Planning a LT-1 Build for next year
08-25-2015, 09:06 PM
#1
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Planning a LT-1 Build for next year Hi guys and ladies. I have a 94 Chevy Caprice 9C1 Police Intercepter. Im planning a engine rebuild and mods to the motor next year. I wanna make a stroker motor, a 383. I was thinking a nice 355 at first but I like the idea of haveing a 383 LT-1 under the hood. A heavy car and i plan on running her at the strip every now and then but mostly long distance highway trips and using the a/c and still knowing I got power at my feet. Im thinking if my motor can get 400hp, 9.1 compression motor using 89 octane pump gas, and 560 ft lbs of torque or more, Im fine. If she can do low 14s to high 13's thru the quarter mile, Im happy. I was thinking about forged pistons or hyper pistons, i will have the block bored .030 over. Connecting rods--what type? Manley 6 inch forged rods? Forged steel crank? and who makes the best one? I plan on getting a two angle valve job on the original aluminum heads, get heads CNC'd, Manley valves, LT4 cam but i want the cam to match my 3.08 gears, posi unit in it too. What would the cam specs be? Beehive valve springs, 1.5 intakes, 1.6 exhaust, i would have the heads port matched with the headers i have-Hooker street Force headers (already ceramic coated by Jet Hot coatings), Have new true dual exhaust on, 14 gauge aluminum front pipe, balance tube, 3 chamber Flowmasters, cat delete, 2 and half inch tailpipes, using 245/60 R15 tires on stock police rims. Car in storage most of the year and half of next year too. Any helpful info is appreciated.
08-26-2015, 06:15 AM
#2
If you honestly believe any of this is a good plan you need to have a couple more years of getting a clue first.
Plan is so bad it is easier to believe you are a troll trying to stir the pot than someone actually so completely wrong about what you need to do.
Plan is so bad it is easier to believe you are a troll trying to stir the pot than someone actually so completely wrong about what you need to do.
08-26-2015, 08:10 AM
#4
WARNING: You need thick skin for LS1tech.
Do not take criticism to heart, listen to what is said, and learn. Don't get scared off because of criticism or smart *** comments, keep reading and posting and you will see why comments like the above are made.
Stock compression is 10.4:1. The LT4 stock was 10.8:1. 9:1 is old school small block thought, does not apply to reverse flow cooling lt1s where the chamber stays cool and you can run more compression. 96caprice, has a caprice (boat like you) and runs 11s on a stock bottom end 350.
Like was said above, seriously do more reading, find a build that performs like you want, and copy it. Or keep posting, reading, and learning, but your above plan is scary bad.
Do not take criticism to heart, listen to what is said, and learn. Don't get scared off because of criticism or smart *** comments, keep reading and posting and you will see why comments like the above are made.
Stock compression is 10.4:1. The LT4 stock was 10.8:1. 9:1 is old school small block thought, does not apply to reverse flow cooling lt1s where the chamber stays cool and you can run more compression. 96caprice, has a caprice (boat like you) and runs 11s on a stock bottom end 350.
Like was said above, seriously do more reading, find a build that performs like you want, and copy it. Or keep posting, reading, and learning, but your above plan is scary bad.
08-26-2015, 08:20 AM
#5
Ill bite a little more. You like the ring of "I have a 383", but the added power and torque from going from a 350-355 to a 383 isn't that much if you look at it $/HP. Forged rotating assembly is $2000, block work is $1000, that's $3000 more for maybe 20hp/20tq. If its worth it to you, do it. You MUST use a forged crank. Cast Chinese cranks like eagle and scat fail remarkably often and fast at even low HP numbers. Google "eagle cast crank failure" and you'll see cases.
Rods, 6" on a 3.75 crank is good, even on a stock crank is good. Forged.
Pistons, if you ever plan to spray, need to be forged. If you insist on cheaper, a good cast/hyper like the stock Mahles.
Cam, lt4 hotcam is a baby cam in a stock 350, never mind a 383. Set your goals, tell them to Lloyd Elliot or AI and they will cut you one for YOU, not a "one size fits all" off the shelf cam, and it costs maybe $50 more than an off the shelf.
Heads, valve job isn't going to cut it, you need fully ported stock castings or ported aftermarket castings. As cast aftermarket heads, like trickflows, flow less than ported stock heads and cost the same. Avoid anything edelbrock. Period. Don't even look at it, and don't dare utter the term "edelbrock" for anything LT1/lt4 or prepared to get flamed. Their LTx products are garbage and give no power over stock.
You don't need a 383 to run 14s or 13s. There are guys on here with caprices and impalas running 10s on a stock bottom end 350.
Rods, 6" on a 3.75 crank is good, even on a stock crank is good. Forged.
Pistons, if you ever plan to spray, need to be forged. If you insist on cheaper, a good cast/hyper like the stock Mahles.
Cam, lt4 hotcam is a baby cam in a stock 350, never mind a 383. Set your goals, tell them to Lloyd Elliot or AI and they will cut you one for YOU, not a "one size fits all" off the shelf cam, and it costs maybe $50 more than an off the shelf.
