Things I'd do different if I did another LT1 swap

jthawk71

Member
Mar 9, 2008
8
0
0
Fontana Ca
Where do I start Ive been wanting to write this for a while so Ill just jump right in.
1. Rear End, I tried to cheap out and beef up my 7.5 rear w/ a junk yard posi but in the process discovered the fbody carrier was tweaked 200$ Icut my losses or so I thought and got a Gn 8.5 posi from a vendor on this sight 900 + shipping 100$ when it arrived it appeared they pulled it from a GN that used to reside in a swamp it had huge pits in it :x so if you do the math I could have had a brand new 9" or 12 bolt for not too ](*,) much more!
2. Pcm placement I got the longer harness so could put it inside,its a big computer there is no good place inside. Car Craft is partly to blame , when they did it they said they "planned" to put it somewhere but hadnt figured where and I dont remember seeing that car again in the mag( do those guys ever finish there project cars?) The computer is fairly weathertite I should have just stuck it under the hood. FYI the long harness is just shy of reaching the compartment behind the seat on an elco.
3. pcm reprogram I paid 350 plus shiping to S&P to reprogram the pcm,they did something wrong and the car would shift into od @ 10mph, the tire sizes were way off, I fixed it myself w/ tunercat and an akm cable 150$ and I can tune it as much as I want.
4. A/C! Oboy!!I really screwed up here I got a camaro motor by chance on the cheap, I also got the corvette bracket real cheap 85$ and nearly plotzed when I priced a vette comp. 500+$ plus the ps pump and other things are different. so I scrapped that Idea and put a 1le pulley 50$ on so I could get it in the car, I got the bowers rod shop bracket 220$ but it does away w/the smog pump,I need that unfortunatly so I have to relocate it.I should have notched the crossmember Ive seen the Fbody guys do it and it looks easy enuf and that would have been free.
5.Fuel, I think this was the worse one, I went the rockvalley route 600$ ,stainless lines, rear exit kit from S&P and efi fuel filter 350$ I could have gotten a tank from a later model 4.3 fi and changed the pump, used Impala lines for a fraction of the cost.
Well Ive done other things but those are the biggest ones I can think up for now I want to do it again to just to do it better plus the lt1s are getting real cheap.
 

Cutlass3800

Amateur Racer
May 4, 2009
101
0
0
Medicine Hat, Alberta
jthawk71 said:
I could have...[snip]..used Impala lines for a fraction of the cost.

post-108813-1136869006.jpg
 

Cutlass3800

Amateur Racer
May 4, 2009
101
0
0
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Doober, I wasn't explaining myself very well, but juicedimpss picked up on the part that was confusing me. When looking at paying $4-$10 per foot for high pressure fuel line, it's the long run from the gas tank to the engine bay that I'm most interested in finding a cheap alternative for. The only way I could see how the factory fuel line from a Caprice could be used in a GBody would be if GM used a high pressure rubber line. Although....maybe the plastic fuel line juicedimpss mentioned is pretty flexible like the water lines they run in newer homes these days?
 

Doober

Moderator
Jun 2, 2003
14,704
1
38
Catalina, AZ
www.cardomain.com
Are the Caprice/Impala lines all 1-piece back to the tank area? I've never looked at them, but I'd imagine (like I'd mentioned previously) you could run OE lines from a TBI Monte, cut them back if needed (flare them again for the OE fittings), and run some factory-clamped high pressure rubber hose to the rails of the LT motor.
 

juicedimpss

Amateur Racer
Jan 13, 2007
117
0
0
Milwaukee Wi
www.clocksoffracing.com
they are 2 piece on the feed because of the filter,and one peice return. i used caprice lines on a firebird i converted a few years ago. i dont remember who makes the kit,but we did splice a section out of the line.
i have a caprice i am parting if anyone needs the fuel lines.
 

Cutlass3800

Amateur Racer
May 4, 2009
101
0
0
Medicine Hat, Alberta
FMSI Inc. lists a bunch of stuff for nylon fuel lines - including adapters to go from steel lines to nylon and nylon line unions.

Dorman part # 800058 - 3/8" nylon fuel line repair kit. $12 from RockAuto
31WGLOH%2BVCL._SL500_.jpg


From reading, it looks as though nylon fuel lines have a tendency to break at the connector whenever you have to disconnect the line (ie: fuel filter changes). Ron Morris Performance lists nylon fuel line for $2.50 per foot.
 

MalibuRacing.com Gear

Stickers & Shirts!!