97 camaro turbo?
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97 camaro turbo? i got a 97 camaro that has been sitting for 20 years or so. it only has 70k on the body and is in excellent shape. i want to rebuild to motor with good parts and turbo it. my grandpa is saying it’s sitting because it kept burning the distributors up when it was running. is it worth fooling with, and if so what parts would you recommend? also it needs a rh quarter who sells the best fitting parts for 4th gen?
Last edited by brett jackson; Sep 20, 2023 at 08:24 PM.
If you insist on keeping the LT I would strongly suggest looking at the LTCC conversion kits to use an LS computer and coil on plug. Tuning is worlds easier and no opti to mess with.
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ltcc conversion at that point i might as well make it an ls cause all i would need is motor mounts right? the reason i wanted to keep the lt was so i didn’t have to do a bunch of rewiring and welding
I converted to torqhead (opti delete convert to coil on plug) and a holley dominator ECU. EFIconnection.com sells a plug and play wiring harness for LT1s witht he dominator, terminator, or HP.
If you want to go a ltitle cheaper route torqhead sells a complete kit with no rewiring to delete the opti and hook up an LS1 pcm.
EIther case no rewiring needed.
If you want to go a ltitle cheaper route torqhead sells a complete kit with no rewiring to delete the opti and hook up an LS1 pcm.
EIther case no rewiring needed.
The LTCC is just to convert from the opti over to coil on plug. Same LT motor, same motor mounts, etc.
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You would need the motor mounts, the harness, the ls1 4l60e transmission, then you need to go through actually doing sourcing a good motor and trans and then physically do the swap. Im not even sure the gauge cluster would work with an ls1, atleast something with the odometer is different. You can do the ltcc for cheep ish, its around 500 dollars plus the coils. I did the torqhead conversion and that was just under 2k and its the best mod ive done to my car ever, I burned through optis every 2k or so miles. How ever there is a weird cheep third option to run the car off an 411 ls1 computer without the optispark in a sort of wasted spark mode.
video for third option.
video for third option.
Launching!
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Actually if the car is burning optisparks then the LTCC kit would not be viable as the ltcc kit still uses the optispark for a signal. I would honestly just buy the entire Torqhead kit and be done, do it the right way. AC delco does not make optisparks anymore so theyre all iffy quality.
https://www.torqhead.com/shop-24xlin...ody/c/23575138
I recommend just getting regular ls plug wires as the universal wires the kit comes with are... okay ? However you better have the right tools and skill to make them properly or you will have issues.
https://www.torqhead.com/shop-24xlin...ody/c/23575138
I recommend just getting regular ls plug wires as the universal wires the kit comes with are... okay ? However you better have the right tools and skill to make them properly or you will have issues.
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If the plan is to ‘rebuild the motor with good parts’ anyway, it seems like a perfect opportunity to just switch to a mild 5.3 with a gt45 or 7875.
It sounds like the cost of the torque head conversion which i guess is somewhat mandatory, is about the cost of bits needed for the ls conversion. If you get a gen 4 5.3 all the good parts are already there.
something to consider. Good luck.
It sounds like the cost of the torque head conversion which i guess is somewhat mandatory, is about the cost of bits needed for the ls conversion. If you get a gen 4 5.3 all the good parts are already there.
something to consider. Good luck.
There's someone selling a rusted out suburban near me with a 5.3 in it. Whole truck for $750!
I've thought about buying it and restoring or just pulling the engine out to sell.
I've thought about buying it and restoring or just pulling the engine out to sell.
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Im not sure if a junk yard ls is really the way to go unless they rebuild that motor instead but to get it running and swapping it all in just seems like so more more extra work than it really needs to be; easier said than done. The torqhead kit was quite literally plug and play and it runs perfectly. My car mechanically is an lt1 but ignition wise its just an ls1. Im not entirely discouraging the 5.3 swap or normal ls swap, but they seem like theyre more work and more expensive than people say. However its not like this is a daily and is needing to be reliable for work so honestly any choice is fine.
Just to get the parts for the swap and pin the harness can be a couple of grand of not more, and then you’re talking about boost on a stock block? How much for the turbos and the plumbing? Longevity in the equation, OP? You won’t want to put boost on a stock Lt1 block for sure.
Last edited by SS RRR; Sep 23, 2023 at 09:06 PM.
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Depends what op is looking for but I can tell you from quite a bit of first hand experience a **** stock 4.8 or 5.3 will eat 14 psi and ask for more. I’ve beaten on a few like they owed me money without problems in Silverado’s and full weight 70s wagons. A friend has a Silverado with a gt45 for about 80k miles and it’s still going strong.
Couple years ago I impacted used stock head bolts down with used head gaskets then proceeded to drive thousands of miles and made enough power to scatter two driveshafts and two transmissions with twin gt3582s. Only reason I took it apart was I dropped some lifters during a kamikaze cam swap.
Ls motors aren’t for everyone but they are extremely rugged and reliable.
Couple years ago I impacted used stock head bolts down with used head gaskets then proceeded to drive thousands of miles and made enough power to scatter two driveshafts and two transmissions with twin gt3582s. Only reason I took it apart was I dropped some lifters during a kamikaze cam swap.
Ls motors aren’t for everyone but they are extremely rugged and reliable.
LSX stuff and turbocharging is idiot proof these days, its legos and for the most part it all "bolts" together.
LTX stuff (gen 2) is not so lucky and you will be forced to be creative with how you setup the turbo hotside.
If you are sticking with the LTX, I would slap a stock crank back in motor, good rods and forged pistons with minimal overbore in it. Then slap a 24x sensor array on it, and run the PCM of your choice, either 0411/aftermarket. My vote is Holley, but anything will be lightyears better than LTX OEM stuff.
Realistically, without touching the rest of the car, this is all a pipe dream.
LTX stuff (gen 2) is not so lucky and you will be forced to be creative with how you setup the turbo hotside.
If you are sticking with the LTX, I would slap a stock crank back in motor, good rods and forged pistons with minimal overbore in it. Then slap a 24x sensor array on it, and run the PCM of your choice, either 0411/aftermarket. My vote is Holley, but anything will be lightyears better than LTX OEM stuff.
Realistically, without touching the rest of the car, this is all a pipe dream.
I'm doing a twin setup that keeps A/C and power steering. I've had to do a lot of my own fabricating/creatve thinking already. I've had to stand up the radiator, convert to a Volvo electric power steering pump, relocate my alternator to the driver's side, get a BMR turbo k-member, replace my horns with aftermarket ones and relocate them, relocate my vacuum canister, cut my accessory bracket, and get custom made headers and heat exchangers. And I'll still have to get a shop to do the rest of the hot side, air to water intercooler(s), and charge pipes. With an LSx I'd still have to do some of that like maybe a turbo k-member and stand up the radiator vertically, but the rest would come in a kit.
