350 LT1 crate (I'm still giddy!!!)

[350xj4x4]

I wanted to share my joy on the forum. I was talking with one of my welding buddies who I just sold my 4.0L efi and main computer to and he had some awesome news for me. One of his buddies has a crate engine they bought (originally for $3800). When they started it up it had a slight knock. They immediately took it to the machine shop. They checked it out only to find that it had a bearing that wasn't quite set. So they set it and gave it back to him. It's been sitting (I have yet to find out where and why) for a while and he wants to get rid of it. Luckily I got a hold of him because he's getting rid of it for $500 and is taking payments (this is awesome for me because I am really tight on money but HAVE to get this project done soon). What do you guys think? Oh yeah, this is what's going in my cherokee, btw.

 

[350xj4x4]

Sorry, forgot something. He's also got a bunch of chevy parts laying around (t400 and a couple np205's, which I need to make my doubler so I think what I'll do is bump it up to $700 with payments and he wanted some of my parts that I got from the suburban I bought. Anyone have any suggestions before I talk to him?

 

[CW]

Sounds like you got a good deal. It's going to be a lot of work to get every thing shoved in there and the np205 will require some floor pan adjustment and if you aren't lifted you might have a clearance problem with the oil pan. Where are you at in Idaho?

 

[350xj4x4]

I'm sure I can adjust the floor pan a little bit. I've gone through a pretty big bunch of mods so far so I'm not afraid to do a little more. I'm loving every second of it though. Especially with that LT1 coming.
I'm going to have about a 4-6" lift when I'm done with it. I'm putting 1/2 ton's on there so it should help with the 1/2-ton leafs and upgraded suspension.
I'm in Twin Falls, on the southern border if you're not familiar with it.

 

[JeepSpeed]

Sounds like a great deal. But I really highly doubt he paid $3800 for an LT1 crate motor. So be careful what he tells you.

 

[350xj4x4]

Sounds like a great deal. But I really highly doubt he paid $3800 for an LT1 crate motor. So be careful what he tells you.

I don't know that much about the LT1 Crate but it wasn't the guy that was selling it that told me the price, he just assumed. The price is still right though. I'm also going to get (hopefully) an allison-style transmission (like the high and low gears in your tranny style) so I'm pretty stoked about that. It's going to be another 300, though. That kinda sucks about the price but in comparison it's a really good price.

 

[ashmanjeepxj]

Sorry, forgot something. He's also got a bunch of chevy parts laying around (t400 and a couple np205's, which I need to make my doubler so I think what I'll do is bump it up to $700 with payments and he wanted some of my parts that I got from the suburban I bought. Anyone have any suggestions before I talk to him?

Ive done quite abit in the past on my xj, and have done drop in motor swaps since I was a kid, but putting a 350-th400-203-205 is sucking up some serious time I did not plan on. So far I have 3 soild months into this swap and its not nearly driveable yet.

Im now hoping to get done by end of next month, 4 months...

 

[BIGWOODY]

I just bought the same motor for my buggy project from a 95 Vette (aluminum heads) 58k on it for $250 and a superchips programmer for a PSD truck. I thought I got a screaming deal,I'm going to run it behind a built t350 with a low first gear set and an Atlas 3.8...can't wait to hear that motor turn up.

 

[woody431]

Im thinking about going the v8 route. 383, TH400, flipped D300-twin stick 4:1. 44/9". I have most of the parts lying around, but I think id rather get a set of aluminum heads and an aluminum block would be sweet and keep everything lightweight. Trying to find a decent EFI setup still too. I had plans to just chop everything up and MAKE room.

Im pretty much working out measurements right now though. No progress

 

[350xj4x4]

Ive done quite abit in the past on my xj, and have done drop in motor swaps since I was a kid, but putting a 350-th400-203-205 is sucking up some serious time I did not plan on. So far I have 3 soild months into this swap and its not nearly driveable yet.

Im now hoping to get done by end of next month, 4 months...

I think I finally came to a conclusion on my setup. I want to do my 350-th400-hi/lo gear splitter-np205. I have a hold of a gear splitter (not sure of the brand yet) and I'm stoked! Hopefully everything is going to work out! Good luck on your doubler setup. Any pics???

~Charlie

 

[ashmanjeepxj]

I think I finally came to a conclusion on my setup. I want to do my 350-th400-hi/lo gear splitter-np205. I have a hold of a gear splitter (not sure of the brand yet) and I'm stoked! Hopefully everything is going to work out! Good luck on your doubler setup. Any pics???

