Are the LT1s worth keeping/modding?
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 206
Likes: 1
From: Bowling Green
Whether it's worth it or not is completely up to you.
If you want to go 5.3, are you going to want to change wiring, k-members, trans if you have a t-56, buy the 5.3 , buy headers, odds n ends, intake setup, etc etc?
If money and time isn't an issue, go for it. I'm just saying you will have to go through all that and then some just to be able to put the motor in, then do the mods. You already have an LT1, all you have to do is build the motor and thats it, no swapping, no wiring unless you're okay with that and have the skills for that matter.
If you want to go 5.3, are you going to want to change wiring, k-members, trans if you have a t-56, buy the 5.3 , buy headers, odds n ends, intake setup, etc etc?
If money and time isn't an issue, go for it. I'm just saying you will have to go through all that and then some just to be able to put the motor in, then do the mods. You already have an LT1, all you have to do is build the motor and thats it, no swapping, no wiring unless you're okay with that and have the skills for that matter.
Coming from me I would keep a lt1 car a lt1 car. Take the cost of a swap from anywhere from $2000+ depending on if its a manual or automatic and what you get parts for. Take that money and build a nice 355 lt1 and you should out run what you could put into cam and maybe head package. I mean spend $1800 on heads and cam. Another $1200 into a nice bottom end and some headers and you have a nasty street car. I am doing that with my lt1 car. With time to convert the t-56 to a ls1 one. Then k member,rack and pinion, wiring and such. I would rather keep a lt1 then swap.
Side note on optis, opti harness, and icms. I have never had an opti fail. Took one off that sounded bad but still ran fine. I have had one opti harness break but that was my doing. Also never had and ICM fail. This is between my 96 Caprice,96 Firebird and my brothers 95 z28. Total seeing around 120k miles between all of them.
Side note on optis, opti harness, and icms. I have never had an opti fail. Took one off that sounded bad but still ran fine. I have had one opti harness break but that was my doing. Also never had and ICM fail. This is between my 96 Caprice,96 Firebird and my brothers 95 z28. Total seeing around 120k miles between all of them.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 206
Likes: 1
From: Bowling Green
Coming from me I would keep a lt1 car a lt1 car. Take the cost of a swap from anywhere from $2000+ depending on if its a manual or automatic and what you get parts for. Take that money and build a nice 355 lt1 and you should out run what you could put into cam and maybe head package. I mean spend $1800 on heads and cam. Another $1200 into a nice bottom end and some headers and you have a nasty street car. I am doing that with my lt1 car. With time to convert the t-56 to a ls1 one. Then k member,rack and pinion, wiring and such. I would rather keep a lt1 then swap.
Side note on optis, opti harness, and icms. I have never had an opti fail. Took one off that sounded bad but still ran fine. I have had one opti harness break but that was my doing. Also never had and ICM fail. This is between my 96 Caprice,96 Firebird and my brothers 95 z28. Total seeing around 120k miles between all of them.
Side note on optis, opti harness, and icms. I have never had an opti fail. Took one off that sounded bad but still ran fine. I have had one opti harness break but that was my doing. Also never had and ICM fail. This is between my 96 Caprice,96 Firebird and my brothers 95 z28. Total seeing around 120k miles between all of them.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 206
Likes: 1
From: Bowling Green
Okay, try to keep in mind that with the year differences between my two cars, I can't just drop the LT1 in and start doing performance mods. There's quite a bit of money into modding it just for it to run and then it would still be stock. So is it best to do all of those to have a stock LT1 or do the 5.3 swap to have a stock LS?
On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 150
Likes: 0
From: New York
I've made this statement before, but I'll say it again:
The people who have the biggest issues with optisparks are LS1 owners. The problems are blown WAY out of proportion, primarily by people who don't own and have never owned LT1 cars. (I've had mine 6 1/2 years and 40,000+ miles without missing a beat on the stock opti thus far).
Besides, if there is an issue (afterall, it is a wear item-as are ignition systems on every car on the planet) you just replace it with a quality replacement part (oem primarily). and a few hours later with hand tools and it's fixed for another 100-200k miles if installed correctly.
If someone can't spend a couple hundred bucks and use simple hand tools for a few hours, the performance car world is probably not for them anyway. A set of new tires would be more expensive than an optispark and need to be replaced far more often, but nobody ever mentions that "issue", they just accept it.
With all of that said, the LS motors are superior to the LT1 motors, but that doesn't make the LT1 motors or cars junk. The LSx is more capable, but that doesn't make LT1 motors incapable altogether. LT1 motors can get into the 11's with just heads/cam and supporting mods, and on these cars 11.50's requires a roll cage at any NHRA track. How many LS1 cars do you see running around with roll cages? Not many. People rarely ever use the advantage anywhere near its potential anyway IMO. So it all boils down to what you want to do with the car. Peppy 11-12 second street car? Stay LT1. Single digit race car or 500+rwhp street car? Go LSx.
