The mid ‘90s LT1 engine will forever be one of my favorites ever produced. When the LT1 debuted in the Camaro/Firebird in 1993, it was a game changer! Just shy of 300hp and a 6-speed tranny….from the F’n factory lol. I upset a ton of 5.0 Mustangs back then with my ‘94 Z28…. and I was a Mustang guy at heart, but those F-bodies were an absolute riot to drive!
Tons of potential also. You can build a 90s Camaro up to run 11 seconds 1/4 mile times without spending too much money. Good cheap platform for building a hotrod back in the day. I'm a corvette guy, though, and I can still appreciate the potential of that car....
So cool to learn the history of the LT1 engines. During the 1970's, I was riding shotgun in my aunt's 1970 Classic White C3 Corvette Stingray coupe with side pipes. My hometown is near the Bowling Green assembly plant. My first visit to the Bowling Green assembly plant was on a school field trip when I was 10 years old. In 1989, I drove my uncle's 1989 white C4 Corvette to senior prom. My aunt and uncle both had automatics but my best friend's mom had a Monza Red Corvette Stingray with side pipes and a manual transmission. Watching her row through the gears had me hooked on manual transmissions. I took delivery of my very own 2015 Arctic White C7 Corvette Stingray Z51 manual 7 speed, on February 13, 2015.
I have a 1992 Vette. I love it. It's much smaller than new sports cars and the driving experience is amazing. So much better than those cars you mentioned. After driving one years ago, I knew that I had to buy one!
Gen 2 LT1 fan here! I still want to see some budget testing of cams and heads if you can. My 96 Buick Roadmaster sedan needs more torque but I can't afford to waste money on parts unless they really work. By the way my engine has about 160,000 miles on the factory Opti. I'm surprised it survived a water pump change before I really knew anything about it. I have a new Opti I'm gonna use for parts to rebuild the original, since the original trigger/pickup or whatever it's called is better.
Thanks Richard 😎 . Once again another great video and I know we all appreciate it. As one of the resident LT1 fans I'm still waiting for a budget Street and strip sleeper type build based on an intercooled boosted 90's 5.7 LT1 . These days the guy should be able to do that with a minimal budget and still make some real good power 🤔 🤓
Darnell Craig That big old barn door getting 24 mpg at 75-80, I call BS. I have a S550 mustang GT manual shift that will get 26-27 mpg at 65-70. It will get 31 mpg at 55. Boring as it gets. At 80 mph maybe 24 mpg. This car is lighter and more aerodynamic then a 95 Buick Roadmaster wagon. I am and always have been a Chevy man and grew up with the small block Chevy. I still have three Chevrolets with a small block and two of the are LT1s
Don Grizzelle the Roadmaster is pretty aerodynamic, add in the OD trans, 2.73 gears and a 30” tall tire. mine was the sedan also. I have a picture of the tach and speedo where I’m going 80 mph and the tach is at 1800 rpm. I owned that car for 3 years total and drove it all over the eastern US. Around town it wasn’t nearly as good but the interstate is where it shined.
Richard, I know sitting at a dynometer day after day engine noise is a by product of your job and sometimes is probably annoying. BUT the general public / gearheads don't have the opportunity to twist whatever internal combustion engine they want to the moon. I'm hoping I'm not alone in missing the dyno noises in your vids? As always you're going over the top with info and it's always a great study to see what you've done! Thank you for what you're doing and the valuable data you're providing to everyone!
I'm a Ford guy but to me the Chevy gen 2 was one of my favorites that GM made. It make good power and responds well to mods. A great street engine. Plus has a clean look. It's one of the nicest looking engines out there. Still the best looking swap engine in my opinion. Although I like the L31 vortec(better build platform) for the better heads and the 4 bolt mains as a plus. That 6.2L is making HOT 408 stroker build numbers to good 427 stroker numbers, in a package that can be driven everyday, impressive!!
I appreciate the explanation on how the direct injection was able to run more compression and not get into detonation. More pressure over the piston makes more power
had a 96 corvette with the LT4 loved it spun a rod bearing at 50K miles GM wanted 10K $ just for basic long block no labor ended up putting in a low mileage LT4 out of a bone yard. car creaked and rattled from everywhere but still loved it. as always life made me sell it. would love another
@@rebel9976 Because you can find running LS engines for under $500 and even the smallest mildest 4.8L makes over 300HP... and even that one is a cam swap away from making 400hp.
Great article. I own both a 1994 Gen 2 LT1 M6 Trans Am and a 2005 LS2 M6 GTO. I've 1/4 mile raced them both and have also had both chassis dynoed. It is amazing that the Latest LT1 can make so much more HP and torque than any of it's predecessors. I've been told in the past that the heads control how much HP the cam can make.
Even if same displacement it would still make more power. They're all great engines. It's amazing to see how far they have came. Even the first Lt1 was amazing.
Technology has ruined racing. Even 20 years ago if you could afford a brand new Camaro you had to build it and learn how to race it to compete. Now, all you have to do is be rich or go into debt and your running 12s with a stock mustang gt that drives itsself compared to a fox body.
@@hendo337 I never had the opportunity to aquire an LT4. I hope to maybe in the future. Just didn't make economic sense back then and still doesn't but still something i want. Those bottom ends durability were underrated strength wise. I've seen a few high 8 second cars with basically stock bottom end 90s LT1. Even stock pistons held up quite well.
The Gen 2 LT1 dominated in the 90s. It really ignited the horsepower wars. Ford didn't catch up until the 2000s, and Dodge had to build a V10. I would love to see the L8T 6.6 on the dyno.
Excellent comparison Richard. My '96 C4 LT-1 always surprises me how quick it is for a "stock" engine. I'd definitely enjoy seeing a 1995 or 1996 LT-1 build with part numbers / grinders for the cam, and most importantly, how to tune the fuel injection, and ignition after the cam change . Excellent channel Bud
Easiest way to make it fair: Take out the displacement & look at the hp/litre of each motor to see which is better/more efficient. Gen 1 & 2 are around 60hp/litre with their 350hp at 5.7L Gen 5 is over 80hp/litre with almost 520hp at 6.2L. That's around 33% better efficiency over the years. 👍
MafiaboysWorld and if you wanted to make it more fair, you could calculate in the weight of the car that each engine would be in. Also the 96-97 lt1 was rated higher in hp than the 93-95
@CC Ryder Your response missed the point completely. Engine efficiency has nothing to do with a cars weight. It doesn't matter if the car weighs 2000lbs or 4000lbs, it's what hp/litre is. We're not looking at power to weight. 🤦
Cam duration difference is huge! Amazing how much power a modern engine is able to make with such small cam. I wonder what power would 250 degrees cam make in gen 5
Would probably have to turn off VCT with a cam that big to prevent valve to piston interference. Loosing the advantages of VCT might not make the swap worth it.
