The 30thSS isn't sounding too good right now. The car has been running fine lately, but last Saturday the motor started klacking between 2-3k once up to temp. You can't hear any noise when the motor is cold, only once the temp comes up. It klacks when you free rev it or accelerate at a normal (sissy) pace. A little load and no noise until you lift off the gas. Above 3k, I can't hear anything. I haven't put my foot in it for fear of doing more damage so I can't say if there is a noticeable loss in power . The oil pressure seems normal; I drained it on Sunday to look for metal and nothing obvious.
The worst part is that there was no thrashing of the SS before this started.
I need some help trying to diagnose the noise before I tear into a good low mileage LT1. It only has 12,000 miles on it!!!

 

Spun bearings generaly happen at all RPM no matter what when the engine is running

 

I had a friend who thought he had spun a bearing... Until he tighted up his headers. Check them.

 

Yup I would also check for exhaust manifold leaks,check all bolts and look for cracks.I had one in the shop that sounded like it had a knot could believe it when I found it had cracked manifold.Seems they like to crack in the back section.Do a search over on camaro z28.com

 

Thanks for the replies. I'll start with the manifolds and go from there. It doesn't make any sense that it would be a bearing, but it just has that awful high dollar sound to it.

 

#7 Rod bearing = new motor for the SS

 

Wow how highly unusual to blow a motor that fast, hopefully you found the damage by pulling the pan, and not by the bottom off the pan geting ripped to bits by a launched rod lol

 

do you still need it to drive?. if not make it a trailer queen and take it to car shows

 

Yeah, nobody can figure it out with the mileage and the fact that it is not thrashed every weekend at the track or anything. Luckily the motor has not completely blown yet but it is getting louder. The car can sit until I'm ready to fix it.
There may be a light at the end of the tunnel, a friend has a stout hi-po LT1 that is practically new that he is looking to sell.

 

You could pick up that motor, or just replace whats needed with yours..I wouldn't think it'd be too expensive to fix yours..

 

yeah, I rebuilt my motor when I spun bearings after 2 years of racing every weekend, with 115,000 miles, fortunately I got a free set of forged lunati pistons from a friend, ( but had to pay $350 for the ultra low drag metric rings they required) and worked at a machine shop so I got do some of the work. but when it was all said and done for a $1,200 machine shop bill, $500 for a hotcam kit, about $500 for miscelanenous junk, (sensors, gaskets) re-used stock lifters and pushrods etc. and hours of porting I had an 11.7 second motor for just over $2,500

Forged pistons, low drag rings, race ballance, blueprinted, .030 over, 4 bolt main, LT4 rods, arp rod bolts, home ported heads, lt4 cam kit.. etc etc.


It may be more economical to copy that.. itll make a good honest 425 HP

 

8 years old and only 12K on it, how many REALLY dry starts does that equal. Sitting is every bit as bad for mechanicals as driving a car is.

 

Right now I don't have the garage space to pull the motor. Unless I can find a friend with an empty bay and a lift I can use for a while, I'm stuck paying somebody to pull the thing out.
If the rest of the motor isn't completely destroyed and junked up with metal shavings, it could definetely be repaired for a lot less than a new motor. Maybe I'll just hold off until the LS7 crate is available later this year...

 

I might know someone near you who is actually looking to begin building LT1s. He has several he runs in his car/s strokers and 350s and has gone 10s in a b-body. I will email him and see if he is interested or has a good recomendation.