BD motor thing. Even if you're only mildly interested in performance, you'll probably be doing a cam swap anyway, so having the F-body cam doesn't really matter.

If you get serious about going fast, you're going to be spending money anyway, so buying AL heads from a good porter like Loyd Elliot or Advanced Induction(the two best LT1 specific head porters in the world) outright isn't that much added cost, plus you'll have less down time with your car.

Also, a B/D body LT1 has probably had a much easier life than the average F/Y engine. How many Roadmaster owners do you know that street race?

89' RS/blue

the 94-94 LT1 350 in caprices/impalas/roadmasters/fleetwood brougham had iron heads that came out later but had more development time and thereflow flowed something like 20 cfm more than the corvettes aluminum heads

poopapooman

thanx for the info ive been looking for and engine but i ve had a hard time due to a low budget. i guess what ive been asking all along is if i get a b/d lt1 will i be able to buy parts from like summit for the same year range of motor just listed as a camaro or firebird. b/c obviosly knowone sell performance parts specifically for b/d body engines

poopapooman

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chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

You might want to post that in the PARTS WANTED I would say you would have better luck

Coach Hawk

If you think no one makes performance parts specifically for the B/D crowds, you have alot yet to learn. There is a very sizable aftermarket for the 94-96 Impala SS, which is mechanically identical to all other 94+ B/Ds. For the most part, any F-body LT1 parts will bolt to ANY LT1. The ONLY thing that is really different headers, be sure they'll fit the straight plug iron heads(AL are angle plug)

chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

Anybody know a good place to look besides e-bay? For a combo?

poopapooman

what about 96 + 5.7 l trucks and suv's

Klortho

96-99 trucks have a standard 350 with Vortec heads.

chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

Well aftre looking and lookng I'm tired of looking so I found one it's a 96 f-body for $1400 complet most I've found dont come with everything I need.So I bought it.Really did not want Alumnium heads from previous experence with GM's Alum heads You have to retork them about every 30,000 or blow a head gasket. And other reasons but I 'm going to give them a try.