The port design of the LT series engines is based loosely upon the LS7 head port design, and that's the best flowing LS head PERIOD. Given the stock power, I don't see why a heads/cam/VCT delete LT1 can't make 700hp N/A.
I have a 2017 Camaro SS with the LT1 so I was glad you did the comparison. It's rated as 455/455 from factory but i got mine on a dyno after long tube headers, LT4 throttle body and Roto Fab CAI and got 402 at the wheels. Not impressive but after reviewing the data it went rich after 5500 so killed some HP. I have gradually pulled fuel so I would guess it may be around 410-415 now cus it peaked out at 5700 rpm and this engine has way more to go.
Add flex fuel if it’s available to you & get some porting done. Best bang for the buck mods on these by far. I just had 2” headers, Pray ported stock IM/TB, Rotofab dry & a flex fuel kit to my car. Also had Pray do a dyno tune & it put down 469RW on his dyno. Best he’s ever gotten on a stock motor was 398... it was hot & humid as hell when mine was done so I wouldn’t have even been there for a baseline.
The LT1s were known to Dyno out to 360HP, why GM underrated them is unknown. Of course we know GM wasn’t gonna allow a Camaro to rate the same as a flagship Corvette. Politics! I also agree the 5th Gen LT-1 is not the same as the original small block Chevy, so not really a comparison in my opinion. Good video and another thing to prove to those that put the 2nd Gen LT1 down don’t know what they are talking about 😉
I'd love to see a comparison between the original LS7 vs the modern version, and the L88 while you're aft it I'm sure you won't find them in the junkyard, but maybe a 100k sub treat?
I went with a '70 LT-1 clone for my '70 C10 because I wanted to keep it all old school. But those LS motors sure are tempting. I love EFI and built a few systems from scratch in grad school (using a 25MHz 486 PC and hand-wired prototype cards).
In 1970 -The 1970 LT-1 Engine in Corvette. Had bigger inch exhaust pipes ,and had 2- Signal Mufflers. In the 1970 Camaro Z-28 LT-1. Exhaust pipes smaller. And the Exhaust went into 1- Muffler,. That was than 360 HP And out tail pipes. That add back pressure, cut down the Horsepower. I have a 1970 Chevy Camaro Z-28. I changed too- two and a half inch round Exhaust Pipes. And Two Mufflers. That put Horsepower up to 370 Horsepower
I bought my first Corvette in 1972, it was a 1971 LT1, one of my friends had a 1970 LT1 & everytime we raced I beat him, usually by about a fender, he had a hard time accepting the because he had 370hp to my 330hp. Even though it only had 9 to1 compression, it ran really good back in the early 1970's. Right now I have a 1965 Corvette with a 1972 LT1 short block & Performer RPM heads, milled to 58cc, 10.6 to1 compression & it runs pretty good.
I love this guys videos! If you want to learn about Chevrolet engine combinations this is the channel for you. From Gen 1 to Gen 5 this channel has a test of it! 👍
If your looking for early '90 LT1's, don't forget GM also put them in Buicks. I drive a 1993 Buick Roadmaster station wagon, all OEM and that car flies. Recently at a stoplight, next to a 2007 Mustang revving his engine I floored it. My wagon, loaded with tools in the back at the time, beat the Mustang to the next light, about a quarter mile.
I agree there needs to be more dyno noises but you're complaining it's 2020 critiquing someone else's videos yet don't have a single one of your own? Try putting the amount of info Richard is in each video into your own and see how much fun all the editing and fact chasing is, let alone trying to create something to appease everyone. ;)
My 97 Camaro z with LT1 is rated at factory at 285 horse , my 97 Vette with LS1 is rated at 345hp,, and thats about the difference that I feel in the seat of my pants too,,the LS One is a good step up from the LT1.
My brother and I stuck a early LT1 in my ‘69 GMC 1500 2wd with a three on the tree and 3:73 limited slip diff. It would spin into third even with MT L60’s on the rear and I never found top end! The fastest I ever took it was the speedo all the way around and back to 20! Anyone who might doubt this can ask the girl I was trying to impress and my friend who told me it was time to slow down! Lol! It’s a bad feeling when the front end is floating!
Hey thanks Rich I would like to see more GEN II LT stuff intake manifold, throttle bodies, cylinder heads, cam shafts I know you have mentioned you've ran a fast controller on one. I would like to know more about that. I've owned a few of these cars never had an issue with the opti spark. had well over 100,000 miles on one that had two water pumps puke on it still never failed. I've only changed cap and rotor, maybe I,m lucky. Only issue I see is RPM range I don't really take em past 6000. Anyway I appreciate all of your work...Keep testin I keep watchin
It’s interesting how much torque the Gen 2 LT1 had considering the very short intake runners. It must have really been held back with its camshaft. A huge cam to match the intake runner could really make that little engine shine . It’s too bad cam swaps weren’t popular during the Gen 2 heyday
I had a 93z28 that I put Llyod Elliot ported heads, ported intake, 58mm dual blade throttle body, bigger injectors (cant remember how big), aftermarket billet optispark (called a dynaspark), a large rowdy cam that was recommended by Llyod. Longtubes, true duals etc... It went from a good running, fun car, to an absolute MONSTER for an N/A 350 cube small block. Just how it would have run on the track, I dont know. But it certainly had no troubles with any ls1 it crossed back then. Admittedly, heavily modded ls1 cars were few and far between at that point, but it's a good point of reference. Ls's start at an advantage, but the LT1 was certainly no slouch.
In my 30th Z/28 Im putting in a set of LE2 ported stock heads, a custom grind cam, Le ported stock intake with all the best bolt ons, racetronix fuel pump, 36lb injectors 24x, hptuners etc etc too much to list but I should be around 420 whp mark give or take. That's my goal at least. She should scream well!😎 stock bottom still, at ~70k miles. Ive had the car since August 2010.
