did you mean l98 by chance? i think id have to side with Aklim on this one. it would probably just be easier/cheaper/more powerful to just build an l98 and charge it i dont believe theres much advantage of the lt1 over l98 that cant be equalled out pretty easily (intake manifold, cam). so what, you get reverse flow cooling and the dreaded opti with the lt1 .jmo

 

ls1's power output is actually closer to 350, not 330 . the summit kit is basically your "regular" lt4 top end + the lt4 "hotcam", which brings it to its "425hp" mark. they do sell a "hotcam" for ls1's as well you know, with no need for better heads/int. manifold really, which more than likely equals summits lt4 package and that is a "mild" cam.

 

Corrected it.

Like I said before, with the L98 you lose the reverse flow and add the distributor that the LT1 doesn't have. However, talking to professionals in the field they report at most a 20-30 HP if you max the hell out of the LT1 as opposed t doing the same with the L98. If I am going thru all that trouble, it will be worth a hell of a lot more than a 20HP at best difference.

 

Well, the nice thing about reverse cooling is that you can run higher compression on pump gas than you normally could with a regular small block. 12:1 is not uncommon for a street driven LT1. The LT4 package is a bit overrated. 425 flywheel hp is more likely, on a dyno you might hit 350-360. With ported stock heads and a matched cam, an LT1 can easily hit 400 rwhp, if you use ported LT4 heads and a matched cam, then they can do a bit more. The nice thing about the opti is that it's extremely accurate and you never have to set the timing. Just line up the dowel pin and boom, perfect timing (which is nice). Also, you can convert from the opti to a DIS style ignition system with either the LTCC or a Delteq unit. You retain the opti for the low res cam pulse, but the LTCC/Delteq system barks the orders to a set of coil on when to fire so there is no high current side to the opti anymore. They pretty much last forever then. Another interesting thing is the Dynaspark which is an opti with copper (non-corrosive) contacts and a billet housing that is now on the market. We can sit here all day and debate the heck out of which is better, but it won't do much good. Either way you go, you're going to have a good running car with whichever motor you pick.

 

My Lt1 overheated all the time, but my Ls1 runs cool. I think the Lt1 swap would be alot easier, but the ls1 would be my choice

 

But if the L98 and the LT1 are both modded to the max, do you really think you can see more than 20HP of difference?

 

just a couple of questions:

1. Why is the lt1 so much harder to put in than the L98 (by the way, I will be deleting the AC)

2. What is the problem with optispark?

3. Which engine will produce more power with a cam and heads?

I'm basically looking for the easiest and most cost effective route to get a little more power in my car.

Sorry for the newbie questions

 

Basically, i'm not looking to mod my engine to the max- dont have the money for it right now, I'm still in high school.

I need a reliable engine that will perform the best with the few mods that I am able to afford right now.

So with a head and cam package, can anyone give me some numbers to work with?

 

LT1 was not designed to fit into this bay with the accessories and even without, you will have to dent some parts of the structure to get it to fit. If you don't know how much to dent, I would suspect that it would be a process of "dent, lower engine to check, dent....." till it was right.

Problem with optispark was that it was a poor design and water got in and screwed it up. IIRC. and IIRC they fixed it with a vented cap.

You might get a few more HP with the LT1 assuming you have done the intakes of the L98 also. Another route is you could modify the LT1 intake so it would fit and that woudl be around $400 or a modified intake or maybe $700 if you wanted to go with a Holley Stealth Ram. In any case, the TPI intake of the L98 sucks. So, for ease of work, I would suggest a L98 with say an LT1 intake, heads and cam and a modified EPROM with headers and you should be screaming.

 

I just bought a LT1 and A4 out of a '97 Z28 with 60k miles to put into my 1980 Camaro. I shopped around and got it for $1400. I told the guy that I wanted to splice into the old system as little as possible. I got the engine and everything that bolts onto it, the computer and harness, instrument cluster (I'm gonna make it work some way), radiator, condenser, and radiator shroud.

I figure I will need motor mounts, a throttle cable, rig the tranny linkage and crossmember, get power to the fans and injectors, lie to the computer about the VATS and install post cat O2 sims, put a different rear end in and get a drive shaft cut, and I should be about set. There will probably be about 3 dozen other things that I don't know about yet, but it will be worth it going from a 229 to a LT1 350 for under $2000.

 

If you're not running AC, then just get a 1LE AC delete pulley and drop the thing in. The AC is the biggest reason why the LT1 doesn't easily fit into an older car. Most people will use the accessories from a Vette which mounts the AC high on the driver side so you don't have to notch/cut anything.

As far as the opti goes, as long as your waterpump doesn't start leaking or you don't drive through a 2 ft deep puddle, you shouldn't have any problems out of it for at least 70K miles or more. If you take it apart and add a little RTV sealant around the outside of the cap and rotor, then they last a very long time (the vented ones).

I think Dan's biggest headache is going to be running a new fuel system in that old Camaro.

 

I vote for conventional SBC with a carb.

 

I definitely would go w/ the LT1. I used to own an L98 w/ a couple minor bolt ons, then I bought my stock LT1, and the difference was unbelievable. I used to think the L98 was fast. Then I found out that it just had good low end torque, and was still slow in a real race. Yeah an L98 will hang w/ an LT1 0-40, but after that, the LT1 will start pulling away. I would go LT1 because it is cheaper than the LS1.

The opti is not a bad design. It is much more accurate than a traditional dist design. Mine had 101k and still didn't have any problems. I just replaced it since i was going there already (w/ the Elec WP).

Tell you what, go test drive some stock LT1s and some stock L98s, and then make your decision. I'm sure I know what it will be. The LT1s still have great low end punch, as well as power up top. If you aren't convinved, ride in a modded LT1, and then tell us what you choose. I would never trade my LT1 back for my L98, if that tells you anything.

Good luck w/ the LT1 swap. Put in a CC305 or a Hot cam w/ some LT headers and watch her scream.

 

Stock for stock, yes, the LT1 is better. Replace the crappy L98 intake and it will be a whole new ball game.

 

Yes you can make all 3 of them very fast. Sounds like you have a healthy setup Aklim, what are you running in the 1/4?