kender

kinda new to domestic performance so don't bite too hard.

looking for info on a ls1 swap into an 80 elcamino. I have yet to keep this straight but if I remember right the ls1 is the camaro engine and the lt1 is the vette. I deffinately want efi as this is a daily driver and while fuel economy is sacrificed for power I still want all I can get. The stock engine is in the car and has had 2 rebuilds on 250,000 miles. It is time to take the stock 108hp, probably 40whp right now, and chuck it in favor of 300hp plus. the car is and will stay auto, but I plan on using the mating tranny for the engine I get. I would prefere a wrecked car that I can just swap out whats needed, as opposed to a crate motor, due to $$$$$. I may or may not add boost to it later but if I do how much can I run safely on stock internals?

for the motor swap I have researched and found out that a/c bracket will have to be swapped with a different one to be able to clear the hood. The stock mounts from the motor can be used on the frame of the elcamino. I will need to move the tranny mount for the th450/350. need a gas tank with baffels ( 1987 elcamino) and fuel pump for the injector system. I have the wiring for the idiot lights under control and the ecu will not be a problem.

any other items that are a concern that I have left out, or been miss informed of?

also since I am a honda nut, and am finishing up the turbo project on my car I have the laptop, eprom burner, and some other goodies that may come in handy for tuning a gm ecu. what is a good program to use for this, something that is like hondata, turboedit, and uberdata is to the imports. eventhough it'll be stock for a while I still would like to tune it for optimum running.

sorry for so many ?'s but since the domestics are a slightly different ball game I would like to know what i'm getting into before the shit hits the fan.

thanks for the help

Sneakin Deacon

92-96 vette (LT1/4/5)
C5 (LS1/6 or 427)
C6(LS2/?)

93-97 fbody (LT1/4)
98-02(LS1)


preferably, id drop a big block in it, suitable carb, and spray the piss out of it or get a 6-71 and sit it all in front of a TH400...dont have to deal with any electronics BS...or sell it and get a malibu and do the same.

and boost pressure is just a number...its the airflow that matters.

gator

god i wish more people understood that. boost pressure is a measure of restriction. not a goal

kender

ok I rechecked some old posts and it is the lt1 that I am looking for, since the ls1 has issues with clearing the frame with the oil pan in the 80 elcamino's. I do not want to spray it, and I can't say that enough, yes it is a cheap way to get power and yes if done right it is safe....but a turbo or sc never run out of bottle

as for the boost thing, yes the volume of air is what helps to create hp, but given an area of available space in an engine only so much volume of air will fit before the pressure begins to rise. also if a given area of space stays the same size and the pressure doubles then you just doubled the volume of air. If the cross sectional area stays the same then pressure and volume have a direct correlation, thus as volume increases so does pressure. I understand the pneumatics of it, but since I am lazy and don't want to calculate the volume to try and figure out the psi so that I can understand my gauge ( autometer still doesn't make a volume gauge for air flow) I will continue to use psi.

that being said what does a stock lt1 handle for pressure, if pressure is resistance then the block is resisting the force of air trying to blow the head off of the engine so I need to make sure this doesn't happen.

also any word on the ecu edit stuff. thanks for the input

24-7

Sneakin Deacon

as far as the programming would go, id recommend Jeremy Formato

as far as how much boost itll hold...i think the ringlands will go before the heads lift. but i dunno, i will let ya know when something happens. but ive noticed its hit or miss with LT1's some people get years, some months, and in a few cases maybe only a few days/weeks

im still all for the 454 w/ 6-71 or 8-71...you could probably go to a junk yard and find more 454 parts then you would find LT1 parts.

gator

nothing cheap about a properly built nitrous setup.

Sneakin Deacon

its no point trying to explain to the youngin's john nitrous is for cheaters is what i am told by a few import aquaintances...

AMCSPIRITGTGUY

G bodies are awesome! I looked into the swaps you are proposing for my 1985 Cutlass Supreme, and this is what I know: The LS1 will need a custom pan, avoid Vette engines from either since the LS1 Vettes use a throtle by wire arrangement, and all 1984 and newer Vettes lack a trans mount provision on the tailshaft. However, the accessories from the Vette are the ones to use on a G body unless you want to notch the frame. The A/C compressor is integral to the accessory drives and would require work to eliminate it. Alternatively, Street and Performance (IIRC) offers an accessory drive steup which works on a G body without modification. Also, the Vette wiring harness is much more complicated to adapt than the Camaro/Firebird setup and Street and Performance or Painless Wiring (forget which) offer a G body conversion harness which is a bolt in for these cars. If running the GM ECU, you MUST have it reflashed to get rid of the VATS system, or the car WILL NOT RUN! This is a resistor in the ignition key which tells the car that it has the proper key trying to start it. Oh, and you will need a complete fuel system overhaul, as the LG4 or 229 V6 system is set up for a mechanical pump which produces a maximum of 7 psi. You will need the fuel tank from a 1986-88 El Camino with the 4.3 liter TBI engine as it has the proper baffling in it to avoid fuel slosh starvation. Then you will need the proper pump and pickup setup, which you can probably adapt from the stock F body parts. Next up is plumbing the fuel system. You will need to run either hard line or braided stainless lines ( Maybe pushlock, but I dunno about that) along the inside of the framerail for both the return and feed sides of the fuel rail. I believe that standard small block headers that fit the chassis also bolt to the Gen II (LT1) heads, but am not sure. The trans you get will either be a 4L60-E (Late model TH700 R4) or a T 56 six speed, which will require a fabricated clutch setup, starting with a set of rare pedals now being reproduced and offered bt Original Parts Group (they have a 1978-88 El Camino catalog online too) I hope this helps!

kender

I had planned on the gas tank being replaced because of the baffling and was going to use the pickup and pump from the tank, on those tanks were the pumps in tank or external? why would the feed line need to be replaced? is the stock hardline not built for the pressure, Or is it the stock fittings that can't handle it? if that's the case then I'd just as soon run ss braided. on the reflash is there an edit program that will let me do it myself? I already have the eprom burner ( for most chips ) that I use for my other car, all I should need is the gui for the gm. I will stick with an auto trans that is mated to the engine that I get. I do wnat to keep a/c. I had been told that the lt1 vette engines didn't have a problem with the accessories hitting the frame. is this incorrect then? thanks for the help