Heads, valve job isn't going to cut it, you need fully ported stock castings or ported aftermarket castings. As cast aftermarket heads, like trickflows, flow less than ported stock heads and cost the same. Avoid anything edelbrock. Period. Don't even look at it, and don't dare utter the term "edelbrock" for anything LT1/lt4 or prepared to get flamed. Their LTx products are garbage and give no power over stock.
You don't need a 383 to run 14s or 13s. There are guys on here with caprices and impalas running 10s on a stock bottom end 350.
08-26-2015, 08:48 AM
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08-26-2015, 09:35 AM
#7
At least the OP knows it's not an "early LS1" 
Not sure if your trolling or not since the 400HP/560TQ 9:1CR build seems highly questionable and would probably lose HP over stock due to lost CR; might as well stroke it to a 396 if you are expecting diesel like torque, the machining cost isn't much more. Sounds like more research is in order.
Not sure if your trolling or not since the 400HP/560TQ 9:1CR build seems highly questionable and would probably lose HP over stock due to lost CR; might as well stroke it to a 396 if you are expecting diesel like torque, the machining cost isn't much more. Sounds like more research is in order.
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08-27-2015, 08:08 AM
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Know it All Young Brats Im no troll, sounds like youre young. I got out of the drag racing scene 15 years ago after i lost my cars and now i got this car and want to have fun with it, Basically i was thinking a heavy car needs a good torque motor, not a high end hp motor and since i cant afford to get a Corvette, I had to get what i could afford and make the most of it. Its been a while since i looked at car mags and engine rebuilds.
08-27-2015, 08:15 AM
#11
Here are the 2 most heavily used cylinder head porters for the LTx engine. You will see a ton of guys on all LT1 forums running their stuff. AI heads are all CNC, Lloyd hand ports all of his heads. Results are similar, AI200s have a little higher numbers, but are more expensive, but both will give great results. A 383 with LE2s or LE3s or AI200s will put down 400-450rwhp depending on cam selection, compression and drivetrain losses. There is a guy on here that put down 455rwhp through a 4l60e and a 9" rear end with 12.7:1 compression on pump gas 93 octane. Also a guy with an impala and a 12:1 stock bottom end running 10s on AI200s. 11.5-12.5:1 is fine for pump gas on the LT1.
The traditional small block Chevy can't run as high of compression, and you need to be careful when you ask a sbc guy to spec a build for you, as the LT1 engine is the red head step child of sbc world, not a lot know much about these motors, and that's why the forums become very valuable, if you can have thick skin and take some criticism. The biggest advantage to researching on forums is that nobody here profits from you buying one thing or another. A builder or a vendor will lead you astray because they want your money, forum members only want to see you succeed to keep the platform and hobby alive. The worst thing, which we often see, is people get frustrated by forum posts and don't listen, they build a high dollar low performing motor like your plan in your first post, get frustrated, and abandon the project. We don't want to see that, so please do research, ask questions, and we will help you meet your goals.
What is your budget?
http://advancedinduction.com/LTX/AiLTxMain.php
http://elliottsportworks.com/
The traditional small block Chevy can't run as high of compression, and you need to be careful when you ask a sbc guy to spec a build for you, as the LT1 engine is the red head step child of sbc world, not a lot know much about these motors, and that's why the forums become very valuable, if you can have thick skin and take some criticism. The biggest advantage to researching on forums is that nobody here profits from you buying one thing or another. A builder or a vendor will lead you astray because they want your money, forum members only want to see you succeed to keep the platform and hobby alive. The worst thing, which we often see, is people get frustrated by forum posts and don't listen, they build a high dollar low performing motor like your plan in your first post, get frustrated, and abandon the project. We don't want to see that, so please do research, ask questions, and we will help you meet your goals.
What is your budget?
http://advancedinduction.com/LTX/AiLTxMain.php
http://elliottsportworks.com/
Last edited by bufmatmuslepants; 08-27-2015 at 08:24 AM.
08-27-2015, 08:26 AM
#12
Im no troll, sounds like youre young. I got out of the drag racing scene 15 years ago after i lost my cars and now i got this car and want to have fun with it, Basically i was thinking a heavy car needs a good torque motor, not a high end hp motor and since i cant afford to get a Corvette, I had to get what i could afford and make the most of it. Its been a while since i looked at car mags and engine rebuilds.
...yeah, he's just a young whippersnapper! Everyone is trying to do you a favor whether you realize it or not.Big torque, and high CR/HP are not mutually exclusive....you can have your cake and eat it to without running low CR.....this is not the 1970s anymore. You would be better off getting some 3.73's and a GOOD torque converter before you do anything else really to get that boat out of the hole! You could reach your goals with bolt ons and a baby cam really....11:1 CR should be the MINIMUM for any NA performance LT1 with heads/cam.
08-27-2015, 08:37 AM
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WARNING: You need thick skin for LS1tech.
Do not take criticism to heart, listen to what is said, and learn. Don't get scared off because of criticism or smart *** comments, keep reading and posting and you will see why comments like the above are made.
