Again thanks for the input. No, I don't have emissions, so deleting EGR will probably be what I go for.. I'm eager to learn to tune, but I certainly won't dive in without having as much information under my belt as possible. I guess one of these days I'll crack the valve covers and check out the lifter situation.


Out of curiosity, what would be a good set of roller rockers to apt for? Would I need new pushrods or anything... I've never actually torn into internals so it's all new to me.

 

There are a handful of rr's that you can get. I personally run the GM 1.6's that come with the hotcam kit (self aligning). Do a search and you'll come up with all the different brands people run. And, no, you don't have to change out pushrods. You should be able to replace your current rockers and go.

 

What precautions/steps do I need to take in pulling the valvecovers? Once I check for loose lifters, is it safe to run the engine without valve covers, just to check for a noisy valvetrain?

 

No precautions for pulling the valve covers. The alternator has to come off for the passanger side. You may get a little oil on the manifolds or plug wires (squirting through the pushrods), but it's safe to run it with the valve covers off. I would suggest not revving the engine though, that will cause a much bigger oil mess than just an idle will. Just in case you'll be wondering later on, it's also safe to run the engine without the alternator bolted up and the belt on.

 

So assuming that the knock is false, that's what's causing my timing to be so poor? Assuming that's correct, that is giving my biggest problem as far as the 'cutting out' goes, and the loss of power at WOT?

Given all of this is true, would simply upgrading to the LT4 knock module eliminate most of the false knock that's detected?

 

No one will be able to tell you yes or no. It may get rid of it all, it may get rid of some, or it might not do anything at all.

 

Understandable, but I'm assuming that the LT4 Knock module is simply less sensitive than the stock LT1? So I guess in theory it should.

Thanks a ton for your help, I'll probably try to keep in touch with you when I get more involved with this. I love the internet.

 

The LT4 KM is not less 'sensitive' than the LT1 KM. Basically, the knock sensor is a microphone (piezoelectric microphone to be exact) and the knock module is what determines what is knock and what is not knock. The LT4 KM is tuned to allow the excess noise of rr's that came factory in the 1996 Grand Sport Corvette (LT4) to pass and not be seen as detonation. If you valve train noise doesn't mimic (produce similar vibrations/frequencies) that of noisy rr's, I'm not sure if it will help you or not.
I'll be here.