Thirim

Been gathering parts, getting close to the tear down. I'm by no means a mechanic just a weekend garage guy. Looking for some advice on the direction I'm going. Stuff I should look at replacing/upgrading. I'm aiming over the 400HP mark. but would like to get the most out of what I have I guess.

Here's my list, any advice is greatly appreciated.

-'96 LT1 running OBD1 ..in and running but will freshen it up before doing any of this.
-1.6:1 crane roller rockers .. also been installed for a few years now. guessing there are 25-30K miles on them.
-Hedman shorty hedders.. 1-5/8" d-port's. -prob look at replacing these with something coated.
-2.75" cat back, stock (modified for hedders) Y pipe.. Flowmaster 40series (look to replace this as well)
-T-56 w/ stock clutch
-New 3.73 to replace noisy old one .. kit, ring pinion, seals bearings etc to freshen up stock rear
-NIB Non-Adj rear lower control arms, non-adj panhard bar, wonderbar..
-Mega Squirt to run all this stuff. going to do an Opti delete using Ford EDIS
-NIB TrickFlow GenX 185 Heads -assembled version
-NIB ARP Headbolts
-Gently used 58mm BBK TB

Thinking of LT4 Hotcam.. not looking for anything huge though.
Thinking of new pushrods.. not sure about lifters?
Prolly getting a nice diff cover since I can't build a motor and dish out for a 9"/12bolt.. not a track car.
Thinking single 3" exhaust. Can't have it hanging any lower than it is as our roads aren't the greatest around here

henryz28

http://elliottsportworks.com/ talk with this man

Injuneer

400+HP at the flywheel, or at the rear wheels?

grabbem88

if this is what you have..run it!...

but toss lifters..just get you some new ones

since your camshaft comment of not wanting somthing too big..i'd be more concerned in what your otb springs can handle...

i'm sure some get confused in what is a big cams are..some look at lift and say it's big..or think the "lope" is a sign of a huge cam,and even the required stall to be used or loss of your usual 25 mpg..

best advice is talk to a custom cam guy,and he can either turn you a billet piece or spec an off the shelf cam that will not destroy your otb springs on your tfs heads..

i'd also toss the 1 5/8 headers in favor for something a tad big..understanding clearance is an issue..see who makes a ceramic 1 3/4 mid-length header?...
iv'e got a local here running a 4 inch single exhaust ran two dynomax bullets off the long tubes into a custom y-pipe 4 inch btw and straight back...loud and sounded wicked!

bw_hunter

No need to toss the stock lifers on a GM engine if nothing is wrong with them. That's sort of Ford-think but your forgiven.....just this once....

400 at the engine is pretty easy in a lt1, 400 at the wheels a fair bit tougher. What is the goal??that opti delete isn't going to be simple....are you sure that's what you want?

Also, think a minimum of 3" on the catnack as engines need to breathe to make power.

Good luck whatever you choose....

grabbem88

lol you got me!

a couple things i suggest lifters other than the ol'ford method..

different cam...means different pushrod length...then you got different spring pressure...therefore the geometry is gonna be different than stock...

considering i have used old lifters in some of my builds..i only had one case where a few failed on me mechanically...but cost me another set of p/r one cracked spring..

atleast we agree on the exhaust somewhat lol

bw_hunter

Hmm. Different pushrod length doesn't change the geometry at the lifter.... At least on a an SB chevy. The stock lifters can handle a lot of spring pressure so, again, I wouldn't worry. I would,certainly, inspect each one closely and then decide.....

Broken springs are rarely caused by lifters it's usually the wrong chosen rate allowing a harmonic.....

grabbem88

mine were modified plungers with shims in them..a retainer came out and made it just hammer one of my rockers was chipped as well...it was crazy

no i didn't mean geometry at the lifter ..it was at the roller meeting the valve stem..


its about consistancy is all..

Thirim

Thanks for all the replies..
400Hp at the crank would make me happy but I honestly have no idea.. I'd like to get all I can but still maintain a daily driver.
I'm taking a stab and saying I'm making 300 now at the crank with what I have on it. A 100HP boost for what I have would be nice. 200 would be better lol.