~Charlie

Its free to split the 205 if that is what your talking about..
Just grind the shift rail...I have picutres in my writeup.

 

[user name]

Trying to find a decent EFI setup still too.

---> http://www.msefi.com/

 

[vwkaferman]

LT1? Why? Are we talking LT1 with the Optispark? Opti's are notorious for getting wet and basically grenading. They do NOT like water. I would recommend not 4 wheeling if you plan on dropping this motor in, unless it's a mall cruiser, then I stand corrected.

Or, you could be going with a conventional distributor, but as far as I know, you can't do it on the LT1 block. Maybe I'm mistaken. Still wondering.

James

 

[Big C]

LT1? Why? Are we talking LT1 with the Optispark? Opti's are notorious for getting wet and basically grenading. They do NOT like water. I would recommend not 4 wheeling if you plan on dropping this motor in, unless it's a mall cruiser, then I stand corrected.

Or, you could be going with a conventional distributor, but as far as I know, you can't do it on the LT1 block. Maybe I'm mistaken. Still wondering.

James

Yes you can delete the opti from an LT1 engine, there are a few ways:

1. GMPP 4-barrel intake: GM makes an alunimum 4-barrel intake mainfold for the LT1, it has a hole in the rear for a normal distributor, you can use an adaptor and run TBI with this setup

2.www.LT1intake.com -This guy modifys LT1 intakes to work with normal SBC engines (specifically TPI motors), this includes drilling a hole in the back for a normal distributor redrilling the bolt holes and attaching fittings for a remote thermostat. F-body guys and L98 Corvette guys swear by this guy's work. You could probably talk him into drilling a distributor hole in your intake. Unless your a damn good fabricator and can weld alunimum reeeeaaalllly well, I wouldn't try to do this by yourself, theres more to it than just drilling a hole.The opti is integral to the LT1's computer so you'll also have to run a TPI computer and have a custom chip burned. (not really a big problem)

All that said, there are ways of retaining the opti and keeping it reliable. There are aftermarket ingnition setups that let you run a coil pack setup. You retain the opti, but it's used as just a cam sensor. These setups are typically a helluva lot more reliable than jut an opti alone. These setups have the advantage of being plug and play, you dont need any computer mods.

A couple of questions:
1.What year is the LT1?
2.Do you have the full fuel injection setup, computer, and wiring harness?

F-Body engines are one think i know a lot about.

 

[Darky]

Or you could just avoid water, go rock crawling, although I don't know how easy that is in ID...

 

[350xj4x4]

Yes you can delete the opti from an LT1 engine, there are a few ways:

1. GMPP 4-barrel intake: GM makes an alunimum 4-barrel intake mainfold for the LT1, it has a hole in the rear for a normal distributor, you can use an adaptor and run TBI with this setup

2.www.LT1intake.com -This guy modifys LT1 intakes to work with normal SBC engines (specifically TPI motors), this includes drilling a hole in the back for a normal distributor redrilling the bolt holes and attaching fittings for a remote thermostat. F-body guys and L98 Corvette guys swear by this guy's work. You could probably talk him into drilling a distributor hole in your intake. Unless your a damn good fabricator and can weld alunimum reeeeaaalllly well, I wouldn't try to do this by yourself, theres more to it than just drilling a hole.The opti is integral to the LT1's computer so you'll also have to run a TPI computer and have a custom chip burned. (not really a big problem)

All that said, there are ways of retaining the opti and keeping it reliable. There are aftermarket ingnition setups that let you run a coil pack setup. You retain the opti, but it's used as just a cam sensor. These setups are typically a helluva lot more reliable than jut an opti alone. These setups have the advantage of being plug and play, you dont need any computer mods.

A couple of questions:
1.What year is the LT1?
2.Do you have the full fuel injection setup, computer, and wiring harness?

F-Body engines are one think i know a lot about.