There is really two LT-1 in 1970. I had them both, still have my Vette. With LaMans blue paint! Built on November 6, 1969. Which had one of the original batch made over the summer and the testing on. My ‘70 Z28 on the other hand was built in March of 70! The Difference is: drum roll… Free floating wrist pins in my Vette! NOT in the Z which has a windage tray. The Vette had the Harrison mag pluse T drive distributor. 5 qt. Pan with baffling. So there is a 10 HP difference accounted for!
Yep! Camaro had the windage tray mounted on 5 of the inner 6 bolts which locked on either side of the pan by tac welded rails. 1970 to 1974 Z28. I’m 66 Sold parts, service writer, finally a salesman for CHEVROLET. As well as Motion Baldwin. Read my story in ISLIP SPEEDWAY AND THE TWO SIX PACKS! Soon to be a major motion picture!
I just had my 72 LT-1 motor rebuilt, we pulled 369hp and 390tq on the dyno with only changing compression from 9 to 9.25 and cleaning up the heads on pump gas. Ill put that car up against any C4 from 0-125 where it really matters!
This is one of the better Chevy factory engine shootouts that Richard conducted. The winner is easy to discern, the newer the Corvette engine the more streetable it is. Imagine the LT1 heads with a gen2 TPI intake & roller cam! Add nitrous & you're hitting 700lbs of torque!
@@michaelhawk1826 That's probably great for racing, but one of the things I love about the LTs is the clean uncluttered appearance. I have three cars with the Opti, and so far no problems at all.
I'd like to see a power comparison between DISI, PFI, and high upstream TBI or PFI to show the advantages of charge cooling. All with the same block, manifold shape, and cam.
I really like these as a "look how far we've come" aspect. Of course the modern tech will produce more power from a smaller package, but it has decades of technological advances to help it do so.
“Drain holes” were on the early spline drive Opti, 3 on the body of the distributor. 95-97 Opti (pin drive) has no holes but did have a cross flow ventilation design to eliminate ozone and moisture that plagued the early design. Cam timing gear and timing cover are not interchangeable between the two designs. I did a write up on venting the early design using the same vacuum harness from the late design plus vacuum fittings 10 years ago on LS1Tech’s LT1-LT4 section.
I got a gen 2 LT1 in my 30th Z/28. Im putting in a set of LE2 ported stock heads, a custom grind cam, Le ported stock intake with all the best bolt ons, racetronix fuel pump, 36lb injectors 24x, hptuners etc etc too much to list but I should be around 420 whp mark give or take. That's my goal at least. She should scream decent!😎 stock bottom still, at ~70k miles. I've had the car since August 2010 t56 t-top car wouldn't have it any other way!! 😅😅
i have a 1996 Z28 LT1. i love that engine, a torque monster. even in stock trim with very minor mods like a PCM tune. the car has 255K on it, transmission redone a couple of years ago with a shift kit and higher stall converter. i have daily summer driven this car since 2014. while the paint is beat, it's still a clean car and i love driving it. it's not worth ALLOT so im just going to keep it and drive it as i have been.
More of a contrast than a comparison vs the new LT1 being 60 years newer than the sbc. I still like the LS better than the new LT as it's a better balance of modern technology and affordability vs the LT.
I have a LT1 you can borrow. It has literally been sitting for 15 years. It came from a caprice police car that was converted to propane with 300k miles. I had the machine shop bore it with new pistons and refreshed everything else. I would like to see it operational again. We have since moved to LS swaps and never used it. Not sure how I can get it to you but maybe there is a way. I’m in Colorado.
Have a 96 Corvette lt1 in my 72 Corvette. I put the LTCC on it to eliminate the high voltage side of the optispark, so basically the optispark is like one big crank trigger. I love the gen 2 lt1 as they are always downed and are the red headed stepchild of the SBC.
Yes LT1!!! As many others have said please do more gen 2 LT1 testing of all aftermarket heads as well as well ported stock heads!!! Testing of ported LT1 intake manifold as well as LT4 ported intake manifold which most be milled to use on LT1 head's and the aftermarket Edelbrock LT1 air gap intake manifold as cast and a ported version!!!! Would also be great to test some upgraded valve train components as well!!! Lt1's are really not right now in the build world and I bet you would get thousands of views on this topic!!!!
Even if you had tested the 5.3 gen V engine, which is the same design as the 6.2 LT1, it would have made just as much power or more than the gen ll LT1. Modern technology is a great thing.
I like the fact you foreshadowed this test two days ago with your opening monologue Richard! 👍🏼👍🏼 To better compare the old LT1’s to the new one I did this: (519/6.2) * 5.7= 477HP equivalent for a make believe 5.7 litre current tech LT1. I know, not totally accurate but closer. The new tech rocks!! Awesome test!
70 LT1 360 versus 370hp in Vette, remember the L78 (396) in the vette it was rated 425hp all other variants were 375. I don’t believe there was any difference then either.
It would be interesting to see you get your hands on an Olds 403 for the other guys series. Ive always wanted to see what they could do on a dyno with is extremely oversquare design and having the largest bore of the GM v8s.
That's not a bad idea until you look at the bottom end of a 403. All the hardcore Olds guys use diesel blocks and none of them use 403 blocks. For a street driven car with less than 400hp it's probably not a big deal. Just for everyone else, an olds 350 will be.more durable and a 425 or 455 is almost as easy to fit and more durable. Unless you are getting the shortblock for free, I would probably try to find one of the more desirable engines.
@@timothybayliss6680 Undoubtedly the 403 has some definite issues with its shortblock, along with its pretty short production run, but with the kind of testing he is doing with the other guys series I think it would be interesting to look at mainly due to its unorthodox bore/stroke for a 400 cube engine.
Had a minty clean 77 Electra coupe back in 01. 3.23 posi from a roadmaster, shift kit, cheap summit cam, open air cleaner, and headers with 2.5 inch exhaust. That big bitch was quick.
