97 Lt-1 with LT-4 cam 1.6 RR and timing set--msd opti--and coil --edelbrock intake with 30lb svo injectors anyone have any idea what I can get out of this engine with a custom tune. I am going to put it in a 67 rs/ss witha M21 4 speed trans and 411 gears.

 

Fogot to add long tube headers 2" exhaust out the back --Maybe a crossover don't know need to find the benefits of that out--and no polution crap of any kind.

 

2" exhaust?

i would consider a larger diameter pipe, atleast 2-1/4-2.5".
a crossover is a good idea also. X or H, i would go with whichever is easiest to fit for clearance. differences between them would be minimal and some folks will argue either one too death but its a good idea to atleast have one in there somewhere.

you can pick up universal kits from Jegs or Summit for about $90-$100 with an x-pipe and it wont take much modification to make them fit.

sounds like a cool project tho, post up some pics! always love seeing a 1st gen car!

 

The LT4 cam is a BAD choice, if you meant the HOT cam that is a mediocre choice and be warned the supplied springs are inadequate. The MSD opti is a bad choice as is the Edelbrock intake. The stock 97 coil is quite good, the MSD is if anything a step backwards in reliability.

The LT4 timing set is a waste of money too, the stock LT1 set works great.


As sais 2" exhaust would be another mistake 2 1/2" is a good allround size for duals.

You are probably a little upset with me, but you have to understand that GM left a lot less room for improvement with the LT1 and newer stuff, so reputable names and proven parts for old school stuff does not mean they have anything good for the newer stuff. The full Edelbrock heads/cam/intake package only makes at the flywheel what my car makes at the rear wheels through a high stalled automatic and other guys have heads/cam setups based on the GM LT1 heads ported making over 30rwhp more than the Edelbrock package does at the flywheel. That is HUGE talking 70-80flywheel HP more by porting GM castings rather than going with the Edelbrock stuff and the cams are not that big, great lowend is retained and engines kept below 6500rpms doing this.

The stock opti while it gets a bad rap is actually pretty good, most people are just so stupid they never change the cap and rotor and then blame the design when neglect causes failure. The MSD opti has had a LOT of problems and most of the smart guys who tried it have already sworn it off, others blindly defend their mistake.

 

Dont worry about your choice with the MSD opti and coil, "most" people who hate on them have never used or seen em'. I run one personally and its fine, and know many others without one problem.

I have also not seen one person try to "blindly" defend their purchase, nobody needs to defend something that works as good or better than stock... It speaks for itself. Check out my thread from a month back about it, you can see lots of ACTUAL experience with the MSD, from people who are ACTUALLY using it.

And for the record, the MSD coil is the SAME THING as the 97 coil. So how could this be a step backwards?

As for the Hotcam and the rest, If your looking for moderate gains you will get them. Its an old cam, but still makes decent power with a good tune of course.

The 2" exhaust and the LT4 timing set are the only things on this post that can be considered a waste of money. You are definitely going to need something bigger than 2". And even then, the LT4 timing set IS better than stock for strength.

 

I have handled an MSD opti and when we replaced it with a stocker the car finally ran.

Maybe it would be more helpful if instead of saying things like "people blindly defend bad choices" to say look at sigs for results, and try and read into them a bit, if a f-body and a b-body go the same ET and the b-body has a lot less money sunk into it then who do you think has a better idea of how to accomplish things??

 

Guess you got a bad one then, should have sent it back to MSD and got your free one that works. It happens in an imperfect world.

It might have been more helpful to say look at sigs, but he asked a question and I answered it with what I know to be true. The MSD opti works great, plain and simple. You got one bad one out of how many currently working fine on lots of cars? Sorry, but buying an MSD and not returning it for a working one seems like a "waste" to me.

You also attacked the MSD coil, calling it unrelyable. But then you say the 97 is more so. They are the same coil, how could one be more relyable than the other?

And what F-body are you comparing to what B-body? And what does that have to do with what he asked?

And I apologise to the OP, if this turns into a shitshow I will not post. I answered what you asked, and I think your setup is fine as I currently run it and have had NO ISSUES.

 

I'd say with what you have listed, you'd be lucky to get much over 300rwhp. 2" exhaust is going to choke that motor. I'd got 2.5 duals with an x-pipe. I'd say probably 320-330 rwhp if you free up the exhaust a little. How much are you wanting out of your setup?

Definately alot of room for improvement with the hotcam. They're very mild compared to other shelf cams. If you aren't real worried about it being radical, it would suit your needs, though.

If you are just looking to build a hybrid with a little thump, I think you could ditch all the other stuff (LT4 timing set, intake, opti, coil, injectors) . The GM parts work just fine if you're doing a stock shortblock with a hotcam. That's just money that could be put towards something else on the car IMHO. If you need to replace these parts, that's a different story, but I wouldn't just throw that kind of money around if you aren't real worried about the final numbers.

If you do want to go radical (400+ hp range), I'd suggest looking into a head and cam package. There are plenty of good ones out there. Much better than anything GM Performance Parts offers, IMO.

Cool swap BTW. I did an LT1 swap in a 96 shortwide, and it was pretty sweet. I'm sure it'll be really cool swapping in that LT1 in a 1st Gen.

 

If you havn't bought the cam yet ditch the hotcam and go with the CC305 as it makes a little more power and has a broader powerange and better torque down low where you need it. If you already have the hotcam don't worry about it, but I have had the cc305 in my 383 for over 9 years now and love the cam. It's a little mild for my application, but great for passing emissions here in Houston.

 

It'd make a lot more MPG with an overdrive tranny. Check the final drive ratio and compare it to the car it came out of. Cruising at 3000 RPM is gonna cost you at the pump. I presume you've found http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/S...5/camaro1.html

Cheers -- Gary