LT1 upgrade

if anyone has an lt1 lt4 in there 3rd gen tell me the price and the hassle of getting the parts and im only fifteen so when i do fave up i wont be putting it in so who can. thanks

if anyone has an lt1 lt4 in there 3rd gen tell me the price and the hassle of getting the parts and im only fifteen so when i do fave up i wont be putting it in so who can. thanks

If you don't go with A/C, the wirinmg is the hardest part, then the fuel lines and cooling system, everything else is almost bolt it

so, decide if you want A/C

then you need a LT1/harness/computer

I have had my lt1 in the car for about 3 years now. The direction that I wanted to go with the car would have been much more expensive if I had kept the origional L98. My motor is far from stock my last trip to the track the car trapped at 114mph. The car is totally drivable and passes emissions. It is extremely fun to drive. The swap was time consuming. When I did mine there were not alot of other lt1 cars even on the boards. (I think there was one) Now there are alot of resources to help you in doing your project. the wiring and plumming are the only hard parts and they are not that bad.
Hope this helps you.
Kory

But for a 15 year old.. come on, lol. This is like telling him to take over the world. Hey camarokidirocz.. do you know what a harness is? Do you know what the computer does in a TPI car? Would you know how to rewire an engine? Not ripping on you, or trying to be mean (trust me.. i was 15 once, and not so long ago at that ;) ) But in all reality, this will be damn near impossible until you get some more research, and some hands-on done. Trust me.. just yanking the engine in your car will be a huge learning experience, let alone dropping in another type of engine, and f'ing around with wiring, computers, etc.

Start with something simple like an intake swap. That way when you go further, you can reuse it. Accel SR is a little difficult for the novice so maybe something like a Holley Stealthram would be easier. Besides, they have a site dedicated to it so you can get more help. TPIS Miniram is also another option but they are pricy.

Like you said aklim, TPIS is expensive, and so is a Miniram.

If you want A/C the easiest setup is to use the Corvette Accessories it puts everything on the drivers side with the A/C compressor on the top.
The only drawback is price. When we built my friends 82 with the LT1, he bought a 96 F-Body LT1 and then ordered the Corvette bracket with all new accessories which ran almost $1,000 from Speed and Performance.
This is what it looks like with the Vette stuff on it,
http://www.transamws6.com/pics/82_ta/lt1_front.jpg

and in the car,
http://www.transamws6.com/pics/82_ta/mm1car2 013.jpg

Well previous to my LT1 swap I had never changed an intake manifold. Its not rocket science, just make sure you get all your research done, and I mean all, if your converting from carb there are more things need then if you convert from a TPI car or MPFI V6.

The wiring harness Im not sure why it scares so many, I pulled the harness apart, and I mean apart so I could see each individual colored wire, I pulled everything I didn't need tested all the connections, extended some where necessary, and then retaped wraped in the convaluted (sp?) tubing to give it a nice stock appearance.

The only thing that hurts besides the initial cost of the engine (which for me was $500 canadian) is all the odds and ends, that KILLED me cost wise, cause I didn't have my research completed. Which I can't stress enough!!!

Regardless of experience, if you know how to change your oil, loosen and tighten bolts in a sequence, then you can swap an engine. It's not like your building it :D Now if you decide on some upgrades along the way, then ya experience is key, but for a swap it will only help you go faster!

Like I have asked before, what will you gain with the LT1? Better intake? You can get even better ones out there. If you must really have the intake, there is a company out there that will sell you a modded LT1 that will work with the L98. Other than that, the only gain is the loss of drag from the distributor and a small bit from the reverse cool. Now, add it all up and figure out why you are going for the hassle of swapping the harness, having problems with the AC not being a bolt in, etc, etc. As if life were not complicated enough.

I hassled a little with the HSR because it had quite a bit to offer WRT the hassle of making fuel lines to the right length and it being too tall for the Firebird. However, I already had the ram air hood so I knew it would clear.

When I made the decision to swap my engine. Here are some of the reasons I did it.
1 aluminum heads
2 intake
3 better computer
I wanted to make an honest 400 plus hp. At the time it would have cost alot more money to do that than the amount that I had to invest in the project. Back in 99 there were no cheap high hp efi intakes. The mini ram costed around 1200 dollars, a good set of heads costs between 1000-1500. Then you have the cost of a fresh short block. It would have easily cost me over 4 grand total. I spent 3500 for an almost complete rolled 94 ta with 7k miles on it.
It may not be the best route for everyone, I have never regretted it. My car is running great. It should be even better next spring.
Just my .o2
Kory