Stock compression is 10.4:1. The LT4 stock was 10.8:1. 9:1 is old school small block thought, does not apply to reverse flow cooling lt1s where the chamber stays cool and you can run more compression. 96caprice, has a caprice (boat like you) and runs 11s on a stock bottom end 350.
Like was said above, seriously do more reading, find a build that performs like you want, and copy it. Or keep posting, reading, and learning, but your above plan is scary bad.
Do not take criticism to heart, listen to what is said, and learn. Don't get scared off because of criticism or smart *** comments, keep reading and posting and you will see why comments like the above are made.
Stock compression is 10.4:1. The LT4 stock was 10.8:1. 9:1 is old school small block thought, does not apply to reverse flow cooling lt1s where the chamber stays cool and you can run more compression. 96caprice, has a caprice (boat like you) and runs 11s on a stock bottom end 350.
Like was said above, seriously do more reading, find a build that performs like you want, and copy it. Or keep posting, reading, and learning, but your above plan is scary bad.
08-27-2015, 08:44 AM
#14
Take the golen word out of your head and don't look at his builds.
If you want a good model of what to copy or even enlist to build you a motor, look no farther than Karl Ellwein.
http://www.ellweinengines.com/
If you want a good model of what to copy or even enlist to build you a motor, look no farther than Karl Ellwein.
http://www.ellweinengines.com/
08-27-2015, 08:49 AM
#15
What condition is the current engine in? 100k on a well taken care of engine leaves plenty of life left for hotrodding especially on a car that going forward is only going to see a few thousand miles a year. I picked my car up at 107k and ran the time in my sig at 125k.
08-27-2015, 09:03 AM
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Ill bite a little more. You like the ring of "I have a 383", but the added power and torque from going from a 350-355 to a 383 isn't that much if you look at it $/HP. Forged rotating assembly is $2000, block work is $1000, that's $3000 more for maybe 20hp/20tq. If its worth it to you, do it. You MUST use a forged crank. Cast Chinese cranks like eagle and scat fail remarkably often and fast at even low HP numbers. Google "eagle cast crank failure" and you'll see cases.
Rods, 6" on a 3.75 crank is good, even on a stock crank is good. Forged.
Pistons, if you ever plan to spray, need to be forged. If you insist on cheaper, a good cast/hyper like the stock Mahles.
Cam, lt4 hotcam is a baby cam in a stock 350, never mind a 383. Set your goals, tell them to Lloyd Elliot or AI and they will cut you one for YOU, not a "one size fits all" off the shelf cam, and it costs maybe $50 more than an off the shelf.
Heads, valve job isn't going to cut it, you need fully ported stock castings or ported aftermarket castings. As cast aftermarket heads, like trickflows, flow less than ported stock heads and cost the same. Avoid anything edelbrock. Period. Don't even look at it, and don't dare utter the term "edelbrock" for anything LT1/lt4 or prepared to get flamed. Their LTx products are garbage and give no power over stock.
You don't need a 383 to run 14s or 13s. There are guys on here with caprices and impalas running 10s on a stock bottom end 350.
Rods, 6" on a 3.75 crank is good, even on a stock crank is good. Forged.
Pistons, if you ever plan to spray, need to be forged. If you insist on cheaper, a good cast/hyper like the stock Mahles.
Cam, lt4 hotcam is a baby cam in a stock 350, never mind a 383. Set your goals, tell them to Lloyd Elliot or AI and they will cut you one for YOU, not a "one size fits all" off the shelf cam, and it costs maybe $50 more than an off the shelf.
Heads, valve job isn't going to cut it, you need fully ported stock castings or ported aftermarket castings. As cast aftermarket heads, like trickflows, flow less than ported stock heads and cost the same. Avoid anything edelbrock. Period. Don't even look at it, and don't dare utter the term "edelbrock" for anything LT1/lt4 or prepared to get flamed. Their LTx products are garbage and give no power over stock.
You don't need a 383 to run 14s or 13s. There are guys on here with caprices and impalas running 10s on a stock bottom end 350.
08-27-2015, 09:11 AM
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What condition is the current engine in? 100k on a well taken care of engine leaves plenty of life left for hotrodding especially on a car that going forward is only going to see a few thousand miles a year. I picked my car up at 107k and ran the time in my sig at 125k.
08-27-2015, 09:13 AM
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Take the golen word out of your head and don't look at his builds.
If you want a good model of what to copy or even enlist to build you a motor, look no farther than Karl Ellwein.
http://www.ellweinengines.com/
If you want a good model of what to copy or even enlist to build you a motor, look no farther than Karl Ellwein.
http://www.ellweinengines.com/
08-27-2015, 09:24 AM
#19
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Take the golen word out of your head and don't look at his builds.
If you want a good model of what to copy or even enlist to build you a motor, look no farther than Karl Ellwein.
http://www.ellweinengines.com/
If you want a good model of what to copy or even enlist to build you a motor, look no farther than Karl Ellwein.
http://www.ellweinengines.com/
