lt1 conversion
 

Ok, iv got an 89 gcm truck with a vortec 350, and i have an lt1 out of a corvette that im wanting to put in the truck, but i have some questions, can i use my sbc hei distributor and tbi intake? I know more old school mechanics but have little to no knowledge of the lt engines, what kind of problems will i run into using this engine?

well the intake won't bolt up, you'll need a custom tune, the thermostat housing is in a different location, and you're loosing one of the biggest advantages of the LT1 engine.

But yea you can make it work.

This is not simple to do the LT1/4 uses very different systems from those of the Vortec (L31?). I put in the question mark because of your comment "and tbi intake"; an L31 would not have TBI unless it was from a 1996 G30 van or was otherwise modified to accept the earlier TBI. TBI and the L31 MPFI are rather different fuel delivery and ignition systems from each other and the LT1/4. Not that the LT1/4 can't be reconfigured to these other systems, but I'd certainly need to know what you've got as a starting point. No the Gen I intakes cannot interchange with the Gen II, LT1/4 and neither can the heads. Actually the LT1/4 aluminum head can be modified to run on the Gen I block but still with a compatible LT1/4 intake and a pile of work to the cooling, fuel delivery and ignition systems.

Bogie

If the "Vortec" engine is original to the truck, it's a plane vanilla engine, not what we refer to when we say Vortec 350- which is the '96-up 5.7L RPO L31 truck/SUV engine.

But anyway, the TBI (and distributor) from the truck can be used on the LT1 engine if you use a carb intake for the LT1 like GM p/n 24502592 (about $300). On this intake you'd use an adapter to mount the TBI throttle body. The LT1 cam is not going to play well w/the truck's TBI ECM, so you'll need a chip made for it or a cam change to a cam close in specs to the TBI cam. Changing to a softer cam wouldn't be my first choice.

There's much written about swapping from the Optispark ignition, you can do some digging around for more on that.