I would get rid of the LT1 completely before I put a carb on my car.

I am currently not at a point that an opti wont do the job. But my next engine will be spec'd such that I would expect it to toast an opti every other time it leaves the garage. I don't have any desire to be wrenching on optis or dealing with the imprecise (is that even a word?) characteristics of a carb. No thanks. When the time comes, I'll take the proven OEM solution that GM itself saw enough value in to make the investment themselves. Until then, I'll stick with the trusty LT1 PCM/ignition and a conservative rev limiter.

 

Um, no. And you've missed the point.

 

EFI Connection FTW!!!

 

I'm adding this to my collection of "Ed-isms" LOL

 

Well, read Mr. Ed's words carefully. If you think the LS1's PCM isn't faster or better, then you too believe in tooth fairies and Santa Clause.

 

Not trying to get into a debate over whether this mod is useful or not, but as to what was said above....from what I read carefully....he only said that about the ls1 car not running smoother due to it's pcm/ individual coils.... he didn't say the pcm was not faster or better.

Personally, I feel like this conversion has it's place, as well as the opti and stock lt1 pcm STILL has it's place. There can be good reasons to stick with one or change to the other depending on the individual car/owner and their wants and needs. Just as there is still a time and place to use a carburetor. Yeah....that's what I said...most of the people who bash carbs on here probably have no idea about how to make them work just as most who bash efi don't know how to tune with a computer. (pardon the off topic rant)

 

No problem. My 496 is still carb'd. I was only referencing that the readers should read only the relevant portion of what was said - not taking anything out of context, or anything away from what Ed said.

On the same hand, to discount that the LS1 is smoother not because the LS1 PCM is faster is not looking at the whole equation.

 

I personally haven't been able to tell a difference in smoothness between the nicer lt1 and ls1 cars I've ridden in/drove. Maybe it's because they all seem smooth compared to a loud, roller cammed, no power anything, spooled, high compression big block.

 

I wasn't debating the issue, I was simply pointing out that I thought what he said was entertaining.

Also, kindly leave my tooth fairy out of this. I need the money for mods.

 

LOL, fair enough.

 

I don't like the cam driven waterpump, read too much about that gearset going out. If I go the EFI/LS1 route I'll be in the timing chain area and this will be one reason for the swap. But the electric water pumps aren't totally reliable either. I have one but haven't put it on. I wonder if there is some way to go belt drive on the water pump. Just a casual look makes me think the LT1 pump housing could be shortened for room for a pully. And; if an electric pump can be bolted in the housing from the front so could a pump with a pully like the big block mopar setup. It could be an almost off the shelf modification, say use a electric pump impeller/seal/bearing and substitute a belt pully for the electric motor, probably would need an outboard bearing but it is surely not impossible, not any harder than a billet timing chain cover or LS1 reluctors.

Then again an electric water pump is something you could change on the road if you had to, the biggest problem with them seems to be catching a failure. The special light circuit that looks at the ground or whatever is one way, another might be to run a pressure gauge on the cooling system, if the pump fails the pressure will go up, a cooling system pressure switch could energise a warning light, that would be pretty foolproof I'd think. There are also flow switches that are pretty reliable. Serpentine belt drive seems the most reliable though.

And last I want to have one OBD scanner/tuner system and OBD2 seems to be the one for me to invest in instead of both OBD1 and 2.

 

^ There's already a schematic out there for wiring a water pump failure system. I'm wiring mine right now. An LED lights up when the pump experiences a bad ground, and an LED lights up when the water pump fails (they will blow the fuse when they fail). you can also couple the water pump fail LED with a buzzer, which I am doing.
And you can leave the cam-driven splined shaft all in the motor, the drive does not have to come out in order for you to go EWP.

 

whats the possibility of adapting a factory ls1 or truck harness into the lt1 car instead if relying on the lt1 harness?

 

You are further ahead to add the necessary wires to the LT1 harness and repin for the LS1 PCM connectors.

The next considersation would be to begin with and LS1 harness because it already has the correct body connectors and the layout is (eh...so-so) to both the engine bay and LT1 engine. Compare LS1 F-Body to LT1 F-Body schematics because the LS1 harness is not pinned correctly.

Forget about the truck harness approach...unless you want to hack away at the harness for fitment. It will also lack the body connectors you need.

 

I have an odd question..

I am in the process of building a stout 355 for my Dodge Dakota project, and was planning on running a converted LT1 intake, and a Megasquirt setup. Would it be possible to say run the Vortec front timing cover with the crank sensor, and use this conversion so I could run the LS1 PCM and multiple coils? I would of course have to repin the crank sensor connector to the Vortec sensor, but would it work?

I am curious because I am running a 4L60E and would like the ability of using the LS1 PCM to control the transmission.

 

well i would be doing this in a corvette if that matters at all.

 

The 24x conversion was first for the SBC engines, and later available for LT1 engines. Yes, you can use the LS1 PCM on a SBC with Vortec timing cover.

 

If I were you, I would rework the LT1 Corvette harness.

 

Yeah I visited their site after I posted that, so am I right in thinking if i had the harness from a LT1, the LS1 PCM, the Vortec timing cover and sensor, Vortec distributor, coils and what not, the only thing I would need from them is the 24x reluctor? Let me guess though, they don't sell it seperate?

 

Mike, any update on running the 24x with early 4L60E(OBD1)?