my lt1 third gen plan

this winter i should be making about 400 every 2 weeks, if i budget that should leave me with about 250 or more to spend every 2 weeks

tubular lower control arms with poly bushings - $115
http://www.spohn.net/product.cfm?productid=1292

lower control arm mounting hardware - $10.95
http://www.spohn.net/product.cfm?productid=1408

adjustable torque arm 700r4 - $395.00
http://www.spohn.net/product.cfm?productid=1300

poly motor mounts - $39.95
http://www.spohn.net/product.cfm?productid=1363

KYB gr2 struts - $54.48 a piece
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?mfrcode=KYB&mfrpartnumber=236001&parttype=49&ptset=A

KYB gr2 shocks - $22.48 a piece
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?mfrcode=KYB&mfrpartnumber=343211&parttype=50&ptset=A

and the lt1 which i have seen them go anywhere from $400-$1500

together its about 716 + shipping for all the suspension parts.

any suggestions/ideas???. how much are the injectors for an lt1, since the engine i'll probably be getting will more then likely have some miles on it.

i thought you wanted a t56? that crossmember won't work for ya if you are going 6-speed... spohn does have t56 third gen crossmembers... and i would highly recommend spohn, that what i have... in face i have all of those spohn parts, except the 700r4 crossmember...

i would also recommend their sway bars... if you like to take hard turns like me...

oh and the spohn wonderbar is awesome too, i have that...

What mods have you done to the LT1 so far?

i am probably going to stick with the 700r4 for now just because of the cost involved with the tranny swap in having to buy a new crossmemebr.

and i dont have the lt1 yet, i dont have the money. and yeah i forgot to add the wonderbar, i want that too i figure $60 u canbt go wrong really.

and if possible i would like to be able to keep updating this thread, mods?? just so every time i have an update i dont have to make a new one.

i was paid today so next check is on the 24th thats when the first parts will be orderd. wish me luck.

Kpot, i read over at thirdgen.org that staying with the 700r4 (which can be done) is a biotch to deal with. Something about the ECM and VSS not working correctly (i forgot), and it's juts a pain to deal with. Are you looking at junkyards for your LT1, or purchasing from a private owner or ebay? I know swaping in the tranny can be expensive, but if you can possible get a whole donor car, it can make life easier, inside of nickel and diming each part. Suspension stuff sounds really good. Dave, i'll be doing up the whole suspension stuff aswell. I already got the 4th gen rear in there, and the sway is incredible small that came with it. What else should i get, hard turns are nice.

oh and drvngstorm05 i remember reading that u bought an aluminum race radiator,how much was it and is there any chance u still remember where u bought it from???

link85, i'll have to read into that.. thanks for the heads up

Kpot, take at look at this
http://thirdgen.org/techbb2/showthread.php?s=&threadid=310714
i was thinking of keeping the 700r4 aswell because i didn't want to purchase another tranny, and was afraid of the cost of fixing a T-56 (i've check out prices on components, and if a complete rebuild is needed, you can spend over 2g's in parts, can get new one for a couple hundred less), but realized all the hassle you have to go to to keep the LT1 running properly with 700r4. It ain't worth it i guess...

ok if i go the 4l60e route, will the spohn 700r4 torque arm work??, if not i guess i'll go the t56 route. not sure yet.

I guess so, since people say the 700r4 and 4l60e are the same tranny, i think they have the same casing, just that ones mechanical and the other controlled by the computer.

woa, so many posts... give me a sec lol

ok get ready for a fuckin novel

like link said, it would be very much to your advantage to buy a donor car, not just an engine, and if you just want to go with the engine, i at least recommend an engine/tranny combo...

Link, as for suspension, since i can only really recommend what i have experience with, i recommend all the parts that kpot is talking about (cept the crossmember of course, you need a different one) plus the spohn racing wonder bar, 1in rear sway bar... i didn't upgrade my front sway bar cuz mine came factory with a 1 3/8in one which is more than enough, but look into a bigger front sway bar if yours came with a dinky one up front too... springs, struts and shocks are important, the ones kpot is looking at are good, but i'm a bilstien man, i have bilstien shocks and struts, and i have eibach lowering springs (1in front, 3/4 rear). aside from sticky tires the only other thing missing is subframe connectors (i'm getting them sometime). don't worry about a strut tower bar, the wonderbar performs the same task (in a different way) plus those can get in your way.

as for the 700r4, the only problem i would see would be the VSS (vehicle speed sensor) 4th gen vss's sent out much more pulses per revolution than 3rd gens did (that's why when i first got my car running my speedo read ten times faster than what i was going). plus, link doens't have to worry bout this, but the RS's came with speed sensor buffers, which have to be worked with to get the speedo right (we'll talk about that when the time comes i know exactly what you need to get to take care of it). the other possible problem would be if the harness you have came off of a 6-speed car, then the harness wouldn't work with your tranny... but as for the previous problem, you'll have to research but there may be a way to swap vss's from a newer 700r4 into yours... (although, i still strongly recommend getting an entire donor car)

as for the alluminum radiator, yes i got a 3in alluminum race radiator... for 300 off of ebay. however the issues i had with it are, if you look at your steering box, you'll see the power steering cooling line comes up then runs down in front of the box. once you put in a 3in radiator, there isn't clearance for in anymore, that's why i ran lines to the radiator's tranny cooler to use it as a power steering cooler. you don't have to have a cooling line, but i want to do some road racing, and in that situation you need something to keep the fluid from boiling. plus the third gen fan shrouds are not deep enough to cover the top of the radiator, so i have the lt1 fan shroud kinda jeery rigged to a third gen top fan shroud (with the aid of a hack saw lol) drilled out three holes, and using thin alluminum brackets, i attached the shrouds to each other...

