jack46

To program an LT1 you need: 1. Tuner cat and definition file ~$90 (or LT1 Edit I personally prefer Tuner cat ut research both, but LT1 edit is locked to one vin as I understand). http://www.tunercat.com/tnr_desc/do_tc.html 2. Cable ~$90, I use AKM others available http://www.akmcables.com/ic.htm Then you can tune and load programs for yourself. 3. Collection program is TTS datamaster from http://www.ttspowersystems.com/index.htm Or you can simply have someone program ECM for you, like PCMforless. I do NOT have OBDII, I was told it is harder because it is more restrictive and programs to alter OBDII are I am told almost twice what I showed above. Do the research, and make sure this is true.

Make sure and understand the imapct of smog. ALL 96 and newer cars are OBDII, and expensive to make changes to, also harder to 'fool' the smog tests with ANY modifications. I misunderstood I thought dad was making you go mild? LSX is a good setup good luck

PS forgot to also say the 4.3 requires smaller combustion chambers so heads that work with 4.3 would be BAD on a 350. The CR would be WAY high on 350 for heads that are right for a 4.3 I just ran it on desktop and Camaro cam should gain close to 20 HP and pull to 6000. It is just an indication not totally accurate. But on small engine the Camaro Cam is BIG. In fact if you had an automatic I would say too big for street.

I thought the decks were different, but they are not, I was just going to give you that link it has good information. Save the money for your LT1 the 4.3 won’t give enough hp for different heads to justify the money. If you want performance get a Camaro Cam. YES a stock camaro that will be a nice increase probably get the engine to pull much higher yet be driveable with a standard shift. 4.3 will do FINE with stock Throttle body. When you upgrade to 350 get it bored to 52 it costs ~$130. Do you mean new LT1 I didnt follow. I would get a new opti spark, used injectors cheap 19, 22, 24 cheapest you can find. MAF from a Camaro. If you use a stock Camaro cam no need in fact will hurt the 4.3. With that cam simply use stock rockers buy rollers when you put in an LT1 that way you will get matched to the new LT1 not what you used on old engine Cheaper to convert one from an Impala or Caprice can get the harness and ECM for ~$150 and a few hours and you will have it converted ‘sweat’ equity. In 4.3 stock Camaro 202/208 .450/.460.. LT1 224/232 on 112 LSA with .508/.524 is what I run in my Z. Pulls hard yet very streetable even in an automatic. Now you mentioned Smog I don’t have to deal with that soo...IF you have to then I would probably do a regrind and have it custom ground probably 198/210 .450"/.460" on a 112 LSA. That grind is basically between a Camaro cam and the iron headed cam. You could try smogging with stock Camaro cam it might pass. To change is not bad in a Z. Pull radiator and take cam out front. Now with all that was said, PRICE alternatives! Not just motor now, but later upgrade. TPI 305 then 350 could be an alternative. Good luck

I would get a 4.3 rebuild it use 1.6 roller rockers. Since machining is free I would ‘zero’ deck the block, do mild porting. It should give you >200 RWHP, gets >25 mpg,.and should do a ~14.2 quarter. That is a perfect college car. Will be reliable yet strong at track and great on mileage. Let the remaining money stay in bank and when you graduate then go to what you can afford then. Well sort of. You will swap in an LT1. The harness will plug right to it and the ECM will be reprogrammed. You could use the intake, 1.6 rockers, MAF, Throttle body valve covers, opti spark plug wires, oil pan etc. You would need LT1 long block and injectors to add to above parts. MOST is used on both engines. External that is true internally no. Also the deck heights I think are different the rod is longer. I can’t find it now but I THINK the deck is higher on a 4.3 so the rotating assembly is not compatible with other blocks. The compression height etc. Don’t worry about it. I wrongfully thought I was being had...many call it trolling and I thought you hooked me not important now and it is forgotten. A V8 Z will keep up. I think 200 RWHP is a good college car. ESPECIALLY with gas >2.30 a gallon a car that does a low 14 1/4 and gets >25 is a winning combination. Small LT1 is way to go. The 4.3 should be reliable and affordable yet allow you to improve it for the LT1 at graduation.

