I bought a 95 formula last March. I have been working and saving for two years to pay for it. I am 16 years old and bought the car all by myself for 7k. It had 71k miles and I put about 3k on since then. Only mods I did was a CAI and catback. I was planning on getting headers last month and heads/cam over the winter. I realized it would be a lot easier doing it all at once. I have been on these forums all the time and I am pretty knowledgeable. My father and I work on cars, but never attempted what we are about to do. Like I said,my father and I know a lot about these cars and about working on cars in general but nothing to this extent. So here is my plan, I am sending heads off to Lloyd to get ported (LE2) along with my intake and a cam. I am most likely sending the bottom end to a local machine shop to be inspected to make sure it is in good shape. I will then assemble everything back together with long tube headers and y pipe. Although paying a shop will be easier than doing it with my dad and the help of my neighbor who is a mechanic, I am 16 and make $9.00 an hour and have to go to school. It would be more worth it to me to do it myself than to pay somebody. I want to learn more about my engine and what is under the hood. I want to become an expert on my car. I want to know exactly what every single little part is. I want to learn as much as I possibly can on my car over the next few months. What I am asking from all of you guys is if you can give me any tips on this such as the best way to remove an engine without having a lift or anything that will help me with doing this. Also I know I will need pushrods, lifters, rockers, stall converter, timing chain, spark plugs and wires,etc. but do I need to get oil pump, Fuel injectors, fuel pump, ignition coil, or an optispark if mine is fine? I want to do this once and do it right, but also don't want to buy something unless I absolutely need it. Also, please don't tell me to save money for something else because I am a die hard car enthusiast. I love 4th gen f-bodies and always have. I want to spend money on it now before I have to worry about college. Any tips, suggestions, links, etc. would be much appreciated. Thank you so much,
- Christian

 

Google will answer all your questions. If you have speficic issues, post em up.

You can remove the motor with a cherry picker, well, you remove the body from the motor. This is done often and pictures explain it better than words can.

If you are doing H/C on a 71k bottom end, I would leave it be and just swap H/C. Once you open up the bottom end for "inspection" its not gonna be the same it was before.

Biggest advice I can give, find a GOOD LT1 local tuner now before touching a single bolt.

 

Christian

Congrats on the 95 buy. I am sure others will respond to what is the better method of pulling the motor (top or bottom). I have a B-body LT1

Good decision on the LE H/C package

On the yes/no on some of your ?'s, IMHO

oil pump. Keep the stock one and get the GM White spring for it. Replace the OP drive shaft with a ARP or Mellig solid one

Injectors. With the LE2 H/C, yes. 30# Ford SVO's (red top) would be good.

Fuel pump. Try it with the stock pump. If FP holds while doing SUSTAINED WOT than it is keeping up. What most of us find it doesn't (its over 20 years old) and replace with a Walbro 255. Nothing wrong with just doing it up front but $ being tight it won't hurt to start with it. I will add having a FP gauge with a hose long enough to tape the gauge to windshield should be in your toolbox

Ignition Coil. Stock is fine. Some feel the 96 is better but you need the coil/opti wire specific to the 96

AC Delco or Delphi Opti Spark. If yours works, keep it. If it is the original it is a true AC Delco. Like any distributor the cap & rotor are wear items and at your mileage I would get a MSD cap & rotor. Use blue Loc-Tite on rotor screws

You will need a PCM tune for the H/C & injectors

Don't know if you are A4 or T56 but drive-line will want attention also to keep up with the motor mods

 

Since you are on a budget, search for used non wear items such as headers, cams, throttle bodies ect, speed parts loose their value and what is a loss for one is a gain for another, I knew of a college kid that built his entire care with mostly used parts, did it for about 1/3 the cost and was a fun 11 second car..

 

Take the engine and trans out as one piece through the top if you do not have a lift (that is how I do it). You will need an engine hoist and an engine leveler. I would also remove the front clip to make it easier to maneuver the hoist. If you can swing it, try to buy a tubular k-member as that will make the car much easier to work on and for header fitment. If the bottom end is going to be disassembled for inspection, I would try to find the funds to have it rebuilt and have the rods/pistons replaced with stronger ones for the H/C/I.

You should get the trans rebuilt or find one that is for sale that is rebuild by a reputable builder (4L60e's are not the greatest in stock form). Check out ltx tech as there is a reputable builder on that site that is very reasonable for pricing on the trans/converter. I would try to do this right the first time as it would be no fun to get the car together and then it be down when the transmission goes and if you spend money on a good converter it will likely be ruined as well. Get a good converter and trans rebuild with a trans cooler and you will have a reliable fun setup with your new power. The car should easily run 11's and the high 11x mph range on drag radials with the mods you are planning.

Another piece of advice is talk to the experts. Lloyd is a great resource and he can give you plenty of sound advice on what you will need and what you can wait for as it pertains to the engine. There are many others in the ltx community that are great resources. Read up and gather info and make your decisions based on other's experiences.

I was in the same boat as you when I started building my car way back in the late 90's. Do as much of the work yourself as you stated and you will learn so much more about everything in general that you can apply to all vehicles in the future.

Most importantly is too have fun with the build and take lots of pics. You will have some great memories of the process that will stick with you forever (Some will be the frustrating kind...lol)

 

IMO leave the bottom end in the car. Learn from getting a Haynes manual from an auto store and do searches on this site as well as camaroz28.com for certain quirks that have notoriously plagued these platforms.
Also, engine removal. Highly unecessary to put the back wheels on blocks and jacking the front end to the ceiling. You can take the engine out of the bottom with the back wheels on the ground. Only catch is you may have to take the air dam off. Use two quality floor jacks on both sides of the chassis, jacking points should be just behind the plastic pads and use two blocks of 2X4 on each jack and a furniture dolly to rest engine and k-member while pulling out from underneath. Rent an engine hoist to transfer engine from k-member to stand. Some make it far more difficult than it has to be.