94zgreenmachine

Does anyone know or ever hear about this "rare" engine?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

moparman

What "rare" engine?

94zgreenmachine

I forgot to add the link. I added it to the original post.

Z28SORR

Rare, is a very subjective word. There were 400, give or take a couple, LT4 Camaro's done by GM. And all the GS Corvette's, and 96 manual Vette's were LT4's, plus there were quite a few LT4, four bolt main blocks, used as replacements. This one appears to be one of the Corvette engines.
So other then the "X" in the SN of the heads we have only the sellers word that it is anything special, and NO documantation that proves this was done by Chevy. The intake PN indicates that it is an LT4, but there is no way to tell if it's a prototype or not!!!
I would ignore what the seller has said and base my decision on whether the engine is worth $4,000 as it sits.

P.S. if the seller can come up with documentation to prove it's a "one off" then that is another story, and the engine would probably be worth more then 4G's.

DeuceGI

If it is what the seller says it is, yes its a "rare" engine. I'd need to see more than a mediocre ebay description (ie. paper trail) before I'd accept the experimental piece story.
An LT4 itself is a somewhat uncommon engine, but I wouldn't value this one any higher than any other used LT4. For the buy it know price you could lay a whole lot of power on your LT1. Also for 4K+ clams I'd want to hear the damn thing run. YMMV.

94zgreenmachine

Rare or not, it is still an LT based engine, that I don't believe, qualifies as rare or command any type of high dollar price tag.
I build prototypes at work and I sure as hell wouldn't want to own one of them.
If this happened to be an aluminum block LTX or large displacement or 32v heads, etc, I would think that would qualify as "rare".
The guy says his Father in law remembers "stories" about it, but I've heard so much BS that I need to see rather than believe what I hear.
At the time when, Lotus helped design the LT5, it was rather hi-tech for its time but to have an lt4 just destroy the LT5, I find highly suspect. Wouldn't GM have a hopped up LT5 around as well? Is it possible the LT4 they had was/is capable of the power levels, from the factory, but dropped them because of the gold almighty LS series engines?

Z28SORR

Don't think your opinion is in line with the general buying public.
LT4's are rare and getting rarer every day. And they DO command higher prices then LT1's or "standard SBC".

I see someone thinks it was worth $4,300.00.

94zgreenmachine

Like who? There were zero bids.

I wasn't saying the lt4 couldn't fetch more, but no matter what you say, it is still an LTx based motor. The heads have the potential to flow more and when done right, probably do better than lt1 castings, stock for stock and ported for ported. The factory never even finished the intakes on the lt4. Gave you the room to open up the ports to match them up to the heads, but why didn't they just finish and do it right?

Would you or do you know anyone foolish enough to spen $4300 on an LT4. I understand the die hard collectors, and maybe that is who he was trying to reach. Without any type of documentation, none of the collectors will be looking to buy.

Do you think our f-bodies will ever be worth what the 1 and early 2 gen cars are getting? I seriously don't .......

Injuneer

There were 106 LT4 30th SS Camaros and 27 LT4 Firehawks built by SLP, not GM. Not sure where the other 300 LT4 Camaros are. And there is no "LT4, 4-bolt main block" - all Corvette blocks, including the ones used on the LT4 engines were the same LT1 block with 4-bolt mains, as were the service replacement engines. But all of this has nothing to do with the question at hand.

Its not about buying a (supposedly) "rare" block, and using it to make magic HP... IF ITS REAL (and I see nothing in the eBay listing to verify it) the value lies in it being a piece of GM history, not in the potential to use it for some imagined high HP setup. A "Blue Flame 6" from the 50's could have value if it was one of one or two produced by the GM skunk works.

But like the others, I'd need more evidence than the seller provides to even consider it "rare". And its only of value to a "collector", not the average performance enthusiast.

shoebox

Probably the listing on Ebay was more "experimental" than anything.

Z28SORR

Ooopps, You are correct, I completely misread that.

Seeing how the 1st & 2nd Gens. will always be older that would be an impossiblity. However the 4th Gens. and the LT4's inparticular WILL greatly increase in value in the next 40 yrs., just as the 20+ year old 3rd. Gens. are starting to increase today.

Z28SORR

Damn, twice in the same thread! 106 LT4's is I believe correct. Type-o.

94zgreenmachine

I wish I had the same feeling but there really wasn't too much "special" about our cars, except for a few of the LT4 F-bodies that came out. Maybe they are to "new" in my mind and I can't look past that. Doesn't matter, I don't own it so it can be worth something down the road......

I received a relisting notice from ebay. It seems the engine has been relisted:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...RL%3AUS%3A1123

The thing I find "weird" about this now is how the listing has been modified. In the first listing, we go from an engine tag stating 6900 miles to 187.


The extrude honed heads description has been completely dropped from the second listing.


The valve covers have been changed.... something just seems weird cause even if this is the "other" engine he said he wasn't going to sell, he said it had zero miles on it



If anyone had been following this listing from the beginning, this surely doesn't help with the credibility of identifying the orgins of this engine.....

94zgreenmachine

I asked the seller a question thru ebay and have since found out the following.

This is indeed the second engine. The first he says is torn apart for inspection. The first listing has an experimental lt4 cam with basically the same lift but more duration.

He says GM allowed him to right down what was written on the tags but not keep them. GM removed them before he took delivery.

Z28SORR

Yah, the first one was out of a Vette, this one seems to be out of a Camaro. The whole thing smells fishy!! He's also starting MUCH lower with this one.