700r4 and 4l60e have the same housing and the crossmember would work for both.

*takes deep breathe* wooo i don't mind writing this much, and trust me i'm pretty sure you'll be back on here once you get further along, and i'll be writing another haha

thanks a lot, i am sure ill be back on here too

i wish you luck..........i came across a old "hot rod" magazine that had a article about swapping a lt1 and ZF 6 speed or borg warner 6 speed into a 3rd gen camaro....and a few mods..the car runs 1/4's at 12.27...and it gets 26 mpg...it had a list of the stuff you need to do that swap....anyway it got me eyeing my camaro ...........good luck!

i wish you luck..........i came across a old hot rod magazine that had a article about swapping a lt1 and ZF 6 speed or borg warner 6 speed into a 3rd gen camaro....and a few mods..the car runs 1/4's at 12.27...and it gets 26 mpg...it had a list of the stuff you need to do that swap....anyway it got me eyeing my camaro ...........good luck!

that sounds about right :evillol:

Damn, thats way more mpg than my 305!! I don't know what it is, but it ain't good. So the wonderbar acts as a strut tower bar, but below? Like, where is it placed?

the wonder bar mounts to the front of the subframes, once you tighten it to the subframes, it had a nut in the middle of it that you turn and it lengthens the bar, and puts tension on the subframes making them more ridged, plus it helps keep the steering more steady durning hard turns

and yes i get 27 mpg on the highway with a cam and 30lb injectors, its all in the 6 speed, i'm revving less than 2000 at 75mph

plus if you think about it, the more powerful an engine is the less effort it has to put out to move the car... so in a sense more powerful engines can easily be more efficient, but there's a line you cross once you're putting too much fuel into it you start getting less efficient. but lightley modded engines gain efficiency

How long did it take to do the swap?

i took me a year... but i was only able to wrench on it on weekends cuz i was in school... if you have alot of free time then you would be able to do it alot faster than that... plus i painted it, and i swapped the fuel pump twice (cuz damn advance auto gave me a shitty one the first time), and rebuilt the top end on the lt1, and i am using corvette accessories (which as far as i know no one else has done and wrote about it, so my dad and i were on our own figuring that out). and i put on a bunch of suspension parts... my swap took alot longer than what it is possible, but also did alot more than most do when they are doing the swap...

11/07/05

just ordered spohn wonderbar and front sway bar bushing kit

total of 81.65

i cant wait to see how this all comes out, just make sure you stick with it, take your time and dont take any short cuts, it'll kick your ass later down the line. keep us updated..

ya that setup is going to be really sweet....are you going to be putting on the suspension parts when you get them or all at once....and i really like that first post of yours.....now all the suspension parts i need are in one easy place to find them :bigthumb:

i'll probably put them on all at once, the car is going to be sitting outside under a cover so I dont see any reason to put the stuff on and let it set

a guy my dad knows owns a body shop, i was going to get it painted first but I had some people tell me to never get a car painted in the winter?? so for now the plan is

suspension
engine
interior
and body last

the only thing i really want for the interior is new carpet (previous owner spilled oil all over the carpet) so that shouldnt be that hard

carpets are actually kind of a bitch to work with... unless you have someone helpin ya get it out and put it back in... they are pretty cumbersome...

oh well, i have nothing but time..michigan winters are pretty damn long

shit getting them out is easy and fun...just grab a hold of it and start ripping the hell out if it....it lest you get some frustration out on your car without messing it up

well the wonderbar came today, not to happy, ordered a red one they send me black, my invoice even says red??. overall though its feels like its really good quality. def will order from them again. im not really that pissed because i will just order the rest of the stuff black, because i want it all one color, just want to make sure that next time if i pick black they dont send me red.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b218/KPot2004/wonderbar001.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b218/KPot2004/wonderbar003.jpg

that sucks....

Kpot, just curious, how are things going with the swap? Get any leads on good LT1 deals?

nothing yet, i am actually still driving the camaro. every week i keep saying ill get the insurance swithced over but i never do..

Depending on what happens with my license/insurance after I am convicted or not I may have my Camaro up for sale. It has a bit of body flaws(front fender is ripped up, havent had the time to replace it, kid hit me in parkinglot, otherwise okay). But it is a 94 w/ LT1 and 4L60E. 195k miles, but everything is bone stock and the former(and only other) owner was a real F-body enthusiast(the dude had 5 firebirds/camaros in his driveway!) so he knew how to take care of it.

