I've got one sitting outside and the sleeves look pretty nasty....

 

I've had both platforms. I loved my 96 M6 Z28 back in 2001. All I really had done to it was 4:10s, CAI and Borla Cat back. Thought it was quick for 13.6xx. One day I raced a 01 WS6 with basically the same mods as my car did and I got SMOKED. That's the day I told myself one day I'll own an LS1 lol.

 

Neworleans1, I always thought a stock lt1 is around 290-300hp and a ls1 is underrated and is easily 340-350crank?

 

LT1 puts down 270ish to the wheels. LS1 puts down more like 300ish. So yeah, flywheel ratings are roughly 300 for the LT1 and 340 for the LS1.

I've owned several LT1's and several LS1's and without question the LS1 is the better engine. It's easier to work on, gets better MPG's, doesn't leak, more power, etc. Not saying the LT1 is bad, I daily drive one, but if I had the chance to easily swap an LS into my vette, I would do so in a heartbeat.

 

Those two in red aren't particularily true. Have you ever pulled the intake on an LS fbody? Replaced an OPS or cam sensor? Lifters? All those are harder and way more time consuming than the LT1s i've worked on. They also aren't without their own leak prone areas. Not arguing, but I don't think the LS is easier to work on at all. Oil pump and drive location is one thing I do hate on the LT1 though.

 

Bought mine back in 2000. I liked the look of the front end better than the LS1 cars, that was the main deciding factor for me. I also liked the sound of the LT1 better. I could have afforded an LS1 car at the time as the LT1 I bought was super-clean and low mileage and I paid a premium for that.

Mod for mod, and today probably dollar for dollar, you'll go faster with the LSx platform. That is beyond question, as it typically takes a cammed LT to keep up with a bolt-on LS, a heads/cammed LT to keep up with a cammed LS, and so on.

However, when talking about f-bodies (which are the fulcrum of this discussion), you're already talking about one of of the cheapest go-fast platforms of modern times. Compared to other platforms out there, either engine and the car wrapped around it is far, far cheaper to turn into a serious street machine (11s or quicker) than most other platforms. Whether you start with a good running stock LS1 or a good running stock LT1, a few thousand dollars later one can easily make more power than most cars are able to effectively put down to an unprepared street surface. Either platform is easily capable of making 400-700 or more rwhp with good street manners in a 3500-pound car, so in the end it really doesn't matter which one you started with. Either one can be built into a very, very fast car for relatively little outlay compared to most anything else on the road.

 

I Love my LT SS because of the cool factor and we can all admit the LT is the best sounding of the 4th Gens!! But I also Love my LSA for the WOW factor....

 

I've done just about every job out there on a 4th gen, LT1 or LS1. The only thing easier on the LT1 is the lifters.

Intake on a LS1 is about a 15 minute job, vs at least an hour on the LT1, don't know why the hell they thought they needed so many bolts on a dry intake.

The early LT1 OPS is a cake walk, but it SUCKS on the 97, they put it behind the intake, so you have to take the damned thing off to get at it.

The LT1 leaks from the OPS, leaks from the intake, leaks from the oil pan. The mixing of english and metric bolts, 17 god damned head bolts per head, something like 14 intake bolts, etc. All quirks that **** me off about the LT1.

 

LT1 is also easier to change the oil filter, most everything else though is either equal or favoring the LS1 though, especially valve lash lol

 

I don't mind either engine family.

I have a 5.3 waiting to go in my dad's 64 Impala, I have a LT1 block on the stand that I need to assemble and put on Craigslist, and I have a L99 that I need to rebuild. I'm thinking on doing a turbo build with the L99. I don't know in what car, though.

 

The good thing about LT1s is also their downfall, they are overshadowed by the LS, so they are cheap. You can snag a stock one for $2000, do basic mods, and run 12s for under $4000. Or you can find modded ones very cheap, since as soon as its modded, value drops, same with any car. If you know LT1s, buy a modded one and basically get all the go fast parts for free. If you don't know anything about them, don't even look at modded ones, you'll get in over your head.

It drives me nuts when people think they can get a return on their investment modding a car. "I've got $20,000 into this car, sale price $25,000". Not happening, ill give you $5000.

 

+1 one for the LT1 having a PCV system and intake that does not make it smoke like a train! I think it took until the LS3 came out to get that issue in order.

 

I agree with that, valve lash on an LS is much easier than any Gen I or II.

 

^^^ A lot of good points here.

 

I've had both engines, I have absolutely LOVED both engines while I had them, and would happily own a car powered by each engine again. If a clean LT1 car came up for a good price, it would be hard to turn down.

 

I am pretty sure the LT4 (gen2) just have a torque number for rocker adjustment, just like an LS1.

You could do the same with a LT1 if you have a full body roller rocker and do the math.

 

Wtf? How is an ls intake difficult to remove? Not even comparing to an lt1. What about the equal spacing on the exhaust ports? Changing plugs and wires?

 

Kind of like how you can also keep the lifters in a LTx while doing a cam install?

 

Just because there is barely any room between the cowel and the intake to get to the bolts easily. Idk, I think it's easier to remove an LT1 intake I guess, maybe because i've done it more times.

Plug wires are easier on an LS for sure, plugs still suck IMO.

 

You can't do that with an LS1...?