What is the difference between the LS1 and the LT1??

power

the LT1 is refered to as the Generation II chevy small block and the LS1 is the Generation III. the LS1 was introduced in 1997 in the corvette and it showed up in the camaro in 98, before then it had always been the LT1. the LS1 was an all aluminum block with 6 bolt mains, while the LT1s in the fbodies only had 2 bolts. both engines had aluminum heads and the LT1s had a reverse coolant flow...

wow ok ls1 is more aluminum lt1 has an iron block, th elt1 also has the optispark, the main downfal of the lt1. slao like inspiron said power. the lt1 i think are easier to ass nitrous to than the ls1. but exhaust and the dtributors are alot easier towork on ls1's

LT1 = old school small block with modern tech grafted to its aging body. same old 4in bore, 3.48in stroke. but because of the optispark/waterpump setup. the cam is different. it has the familiar distributor setup, better intake than a TPI, but same basic setup. the reverse flow cooling. the LT1 first came out in camaros in 1993. not sure about the vetts. and the aluminum heads were only on the LT1's in the vettes, camaro LT1's had iron heads. the ports on the intake for the LT1 go -II--II-, exhaust goes o-oo-o.

LS1 = not just a clean drawing board, a whole new one. this engine is the first small block chevy to be fully original since 1955. 3.9in bore, 3.62(?)in stroke six bolt mains standard, rather than the standard two bolt mains of older blocks, and optional four bolt mains. six bolt mains also have horazontal bolts rather than just splayed bolts. the cam is different, the heads use a elongated port that changes to a round hole at the valve, allowing more airflow, and a more direct path to the valve. the intake is composite, instead of the aluminum used before, and is seperated from the lifter vally by a metal "lid" over the vally bolted to the block. this setup virtually eliminates heat transfer from the engine to the intake charge. intake and exhaust ports are evenly spaced. and exhaust manifolds are better desighned and a bit more header like. and provide for less backpressure.

my 97 z28 has aluminum heads and an iron block

???? did they do that at the end run?? cuz i know they were iron for most years.

i think the 96 and 97 went to aluminum heads. they changed a whole lot the last 2 years. of the lt1's

All F-body's & Vette's LT1's got aluminum head's , The Impala's and caprice's got Iron heads

ah ha! i knew something seemed wrong with the f-bod having iron heads :D

um, not to my knowledge, i am quite sure that the camaros got the iron ones, cuz it was a very popular swap to put the corvette aluminum heads on the f-bodies, thats why around that time, the junkyards were littered with the Iron tpi heads. dont know about the changes in the last two years though.

tpi is not an lt1 their similar but not the same.

sorry, typo, meant to say LT1.............. waiiiit a minute, i think i was talking about TPI's the whole time, but somehow connecting it to LT1's. yeah i think that was it. the TPI vettes got aluminum heads, the TPI F-bodies got iron ones, ok guys, sorry, i was on the wrong path up there, got my engines confused. but yeah, i know they are quite different. ignore all the crap i said up there. my nice little brainfart for the evening.

its ok 89 we know you got the whole third gen thing going on. however, what about the LT4 and the LS6, they were the same engine blocks just with different heads and cams and stuff right? i know the LT4 has a diff intake manifold also, but i dont know much about the LS6. they were both corvette motors right, or am i mistaken?

Yea, all camaros came with aluminum heads on the LT1s. My 95 has aluminum heads. As for as the LT4 and Ls6 that is the same comparison as the LT1 and LS6. The LT4 is a corvette engine with better heads intake, cam, and roller rockers giving it more HP over the LT1. The LT1 can be upgraded to a LT4 but the LS6 is still a differant creature.

yeah i understand all of that stuff, i guess my question outright is what is the LS6? ive heard many things but never got definite info on it...

LS6 is the 405 Horsepower ,400 lb's Torque 5.7 Liter Engine, they use in the Z06 Vette

My guess on this would be that the LS6 is just an upgraded LS1, probably with a larger cam better flowing heads and a little bit more here and there. Kinda like the LT4 compared to the LT1. This motor I'm sure was built just for the Z06 Vette so it would be a killer on the highway. But someone correct me if I'm wrong cause my knowldge only goes up to the LT1.

Yeah your basically right but here are the mods they performed to make the LS1 a LS6
• Redesigned engine block includes quarter size slots cast into the webs underneath the travel area of the piston which reduces the amount of air the pistons pump resulting in higher rpm output.

• Redesigned positive crankcase ventilation system improves oil flow during high speed conditions.

• Redesigned air cleaner leading to reduced restriction and greater air intake.

• Redesigned camshaft profile which allows increased valve lift, therefore more air pulled into the combustion chamber which helps to increase power.

• New intake manifold and mass air flow sensor design allows more air intake.

• Higher rate valve springs and a new cylinder head design enhance the engine's breathing characteristics for increased rpm and performance.

• New cast iron exhaust manifolds are used in place of the stamped steel manifolds which improves the flow of exhaust gases. These manifolds connect to a new lightweight, titanium exhaust system which is the first ever to be used in a mass-produced automobile. This new exhaust system incorporates titanium exhaust pipes and mufflers that contain larger louver tubes which help to reduce back pressure and increase performance.

Is the 405 the actual HP of this motor or is the motor under rated. Cause 405 for an upgraded LS1 to a Ls6 seems kinda low compared to what the LT4s 425Hp conversion kit says it makes when you upgrade your LT1 to the LT4.

another quick question, it is a redesigned block, so you can't turn an LS1 into an LS6 then, or can you?

The block modication can't be performed without some serious work being done so no you can't turn the LS1 but you can borrow some of the parts and make it more powerful and as far as I know its not under rated and the under rating was noticed on the F-body LS1 which produced 345 or so instead of the 305 they stated and the LS1 corvette was already rated at that but probably has a extra couple of pony's

So what conversions could i do to my LS1 to get it close to an LS6, everything beside the block?

Alot of people with Ls1's seem to like to swap heads and cams but if you ask me you would be better off horsepower wise if you went to aftermarket for the build up as they have alot more powerful heads and cam packages

coverting to an LS6 would be a waste of time
why spend $5k to and only make 360rwhp IF YOUR LUCKY?
you can make that much power by spending $300 on a cam and $300 on some headers....and now there's guys making well over 400rwhp on stock LS1/5.7 heads
Add some good heads to the mix, and you got yourself a real stormer.

check out LS1tech.com sometime, best LS1 board on the web for tech info.

Is the 405 the actual HP of this motor or is the motor under rated. Cause 405 for an upgraded LS1 to a Ls6 seems kinda low compared to what the LT4s 425Hp conversion kit says it makes when you upgrade your LT1 to the LT4.

from wut i've read, the lt4 conversion actually doesn't convert it to a stock lt4. i believe it is actually a hotter than stock cam, higher flowing heads, higher flowing intake manifold, and a heavy duty timing kit. that's where ur 425 ponies come from. i don't think stock lt4's had that much power

Very true, It's just called that but alot of people do actually swap LT4's parts to make a LT1 a LT4 which can be done very easily