building my lt1 need help
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
From: roseville
building my lt1 need help i just need to know what to stay away from and what to make sure i get... i am going a lil better then stock i have a 97 ss slp 30th. it has 143000 now but nothing else done to the car. i have about 3500$ to spend for the motor and tuning and in about 2 months il be doing all my sup. for motor im looking for all round street and its my driver everyday. so im still looking for mpg but want hp also i have looked at videos and love the way the cc306 cam sounds so i was thinking that.plz let me know what i should do. i live in sacramento and have a shop here that will do my work and want to know what to get them thank you
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
From: roseville
i am also taking out my a/c bc i dont like a/c i have the 160 therm. i have no cats and i want to take off all the smog and air pump also bc i do not need to pass smog anymore. so all im looking for is tips on parts or what to use
$3500 wont go far, if the car is that stock you are looking at a cam and supporting mods. WithOUT installation.
I would not do the 306, you can have the same sound with less tendency to surge and more modern lobes for broader power sooner. Plus it sounds like emissions is a concern???
I would not do the 306, you can have the same sound with less tendency to surge and more modern lobes for broader power sooner. Plus it sounds like emissions is a concern???
Def not the 306 On stock heads if your looking for pure sound go for it but your will hinder alot of usable power get something with that duration on a lower lsa like 110 or 109 your looking around a grand just for cam swap I would do true duals long tube headers depending of auto or m6 your gonna need a stall for about any cam an then if auto do 373 gears m6 411 of course then a 500 dollar dyno tune
Staging Lane
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta, GA
3500 is not enough to do anything major... I started with a budget like that, ended up spending 6k just getting the motor right... Intake, cam, exhaust and gears... If you try anything more than that you'll end up looking at 5k real quick...
Trending Topics
140K is no death sentence for an LT1, friend's wife has a solid 220K on one that was an old copcar engine cammed at 160K, Is her daily driver she just keeps racking up the miles and wearing out the tires.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
From: roseville
right now the shop tells me 3000gs for eveything and thats doing the work also this is using the stock crank and pistons. heads will get a lil work done to them and then the rest will get new stuff. and smog is NOT a prob at all for me... thats y im taking off all the smog stuff and stupid stuff that i dont need and i plan on getting the pace setters bc i hear thats the best bang for your buck. i have the stock slp that came on the car but im looking for the slp 1 or like someone said the true dual but if i lower it 1in then they might rub... so what cam should i go with to get the best power and sound out of...
if this was ur lt1 what parts and where do i get them at... i will have movre money but i do want to do k member and a-arms also soon but motor 1st and it is a 6 speed
if this was ur lt1 what parts and where do i get them at... i will have movre money but i do want to do k member and a-arms also soon but motor 1st and it is a 6 speed
Do not let your builder touch the motor. Reusing the stock crank is fine, but reusing the stock pistons shows no indication of preparing the motor for a performance life. The "lil work" done to the heads will undoubtedly be a wasted expense with no measurable performance gain.
If I were you, I would weigh two options.
A.) Your $3500 budget will allow (as Dwayne mentioned) to do a cam swap with most, if not all, of the required bolt-ons (using the stock untouched heads). Even though your stock bottom end has 140k miles if it has good oil pressure and passes a leak down/pressure test then there's no reason it couldn't handle a nice cam build such as the XE503, AI 226/234, or something along those lines. Done properly you can expect 350-360whp, EASY.
B.) Wait until you have more money. Minimally doubling your budget will get you to a rebuilt and FORGED bottom end, GOOD ported heads and cam, tuning, MOST of the bolt-ons (with some left over for suspension and drivetrain) - combos of this nature can put down anywhere from 400whp to 430whp and beyond, depending on two different things.
Adding nitrous to either combo would also be acceptable, the latter of the two being able to handle a much larger shot.
If I were you, I would weigh two options.
A.) Your $3500 budget will allow (as Dwayne mentioned) to do a cam swap with most, if not all, of the required bolt-ons (using the stock untouched heads). Even though your stock bottom end has 140k miles if it has good oil pressure and passes a leak down/pressure test then there's no reason it couldn't handle a nice cam build such as the XE503, AI 226/234, or something along those lines. Done properly you can expect 350-360whp, EASY.
B.) Wait until you have more money. Minimally doubling your budget will get you to a rebuilt and FORGED bottom end, GOOD ported heads and cam, tuning, MOST of the bolt-ons (with some left over for suspension and drivetrain) - combos of this nature can put down anywhere from 400whp to 430whp and beyond, depending on two different things.
Adding nitrous to either combo would also be acceptable, the latter of the two being able to handle a much larger shot.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
From: roseville
okay so its okay for me to do a good cam plus all that goes with it and then a good tune. then in a few months or so il save the money for the k-member and do the good bottom end and heads...
but for a cam DO NOT USE the cc306 right. all im looking for is power bc y not and then the sound also.
as for my motor now idk whats good oil pressure bc im used to old school stuff but my car when its cold is like 40-60 then when its warm its like 20-30 and i dont like that but that is on the stock gauge i hear they are not that good. when i had my clutch done not to long ago the guys said the motor feels tight.
and for spray i dont really want to do any of that or a turbo or charge it just want n/a and to have fun here and there im not looking to run 10s just looking for sound and power y im doing the stuff any ways and then il get the handling down also
but for a cam DO NOT USE the cc306 right. all im looking for is power bc y not and then the sound also.
as for my motor now idk whats good oil pressure bc im used to old school stuff but my car when its cold is like 40-60 then when its warm its like 20-30 and i dont like that but that is on the stock gauge i hear they are not that good. when i had my clutch done not to long ago the guys said the motor feels tight.
and for spray i dont really want to do any of that or a turbo or charge it just want n/a and to have fun here and there im not looking to run 10s just looking for sound and power y im doing the stuff any ways and then il get the handling down also
okay so its okay for me to do a good cam plus all that goes with it and then a good tune. then in a few months or so il save the money for the k-member and do the good bottom end and heads...
but for a cam DO NOT USE the cc306 right. all im looking for is power bc y not and then the sound also.
as for my motor now idk whats good oil pressure bc im used to old school stuff but my car when its cold is like 40-60 then when its warm its like 20-30 and i dont like that but that is on the stock gauge i hear they are not that good. when i had my clutch done not to long ago the guys said the motor feels tight.
and for spray i dont really want to do any of that or a turbo or charge it just want n/a and to have fun here and there im not looking to run 10s just looking for sound and power y im doing the stuff any ways and then il get the handling down also
but for a cam DO NOT USE the cc306 right. all im looking for is power bc y not and then the sound also.
as for my motor now idk whats good oil pressure bc im used to old school stuff but my car when its cold is like 40-60 then when its warm its like 20-30 and i dont like that but that is on the stock gauge i hear they are not that good. when i had my clutch done not to long ago the guys said the motor feels tight.
and for spray i dont really want to do any of that or a turbo or charge it just want n/a and to have fun here and there im not looking to run 10s just looking for sound and power y im doing the stuff any ways and then il get the handling down also
Whether it's old school or new school, oil pressure is still the same. GM spec is actually 6psi at idle and 10psi per every 1k RPMs after that. Your oil pressure readings look perfectly healthy.
IMO, option A is your best bet.