I said “a 305 TPI is a dead endâ€, that is a big difference. Edit I will assume you weren't trying to aggitate and are simply young and energetic. Modifying a 4.3 is a WASTE of money. I said save money to buy an LT1 later. You can NOT bore a block from 3.75" to 4.00" that is 250 thousands. Blocks are to thin to allow much of an over bore usually ~.060" is maximum. I have not seen a 'gear drive' timing set for an LT1. The LT1 timing chain has a gear on the backside that drives the water pump, and because of this would require an extremely expensive gear set. And the gear set would NOT save enough hp to justify it. Especially with the opti improving the accuracy of even timing. A 230 cam at .050" lift will not pull at 2000 RPM in a 350, they suggest a 2500 stall, and in a 327 the torque won;t start until an even higher RPM. Search for 327 it was a great combination in it's day. Today a 350 is a better bang for the dollar in most peoples opinions. A 52 MM will help if a motor has ~>475. An after market MAF is usually a expensive and is not a significant improvement over stock descreened MAF. The after market MAFs are always available almost new for about half price, and seldom get sold on most Forums. I think a small motor your dad will accept is a better approach than trying to build a large hp motor from small cubes. Get dads confidence and get used to ~200 HP then convert to more power. Good luck

Only Corvette and Camaros had LT1's with aluminum heads. The blocks are all identical. The aluminum heads are easy to identify, first they do not rust, and do not hold a magnet. All 350 LT1's have 5.7 on the block, and have the number I posted above. An iron headed LT1 is usually cheaper, and once rebuilt to the same specifications will weigh 50 pounds more, but provide about the same hp. In fact iron heads are better. Why, because you can cheaply put in larger valves and with porting far out flow aluminum. Stock compared to stock, the aluminum win, but iron is more cost effective to change valves.

TPI does not have the tools available like an LT1. Tuning tools are cheap for an LT1, so you can change cams etc. A TPI tune costs more than an entire setup for an LT1. There are no easy choices, but in a nut shell if you stay stock a TPI setup is not a bad choice, if you plan any changes go LT1. A 4.3 is a stepping stone, a 305 TPI is a dead end. As for the 200 vs 225 HP. If you put dual exhaust, 1.6 rockers, and a 3.5" MAF with cold air intake (I used 3.5" mandrel pipe to put filter in front of radiator), retune the motor, then the 4.3 will be close on HP and probably have more torque across the board. These changes would benefit the 5.7 LT1 so NO money is lost. Hell I will even program the ECM for just the cost of shipping. I had a 305 and it was ok, but NO comparison to even a small LT1.

The Maf on a Camaro is 3.5" and an Impala is 3". I never heard the 4.3 had a different one. ut I have NEVER seen a 4.3 so I only know what I have read.

The 4.3 uses the same fuel rail, intake, MAF, Throttle body, intake, opti spark, ECM, etc as an LT1. If set side by side they are identical. BUT A 4.3 is EASY to identify. The L99's block casting number is "10168588". and "4.3" should be cast into the side of the block. The L99's heads have the number "10208890" cast into their sides. LT1 uses 24lb injectors and L99 uses 19 lb. The L99 will have ~200 RWHP, but will have everything needed to upgrade to an LT1. The wiring harness is identical, and has MAF so all the work done transplanting it will be recovered. The ECM would simply be reflashed for an LT1 and cam etc you use. Do NOT modify the 4.3 look at it as a place holder for your future motor. It will do GREAT on gas and have some performance. “265 = 3.750" x 3.00" ('94-'96 Gen.II, 4.3 liter V-8 "L99", 5.94" rod) “ From Click me The LT-1 rod is 5.7", and the L99 is 5.94. The 4.3 has a smaller stroke than a 350 3.00" compared to 3.48.. So that said IF you go 4.3 KEEP the rotating assembly. I wouldn't even rebuild it I would install it, and put all my money to buy a real LT1. I know someone will say why not use 305 pistons and crank it MIGHT be possible if you swap the rods but WHY? A lot of money and bother to get MAYBE 20 hp, better to save the money for a real LT1 IMO. The 4.3 has the same external dimensions and bolt patterns as an LT1, so it is a direct replacement for an LT1, and bolts to all the same transmissions. Good luck

I noticed you have modified your fuel rail. A friend 'claimed' the stock LS1 was good for <10 seconds 1/4, and just wondered why you modifed yours? I have an LT1 and I modified mine because LT1's seem to run out of fuel ~540 RWHP. Thanks just wondered. NICE setup btw.

An alternative is get a baby LT1. 4.3 liter I bet it would at least match the performance of a 305, and the setup would be the same as a real LT1. So once dad accepted that a larger engine would be nice you could simply swap in an LT1 and reprogram the ECM. Good luck

I will change my post. FASTEST Z I have seen PERIOD!