If I sell it, $2k for it if you pick it up.

what made you go with the un-adjustible one?

well for one price, plus its not like i am going to be out doing a bunch of racing

nothing yet, i am actually still driving the camaro. every week i keep saying ill get the insurance swithced over but i never do..

I hear you man. I love (loved) driving my car, even with the weaker power plant. I really wanted my swap to began this winter, but it's looks like it won't be happening until next winter. Gotta get through this school 1st (hopefully all goes well), then i'll began my swap, with a whole lot morre knowledge under my belt. Good luck man. Dave's car is a beast as you can see.

just ordered a spohn panhard bar and banhard bar mounting hardware kit

total of 119.84.

kind of sucks i am moving so slow, but november was not a good month for me

its a nice car, wouldnt mind having it but, philly is taking all of my money :D

just ordered some spohn lower control arms and lower control arms mounting hardware, total of 139.84

so, so far i have the lower control arms, wonderbar, and the panhard bar

I am starting to rethink my plan, i am starting to think the most cost effective thing I can do is to build a early style small block and go with an aftermarket efi system, i could build lets say a 355, and get most of the machine shop work done for next to nothing, and then go with an edelbrock efi system

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?storeId=10001&catalogId=10002&langId=-1&resultsPerPage=25&pageIndex=1&searchTerm=350-3503

then the cam edelbrock recomends for this set up is only like $120, and with this set up and a 355 they dynoed and according to there web site got 350hp

I've actually changed up my plan aswell K. I've decided I'm gonna go turbo with the 305. Build it up with forged internals, get a turbo kit from bbsdesigns (i know they advertise 650hp on an L98, but that's with extensive work done to the motor) and have some fun with the 305. What can i say, i love. It'll be a long term project, i don't plan to start it for a year or two. I wanna get school done and over with.

Btw, good luck with your plan aswell.

turbo 305 sounds bad ass, its always nice to see someone do something different.

hmm looks as if i am by myself with the lt1 thirdgen... i warned that it was not cheap... lol at least you guys didn't give up on making powerful thirdgens, that definately has my respect

hmm looks as if i am by myself with the lt1 thirdgen... i warned that it was not cheap... lol at least you guys didn't give up on making powerful thirdgens, that definately has my respect
how much would a straightfoward lt1swap cost including engine and labor without all the extras that you have? $3000?

I say what ever you can get a working engine and tranny for. With little things that you may actually need, depending on situation. Like, if you have a tbi, you would have to upgrade the fuel system, due to the fuel pump not being able to pump out enough for the LT1 set-up.

how much would a straightfoward lt1swap cost including engine and labor without all the extras that you have? $3000?


good rule of thumb, whatever you think its going to cost, double it. then you'll be about in the right ballpark... i'm not saying that it would be 6000, what i mean is when going into a project, guess how much you think it will take, then double it, if you're prepared to pay the doubled number then you can manage it....

but to your actual question... if i take away everything i got that i didn't need, i would guess you could get it done for... about 3000, if you get your engine and tranny for about 1500 (assuming you're going with a t56, without the t56 you could knock of a couple hundred plus u can knock off the price of the tranny)

including parts and labor? wait are you talkin bout having someone else do it? shit i don't know, if you even could find someone to do it, it would be at least 5000 my guess. i was talking about you doing it, with you doing it you could prolly cut it with 3000, plus many hours of blood sweat and tears

Btw Dave, how are the new gears? Been to the track yet?

including parts and labor? wait are you talkin bout having someone else do it? i don't know, if you even could find someone to do it, it would be at least 5000 my guess. i was talking about you doing it, with you doing it you could prolly cut it with 3000, plus many hours of sweat and tears
a guy i know told me of a shop that does just the engine swap without the tranny for about 1500. this shop specializes in lt1s. so if i got an engine for 1500, it should be around 3000.

The new gears pull like i have a rocket attached to me... they're pretty fuckin awesome. i haven't had many races since the new gears and the bigger throttle body, but i have run a c6 vette (auto, from a roll) and a convertible '03-'04 cobra. I got a car one the cobra, and the vette's nose was even with my door... there's a nsx that cruises around up here always looking like he's hot shit, i wanna take him down. plus i saw a '98-'02 ls1 camaro with a 4in cowl hood, i revved at him as i was going past, he revved, and i don't think i've ever heard a ls1 sound so fucking pissed... the guy will prolly murder me but i wanna race anyway.

its cool that you found somewhere to do the swap... if you already knew the price for the swap, why were u asking me? i wasn't aware anyone would do it for you...

Thats awesome. The look on the vette owner's face was probably priceless.

it was an older guy with gray hair... i think i made him shit himself haha

its cool that you found somewhere to do the swap... if you already knew the price for the swap, why were u asking me? i wasn't aware anyone would do it for you...
I wanted to know what the average price is. i didnt know if 1500 for the labor was a good price or not

oh ok, i didn't know of any shop that would do it... i did mine myself... i sure would have loved to get paid 1500 for what i did lol

I changed my mind, I am going to stick with getting an lt1