LT1 Project Plan/Advice?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 8
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From: Las Vegas
LT1 Project Plan/Advice? I have a Volvo 240 with an LT1/4L60E swap. The swap was done two owners ago with additional engine work done by the last owner. I’ve had it for five years and only drive it here and there. Unless I’m embarrassing teens in clapped out Hondas at a stop light I don’t drive it too hard. It has a LSD and gets sideways pretty quick, fun to drive. It recently had a bad ticking sound which I assumed was a lifter. I pulled the intake mani off, then a valve cover and found a broken valve spring.
My first immediate action was to go on ebay and buy a used Edelbrock intake mani. After that I thought maybe I should slow down and think about this a little more. I spent the past few days looking at parts and reading a bit across the LT1 forums. So now I’m thinking I’ll list the current mods, my upcoming plans/questions, and solicit you to poke holes in the whole thing? Ha ha. Honestly though, I don’t know a whole lot about the LT1 and other than two demolition derby cars, this is my first V8. Would you mind giving me your thoughts on the items below? Thanks!
Engine build list from previous owner:
My first immediate action was to go on ebay and buy a used Edelbrock intake mani. After that I thought maybe I should slow down and think about this a little more. I spent the past few days looking at parts and reading a bit across the LT1 forums. So now I’m thinking I’ll list the current mods, my upcoming plans/questions, and solicit you to poke holes in the whole thing? Ha ha. Honestly though, I don’t know a whole lot about the LT1 and other than two demolition derby cars, this is my first V8. Would you mind giving me your thoughts on the items below? Thanks!
Engine build list from previous owner:
- LT1 from a ‘94 Pontiac Firebird
- cc467 cam (wondering if this was a typo, probably need to double check this by measuring valve lift?)
- Comp Cams 1.6 roller rockers
- Lingenfelter “heavy duty” (ha ha) springs
- Titanium valve keepers
- Sanderson block hugger headers
- 3” exhaust with Magnaflow muffler. No cat
- Canton 7qt oil pan
- Aluminum heads appear to be stock
- Stock intake manifold, stock TB with airfoil, TB water bypass, EGR delete
- Stock injectors
- CAI and Larger MAF
- ‘94 4L60E with “upgraded clutches, Corvette servo, and Transgo shift kit”, 2400 stall converter
- Volvo diesel rear end, I think it’s a Dana 30.
- Edelbrock intake ($/HP probably not that good but at least it was used)
- Larger TB, I don’t want to hold back any future mods so I figured the 58mm would be best. Any difference besides price/appearance between the BBK, Holley and TPiS units? What about the mono butterfly one from TPiS?
- The cc467 cam is not what I would have chose. The lumpy idle sounds cool but something with more bottom end would probably better fit my driving habits. At a minimum I need to replace the springs. Thought I might also do the lifters while I’m in there? I should probably replace the cam but I also just want to get this thing back on the road.
- Electric water pump (Meziere 100) to free up a few ponys
- Larger injectors. Are some truly better than others? Sizing? Adjustable regulator?
- No plans for the heads right now but figured it may happen in the future so I’m looking at taller valve covers. Pro-form 141-846 looks nice but I can’t tell if it will clear the alternator on the passenger side. Anyone know?
- Oil pressure gauge has a plastic supply line, this can’t be good! Replace with stainless line?
- Torqhead conversion. It ain’t cheap but the plug n play aspect is nice. The previous owner gave me a laptop with Tunercats on it, but let’s be honest, I don’t know how to work that! It would be nice to not worry about the optispark and be able to have the car tuned locally.
- Head work/new heads. If I follow through with everything above this is what’s holding it back.
- T56 swap
- No forced induction
- Possibly reconnecting the EGR system. This would keep the head cooler without using more fuel. I could also tune this to close the EGR at say 40% throttle? This would save fuel when putting around or on the freeway but still allow me to stomp on it?
- Possibly installing a new cat. I currently have a “Classic Rod” plate in Nevada which doesn’t require a smog check. I could see this going away at some point in the future. The AIR pump is only used to preheat older style cats, right? I don’t need the pump with a modern cat?
See if there's a part number on it. If it's a 15-242T, which was specifically made for the LT1 f-body, it's a 6 quart pan.
https://www.cantonracingproducts.com...-race-pan.html
https://www.cantonracingproducts.com...-race-pan.html
TECH Veteran
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,985
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Assuming you didn't take out a piston when the valve spring broke, just replace the springs. Get the Lunati LT1 kit #73925K5
Don't waste any $ on a Edelbrock intake. Stock one is fine
If your future plans want a different cam and ported heads with larger valves, contact Lloyd Eliot at Eliott Portworks. He will set you up very well pending your build goals. He is highly regarded in LT1 community. He would also recommend the Lunati valve springs
keep your valve covers. They would have already been modified for the Comp 1:6 RR to clear
you don't need a larger TB unless your build is intended to be more than 500HP
The 467 cam is a XFI grind. Not a bad cam but more set up for higher RPM power
Any change in cam will require a new tune assuming your PCM has been tuned for your current set up
30 lb injectors like the Ford SVO 30lb "red tops", if you can still find them, were the go to for injectors, what I have. Any injector change will require a tune
Torqhead...IMHO stay with the Opti. If you ever need to replace yours, look into the Petris unit
Don't waste any $ on a Edelbrock intake. Stock one is fine
If your future plans want a different cam and ported heads with larger valves, contact Lloyd Eliot at Eliott Portworks. He will set you up very well pending your build goals. He is highly regarded in LT1 community. He would also recommend the Lunati valve springs
keep your valve covers. They would have already been modified for the Comp 1:6 RR to clear
you don't need a larger TB unless your build is intended to be more than 500HP
The 467 cam is a XFI grind. Not a bad cam but more set up for higher RPM power
Any change in cam will require a new tune assuming your PCM has been tuned for your current set up
30 lb injectors like the Ford SVO 30lb "red tops", if you can still find them, were the go to for injectors, what I have. Any injector change will require a tune
Torqhead...IMHO stay with the Opti. If you ever need to replace yours, look into the Petris unit
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TECH Resident
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 993
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From: Euless, TX
I agree, I have tuned several of these now using a 96 timing cover, 4x reluctor, 0411 van tune or P59 Mexican L31 tune and the optispark as a distributor only. They run just fine without using a cam sensor or the opti encoder wheel.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 8
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From: Las Vegas
I was under the impression that the exhaust gas entering the cylinder worked to displace and thus lower the quantity of incoming air/fuel. So at lower throttle position the engine doesn't have to work as hard to get air in and it doesn't have to add as much fuel. I also thought I'd read somewhere that the LT1 adds fuel to lower head temps but that may have been a roundabout explanation of the EGR system. There's a lot of discussion out there but this blurb sums up my understanding, https://www.tuneruniversity.com/blog...ing-you-money/ As for the LT4 getting rid of the EGR it must have VVT as that can help trap exhaust gasses in the cylinder which function similar to an EGR.
I know this forum isn't too worried about mileage and in reality the EGR probably isn't going to make a huge difference one way or the other but in my case if it added 1 mpg that would be a 10% increase!
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas
have made worse decisions in life...still leaning this direction.
TECH Veteran
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,985
Likes: 112
If OP was not versed in torqhead than stay with Opti and get Moe or Solomon to do mail order tune. If he feels good about using it himself and the motor will "evolve" over time with several mods requiring tunes than yeah, the juice is worth the $ squeeze to go Torqhead
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm