I would assume this the correct forum to post this, if not i apologize in advance, but heres my Q

i really want an fbody, and being in college money is tight. i could possibly buy one this summer, but i would need to sell my celica before hand, and i cant be without a car for any amount of time, since i need to work.

so i thought of another option, buying an LT1 fbod with tons of miles for hopefully cheap and getting a replacement LT1 off of paceperformance.com or a similar site (any other suggestions?) that way i could work on it and still have my celica as a daily driver. my only question is about the ECU and wiring set up between the years. would i need to replace the original LT1 with a same year engine to utilize the existing wiring, or would any year LT1 be fine? also i have never done something like this before (but my dad has) so it will be a learning experience, and i was also wondering if the wiring would be more or less plug and play? or would extensive modification need to be done (im guessing no?)

anyway, thanks for reading

 

93s might have some diffrent wiring, and im sure there is a diffrence in the obdI and obdII cars also.

 

what year did it change from OBDI to OBDII? i would assume that id have to stay within the respective years then

 

'93 is speed density, '94 is MAF with OBDI and 12 pin connector, '95 is OBDI with 16pin ALDL, '96-97 is OBDII with 16pin connector.

Another option is to rebuild the engine that comes with the car, which can be cheaper than buying a crate motor. Port the heads and throw in a cam while you've got it apart.

 

someone else will need to chime in here, im not that great with the details, but i think 95-97?? or maybe 96-97, either way, i would just swap out shortblocks, or rebuild the low end and not mess with the the compentets really.

 

I would tally up the cost for your idea and compare it to outright buying a quality low-mile F-Body up front. I see where you're going with this idea, but if you buy a high-mile F-Body, you'll have to worry about other parts on the car eventually going bad, too, not just engine parts. Especially if this sounds like it's going to be your daily driver, you wouldn't want your ride to leave you stranded. Now if you found a low-mile F-Body with a shot engine, that's a different story and might be a better option for you then a high-mile car.

I'm sure you value all the money you make and planning out ALL your options up front will allow you to make the best financial decision here.

 

Thanks for the great responses guys, looks like i basically do need to replace the engine with a same year one...

WayneE - rebuilding the engine? it might be cheaper? what does that actually entail and where could i get that done?


joecool72 - u brought up some very valid points that i was also thinking of, and like u said a low mileage car with a shot engine does seem like a better alternative.


thanks again. looks like i gotta just bust my butt this summer and see what i can come up with...

 

ttt

 

Rebuilding the engine entails machinework to clean up the block and replacing some of the internals but not all which cuts cost right there. You can have this done at any local performance shop near you.

 

so after this rebuild, is the engine basically like new again?

 

sort of depends on your budget here...a high mileage LT1 car is still going to run you $3000+, then tack on $2000 for the new engine you wanted and you have a high mileage $5000 car. I would say your best bet is to find a decent mileage (<100,000) LT1 for around $5000 and go with that, or like above try to find a lower mileage blown motor car for <$2000 and drop a $2000 engine in it. Either way, be prepared to look for a while to get the car you want.

95 is generally considered the best year to go with because of the updated opti and lack of OBDII emissions concerns.