Just my .02 of course.
The people who have the biggest issues with optisparks are LS1 owners. The problems are blown WAY out of proportion, primarily by people who don't own and have never owned LT1 cars. (I've had mine 6 1/2 years and 40,000+ miles without missing a beat on the stock opti thus far).
Besides, if there is an issue (afterall, it is a wear item-as are ignition systems on every car on the planet) you just replace it with a quality replacement part (oem primarily). and a few hours later with hand tools and it's fixed for another 100-200k miles if installed correctly.
If someone can't spend a couple hundred bucks and use simple hand tools for a few hours, the performance car world is probably not for them anyway. A set of new tires would be more expensive than an optispark and need to be replaced far more often, but nobody ever mentions that "issue", they just accept it.
With all of that said, the LS motors are superior to the LT1 motors, but that doesn't make the LT1 motors or cars junk. The LSx is more capable, but that doesn't make LT1 motors incapable altogether. LT1 motors can get into the 11's with just heads/cam and supporting mods, and on these cars 11.50's requires a roll cage at any NHRA track. How many LS1 cars do you see running around with roll cages? Not many. People rarely ever use the advantage anywhere near its potential anyway IMO. So it all boils down to what you want to do with the car. Peppy 11-12 second street car? Stay LT1. Single digit race car or 500+rwhp street car? Go LSx.
Just my .02 of course.
that being said, find me a super clean ls1 car with 45k miles for 6250 like i found my 94 z in the same condition.....then id think about the LS. keyword THINK about it...... for street cruising with my wife and kid, shows, taking down the occasional smart azz rice burner, i am very happy with my bolt on LT1..
A good set of heads, the right cam cam and a good tune put you at 500+ fwhp easy.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 631
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From: Orlando
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TECH Resident
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 869
Likes: 0
From: In the moment...
Mine has 198k and Im not getting rid of it. Probably going to keep it stock with bolt ons. Once I get another car Ill probably tear it down to make it a 383 with the LE2 package and just keep it as my backup car. But there is nothing wrong with my car.
My 94 with a 60e got 22 mpg with the cruise on 85 going from San Diego to Seattle. Never skipped a beat. The only thing ive done to it is replace the opti at 190k and a full tune up at the same time. Once I put the bolt ons on it will be a nice street car to play around in.
My 94 with a 60e got 22 mpg with the cruise on 85 going from San Diego to Seattle. Never skipped a beat. The only thing ive done to it is replace the opti at 190k and a full tune up at the same time. Once I put the bolt ons on it will be a nice street car to play around in.
Depends on how fast you want to go and if you want to keep up with the next person. I'm at the age I could give a **** about going any faster. I'm just glad my pile runs and that I can drive it whenever. After 17 years of being buried under the hood I'm tired of working on it. That may change after awhile, but am not counting on it. I don't want to go through the hassle of changing power plants at this point.
My point is several people say the 5.3 responds to mods better so wouldn't the 5.3 with heads and cam produce more power than the LT1 with similarly priced heads and cam? TECH Resident
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 869
Likes: 0
From: In the moment...
Its pretty close but when people say that the 5.3 is a better platform theyre generally talking about how far you can take it in stock form with a power adder. If you look at the numbers at least on nitrous its pretty damn close and could be closer(8.95 to 9.39). The turbo numbers are a little greater of a gap but I dont think its as great of a difference at that power level as people make it out to be. The biggest advantage I can see in a swap is getting lighter(LS1 or LM7) or getting more cubes with the ability to put on the latest and greatest head choices(LQ4 LQ9 LS3 LS7). But as far as price, I have no doubt you can outrun the majority of LS powered vehicles you come across with a H/C/I LT1 on spray.
Staging Lane
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
From: Medford, OR
My son blew the motor in my 90 C1500 (a 350 TBI) and I have the chance to pick up an LT1 for a decent price. I have another buddy who just swapped a TPI manifold on his LT1 swapped Chevy truck and runs the Vortec distributor. Says it has torque for days and hes getting 20+ MPG. If I do go this way, I'll probably run it off the 0411 ECM. Besides, that TPI is sure a sexy looker all polished up......
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,740
Likes: 2
From: Nebraska
My son blew the motor in my 90 C1500 (a 350 TBI) and I have the chance to pick up an LT1 for a decent price. I have another buddy who just swapped a TPI manifold on his LT1 swapped Chevy truck and runs the Vortec distributor. Says it has torque for days and hes getting 20+ MPG. If I do go this way, I'll probably run it off the 0411 ECM. Besides, that TPI is sure a sexy looker all polished up......
