Cylinder heads

[Hobie]

I was scrounging around the pick n pull, and found two caprices', one with a 4.3 baby LT, and found one with a 5.7 LT1. I have a 96 k1500, and I know the vortec heads are just a cheap LT head. Has anyone tried to swap heads from an LT to a sbc before? I know the intake wont work, but if the heads will, I've got a L31 in the machine shop now, and would be a cheap way to upgrade the heads other than buying a new set of aluminum heads.

Just a thought.

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[toomanyhobbies]

Actually you have it wrong. The L31 heads are better flowing than the LT1 heads. I think the LT1 heads are also the “fastburn” heads.


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[Schurkey]

Here's a guy putting older heads on an LT1 block. You're trying to do the reverse--but maybe this gives you some ideas.

Short story: How much machine-shop equipment do you have access to?

https://www.speed-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=55826&hilit=lt1

 

[98 Nitro]

The Vortec heads flow as good or better than the LT1 Caprice heads. The only to improve on the Vortecs is to spend $$$.

 

[Hobie]

Actually you have it wrong. The L31 heads are better flowing than the LT1 heads. I think the LT1 heads are also the “fastburn” heads.


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Aah, must have misread some information, thank you for straightening this out!

Here's a guy putting older heads on an LT1 block. You're trying to do the reverse--but maybe this gives you some ideas.

Short story: How much machine-shop equipment do you have access to?

https://www.speed-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=55826&hilit=lt1

I'll read through this in a few moments, but I'm more interested in the intake due to the MPFI unit, instead of hoping I get a good Delphi MPFI unit for the vortec intake.
And honestly a decent amount, but the major stuff I dont have access too.

The Vortec heads flow as good or better than the LT1 Caprice heads. The only to improve on the Vortecs is to spend $$$.

I had my information backwards, will probably end up scrapping the idea of LT1 heads

 

[c1500deathtrap]

So you would have to use an lt1 or 4 manifold (no distributor) or a gmpp 24502592. The coolant flow is reversed, not a big deal, but there is no tstat in the intake, and the coolant passages in the deck are different (steam vents i believe). So, mount the heads, make a coolant manifold to house the tstat that gets the water out of the heads, maybe tap into the accessory mounting face of the heads? Get ignition by either using the carb manifold ( 400$) or modify the oem manifold to use a distributor, or go distributor-less with coil near plug. I wouldn't hesitate to pull the entire motor and run it as a package though. but crossing gen 1 and gen 2 small block parts is generally an expensive and pointless endeavor with today's aftermarket. I missed a **** ton of details, this is just what i can think of never having touched an lt motor.

 

[c1500deathtrap]

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/fabrication/588127-lt1-head-conversion-project-2.html Look what i found!

 

[Hobie]

So you would have to use an lt1 or 4 manifold (no distributor) or a gmpp 24502592. The coolant flow is reversed, not a big deal, but there is no tstat in the intake, and the coolant passages in the deck are different (steam vents i believe). So, mount the heads, make a coolant manifold to house the tstat that gets the water out of the heads, maybe tap into the accessory mounting face of the heads? Get ignition by either using the carb manifold ( 400$) or modify the oem manifold to use a distributor, or go distributor-less with coil near plug. I wouldn't hesitate to pull the entire motor and run it as a package though. but crossing gen 1 and gen 2 small block parts is generally an expensive and pointless endeavor with today's aftermarket. I missed a **** ton of details, this is just what i can think of never having touched an lt motor.

Like I said in the post, I've got a L31 sent off at the machine shop, and it will be getting some higher rev range goodies, and I know the LT1/L99 intakes were very nice on the high end due to the short intake runners. But the pick n pull wants $15 for the intake, and I thought "what the hell, for less than $20 I could possibly have a nice fuel injection system instead of the cfi upgrades"
But it's a huge shot in the dark, and I understand that more than likely it wont workout very well.

 

[Supercharged111]

Then you have to figure out a distributor since the LT used an opti.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

Like I said in the post, I've got a L31 sent off at the machine shop, and it will be getting some higher rev range goodies, and I know the LT1/L99 intakes were very nice on the high end due to the short intake runners. But the pick n pull wants $15 for the intake, and I thought "what the hell, for less than $20 I could possibly have a nice fuel injection system instead of the cfi upgrades"
But it's a huge shot in the dark, and I understand that more than likely it wont workout very well.

Grab the whole LT1, send the LT1 bottom end to the machine shop, sell the cast iron heads, get some LT1 aluminum heads, send the heads and intake to Lloyd Elliot. Swap the LT1 into your truck complete. For ignition, ditch the optipuke and go EFI Connection 24x for the LT1 that has the cam sensor built into the timing cover. Run the 0411 PCM and some D585 LS truck coils. Its not hard to make 400 hp at the tires under 6,000 rpm with a stock cube, heads/cam LT1.