I have an over cammed 350, sounds nice, horrible on fuel & it's anemic, came with my 69. Disappointed to say the least. I knwo it's going to get pulled, but what to replace it with....... looking at 427 Small Blocks w/EFI, or should I go a LS/LT swap? Decisions... DeCisions.... DECISIONS...... hhhmmmm.... Great Vid........ I am also interested in a Modern 302 but haven't found many out there with FI.
Thanks Richard, like you I like the old school stuff too.. My father scored a ‘70 LT1 long motor in the mid to late 70s (out of his Boss’ genuine LT1 Vette which had a BB fitted!!) and put it in his ‘69 Holden Ute here in Oz!!! Was an impressive car - even as a 7 or 8 year old kid!! Hard to ignore the technological advances of the Gen V. I was surprised to see a relatively flat torque curve from the short runner intake on the second gen LT1.. would a long runner intake add value in that application ?
The Direct injection LT-1 will ALWAYS make 7% to 10% more torque. Because the same engine that has Port injection, has fuel in the Airstream. Air & Fuel have to enter the cylinder through the valve opening. Fuel displacement in the Airstream is 7% to 10%. That is WHY a propane or natural gas fueled engine is 7% to 10% down on torque, compared to the same engine on gasoline. For example, a 300 cfm head will flow 270 cfm air & 30 cfm of fuel. Direct inject engine using the the same 300 cfm head, will flow 300 cfm of air & inject the fuel After the intake valve has closed.
The 5.7 LT1 should have the number '327' stamped on the bottom of the engine block near motor mounts and 5.7 on the block behind intake where the motor connects to the transmission. The L99 4.3 engine has '588' on the engine block in same places and 4.3 behind intake or near firewall of car.
The mid ‘90s LT1 engine will forever be one of my favorites ever produced. When the LT1 debuted in the Camaro/Firebird in 1993, it was a game changer! Just shy of 300hp and a 6-speed tranny….from the F’n factory lol. I upset a ton of 5.0 Mustangs back then with my ‘94 Z28…. and I was a Mustang guy at heart, but those F-bodies were an absolute riot to drive!
Tons of potential also. You can build a 90s Camaro up to run 11 seconds 1/4 mile times without spending too much money. Good cheap platform for building a hotrod back in the day. I'm a corvette guy, though, and I can still appreciate the potential of that car....
That was the same time the phrase 5 point slow was invented
The best part of waking up is reving engines up
Hell yea you need to make that saying into a tee-shirt
@jamarvelous not on this channel 💀
Every morning I wake up to a new R.H. video. It's literally part of my morning routine now.
I literally sung that.
Especially 2 strokes
So cool to learn the history of the LT1 engines. During the 1970's, I was riding shotgun in my aunt's 1970 Classic White C3 Corvette Stingray coupe with side pipes. My hometown is near the Bowling Green assembly plant. My first visit to the Bowling Green assembly plant was on a school field trip when I was 10 years old. In 1989, I drove my uncle's 1989 white C4 Corvette to senior prom. My aunt and uncle both had automatics but my best friend's mom had a Monza Red Corvette Stingray with side pipes and a manual transmission. Watching her row through the gears had me hooked on manual transmissions. I took delivery of my very own 2015 Arctic White C7 Corvette Stingray Z51 manual 7 speed, on February 13, 2015.
Congratulations! Nice car!
1991 Corvette had L-98 engine, 1992 corvette had LT-1 engine, 1992 LT-1 hit 172.2mph top speed, trouncing supra/rx-8, 300zx twin turbo, Mitsu VR-4 twin turbo.
I have a 1992 Vette. I love it. It's much smaller than new sports cars and the driving experience is amazing. So much better than those cars you mentioned. After driving one years ago, I knew that I had to buy one!
I still have my1993 Z28 with LT4 Hot Cam, 1.6 roller rockers, B&M 2400, Jet-Hot ceramic coated headers
Me too
Same set up
That was the hot ticket
What stage is a lt4 hot cam?
Gen 2 LT1 fan here! I still want to see some budget testing of cams and heads if you can. My 96 Buick Roadmaster sedan needs more torque but I can't afford to waste money on parts unless they really work. By the way my engine has about 160,000 miles on the factory Opti. I'm surprised it survived a water pump change before I really knew anything about it. I have a new Opti I'm gonna use for parts to rebuild the original, since the original trigger/pickup or whatever it's called is better.
Love the 90s gen 2 LT1 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
I thoroughly enjoy my Gen 2 LT1.. it's nestled in a 96 WS6 6sm.. it has a 150,000mi.. it's a MULE crossed with race horse!
What gear ratio in Buick road Master?
@@the.reel.mccoy. get ready for a transmission first lol. Mine has 173k miles. Showed no signs of blowing up. Out of no where the sun shell busted.
@@davidcallahan5157 mine has a 2.53 lol
Thanks Richard 😎 . Once again another great video and I know we all appreciate it. As one of the resident LT1 fans I'm still waiting for a budget Street and strip sleeper type build based on an intercooled boosted 90's 5.7 LT1 . These days the guy should be able to do that with a minimal budget and still make some real good power 🤔 🤓
400 Chevrolet block
👍👍👍...! Can't wait for you to mod and show us the true potential of the 6.2 LT1 (Gen5) . Thank you much Richard!
I'd like to see head comparison TFS, AFR advanced airflow or a big bang LT1 92-97 version.
And total engine airflow ported factory heads
Advanced induction.
GM's Coddling of the corvette has been fun to watch.
My 95 Roadmaster would run low 14s with almost no performance mods and got 24 mpg at 75-80 mph. The LT-1 was a huge step forward for GM.
Darnell Craig That big old barn door getting 24 mpg at 75-80, I call BS. I have a S550 mustang GT manual shift that will get 26-27 mpg at 65-70. It will get 31 mpg at 55. Boring as it gets. At 80 mph maybe 24 mpg. This car is lighter and more aerodynamic then a 95 Buick Roadmaster wagon.
I am and always have been a Chevy man and grew up with the small block Chevy. I still have three Chevrolets with a small block and two of the are LT1s
My caprice would get that too.
Don Grizzelle the Roadmaster is pretty aerodynamic, add in the OD trans, 2.73 gears and a 30” tall tire. mine was the sedan also. I have a picture of the tach and speedo where I’m going 80 mph and the tach is at 1800 rpm. I owned that car for 3 years total and drove it all over the eastern US. Around town it wasn’t nearly as good but the interstate is where it shined.
