[dream100182]

i have a 94 camaro with the 5.7 lt1 motor. the motor needs rebuilding and i have some questions.
first off its going to be a toy that i drive on the street not a full blown racer.
i want to start by boring it.30 over and getting a little more agressive cam. what type of pistons do i need to go with? what would be a good cam for a good rumble? the heads are stock. do i need to get them reworked and if so what size valves should i run? and after i put it all back together will the computer automatically adjust for the changes that i have made. if not what do i need to do to get everything running perfect again?

[automotive breath]

In my opinion the LT1 is the best 23 degree SBC ever produced.

As for pistons the production design is adequate, flat top hypereuthetic.
If you want to upgrade find a relatively light forged piston.

The camshaft we use for your application is a hydraulic roller from Bullet.
The duration at 0.050" is ~235 degrees on the intake lobe a little more on
the exhaust. Call Bullet for recommendations.

The 1.94 intake valve is all that's needed. The heads should be ported
by someone that knows what they are doing. Remove as little material
as possible to archive flow ~ 250 SCFM on the intake port. (for what
you are doing, bigger is not better)

The engine management system will not adjust to these modifications.
Find a knowledgeable engine tuner to make the necessary adjustments.

[Notorious]

If you really want to enhance it, why not stroke it while you're at it? It'll give your torque one helluva a boost and that's where it's at, especially on the street. I've got a '95 LT1 388 stroker that will pucker your shorts. Yet it's still very drivable and gets excellent mileage, especially on the highway. And mine's not just a toy either but my primary daily driver.

[dream100182]

thanks guys for the info. i have a problem with the finding a person to be able to tune my computer after i get it put bak together. i live in south mississippi. if anyone can point me in the right direction i would appreciate it.

as for making the engine a 383 stroker, would you please tell me exactly what you changed and did to your motor to give me an idea of what im looking at?

[Notorious]

Originally Posted by dream100182

thanks guys for the info. i have a problem with the finding a person to be able to tune my computer after i get it put bak together. i live in south mississippi. if anyone can point me in the right direction i would appreciate it.

as for making the engine a 383 stroker, would you please tell me exactly what you changed and did to your motor to give me an idea of what im looking at?

This is rather lengthy but is cut and pasted from a post I made on another forum I frequent. Regarding tuners, if you don't find any love here, check out some F-body forums and the C4 sections of Corvette forums. My car was tuned by an awesome tuner in Greensboro NC. Obviously that's a long way for you. But I'm betting you can find a similar talent closer to you. Here's some details on my particular build.



Some specifics of my 388 stroker, with thanks to CFI-EFI

He's the one who gave me the idea for using this particular crank and piston (compression height) combination. I've got nearly 10K miles on the engine now and the results have been everything I hoped for and more. Here is a link to the parts I used in the rotating assembly. http://www.cnc-motorsports.com/produ...=8474&CtgID=84 69
In addition to his great idea which so greatly contributed to my goals, I was thankfully able to afford some other nice details that have aided in an efficient package. The pistons and rods are lighter than most commonly used forged parts. This allowed my machinist to also shave three pounds off of the forged crank. It's now nearly as light as a much more expensive lightweight forged crank. Also the tops of my pistons, the combustion chambers, the valves, the exhaust runners in the heads and the bottom of the intake have all had a ceramic heat barrier coating applied. This helps keep the heat in where it's beneficial and away from where it's not. Also the piston skirts have a low friction teflon coating on the skirts. The coatings were all applied by Precision Porting and Coatings who also did a great job on my head and intake porting.
A 9 1/2" Vigilante converter eliminates about another 17 lbs. of rotating weight and an aluminum shelled, 6.75" ATI Superdamper saved a few more pounds.
Strokers have become quite popular these days due to the wide range of affordable aftermarket crank selections for popular engines. And there's no easier way to get a substantial boost in torque when building a shortblock. As you know, the 383 stroker is a very popular upgrade for the 350 Chevy. I've seen non-forged crank, rod and piston kits, including rings and bearings for as little as $700 or so. Anyway, the 383 cid is achieved by increasing the 350's stroke from 3.48" to 3.75" and overboring by .030". Here is the variation on that though that I used. I use a 3.80" stroke crank while still using pistons with a compression height for a 3.75" stroke. Why? To obtain a zero deck height for the pistons w/o having to cut the block. This saved money on the cost of block machining, plus the heads and intake didn't have to be modified to maintain their correct port match-up. The deck height on a SBC is .025" above the top of the pistons. The additional .050" stroke of the 3.80" crank, when using a piston for a 3.75" crank, brings the piston up exactly an additional .025" creating a zero deck combination w/o zero decking the block. Now for those who may not know, what are the advantages of a zero deck? More compression of course but this is hardly the reason for doing so. There are a zillion other ways to obtain any desired static compression ratio. The main reason, and the reason for which I did so, was to gain an ideal quench area. This is the clearance between the top of the piston and the head surface above it that's not part of the combustion chamber. Quench benefits begin at a clearance of .060" and increase as this number is reduced. .040" is considered a "safe" clearance but it can be tighter in some cases if you really know what you're doing. Good quench has several benefits and no downsides. Overall it increases combustion efficiency by improving swirl characteristics. This results in a more complete burn aiding mileage, power and reducing the chances of spark knock at a given compression ratio. Hence, it can allow a higher C/R (either static or dynamic numbers) to be used, more versatility (advance) in ignition timing, while doing so with a lesser need for higher octane. For instance, my static C/R is currently at 11:1 and I have no problem using 93 octane pump gas. I could easily run 12:1 and still use 93 octane, I believe. Some LTx guys have reported doing so. But this is also due in part to the other design advantages of the LT1, specifically the reverse-flow cooling and the opti-spark distributor.
Certainly this engine was not cheap to build although many have spent much more. But dollar for dollar and considering my goals, I don't think the results can be topped. If I wanted to give it all of the cam it could handle, there could be much more HP on tap. But I drive this car daily and it's got more than enough power for any sane man! Not respected, it could get me in plenty of trouble at any time. Given the limitations of street tires, it can be a real handful at WOT.
I've never really kept track, but I estimate I've got $7 to $8K in the engine without counting the rather pricey but very nice Stainless Works headers that I'm currently using. I did all of the work myself except for machining, porting and the coatings of course. I'm able to install my own cam bearings, plus I did all block clearancing, deburring and oiling improvements. Also in my cost estimate I'm including improvements such as the Meziere EWP, a Holley 52mm TB, Aeromotive AFPR, 30# FMS injectors, Pro Mag 1.6 RRs and CC beehive springs, Cloyes double roller set and etc. The TB and injectors were purchased used.
Lord, this post has gotten long! Well the weather sucks here today and I guess I got on a roll! I hope this helps those planning some future mods and I'd be more than happy to elaborate on any specifics and answer any questions.