Alright fellas, here's the way the cookie crumbles :

The wiring/ecm stuff sucks, as we all know. The accessory and AC junk can get pretty messy too. You can find a 350 shortblock dirt cheap (I sold the L98 SB for $175 last week with PM rods). LT1 heads (Aluminum/flow excellently) can be had for $200 (I've got a set if you want ) and ported for just as cheap as any other head. Cam is the same. Intake can be had for $75 including fuel rails and mod'ed for under $300. Let's gander:

Hard Parts
350 Shortblock - 200
Heads - 200
Mod'ing Heads - 100
Intake/Rails - 75
Mod'ing Intake - 300
Cam (CMotorsports GP) - 600 --OPTIONAL--

Labor
Wiring/ECM - Simple swap, no repinning
Running AC - No problemo
Accessories - Stock 3rd gen acc. work

Ok, now we have a camm'ed, custom, "LT1" for $1,475. Subtract the $600 for cam kit, now just a custom "LT1" and you're looking at $875. Even if you can find a running LT1 for that price, tack on some for k-member work (if you run AC). Vette acc. or aftermarket are another couple hundred $. Have fun wiring it all together. Hope you can afford a few weeks down-time.

The Final Answer
If you've got the option, build the LT1 Intake/Head'ed SBC. Easier to do, plain and simple. Same potential, just as "custom" IMO. Less down-time of the car. And most of all, less expensive.

Later,
Corey

 

Corey, I call on that "optional cam kit" It is mandatory.

Seriously, if you are goint that far and the engine is out, you might as well drop the $600 for the cam instead of taking it out all again and dropping the oil pan to get at the timing cover to do the cam if you ever decided to do it later.

 

Agreed, but that was my disclaimer towards anyone who is going to say:

[Redneck Voice]"I can get an LT1 for way less than $1475"[/Redneck Voice]

 

I got me one of them thar LT ONE engines for less than that. Makes a right nice weight to hold my garage floor down durin the twisters.

Chewin tabaccy, chewin tabaccy, chewin tabaccy, spit. If you ain't a redneck, you ain't worth ****.



Ok, I'm back to normal now.

 

Corey, how are the flow rates of the L98 vette heads WRT the LT1 heads? I remember reading there was a test done but I don't remember the results.

 

I remember a test between a set of aluminum L98 heads and a set of iron vortec heads. The vortec heads won. The results of the LT1 heads should be similar since the vortec heads are based on LT1 heads.

 

According to CHP the LT1 does out flow the L98 vette head.

 

For all intensive purposes, the L98 is just a 1pc seal Gen. 1 smallblock, and there are plenty of very, very fast Gen. 1 smallblocks out there. Ever run across a set of 18, 15, or 14 deg. heads for your LT1?

 

that build up is very interesting could you give me a run down of exactly what to get to do that??

 

wow I never thought that my question would cause so much turmoil. The long and short of it is, Im going to go with the lt1. Its easy enough to put in, and down time is not a problem.

 

We never said a 1pc seal gen. 1 SBC was slow, just the L98 which was the TPI motor. The stock TPI intake is the greatest truck manifold ever invented, but it sucks for high performance applications. And yes, I've seen heads such as those for LT1 motors. Ever see a set of 32 valve heads for a non-LTx motor?

 

Arao Engineering makes them here

 

Yep. Nothing like a SBC singing to a ricer like 9000 RPM.

 

Haha amen, especially when they have flat tappet cams and limiter's set to 9800 RPM Did I mention the 800+ HP?

Cough*Nextel Cup*Cough

aklim:
I don't know the results but AFAIK, the LT1 heads are some of the best factory flowing heads ever. And don't compare them to aluminum L98 heads, the cheapest I've seen a set of them go for is ~$450ish. Psh, that leaves $250 worth of porting (assuming you spend 200 on LT1 heads)

I think I've seen 18* LT1 heads. Ever seen a set of LT5 heads? I haven't, but I'd imagine they are insane

redlined: So you're going LT1 eh? Good luck, and any questions--post 'em up!

-Corey

 

I've seen a set of LT5 heads, one was on a motor that was being assembled, the other was on a 94 ZR1 I test drove. Couldn't afford it at the time, but it was fun to test drive. 7800 RPM redline was pretty trippy.

To make a set of 18* LT1 heads you take a set of 18* SBC heads and add some additional coolant holes (kinda the opposite of converting LT1 heads to SBC use). Cost for the 18* heads and the conversion is way cheaper than a set of $6k Arao heads.

BTW, AFIK, no one has gotten the Arao/Dominion heads to work on an LT1 yet, though I could be wrong.