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LS1 vs LT1

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8.7K views 21 replies 13 participants last post by  Roadant  
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#1 ·
I have a wreaked 1996 Buick Roadmaster SW, ( whole car, Just sheet metal damage, but not worth it to fix, yard driver ). relatively low milage 350 LT1 and 460E trans. whole car cost less than $800.00. I bought it last year to put in another car but am reconsidering. Would the cost difference in it and an LS1 be worth it to put in a 56 Nomad ?

What are the differences in the LT1 and LS1 or 2. and are the differences worth the added cost, as I dont have unlimited funds.
 
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#2 ·
you will not find an LS1 for $800 LOL the 4L60E is worth the $800. The LT1's run good but the LS's are in a league of there own. They both have reverse cooling. You can go to LS1.com
 
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#3 ·
Actually the LS1 is not reverse cooling. It just has the thermostat on the water pump inlet, other than that it's a "traditional" cooling system.

An LS1 is going to have 25-50 more hp than an LT1. And it weighs 100+ pounds less. That's the main difference.

Either one is going to present a similar amount of work to install the needed wiring, fuel lines/pump, etc.
 
#5 ·
Sell it, and buy a late model LS based, such as the 5.3.[Easy to get near 350FWHP]
Lighter wt.
Better ign system.
Much better electronics.
Lots of support at sites such as mentioned. [www.ls1tech.com]
Lots of the 5.3's around at $1500 or less, and that includes the trans, ecm, harness, yadda yadda...
 
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#6 ·
LS, LT

The LS-1 is by a fair margin the better engine to use. I think the LS's will be easier for you (us!) to "understand". But you have the LT1 and trans for a great price so I'm thinking the LT unless you are bucks-up and want to spend money unnecessarily. Comparing the two the LS is the better engine.
 
M
#7 ·
I'm putting a LT1/4L60E from a '94 Caprice cop car into a '55...check my post out for what I've been up to. No doubt an LS engine is superior to the LT1...but for the price it's hard to beat! I was in the same boat before starting the project and feel that in the end and LT1 can be set up to be a great engine for a cruiser.

http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14051
 
#8 ·
Travis,

I had essentially a free running '95 LT1 and 4L60E when I started my project. LT1's will work great, aftermarket parts, help,etc. LS1 has a better/easier HP advantage, if you're interested in higher HP. Your LT1 is 260HP out of the box, my '02 LS1 is 330HP out of the box. The $ you'll spend to get to 330HP on a LT1 will get you pretty close to being able to buy the LS1, and therefore, make the next HP jumps quite a bit easier.

It would be pretty tough to get above 400HP in a LT1 with out getting into a stroker, pistons, the like. It's pretty easy in a LS1 with a good Heads/Cam/Header/tuning combo to be over 400HP.

Part for part, LSx's will also give you a much wider choice and power ranges vs the LT1.

Good luck,
Charlie
 
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#9 ·
Even if you don't plan to sell it now, you may want to eventually and it will be worth more with an LS1/LS2.

FWIW there are guys looking to buy tri-fives only if they have an LS motor in them.

In something like a '56 Nomad, if it were me I'd buy the best motor I could afford-:)
 
C
#10 ·
just a note, if you go with the LT1 make sure you change the optispark module behind water pump - they fail pretty regularly and means pulling the water pump to change, so put a new one in whilst its in bits.

An LT1 with factory aluminium heads are 300hp, so you could always find a set of those to put on to up the power in a modest budget, I am told a cam works wonders as well.

It really comes down to budget - the LT1 will pretty much go straight in for what you've already spent. Im guessing a LS engine & trans is going to cost you at least $2000, you also have to deal with a few conversion issues from what I read (sump clearance etc), so even if you get an engine you still need to spend some $$ to get it to work.

If you have the cash to blow on the LS go for it, if not the LT1 will still be a great upgrade.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Crafty said:
An LT1 with factory aluminium heads are 300hp, so you could always find a set of those to put on to up the power in a modest budget, I am told a cam works wonders as well.
Click to expand...
Remember the 94-97 Firebirds and Z28's also had Aluminum Heads but were only rated at either 280 or 285HP.

