96' Cadillac Fleetwood LT1 into 94' GMC?

[24VTurbo]

Hey guys im new here! So Dad's got a 94' ext.cab, sb, step side 2wd he bought with a motor that was... "squeeky" lol no oil was getting to cam and up!
Anyways he found a LT1, Trans, Wiring harness, and computer out of a 96' cadillac fleetwood with 15,000 km on it for $1400.00 that some guy was gunna put into a older Jag. Now heres my questions:

-Has anyone done this swap?
-Does the whole cadillac package have to be installed into the 94'?
-will the Fleetwood trans. hold up in the truck? ( truck will not be used to haul )
-Is the 96' LT1 still TBI? or is this a Vortec motor?

Also any info you can give me would be great!
Thanks,
Colby

 

[GMstrong]

a LT1 is a LT1,its a tuned port injection motor.I would just get a vortec 350 block with vortec heads and buy a vortec intake and adapted to a thorttle body injection.for 1400 you could swap in a better 5.3L motor

 

[SAATR]

Tinbender59 did this conversion on his '97, with great results. I would say go for it, especially considering the low mileage and the fact that nearly all of the necessary parts are included. His thread is here:

http://www.gmt400.com/forum/showthread.php?3780-Installing-an-LT1-in-a-1997-K1500-SBSS

The rest of the Caddy parts are not needed. The Fleetwood trans will be fine, and the OBDII LT1 is a true MPFI system as opposed to the batch fire system used on the TPI and TBI motors. It is similar to the Vortec injection system in programming, but uses a traditional Bosch style fuel injector and fuel rails as opposed to injection spider and poppet valves used on the Vortec. The 96 LT1 from the B Bodies produces similar power to the Vortec engine of the same year, though a tune and an LT4 or similar grind cam will help that out quite a bit, along with headers and a free flowing exhaust. The details from Tinbender's build should give you a good starting point, though your OBDI truck vs his OBDII truck may cause a few hiccups along the way. Either way, good luck!

 

[Horns]

Check out that thread star linked to, it's a really good thread about swapping an LT1.

Here's my thoughts on it though. You said he could get the whole package for $1400? Not worth it

You'll get minimal gains for that amount of money and it'll be a lot of work. You could get a good running used TBI engine for a lot less than that and the transplant would be much easier. But if you really want to swap to a better updated engine, start looking into LS swaps. You would spend about the same as you would for an LT1 swap but with much much greater improvements.

 

[SAATR]

Check out that thread star linked to, it's a really good thread about swapping an LT1.

Here's my thoughts on it though. You said he could get the whole package for $1400? Not worth it

You'll get minimal gains for that amount of money and it'll be a lot of work. You could get a good running used TBI engine for a lot less than that and the transplant would be much easier. But if you really want to swap to a better updated engine, start looking into LS swaps. You would spend about the same as you would for an LT1 swap but with much much greater improvements.

I really don't see how a sub 10k mile engine/trans combo with wiring is not worth $1400. You may, MAY find a 4.8L with trans with that mileage for the same or less, but a 5.3L ( forget a 5.7L or 6.0L ) is going to be 1500+, and over 2000 if it's really low mileage (like the OP's LT1) or newer than an '05. Check SOLD listings on ebay and see what you find. With a cam and tune and headers he'll have more power than the 5.3L would for less money than a comparable mileage LS engine. Now that isn't to say that he can't scour Craigslist for a deal, but he'll be waiting a while for something like that to come along.

 

[Horns]

I guess that just shows how much price varies from place to place. You could get a 5.3L with under 50k, and the trans for about $1k around here.

-Via Mobile-

 

[93SierraWT]

I guess that just shows how much price varies from place to place. You could get a 5.3L with under 50k, and the trans for about $1k around here.

-Via Mobile-

That's where I need to be.

 

[GMstrong]

Location is key i guess,I just found a LS1 for 700 bucks with the harness and tsp cam not sure of the specs,with 56k on it.

 

[SAATR]

I'm not saying that there aren't deals to be had out there. A buddy of mine picked up a 30k mile 4.8 with trans and all the wiring and accessories for 300 from a guy who was in a bind for cash. Street price is a good bit more though, as he quickly sold it for substantially more.

 

[TylerZ281500]

lt1 is a unique engine of its own just like ls1. many parts wont interchange with any old sbc. definitely a swap worth doing if yuo have the parts available for a good price.