1996 350 In my 1990 TA

[DeMasi1990]

Hey Guys, I have a question for you all before I Buy this..

I have a friend with a 1996 Chevrolet Caprice " it used to be a Police car"... he Recently Took that engine out and Put a Big Block in the caprice. Now it sits as a Long Block In his shed and He wants to sell it to me For $100.. For $100 I cant turn that down, Its got markings showing its been rebuilt in 1998 and with a Nice Crosshatch on the cylinder walls. this is a friend of Mine so Im not worried about it being a Bum motor.

My Question is, can I use that motor if I throw my TPI Intake on it?. My Engine in there now is a 305 bored .030 over... and also, hes giving me injectors that came with it, But I Just bought 19LB injectors for the 305, can I use the 19's?.. Also Would It make a difference If I used 30t heads on a 350 motor?.. or should I use the heads that came with the motor..Is there any benefit to having a 350 with 305 heads?? :coffee:

[five7kid]

A '96 Caprice would be an LT1 engine - like the f-body LT1's, but iron heads and a little less cam.

Forget anything TPI for this engine. You want to keep your LT1 engine all LT1. Any attempt to put other heads or induction on it will be an exercise in frustration. And a downgrade.

And I think you've had enough frustration already. . .

[formula95]

To put the lt1 in your car you'll probably need motor mounts, custom tranny mount, and headers. I'm not sure the electrical issues. Tho very doable, could get pricey. How does your tpi run. Do you get decent mileage? I'm getting 25mpg hwy and 14 in the 1/4. Love the motor, but have another project on the go, and haven't found an LT1 for under $2000:mad: in Canada. So am seriously thinking tpi350. If you got more ?'s ask on the LT forum, you'll get answers quick.

[five7kid]

You don't need different engine or transmission mounts. The 3rd gen pieces work just fine.

Electrical isn't too bad.

[formula95]

What about gauges? hmm..will the lt1 stuff bolt onto the older tpi heads? DeMasi i'd buy that in a 2nd. As long as it turns over. Also is the opti(distributer) there? That can be expensive.

[five7kid]

will the lt1 stuff bolt onto the older tpi heads?

Not without modification. Not worth it, IMHO.

[formula95]

Will the tpi stuff bolt on to pre85 heads? I went from carbed vehicle's to owning an LT1. Night and day. But i missed the dawn and dusk. Any input will help.

[five7kid]

Yes.

Bolt angle on the center two intake mount bolts on each side changed in 1987, but it isn't hard to modify the base to fit older heads.

[formula95]

thanks 5.7 that'll shorten the list of project monza options. TPI355 is at the top.

[DeMasi1990]

For the price of that LT1 Engine $100, thru a friend Its hard to pass up... But ya know what? I have went thru alot with getting her to run right, and I think about all the work I did, And I just cant take it all apart and do it again...Well, I can But I just dont want to, Shes running Soooo Good....I did however go Driving last Night and I found a BEAT, and I mean BEAT 1990 bright Red Trans am In lindenhurst, NY for $900.00 NEG.. I looked at the Vin and it was a TBI V8... If I could get it for $400 Id Buy it Just to tare it apart and use parts..haha:coffee:

[formula95]

I looked at the Vin and it was a TBI V8
Isn't tbi worse than tpi!?

[DeMasi1990]

If I bought that car, it would be for parts Anyways lol.. I just want it for Body parts... And when Im done with it, I will Junk it..or sell it

[94 Z28 w/issues]

Hey Guys, I have a question for you all before I Buy this..

I have a friend with a 1996 Chevrolet Caprice " it used to be a Police car"... he Recently Took that engine out and Put a Big Block in the caprice. Now it sits as a Long Block In his shed and He wants to sell it to me For $100.. For $100 I cant turn that down, Its got markings showing its been rebuilt in 1998 and with a Nice Crosshatch on the cylinder walls. this is a friend of Mine so Im not worried about it being a Bum motor.

My Question is, can I use that motor if I throw my TPI Intake on it?. My Engine in there now is a 305 bored .030 over... and also, hes giving me injectors that came with it, But I Just bought 19LB injectors for the 305, can I use the 19's?.. Also Would It make a difference If I used 30t heads on a 350 motor?.. or should I use the heads that came with the motor..Is there any benefit to having a 350 with 305 heads?? :coffee:

ive seen 3rd gens with LS1's in them it very possible and not very complicated, you need the motor the trans, the engine and trans harness out of the other car, and the PCM, if you were doing a manual trans swap, you would need all the clutch linkages and what not, and a 4th gen console for the shifter, but with an automatic u can keep the 3rd gen console, its a smart swap to do

[five7kid]

Although it has nothing to do with the topic of the original post, I'm doing a 3rd gen LS1/T56 swap.

FWIW, you don't have to use a 4th gen console. Many use 3rd gen pedals as well, although I'm using 4th gen pedals, as I'm starting with an automatic car, and the seller of the engine/trans included the pedals no extra charge.

I agree that it is a smart swap, but it is a lot of work. You do need different engine and trans mounts, and if you keep AC, you either need to cut/box the crossmember, or get a swap tubular crossmember.