Hmmm...I don't even know that I'm going to go this route, and with what you guys have told me I don't know if I will. I do like the idea of being able to do payments on a brand new engine (even if it is cheap) but if I'll end up spending even more money converting it back...I don't know if it's worth it. This is why I posted this, though. Thanks for the help! I really appreciate every angle I can see on this build-up. And I've got a loooooot of time on my hands so it's not like I'm in a big rush.
BTW-just some ideas...what route do you guys think would be the optimal on a small budget? I will be putting a few bucks into this but I don't need much horse or torque and I will be sticking with the 350, but I was wondering mainly would be the best idea for fuel delivery. I know that carb is out of the question because of the 4-wheelin. I've also heard that tbi can be a pain to deal with. But efi can get expensive. Just something for you all to chew on. I'm open to any suggestions!
Thanks ~Charlie

 

[350xj4x4]

Its free to split the 205 if that is what your talking about..
Just grind the shift rail...I have picutres in my writeup.

Actually it's more of a semi-truck style of gearsplitter. Similar to the way that an allison tranny works. It's got high nuetral and low options for highway regular of towing/off-roading. Where is your writeup, though? I'd like to see it.
~Charlie

 

[Big C]

Hmmm...I don't even know that I'm going to go this route, and with what you guys have told me I don't know if I will. I do like the idea of being able to do payments on a brand new engine (even if it is cheap) but if I'll end up spending even more money converting it back...I don't know if it's worth it. This is why I posted this, though. Thanks for the help! I really appreciate every angle I can see on this build-up. And I've got a loooooot of time on my hands so it's not like I'm in a big rush.
BTW-just some ideas...what route do you guys think would be the optimal on a small budget? I will be putting a few bucks into this but I don't need much horse or torque and I will be sticking with the 350, but I was wondering mainly would be the best idea for fuel delivery. I know that carb is out of the question because of the 4-wheelin. I've also heard that tbi can be a pain to deal with. But efi can get expensive. Just something for you all to chew on. I'm open to any suggestions!
Thanks ~Charlie

Well, since your on a budget, I'd go with tbi because you can get most of the parts you need from the junkyard. It's also fairly easy to wire up as well. TBI is a naturally torquey induction system as well. For a regular 350, it's the cheapest and simplest option. You might have to burn a chip depending on what kind of cam your running. What kind of cam are you going to run?
Like I said in my previous post, you can run TBI on the LT1 as well. Most of the parts for this setup you can get from the junkyard as well. The only parts you would need to buy new would be the GMPP carb intake manifold, the optispark block off plate and a carb-to-TBI adaptor plate. This would be a TORQUEY setup!!!

 

[350xj4x4]

Well, since your on a budget, I'd go with tbi because you can get most of the parts you need from the junkyard. It's also fairly easy to wire up as well. TBI is a naturally torquey induction system as well. For a regular 350, it's the cheapest and simplest option. You might have to burn a chip depending on what kind of cam your running. What kind of cam are you going to run?
Like I said in my previous post, you can run TBI on the LT1 as well. Most of the parts for this setup you can get from the junkyard as well. The only parts you would need to buy new would be the GMPP carb intake manifold, the optispark block off plate and a carb-to-TBI adaptor plate. This would be a TORQUEY setup!!!

I just got some good news from a buddy of mine. Apparently he has an aftermarket efi setup for a 350. Maybe I'll be able to keep my original 350 out of the suburban I bought and put efi on that. if so I won't have to buy the lt1 and I'll be back where I started.
For those of you who don't know, this is my buddy Lance. He's the one that's been helping me...kinda...with some of my welds on the front leaf springs and he's also been helping me from the beginning whether I wanted him to or not. Either way, I just got the angle-iron and strengtheners for the front spring mounts tacked and I'm going to take them to a real shop and get them welded in place permanently. I'm also going to make the shackles and get everything in place while I'm at it. If I'm able to do this Sunday (which is what I plan on) I'll have it rolling and roll that biotch over to the shop for some much more heavy modification. From there I'll get the front fenders (something like farmermatt did with his oh so awesome cat) as well as the front bumper that will have the brush guard which will also guard the compressor pump , rear bumper (holding the air ), roll bar if I get to it, and the entire sleeving of the frame (if I can even call it that). After I get done with that, I'll have a very good start to an amazing machine. I'll have some awesome pictures (since it's much more open than my little shop that has to be evacuated for hunting season) and I'll get them on here asap. I've got some for you guys tomorrow, if I get to it, that will be of the tack welds to show you what I'm going to do for the front spring mount. Hope you all like it.

Thank you all once again for all the amazing help on everything! You guys are awesome and I wouldn't have had the motivation to get as far as I have w/o you guys. You're all awesome!

~Challs

 

[Big C]

Aftermarket EFI, eh? What brand?