Anybody think it's worth it? I am trying to decide whether to get a used lt1 TA or put one in my 87 Trans Am. I've put a lot of work into my Trans Am and I'd hate to get rid of it. How much does an lt1 motor usually cost?

 

you can get them for a pretty decent cost. check ebay and forums. You gotta get the trans, motor, harness, and computer...

It all depends on what you have, and what you wanna do. If I had a car with no motor, then yea i'd probably swap in a LT1 or LS1..but if you have a 350 TPI i'd build that up

theres more to a LT1 swap then just a simple bolt in...you will incounter a few road blocks, like cooling and wiring. Also the LT1 is 275 horse. a L98 350 is 245 or so...not worth the gain. The LT1 does have alum heads and have alot more potential than L98 heads. It all has to do with your budget and what you wanna accomplish...

 

best single mod I ever did to the car.


check my website for a general overview to get an idea, www.geocities.com/texaslt1/lt1swap/swap.html

 

Yes it's worth it. How many L98s with bolt ons only turn 112 mph traps? None. I still have the stock throttle body and MAF and pulleys and before boost, I was turning 13 flat at 112. Easy 12s with traction.

 

It's actually an even bigger jump up for me because I'm running with an LG4-305 right now and I believe stock they rated between 170hp and 190hp. So I'm hoping to get an unbelievable gain out of. I just want to try to keep the costs between 2k-2.5k. Is that even possilbe? I'm not looking to turn the car into a drag car but more a quicker daily driver.

 

Actually the LG4 was 155hp...my '85 had that.

 

yes than i would recommend it definately...get the LT1, maybe a few baisc bolt ons, then if you wanna keep it really reliable just throw a blower on there and your looking at close to 400 horse....that would make for a fun daily driver...

 

you can do it for $2500 if you keep it relatively simple.
the only drawback is if you get a high milage LT1 that has pretty much all stock parts, then you may end up spending a lot replaceing the expensive items, like the Opti Spark, which runs anywhere from $240-400.

What I would do is purchase a good running 95-97 F-Body (or 94-95 B-Body) LT1 motor, freshen it up with new bearings and gaskets, mild cam, new opti, new waterpump, new O2's, get a stand alone harness, and get the PCM tuned and VATS disabled.

Your tranny is fine, but you will need to make a provision for the TV Cable, or get a 93 LT1 TB since those have TV cable attachments on them.

 

I have an 82 Z, it had the original 305 Cross Fire Injection (somewhere around 150fwhp). I dropped a '94 LT1/4L60E into her. The power difference throughout the entire power band is crazy! It's getting ready to have a Lloyd Elliot 2 (LE2) head/cam upgrade installed. I think our 3rd gens are somewhat lighter (not totally sure on this) so we may get even more out of the LT1 than 4th gens.

 

For 2k-2.5k you can have a KICK A$$ LG4 that would not only put that LT1 to shame, but an LS1 as well. Purchase wisely my friend

EDIT: Oh yes, and Third-Genner's are generally lighter than fourth-gen cars

 

Nope, it was bumped to 170 in '87 due to the fact that it was a roller motor with the centerbolt heads. My '87 came with an LG4 too. Not that any of that makes much difference when talking about an LT1 swap....

Personally, I say go for the swap, but switch to a 1-coil-per-cylinder setup for the ignition right away. Opti isn't worth messing with.

- Justin

 

Ok buddy.

 

Yeah he's trying to do this on a budget remember? There is no way you're going to get an LT1 in and running for $2500 and switch to a Delteq/LTCC ignition system while you're at it.

Also, I've got almost 100K VERY hard miles on my LT1 with the original Opti spark, don't hesitate to drive it in the rain, and it hasn't so much as hiccuped.

 

There is a whole forum about this on thirdgen.org

 

Does something I said amuse you in some way? Check out my sig. That number is going to grow by the end of this winter when I get different heads, rockers, electrical fan assembly's, and an electrical water pump.
Oh ya, and I havn't hit the 1000$ mark in engine work yet