What year LT1 is the best?
i wouldn't have anything but obd1 single cat cars personally, plus, on 94's (which mine is) in NC there is no emission testing, which means you can have a 383 with true duals and gutted or no cats and just spray exhaust fumes into the air without anybody bothering you about it come inspection time.
On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2001
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93 - PITA to burn chips (unlike the 94-97's reflashable PCM)
95 - OBDI with OBDII style connector... can be a PITA until to get the right cable for it.
96 - OBD-II.... more sensors and information for tuning and trouble-shooting, but you'll need a good tuner if you wanta ditch the EGR (which really you DON'T need to do... unless you NEED the room)
97- heads flow ~5cfm more (~10hp), synthetic rear main seal, and a few other improvements. Nothing worth chasing down if you plan on overhauling the engine and porting the heads.
I have a 396ci '97 LT1 and I'd probably go with a '94 if I was pulling the drivetrain for a transplant... OBDI is just simpler to work with (UNLESS you have an automatic trans and a big stall... then you NEED OBDII).
95 - OBDI with OBDII style connector... can be a PITA until to get the right cable for it.
96 - OBD-II.... more sensors and information for tuning and trouble-shooting, but you'll need a good tuner if you wanta ditch the EGR (which really you DON'T need to do... unless you NEED the room)
97- heads flow ~5cfm more (~10hp), synthetic rear main seal, and a few other improvements. Nothing worth chasing down if you plan on overhauling the engine and porting the heads.
I have a 396ci '97 LT1 and I'd probably go with a '94 if I was pulling the drivetrain for a transplant... OBDI is just simpler to work with (UNLESS you have an automatic trans and a big stall... then you NEED OBDII).
On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 197
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On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
Just don't pay more than $200 more for the vette engine over the f-body... you can convert a 2-bolt block over for less than that during a rebuild. BTW, several LT1 2-bolt blocks have lasted over 600hp... I wouldn't be so eager to go 4-bolt if this was a simple drivetrain swap or even light rebuild. No mild LT1 needs more than 2 bolts per main.
On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 197
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LT1 has several advantages over the LS1 (like reverseflow cooling, cheaper replacement parts, SBC compatibility, stronger T56 desgin, and easier/cheaper tuning software... damn LS1's need programs for every year and platform variation).
I'll stick with a 500hp LT1 thank you very much.
I would just say 95 six speed, because that is what I see the most of all muscled out. I'd say 90% of the beefed up 93-97 LT1s are all 95s. Not sure exactly what the difference was in that year, or maybe they just made more of them that year, but that is mostly what I have seen.
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ok everyone is saying that the 95 LT-1 is easy to tune, can someone help me tune my car then. cuz im having a hell of a time. PCM4less didnt work, Ian didnt work in dekalb im ready to just throw this thing on a dnyo and do it that way but i know there is ways to do it by just driving around and what not with a turner any easy suggestion ?
93 - PITA to burn chips (unlike the 94-97's reflashable PCM)
95 - OBDI with OBDII style connector... can be a PITA until to get the right cable for it.
96 - OBD-II.... more sensors and information for tuning and trouble-shooting, but you'll need a good tuner if you wanta ditch the EGR (which really you DON'T need to do... unless you NEED the room)
97- heads flow ~5cfm more (~10hp), synthetic rear main seal, and a few other improvements. Nothing worth chasing down if you plan on overhauling the engine and porting the heads.
I have a 396ci '97 LT1 and I'd probably go with a '94 if I was pulling the drivetrain for a transplant... OBDI is just simpler to work with (UNLESS you have an automatic trans and a big stall... then you NEED OBDII).
95 - OBDI with OBDII style connector... can be a PITA until to get the right cable for it.
96 - OBD-II.... more sensors and information for tuning and trouble-shooting, but you'll need a good tuner if you wanta ditch the EGR (which really you DON'T need to do... unless you NEED the room)
97- heads flow ~5cfm more (~10hp), synthetic rear main seal, and a few other improvements. Nothing worth chasing down if you plan on overhauling the engine and porting the heads.
I have a 396ci '97 LT1 and I'd probably go with a '94 if I was pulling the drivetrain for a transplant... OBDI is just simpler to work with (UNLESS you have an automatic trans and a big stall... then you NEED OBDII).
They do flow a little better, but it has nothing to do with that pseudo rating anyway.
while I think there must be a reason why most of them that are pretty impressive are 95s (did they make more of them?), I think any of them can be impressive. I would rather go with the Trans Am though, because from what I hear they are a little lighter. is there any truth to that?