Richard, I know sitting at a dynometer day after day engine noise is a by product of your job and sometimes is probably annoying. BUT the general public / gearheads don't have the opportunity to twist whatever internal combustion engine they want to the moon. I'm hoping I'm not alone in missing the dyno noises in your vids? As always you're going over the top with info and it's always a great study to see what you've done! Thank you for what you're doing and the valuable data you're providing to everyone!
I'm a Ford guy but to me the Chevy gen 2 was one of my favorites that GM made. It make good power and responds well to mods. A great street engine. Plus has a clean look. It's one of the nicest looking engines out there. Still the best looking swap engine in my opinion. Although I like the L31 vortec(better build platform) for the better heads and the 4 bolt mains as a plus. That 6.2L is making HOT 408 stroker build numbers to good 427 stroker numbers, in a package that can be driven everyday, impressive!!
I appreciate the explanation on how the direct injection was able to run more compression and not get into detonation. More pressure over the piston makes more power
1993 corvette lt1 6speed manual here ...it is Funn#!!’
Loved the comparison especially since we just acquired a clean 1995 Impala SS.
Miss my DCM 95 SS! I was always under the impression that the iron heads on the B Body LT1s flowed better than the aluminum on F Body’s.
had a 96 corvette with the LT4 loved it spun a rod bearing at 50K miles GM wanted 10K $ just for basic long block no labor ended up putting in a low mileage LT4 out of a bone yard. car creaked and rattled from everywhere but still loved it. as always life made me sell it. would love another
90s lt1 is under rated but LS cheapness has taken over
They were underrated from the factory too.
Yup. It's def the red head stepchild of the chevy v8. I have a 530hp LT4 in my c4. I absolutely love gapping many many ls cars. They be mad.
how the fuck are LS cheap????? literally i believe the opposite
@@rebel9976
Because you can find running LS engines for under $500 and even the smallest mildest 4.8L makes over 300HP... and even that one is a cam swap away from making 400hp.
@@stlchucko remember,those are flywheel numbers
Great article. I own both a 1994 Gen 2 LT1 M6 Trans Am and a 2005 LS2 M6 GTO. I've 1/4 mile raced them both and have also had both chassis dynoed. It is amazing that the Latest LT1 can make so much more HP and torque than any of it's predecessors. I've been told in the past that the heads control how much HP the cam can make.
You what I like with Steve Morris engines, He doesn’t talk and talk and talk and talk, he just does!
I like the original 1970. Back when you opened the hood and saw jewelry not plastic.
Alot of that plastic is actually insulation to stop heat cooking your bonnet
While I do agree they are a better looking engine I’d much rather have the extra 150hp, drivability and reliability.
You can replace the plastic
The original 92 lt1 had a full aluminum intake and magnesium valve covers still.
Even if same displacement it would still make more power. They're all great engines. It's amazing to see how far they have came. Even the first Lt1 was amazing.
Man after my own heart whomever came up with this video. Hell yeah.
Technology has ruined racing. Even 20 years ago if you could afford a brand new Camaro you had to build it and learn how to race it to compete. Now, all you have to do is be rich or go into debt and your running 12s with a stock mustang gt that drives itsself compared to a fox body.
Agreed 👍
I want to see your mid 90s Lt1 video. I like these engines, I think they still have good potential
The gen 2 1996 LT4 in corvettes only was pretty trick.
I have one in a 96 Corvette. It is amazingly strong for a bone stock engine.
@@hendo337 I never had the opportunity to aquire an LT4. I hope to maybe in the future. Just didn't make economic sense back then and still doesn't but still something i want. Those bottom ends durability were underrated strength wise. I've seen a few high 8 second cars with basically stock bottom end 90s LT1. Even stock pistons held up quite well.
@@michaelangelo8001 I envy you!! Yes the durability of those and power potential was outshadowed by the new then LS1. It is truly a gem.
@@Mike-xt2ot Well, not bragging, but I have one of those also, in an '02 Z06.
But you can own either of them. They are for sale.
@@michaelangelo8001 that'd be cool but I got to sale my 1987 Conquest TSI first. Just waiting on the market to rise a bit more.
The Gen 2 LT1 dominated in the 90s. It really ignited the horsepower wars. Ford didn't catch up until the 2000s, and Dodge had to build a V10.
I would love to see the L8T 6.6 on the dyno.
Excellent comparison Richard. My '96 C4 LT-1 always surprises me how quick it is for a "stock" engine.
I'd definitely enjoy seeing a 1995 or 1996 LT-1 build with part numbers / grinders for the cam, and most importantly, how to tune the fuel injection, and ignition after the cam change .
Excellent channel Bud
Surprising to see such similar curves with such different cams between Gen 1 & 2.
🙋🏼♂️
LT1 fan here! But I’m biased to gen2..
Should take a gen 2 lt1 put a cam in it with the same specs as the gen 3 and see how it comepared
They are very, very close stock. The 1.8 ratio roller rocker is where the lift comes in. The lobe lift isn't much different.
Great comparison, always enjoy seeing the outcome.
Just found this video. I would love for you to do tests on the gen 2 LT1. See what a ported heads, intake, big cam would do for it power wise
Easiest way to make it fair: Take out the displacement & look at the hp/litre of each motor to see which is better/more efficient.
Gen 1 & 2 are around 60hp/litre with their 350hp at 5.7L
Gen 5 is over 80hp/litre with almost 520hp at 6.2L.
That's around 33% better efficiency over the years. 👍
Also you could do a 383 stroker on the earlier motors. 383ci ~ 6.2L
@@kurtstrains 383 isn't 6.2 though, it's actually a 6.3. The 6.2 in the Gen 5 is a 376. 👍
Remember, 1000cc is 61.02ci, and gotta round it down if it's
MafiaboysWorld and if you wanted to make it more fair, you could calculate in the weight of the car that each engine would be in. Also the 96-97 lt1 was rated higher in hp than the 93-95
@@W.A.R.R. I was based off Richards' numbers. I'm not being that asinine to give you each year model, work it out yourself.
