makenzie71

TheUrbz

be prepared to open up the engine or swap it.

makenzie71

Swapping to a different, slightly more potent engine isn't necessarily a problem...there's a plethora of LS-based engines out there that can be had for hundreds of dollars. What I'm getting at is suggesting I should buy something like an LS7 won't go over very well. Between Facebook and Craigslist there's a dozen running LQ4 donors available I could pick up for under $500...which could probably yield a pretty reasonable engine for under $1000 after freshening it up.

I'm not afraid of other engines, but (example) that I'm not willing to sacrifice driveability with a ridiculous cam if that's the only way to get 350 on the ground. I was led to believe, however, that 350+ out of the LT1 wasn't hard to achieve, but that getting over 400 reliably was the issue.

TheUrbz

getting 350-400 to the tires isnt impossible in an LT1-LT4, but you stated you dont wanna go into the engine. well that depends on what you mean "going into the engine" a well thought out heads and cam, port job, plus tune will get you pretty close to what you want which is top end, but i consider that going into the engine. beyond that you can go for a 355 or 383 which includes the bottom end.

with the top end most will agree on two places, advanced induction and LE. although ive heard AI isnt doing much LT1 stuff lately.

SS RRR

iTrader: (2)

LPE/Accell 211/219 cam and ported heads with stock exhaust will get you 350rwhp and 350rwtq (as long as it's not the 'baby LT1') and you'll be able to tow something small as if it weren't there. Gas mileage will be fantastic as well.

94TAisfast

Are you able to fabricate?

makenzie71

94TAisfast

If you are interested in getting creative, a chinese Ebay turbo setup on flipped manifolds may not be a bad route. Those Honda t3/t4 "universal" kits that promise 500 horsepower are probably not a bad way to go, and I'm pretty sure many of them offer couplers so you don't have to weld. They're usually just a cold side without any hot side, or maybe a very generic up-pipe, which I'd assume is steel.

I can see getting pretty close to 400whp reliably. If you can find a really light wastegate spring, you could probably get a cheap boost controller so you can run around 4 or 5 psi for economy, and crank it up to 7-8 for power.

Just don't forget the intercooler, in case the turbo decides to take a dump.

dirtybob

I used to see a guy at the dragstrip [NOMRLZ lic. plate] with a daily driver roady wagon. Not 100% on all that was done but definitely an LT1 with stall/gears/spray. IIRC low 14 on the motor and low 12 on the bottle [150 shot].
is that 350hp to the ground?

BALLSS

OP

making 350 RWHP/TQ is easy with a baby cam/ported heads and CAT back exhaust.....but the B-Body wagon LT1 will have iron heads. Yeah with way more effort they could be worked but the shorter and "lighter" path is to go buy a set of LT1 Al. heads and send them to Lloyd Elliott and buy the cam he recommends. Likely the 218/224 to make the power you want. This could be a DD, smog legal wagon with 350 RWHP easy

SSR did it with a 211/219 LE and I did it with a custom grind Comp 214/220.....and a good tune

makenzie71

I'll have to admit my experience with domestic V8's is not much...really pretty light outside the 5.4 in my Expedition (which I hate...ridiculous spark plugs...). The one time I actually drove a cam'ed V8 ('01 F-body...don't know the specs, but he was moving just under 400whp), the car was virtually undriveable unless you were trying to run it hard. Once use to it there wasn't a lot of trouble...but this project will be a multipurpose cruiser. My wife will drive it on occasion. I want to avoid having to romp on it just to drive the thing. If a mild cam does that then I'm not oppose to it.

I'm not oppose to forced induction and, in fact, those cheap turbos were my first idea. A couple of small turbos would be virtually lag free and running 7lbs with other basic bolt on goodies should see the power I'm looking for with little more management needed than an RRFPR and a decent fuel pump. I just wasn't sure if the stock block LT1 would handle boost well...I know I've seen a lot of boosted LT1 F-Bodies and C4's but I wasn't sure if they were really the same engine.