What did your old setup do at the track? What do you expect this new setup to do? Thanks

I thought the spacer stayed with the assembly not the stubshaft? I was told the copper spacer was to correct variance in assembly. and ensured proper loadong of bearing.

Turbo Meister I just read your post. I thought I was conservative using two 10 guage wires, but you used 6 guage. I believe in heavy guage wire for high amperage. Harder to work with but it is never a problem with the load heating it up. Look forward to seeing more videos of your beast. My AC went out so I am doing nothing. AC in garage has spoiled me, and now that it is out I can not lift a wrench.

Put me down for the metalic felpro brand. I had tried others and they ALWAYS seemed to leak. Not immediately but quickly after seemed I was always tightening etc. These seem to be MUCH better. Now on the ones I used I had to drill the outside hole in the gasket. I bolted the headers together and simply used a drill. Good luck, the only ones I would recommend over the cheap felpro are the copper, but they are EXPENSIVE!

No offense, but as I said u joints won't hold for high hp. U joints are used by many with ~<375 RWHP, a few have stayed together with more hp with other mods and spicers. BUT, If you intend to build the V8 beyond stock, then CV's or something stronger quickly become needed. U joints wear and hard launches with full traction seem to wear them out quickly. I used U joints on half shafts for one year never broke a set with slicks, full traction and 1.6X's 60 foots. The engine had ~335 RWHP, but then put in a near stock LT1 and broke them every other visit to track going only 1.8X's 60's and 7.9's compared to 7.5X's Recently I saw a Z go in 5's with u joints. He did use larger solid u joints but he did get there. Also other mods so alot is possible.

Yes the PCM has OBDI programming. Ok I'm not certain what you are saying. A 94/95 PCM is an OBDI program the connector to the PCM is OBDII. I think OBDII programming (PCM) started in 96 (front and rear O2's). Externally the OBDI and OBDII PCM look identical. Internally there is are a few differences the Flash are larger on OBDII and other subtle changes. Even what I said is confusing so it is easy to get it backward. If you never talked to the PCM I would bet it is OBDII. I would simply put an OBDI on and see if it corrects the problem. Then get a PCM programmed for your car.

Well if you still have a communication error. I would fix all grounds on the PCM. Many of the communication problems are aggravated by poor grounds. Specifically A2, A18 (A = Red), C32 (C = Gray/Clear), and D1 (D = Blue). What I do on mine is splice into harness for these wires, and run the four wires from them to a bolt connected to a solid connection on the chassis. Of the wiring harnesses I have had, none had what I call robust grounds. I also paralleled in a ground at the coil on the front of engine. A stupid question also is are you sure you have an OBDI ECM? Someone sold me an ECM they said was OBDI, but it was OBDII. It ran rich and would not communicate. Good luck

Correct high from switch or ECM will override the low, and only the high coil will be energized with my circuit. Also if low switch is on and ECM turns on the high etc. This will work fine with an LT1 Well as discussed they are worth the time to install they are cheap. Good luck

Yes the u joints I think are too high and probably won't give you near the capability you seek, Search for CV conversion or look here http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=5&PHPSESSID=5d994096a42d622a737dc4cebfacb3a8 Also very expensive, but if you want to be able to apply high hp it is NOT cheap, unless you stay with stock set up and let the wheels spin, and pray alot. Good luck

Here is the circuit I used on my LT1. Sorry for the pic size, my photo program decided it needed the month off. I love MS products? Note other side of fan coils are connected to ground. Mine is in car so not sure color codes on mine, but easy to find with ohm meter and applying power. It is same circuit from earlier in post just has relay connection numbers, shows flyback diodes and only shows as puller (Fan on engine side of radiator). I wasn't sure if you still needed it, but thought someone might want to see what we all meant in this thread.

Fuseable links or fuses both limit the current that can flow to a circuit. Fuseable links are ‘slow’ blow where fuses tend to react faster. On a high current start like fans fuseable links are better because they allow the current to momentarily exceed their rating. Remember to include a diode if you will also use a switch to override PCM or you could damage the PCM. I have mine in an LT1 Z.

I agree two in parallel is well NOT ideal. I don't know why the relays aren't higher really they are fine for lights etc fans they are weak at beat. Like I said I have to relocate mine since I'm rebuilding tranny I will pull motor and redo it all. I had lights come on in rain last visit to track. Only happened once but that will happen again. My typing is terrible tonight if I didn't know better I would say I was drinking. I have had to retyp and edit more on these three posts than I care to admit.