@CC Ryder Your response missed the point completely. Engine efficiency has nothing to do with a cars weight. It doesn't matter if the car weighs 2000lbs or 4000lbs, it's what hp/litre is. We're not looking at power to weight. 🤦
Quick question- you never explained fuel management for gen2 LT1... how were you operating the engine to obtain that rpm runout? Thank you
I have that shirt! The back says, "Never judge an engine by it's size" 😄
Certainly not a highly modded twin turbo Coyote!!
Like John Holmes said" There is no replacement for displacement"
The gen 2 lt1 has a windage tray as well. Not just the gen 5. Maybe not as good but still has one.
I was going to make this comment too
Cam duration difference is huge! Amazing how much power a modern engine is able to make with such small cam. I wonder what power would 250 degrees cam make in gen 5
Would probably have to turn off VCT with a cam that big to prevent valve to piston interference. Loosing the advantages of VCT might not make the swap worth it.
The port design of the LT series engines is based loosely upon the LS7 head port design, and that's the best flowing LS head PERIOD. Given the stock power, I don't see why a heads/cam/VCT delete LT1 can't make 700hp N/A.
Gen 1 is 1.009hp per ci, Gen 2 is 1.037hp per ci, Gen 3 is 1.362hp per ci. Great test, great video!!!!
I have a 2017 Camaro SS with the LT1 so I was glad you did the comparison. It's rated as 455/455 from factory but i got mine on a dyno after long tube headers, LT4 throttle body and Roto Fab CAI and got 402 at the wheels. Not impressive but after reviewing the data it went rich after 5500 so killed some HP. I have gradually pulled fuel so I would guess it may be around 410-415 now cus it peaked out at 5700 rpm and this engine has way more to go.
Add flex fuel if it’s available to you & get some porting done. Best bang for the buck mods on these by far. I just had 2” headers, Pray ported stock IM/TB, Rotofab dry & a flex fuel kit to my car. Also had Pray do a dyno tune & it put down 469RW on his dyno. Best he’s ever gotten on a stock motor was 398... it was hot & humid as hell when mine was done so I wouldn’t have even been there for a baseline.
Love all of them. Especially all that tech in the 6.2L. But....1970 = clackety, clackety, tick, tick, tick SOLID CAM!!! ♥️♥️
Sure would like to see a big Duntov cam in LT!
The LT1s were known to Dyno out to 360HP, why GM underrated them is unknown. Of course we know GM wasn’t gonna allow a Camaro to rate the same as a flagship Corvette. Politics! I also agree the 5th Gen LT-1 is not the same as the original small block Chevy, so not really a comparison in my opinion. Good video and another thing to prove to those that put the 2nd Gen LT1 down don’t know what they are talking about 😉
I'd love to see a comparison between the original LS7 vs the modern version, and the L88 while you're aft it I'm sure you won't find them in the junkyard, but maybe a 100k sub treat?
I went with a '70 LT-1 clone for my '70 C10 because I wanted to keep it all old school. But those LS motors sure are tempting. I love EFI and built a few systems from scratch in grad school (using a 25MHz 486 PC and hand-wired prototype cards).
Richard love this channel.
The 1994 LT- 1.
The engine was driving the water 💧 pump.
So.... add another 20 horsepower to the 1994 engine??? 🤔
In 1970 -The 1970 LT-1 Engine in Corvette. Had bigger inch exhaust pipes ,and had 2- Signal Mufflers. In the 1970 Camaro Z-28 LT-1. Exhaust pipes smaller. And the Exhaust went into 1- Muffler,. That was than 360 HP And out tail pipes. That add back pressure, cut down the Horsepower. I have a 1970 Chevy Camaro Z-28. I changed too- two and a half inch round Exhaust Pipes. And Two Mufflers. That put Horsepower up to 370 Horsepower
My favorite Muscle car SBC-but those motors never made 370 hp through stock manifolds-even with your exhaust mod-I built one and tested it
I bought my first Corvette in 1972, it was a 1971 LT1, one of my friends had a 1970 LT1 & everytime we raced I beat him, usually by about a fender, he had a hard time accepting the because he had 370hp to my 330hp. Even though it only had 9 to1 compression, it ran really good back in the early 1970's. Right now I have a 1965 Corvette with a 1972 LT1 short block & Performer RPM heads, milled to 58cc, 10.6 to1 compression & it runs pretty good.
I love this guys videos! If you want to learn about Chevrolet engine combinations this is the channel for you. From Gen 1 to Gen 5 this channel has a test of it! 👍
That new LT1 has some cajones!
Yes LT1 gen 6 has over 500hp that's a beast
@ChrisHallett83 it looks like they are around 9k for a long block, I will have to keep that in mind for the next project 🤘😁🤘.
If your looking for early '90 LT1's, don't forget GM also put them in Buicks. I drive a 1993 Buick Roadmaster station wagon, all OEM and that car flies. Recently at a stoplight, next to a 2007 Mustang revving his engine I floored it. My wagon, loaded with tools in the back at the time, beat the Mustang to the next light, about a quarter mile.
I've found quite a few in Buicks and full size caprice in junkyards
Looking forward to some Gen V LT1 work.
Hooray! Some Gen V LT1 content!
At some point you’re going to have to start showing clips of the dyno runs.
Yes please
When he does the sound quality is horrible :(
Most of his videos use dyno runs from years ago, so I assume they didn't record them at the time.
Gone Nutz Racing Yeah, I’m aware of that. New builds should be recorded. This is 2020...
I agree there needs to be more dyno noises but you're complaining it's 2020 critiquing someone else's videos yet don't have a single one of your own? Try putting the amount of info Richard is in each video into your own and see how much fun all the editing and fact chasing is, let alone trying to create something to appease everyone. ;)
you should do a gen 2 lt1 vs a ls1
I'd like to see Gen II LT4 vs LS1
My 97 Camaro z with LT1 is rated at factory at 285 horse , my 97 Vette with LS1 is rated at 345hp,, and thats about the difference that I feel in the seat of my pants too,,the LS One is a good step up from the LT1.
My brother and I stuck a early LT1 in my ‘69 GMC 1500 2wd with a three on the tree and 3:73 limited slip diff. It would spin into third even with MT L60’s on the rear and I never found top end! The fastest I ever took it was the speedo all the way around and back to 20! Anyone who might doubt this can ask the girl I was trying to impress and my friend who told me it was time to slow down! Lol! It’s a bad feeling when the front end is floating!
