lt1 350

[tommym]

hey I am new to this board but I have a 1968 chevy truck I am thinking about putting in lt1 350 from a 1996 chevy caprice and wondered if anyone else has installed this motor in their truck and will it fit and do you have any problems installing it

[Pop's C-10]

It will bolt up to normal small block mounts...

[tommym]

will I have a problem with it fiting and nothing hiting the frame

[86 C10 LT1]

you'll most likely have to notch the frame for the a/c comp or delete pully but will bolt up i used my 86 C10s original motor mounts just finished swap now im working on fuel system are you using harness from the lt1? very easy to rewire if your good with wiring and diagrams

[chevytruckluver]

I know 2 diffrent 72 truck with LT1 engines
1 has the engine all the way back, using the stock mounts in the rear frame mounting location. He has the corvette brackets so there is no need to cut the frame for a/c compressor clearance.
2nd one is using the stock motor mount location. He is using accy brackets from Alan Grove which relocates the compressor to the top of the motor. This truck is a daily driver and gets 20mpg with the od tranny.

[JKady]

I hate to be the negative guy but I simply have to ask why? All the same work as an LS swap but harder to work on, less reliable and less power.

[jocko]

Perhaps it's readily available for ol tommy. Also, perhaps money doesn't grow on trees - it's a good bit more expensive to do an LS swap once all the accessories and computer stuff adds up. And the goal may not be tire shredding. I've seen a few nice LT1 swaps done in old vehicles before - they look pretty decent. Parts less expensive. I personally would prefer an older small block, as in the original one, but to each his own, it's all hot rodding. My 2 cents only.

[JKady]

Originally Posted by jocko

Perhaps it's readily available for ol tommy. Also, perhaps money doesn't grow on trees - it's a good bit more expensive to do an LS swap once all the accessories and computer stuff adds up. And the goal may not be tire shredding. I've seen a few nice LT1 swaps done in old vehicles before - they look pretty decent. Parts less expensive. I personally would prefer an older small block, as in the original one, but to each his own, it's all hot rodding. My 2 cents only.

Perhaps different in an area where Corvettes are more common, up here people treat LT1's like they're worth their weight in gold, and 5.3 truck LS engines are dime a dozen. LT1's have just as much computer stuff as a 5.3/6.0 though. Not to say if I didn't have it in hand already I wouldn't use it by any stretch, my distaste for the LT1 comes mostly from working on them in their natural habitat, you'd be surprised how cramped the engine bay in a late model Caprice is.

I'm building a Vortec 350 for my truck, entirely because I got it for free, as I was hunting for a 454 or a Caddy engine when the boss told me to get it this 5.7 out of the shop.

[aggieguy713]

I did it with an lt1 from a 93 caprice and there wasnt any issues, although the distributor cap is awfully close to the firewall, and we used an ac delete plate, cant remember where from though.

[JKady]

Originally Posted by aggieguy713

I did it with an lt1 from a 93 caprice and there wasnt any issues, although the distributor cap is awfully close to the firewall, and we used an ac delete plate, cant remember where from though.

I take it you converted to a carb and standard distributor?

[RaTcheTmasTer]

Must have. LT1s do not have a distributor in the back. IT runs off of the timing gear on the front of the engine.

[JKady]

Originally Posted by RaTcheTmasTer

Must have. LT1s do not have a distributor in the back. IT runs off of the timing gear on the front of the engine.

Exactly. I suppose that would get rid of the whole issue of water pump failure leading to ignition trouble like the stock setup. But at that point, you've gone in circles and spent more money to end up with a Vortec headed 350 that you can get out of a 96-2000 truck.

[VWBeamer]

I got an LT1 because it was cheap, it's a good looking motor and uses the same mounts, headers as a standard SBC.

To me it's better than a reg SBC, because it's EFI and reverse cooling.

The iron heads from the caprice flow more than the aluminum heads just as a side note. You can get a corvette cam and put in it and have over 300 HP easy.

BTW, if I could get a 5.3 same price I would have gone with it.