I agree with Rick as well on the Aluminum vs Iron theory. Different camps, different opinions. One fact though..Iron heads cost more to Port and ship around. After an equal port job though, I'd say they're a toss up as to which is better for performance gains.

Charlie
 
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#11 ·
"if you go with the LT1 make sure you change the optispark module behind water pump - they fail pretty regularly and means pulling the water pump to change, so put a new one in whilst its in bits."

Get a new water pump too - one of the failure modes is the water pump leaking onto the opti.

"Im guessing a LS engine & trans is going to cost you at least $2000"

That would be a steal for an LS engine/trans. $3500-4000 is more typical.

Installation-wise you have some similar issues with both, like the fuel tank/pump, the belt driven accessories hitting the crossmember, fans/radiator, and all the wiring issues. The LT1 pan will not hit the crossmember, where most LSx ones will.

Also, keep in mind that the 4L60E is different for the two engines, as is the 6 speed.

I'm not sure the aluminum heads for the LT1 are worth anything over the cast iron ones - seems like I've heard the cast ones make more power "as is".
 
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#14 ·
Charlie, you're very right, you shouldn't be porting the cast iron heads, aluminum all the way if you're going to do that. But to replace the cast iron heads with untouched aluminum ones is just not worth the effort.

It amazes me how cheap good used heads are for LT1s and LS1s.

On the power deal, keep in mind that if you swap either an LT1 or an LS1 into a 55-57, and use full length headers, no cats, full dual exhaust, and a cold air intake, you are looking at 25-35 hp over the factory ratings with no other changes. So an LT1 is going to be 300+ hp, and an LS1 is going to be 350+ hp when you do the typical swap.
 
C
#15 ·
interesting about the heads guys, I have an LT1 here for the next project (37 chevy coupe), its an iron head one but I have a pair of the corvette heads for it as well. Sounds like if I do use the corvette heads I should port them, otherwise it could end up a waste of time..

you learn something every day here :)
 
#16 · (Edited)
A nice port job would be helpful, but if you're only going to do (1) thing, I'd swap cams. If you've got an Iron Head motor, it's the 260HP variety LT1 with a fairly mild cam. Corvette heads will help, upgraded cam will be better. :)

Charlie
 
#17 ·
I thought I'd add my 2 cents regarding the LS vs LT-1 engines. First, I'll agree with Rick on the Opti-Spark and waterpump issue. I installed a 96 LT-1 and 4L60-E out of a Camaro in my 55 several years ago. I'm using a new LS-6 in my current 57 project. In my opinion, it's like daylight and dark regarding the requirements to install these engines. The LT-1 installs fairly easily. (No firewall, motor mount, oil pan issues.) The LS series requires lots more engineering and a lot more money to make it right.

That said, if you have an LT-1 and are on a budget, I'd recommend that you use it. They perform wonderfully and are mostly trouble-free (other than the Opti-Spark and waterpump issues).

Best regards

Ray
 
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#18 · (Edited)
Installation-wise you have some similar issues with both, like the fuel tank/pump, the belt driven accessories hitting the crossmember, fans/radiator, and all the wiring issues. The LT1 pan will not hit the crossmember, where most LSx ones will.

Is this true, I thought an LT-1 would drop in a 56 with no problems, will the stock cast iron exhaust manifolds clear everything? I have the side mount motor mount kit and the rear trans crossmember, I never heard anything
about the front pulleys and accessories wouldn't clear.

Roger
 
R
#19 ·
I think the Camaro/Firebird LT1 exhaust manifolds will work just fine, though I never tried to fit them up.

The crank pulley will clear, the one that won't is the a/c compressor. To make it clear you'll need a pretty big notch, and it will be pretty close to the passenger side upper control arm mount. I used a Corvette accessory drive on mine. It's all on the driver side instead of the passenger side, but the key thing is the a/c compressor is up high next to the alternator.
 
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