Gen 2 LT1 is a great motor
Richard what kind of ignition control box are u using on the gen2 lt1. I got a c4 vetter thats in dire need of a new way to control the motor
I would suggest a 24x conversion
are you doing all of your dynos on pump gas ? i havent really noticed you specify that just curious?
Hey thanks Rich I would like to see more GEN II LT stuff intake manifold, throttle bodies, cylinder heads, cam shafts
I know you have mentioned you've ran a fast controller on one. I would like to know more about that.
I've owned a few of these cars never had an issue with the opti spark. had well over 100,000 miles on one that had
two water pumps puke on it still never failed. I've only changed cap and rotor, maybe I,m lucky. Only issue I see is
RPM range I don't really take em past 6000.
Anyway I appreciate all of your work...Keep testin I keep watchin
It’s interesting how much torque the Gen 2 LT1 had considering the very short intake runners. It must have really been held back with its camshaft. A huge cam to match the intake runner could really make that little engine shine . It’s too bad cam swaps weren’t popular during the Gen 2 heyday
I had a 93z28 that I put Llyod Elliot ported heads, ported intake, 58mm dual blade throttle body, bigger injectors (cant remember how big), aftermarket billet optispark (called a dynaspark), a large rowdy cam that was recommended by Llyod. Longtubes, true duals etc... It went from a good running, fun car, to an absolute MONSTER for an N/A 350 cube small block. Just how it would have run on the track, I dont know. But it certainly had no troubles with any ls1 it crossed back then. Admittedly, heavily modded ls1 cars were few and far between at that point, but it's a good point of reference. Ls's start at an advantage, but the LT1 was certainly no slouch.
In my 30th Z/28 Im putting in a set of LE2 ported stock heads, a custom grind cam, Le ported stock intake with all the best bolt ons, racetronix fuel pump, 36lb injectors 24x, hptuners etc etc too much to list but I should be around 420 whp mark give or take. That's my goal at least. She should scream well!😎 stock bottom still, at ~70k miles. Ive had the car since August 2010.
How much of the difference between the Gen1 and Gen2 power difference is due to the roller cam and valve train?
There is really two LT-1 in 1970. I had them both, still have my Vette. With LaMans blue paint! Built on November 6, 1969. Which had one of the original batch made over the summer and the testing on. My ‘70 Z28 on the other hand was built in March of 70! The Difference is: drum roll… Free floating wrist pins in my Vette! NOT in the Z which has a windage tray. The Vette had the Harrison mag pluse T drive distributor. 5 qt. Pan with baffling. So there is a 10 HP difference accounted for!
a factory Camaro LT-1 in 1970 had a windage tray? pins would change nothing but that difference would be odd for an assembly line motor
Yep! Camaro had the windage tray mounted on 5 of the inner 6 bolts which locked on either side of the pan by tac welded rails. 1970 to 1974 Z28. I’m 66 Sold parts, service writer, finally a salesman for CHEVROLET. As well as Motion Baldwin. Read my story in ISLIP SPEEDWAY AND THE TWO SIX PACKS! Soon to be a major motion picture!
I just had my 72 LT-1 motor rebuilt, we pulled 369hp and 390tq on the dyno with only changing compression from 9 to 9.25 and cleaning up the heads on pump gas. Ill put that car up against any C4 from 0-125 where it really matters!
This is one of the better Chevy factory engine shootouts that Richard conducted. The winner is easy to discern, the newer the Corvette engine the more streetable it is. Imagine the LT1 heads with a gen2 TPI intake & roller cam! Add nitrous & you're hitting 700lbs of torque!
I have a 94 lt1 with the 24x ignition and its freakin awesome
"24x"?
No distributor coil packs
@@michaelhawk1826 Crankshaft pickup, I presume.
Same as a ls style motor lets you run a Holley coil packs and get rid of the distributor
@@michaelhawk1826 That's probably great for racing, but one of the things I love about the LTs is the clean uncluttered appearance.
I have three cars with the Opti, and so far no problems at all.
I'd like to see a power comparison between DISI, PFI, and high upstream TBI or PFI to show the advantages of charge cooling. All with the same block, manifold shape, and cam.
I really like these as a "look how far we've come" aspect. Of course the modern tech will produce more power from a smaller package, but it has decades of technological advances to help it do so.
Jazz hands in the conclusion lol.
Yes to more comparisons like this one!!!
Thanks for the testing Richard.
“Drain holes” were on the early spline drive Opti, 3 on the body of the distributor. 95-97 Opti (pin drive) has no holes but did have a cross flow ventilation design to eliminate ozone and moisture that plagued the early design. Cam timing gear and timing cover are not interchangeable between the two designs. I did a write up on venting the early design using the same vacuum harness from the late design plus vacuum fittings 10 years ago on LS1Tech’s LT1-LT4 section.
I got a gen 2 LT1 in my 30th Z/28. Im putting in a set of LE2 ported stock heads, a custom grind cam, Le ported stock intake with all the best bolt ons, racetronix fuel pump, 36lb injectors 24x, hptuners etc etc too much to list but I should be around 420 whp mark give or take. That's my goal at least. She should scream decent!😎 stock bottom still, at ~70k miles. I've had the car since August 2010 t56 t-top car wouldn't have it any other way!! 😅😅
i have a 1996 Z28 LT1. i love that engine, a torque monster. even in stock trim with very minor mods like a PCM tune. the car has 255K on it, transmission redone a couple of years ago with a shift kit and higher stall converter. i have daily summer driven this car since 2014. while the paint is beat, it's still a clean car and i love driving it. it's not worth ALLOT so im just going to keep it and drive it as i have been.
More of a contrast than a comparison vs the new LT1 being 60 years newer than the sbc. I still like the LS better than the new LT as it's a better balance of modern technology and affordability vs the LT.
That new LT1 is impressive!
I have a LT1 you can borrow. It has literally been sitting for 15 years.
It came from a caprice police car that was converted to propane with 300k miles.
I had the machine shop bore it with new pistons and refreshed everything else. I would like to see it operational again. We have since moved to LS swaps and never used it. Not sure how I can get it to you but maybe there is a way. I’m in Colorado.