94TAisfast

Below the deck they're identical(the Vettes got 4 bolts but that's not really necessary in this case) and a lot of people claim they're fine. With the b body unit, maybe switch out the head gaskets for thicker ones at most, and your golden on 93 octane. Just need to find a tuner, then. Personally I'd just do an LY6/L92 or something, and do a tiny cam, but then you have the counterpoint, *boooooost*. Not to mention you retain fuel economy as long as you stay out of the pedal, and it will still sound stock as long as you don't go crazy with cam choice

makenzie71

If I swap out I would probably look toward the LQ4 just because of how plentiful they are here. I can pick up an LQ4 long block for $200 (currently listed on facebook...who the hell knows what it needs)...there's even a running LQ4 Sierra local with 150k and a blown transmission asking $750. The LY6 also seems pretty available. But my preference would be to stay with the LT1 unless it's just not going to do what I need.

94TAisfast

Turbocharging is probably your best bet. I'd say turbo or LY6, because the LY6 is basically an LQ4 with LS3 heads. It's a cam away from 550hp at the crank, so with a small cam it'll get you to 400+ at the wheels easily, not to mention there are tuners out the *** for LS engines.

SS RRR

iTrader: (2)

Not LE. LPE. Lingenfelter Performance Engineering. Let's not start any rumors now!

BALLSS

My bad :-)

Yeah that "Lingenfelter" cam rocks. My friend had one in his H/C 350.

L"P" E not to be confused with LE (Lloyd Elliott)….but LE cam would be very good

OP

LSx anything, Turbo anything will make some power....but a simple cam swap, ported GM AL heads and a tune will be WAY cheaper than a non LT1 engine transplant to make 350 RWHP

hokeplaya05

iTrader: (3)

this.

no need to complicate this with engine swaps and boost when you can easily get to your goal with the lt1 you already have in the car. if we were talking 450+ then yes going lsx or boost would be appropriate options.

94TAisfast

350rwhp from a h/c lt1 will be a bit more than most people(OP mentioned his wife is driving the car often) are willing to deal with. Boost or an LSx is about the only way to get that kind of power comfortably, without losing fuel economy. And I don't know about where you are, but where I live nobody will touch an LT1. Factoring in the tuning, and finding a junkyard pullout for $1500 all said and done, I think an LS swap would be the cheapest way to go. An LY6 is gonna be hard to find for under $1k, but an LQ4 isn't at all. Add another 500 or so for bolts, fluids, and flexplate, 300 for a cam, then another 500 for dyno tuning and I'm fairly confident that an Ls swap is barely over $2k away, assuming OP can do all of his own labor. No need to crack into the engine, no need to hope that your old bottom end holds up, it seems like a good option.

Boosting with a $1k all inclusive turbo kit(minus manifolds and tuning) is also a pretty good option, otherwise procharge it for ~$4k. But then you still need to find a tuner. There's no use in having a 350whp LT1 if you don't have enough injector because you couldn't get it tuned.

hokeplaya05

iTrader: (3)

you need a cam and tune at least to crack 350 wheel through an auto with an ls truck motor so he'd have to to open it up anyways. also, what the difference between a 350hp lt1 and a 350hp lsx? a mail order tune is $200 and is perfectly fine for a mild head/cam lt1, I've had a mail order tune on my head/cam 383 for 4 years without issue. i have nothing against going ls, I'm gathering parts to swap an lq4 into my truck, i just think it is unnecessary here for only 350whp goal when that is easily and fairly inexpensively achievable with the factory motor.

Phoenix'97

I am going to keep this suggestion in mind.

makenzie71,
Assuming you do decide to use a turbo, have you ever heard about rear mounted turbos? They solve the problem of trying to fit a standard turbo into an LT1 car engine bay and where to put the intercooler where the rear mount actually uses the return tubing to cool the air down on it's way to the engine intake.

I am considering this for my "dream car restomod project" in the future. Some kits do have the turbo intake near the rear axle although one company can make it more reliable for daily driving by extending the tubing in some sort of snorkel set-up to avoid rain water and snow ingestion. It looks interesting to consider since my engine bay is cramped as is.