As the owner of a LT-1 powered '97 Trans Am, I can give you a few of the problems I have encountered over the years and some suggestions. The intake manifold has a tendency to leak oil. It's not too hard to fix once the engine is out of the car. The Opti-Spark unit is expensive to replace (over $100). Just keep it dry, as water seems to make them go out. Mine has been fine so far, but it looks like they usually give up the ghost at around 120k miles on average. Go for a 96 or 97 style unit if it needs to be replaced. Water pumps last about 70k miles on average. They are about $135 at Auto Zone with a lifetime warrantee. Electric fans will be needed, as there is no way to install a belt driven unit. Try to get the radiator and fans from the Camaro and install them as a unit into the truck. A F-body LT-1 will require premium gas. PCM (computer) modifications will probably be need to make the engine run correctly, and to make the trans shift right (if it is an auto trans). F-bodies use an electrical speedometer, so a conversion unit will be needed for the truck. I would personally install a 160 degree thermostat to make it run cooler, expecially in the summer. My T/A will get to 220 in traffic with the stock 180 thermostat, but will only get to 180 with the cooler thermostat. Just make sure to use a thermostat designed for the reverse flow LT-1. Unless you are really good with wiring, save yourself some grief and pop for a wiring harness from a company like Painless. A VATS (security feature) by-pass module or a custom PCM reflash will be needed. The cat converters will need to be retained if you live in a part of the country that has emissions testing as you may have to meet the emission requirements for that year engine, not the truck it is in. Of coarse, it all depends on who you know. As a side note, if you don't want to get into all of this, you could always resell the motor at a profit. $1500 is cheap if the mileage isn't too high. These engines/trans combos usually start around $2500 used. One really nice thing about this combo, is you would probably get 20+ MPH on the highway, as long as the rear end ratio is reasonable. Gotta love that OD trans.