I'd love to throw a gen v LT1 into my car... That thing is a monster
Would love to see a bolt on gen v lt1 vs stock ls7. What's crazy is I think the modern lt1 with a few bolt on will out perform a stock ls7
Before me, the comments were 283😊my favorite gen 1 small block
The new one has not even 10% more displacement, but a whole lot more than 10% better results!
Gen 2 Lt1 was a torque monster!
not really-it had a short runner intake-the previous L98 TPI was a torque monster
Have a 96 Corvette lt1 in my 72 Corvette. I put the LTCC on it to eliminate the high voltage side of the optispark, so basically the optispark is like one big crank trigger. I love the gen 2 lt1 as they are always downed and are the red headed stepchild of the SBC.
Still want to see a carbed gen 2 Lt1
would make a couple numbers higher because of charge cooling. 5hp MAX through the curve.
Ever done anything on the Lotus designed DOHC Chevy V8 (LT5?) wondering what they can do compared to the usual pushrod motors?
That doesn't count as a Chevy. But it'll put down good numbers. They were rated at 375-405 net hp and had a variable intake.
Yes LT1!!! As many others have said please do more gen 2 LT1 testing of all aftermarket heads as well as well ported stock heads!!! Testing of ported LT1 intake manifold as well as LT4 ported intake manifold which most be milled to use on LT1 head's and the aftermarket Edelbrock LT1 air gap intake manifold as cast and a ported version!!!! Would also be great to test some upgraded valve train components as well!!! Lt1's are really not right now in the build world and I bet you would get thousands of views on this topic!!!!
LT1's are really HOT 🔥right now in the build world 🌎!!!
Gen 2 fan here, but I'm bias with my 1993 Corvette ZO7 6speed
Very interesting, modern tech FTW--(still a Gen 1 fan though)
the DI is truly insane, the 5.3LT matches the power output of a 6.0 LS.
The modern one has the higher power at a higher RPM, but is leaner and cleaner on fuel and has stock GM parts availability.
Even if you had tested the 5.3 gen V engine, which is the same design as the 6.2 LT1, it would have made just as much power or more than the gen ll LT1. Modern technology is a great thing.
I like the fact you foreshadowed this test two days ago with your opening monologue Richard!
👍🏼👍🏼
To better compare the old LT1’s to the new one I did this:
(519/6.2) * 5.7= 477HP equivalent for a make believe 5.7 litre current tech LT1.
I know, not totally accurate but closer.
The new tech rocks!!
Awesome test!
70 LT1 360 versus 370hp in Vette, remember the L78 (396) in the vette it was rated 425hp all other variants were 375. I don’t believe there was any difference then either.
I loved it! I have a 92 corvette with Gen 2 Lt1. I will swap the new gen v Lt1 in it asap. Big cam, too! 550hp net... Going with the Tremec 7 speed.
It would be interesting to see you get your hands on an Olds 403 for the other guys series. Ive always wanted to see what they could do on a dyno with is extremely oversquare design and having the largest bore of the GM v8s.
I've always thought the 403 Olds was underappreciated. If only you could find good enough heads for it.
That's not a bad idea until you look at the bottom end of a 403. All the hardcore Olds guys use diesel blocks and none of them use 403 blocks. For a street driven car with less than 400hp it's probably not a big deal. Just for everyone else, an olds 350 will be.more durable and a 425 or 455 is almost as easy to fit and more durable. Unless you are getting the shortblock for free, I would probably try to find one of the more desirable engines.
@@timothybayliss6680 Undoubtedly the 403 has some definite issues with its shortblock, along with its pretty short production run, but with the kind of testing he is doing with the other guys series I think it would be interesting to look at mainly due to its unorthodox bore/stroke for a 400 cube engine.
@@timothybayliss6680 olds 455 block using a 425 crank or diesel olds converted to gas and 425 crank
Had a minty clean 77 Electra coupe back in 01.
3.23 posi from a roadmaster, shift kit, cheap summit cam, open air cleaner, and headers with 2.5 inch exhaust. That big bitch was quick.
I have an over cammed 350, sounds nice, horrible on fuel & it's anemic, came with my 69. Disappointed to say the least.
I knwo it's going to get pulled, but what to replace it with....... looking at 427 Small Blocks w/EFI, or should I go a LS/LT swap? Decisions... DeCisions.... DECISIONS...... hhhmmmm....
Great Vid........ I am also interested in a Modern 302 but haven't found many out there with FI.
It would be interesting to see the gen 2 lt1 stroked to 383 with no other changes except tuning then compare it to the modern lt1???
Maybe add a cam.
I'd think that might help level the playing field with the latest LT1. Good idea.
Thanks Richard, like you I like the old school stuff too.. My father scored a ‘70 LT1 long motor in the mid to late 70s (out of his Boss’ genuine LT1 Vette which had a BB fitted!!) and put it in his ‘69 Holden Ute here in Oz!!! Was an impressive car - even as a 7 or 8 year old kid!!
Hard to ignore the technological advances of the Gen V. I was surprised to see a relatively flat torque curve from the short runner intake on the second gen LT1.. would a long runner intake add value in that application ?
The difference was the Corvette had a Rams Head exhaust manifold and the Camaro had a regular exhaust manifold
The Direct injection LT-1 will ALWAYS make 7% to 10% more torque. Because the same engine that has Port injection, has fuel in the Airstream. Air & Fuel have to enter the cylinder through the valve opening. Fuel displacement in the Airstream is 7% to 10%.
That is WHY a propane or natural gas fueled engine is 7% to 10% down on torque, compared to the same engine on gasoline.
For example, a 300 cfm head will flow 270 cfm air & 30 cfm of fuel.
Direct inject engine using the the same 300 cfm head, will flow 300 cfm of air & inject the fuel After the intake valve has closed.
Very interesting comparison
I feel sorry for the 1970 . We thought they were fast. Need to do a LS 427 comparison against a 1970 LS7 454.
Don't feel sorry for us... Everything is relative.
Things were simpler and a lot more fun back then.
Externally how can you tell the difference from a 5.7L (P) LT-1 Engine and a 4.3L LT-1 Engine that was offered in the Caprice???
The 5.7 LT1 should have the number '327' stamped on the bottom of the engine block near motor mounts and 5.7 on the block behind intake where the motor connects to the transmission. The L99 4.3 engine has '588' on the engine block in same places and 4.3 behind intake or near firewall of car.