As for the cam, I'm rather happy with the idle I have. I've heard some idles where the car practically chokes on itself. I'd rather not have something that needs to idle at 2500rpm just to stay running. Like I say, not a drag car.
Forgot to add that I'll be shopping for a ported intake. I'll make contact with Lloyd's business, if I get a custom cam there, I'll likely just get one of his intakes too.
Sounds like a debate on new lifters or not.. new pushrods or not..
I youtube'd a few LT4 Hotcams.. I could likely live with that idle, just not sure that profile is what i want? lol (for once trying to do my homework to keep from buying something I don't need or should've bought)
Appreciate the advice!

Thirim

As for ditching the Opti.. I bought a trigger wheel, EDIS are a dime a dozen.. Have the schematics so I can wire GM coils to it instead of Ford stuff.. Thinking of going with 2.2L cavalier coils x 4.. Also have the how-to on mating Megasquirt with the EDIS. I have friends using Megasquirt so I'll have some support.. Granted they're Rustang lovers.. lol

Injuneer

Megasquirt and Opti delete are huge complications that is totally unnecessary. You can easilly make 400 flywheel HP with the stock PCM and a good tune. You shouldn't have any problems with the Opti either. But if you want to increase the life, consider the Bailey LTCC - 8 LS1 coils and the Opti is only used as a cam position sensor.

Sounds like your a converted Ford fan, who hasn't really looked into the capabilities of the Opti and the ability to tune using the stock PCM. Why give up the full sequential injection? Your stock PCM will not function without the Opti cam position input.

grabbem88

lol...the jab was intended for me from bw hunter...i'm the old ford guy..lol

but before my ford day's i owned a 74 firebird 72 laguna malibu...oh and my 85 monte carlo..when i got out of the army in 99 for some reason i wanted to try fords..musta been a pitty thing lol

97WS6SCharged

Most of those cars that sound like they're about to shut off are usually cold and idling below 800 rpm. Idle them up to 1k rpm and they are fine. That said, I wouldn't run a hot cam again. Don't get me wrong, it's a great driving cam but it leaves you wanting in the end. The best advice you're going to get is to talk to the guy who does your heads to see what he recommends. Tell him what you want and let him tell you if it's within the realm of reason.

As for the lifters, if they are in good shape with no obvious wear or play in the rollers then reuse them. I would only worry about replacing them if they have obvious wear or water/sludge in them.

Injuneer

I wasn't responding to you or to Bruce. I was responding to the original poster, who is interested in using the Ford EDIS parts on a GM engine.

Go to the Advanced Tech forum and try a "Search". There was a guy who set up an EDIS system, and added a cam position sensor. Appeared to have great promise, but there was never any really positive feedback on the system, or whether he got it to run the way he wanted. If you want to eliminate the Opti, use the EFI Connection 24X setup, with the LS1 PCM.

joelster

A good running 350 with good oil pressure shouldn't need much.
Rockers are fine
Get some ceramic pacesetter long tubes. Best bang for the buck out there. Shorty's are a waste, barely better than stock manifolds.
Get the matching pacesetter y-pipe. Magnaflow makes a good looking great sounding cat-back system for relatively cheap. SLP is obnoxiously loud.
Lots of $$$$$$$$, for zero gain on a motor that won't spin above 6500.
Probably one of the best cylinder heads available for a 350 cube LT1, great choice!
Hotcam is a solid performer but it DOES NOT belong on a motor with heads that flow 275cfm. Step up to something better such as the comp XFI467 to make use of those excellent cylinder heads.
Get some chromoly pushrods. I run trickflows in 7.3" length. They are a good investment at about $80. Stock lifters are fine, just inspect them.
Do not put money into a 10-bolt, just wasting your time.

I would run the stock pcm with a mail order tune to get you into the ballpark, and then maybe a dyno tune down the road to fine tune it some more.