Hey guys, I saw a craigslist ad for a $1000 95 Caprice SS which I assume runs with the LT1 engine. Is there a difference between that engine and the engine in the 93-97 fourthgens? I'd like to swap something into my 91 TA someday and these caprices seem to be a dime-a-dozen, so that seems promising. I thought I'd share the link to the ad in case anyone is looking for an LT1 power plant since I can't swap an engine now. Looks like a good deal, pull the drivetrain and then part out the rest of the car! Maybe it'll even pay for itself.

http://westernmass.craigslist.org/cto/1822352706.html

 

I dont know if there is a difference in the engines but that's no SS that's a wannabe , if anything it looks like a cabbie or an old police car that got resprayed

 

Agreed, I'd skip that one entirely. But to answer the original question here, the main difference is that these cars got iron heads, while the F-twins and 'vette got aluminum heads. These iron heads do flow slightly better, but mostly just think of these as a source of good blocks for aftermarket aluminum heads, such as offered by Edelbrock, TFS, and AFR.

 

B-body cams are slightly more aggressive too. Front accessories are laid out similar to the Fbody's but do not interchange from F to B-body. B's never have with a manual trans either

 

I'd forgotten that stuff, and I'd say the cams were more aggressive at the lower RPM, but less aggressive at higher rpm, compared to the cams used with aluminum heads. That aside, Pocket is correct.

 

Oh I see, but if that one truly does have an LT1, then that's still a good deal. Just a peek under the hood would give you an answer. Maybe it's an SS clone. Cop cars had LT1s optional too I think. But you guys probably know better than me... I don't know nearly as much about B-bodies as I do f-bodies.

 

Be sure it's not a L99 4.3L V8. Like 305vs350's they look identical on the outside. Check the casting numbers on the block or look on the pad behind the drivers cyl head. LT1s have 5.7L cast right there

 

Most likely it is a L99 & not a LT1.

I've never heard of a Caprice SS. Impala SS? Yes, but not a Caprice SS. I bet that is just a Caprice wrapped up in Impala SS clothes.

 

Impala, Caprice, Caddy Fleetwood, Buick Roadmaster all got the iron head 5.7 LT1 or 4.3 L99. Make sure which engine your getting.

 

I think it's either fake or too beaten. L99 cars were built with single cats and 7.625" axles. LT1 versions had dual cats and 8.5" axles.
The engine itself is only worth $500, so if it doesn't have the 8.5" axle, then pass on it.

 

There's absolutely no question that it's not an SS... simply looking at the rear pillar confirms that.

What's truely important though, is what motor it's got. Plenty of Caprices got the LT1, so it's certainly possible that it's an LT1 car. It's also possible that the PO swapped in an LT1 as part of his SS-clone project.

But, that raises another point... if you're after an LT1, there's always the possibility of getting one out of a junk yard. LKQ has a yard in Shirley MA and another one in Leominster. Both are big yards with a good supply of late model stuff. Of course, if you're going to go that route... you might as well get a price for a 5.3 truck motor along with the LT1.

 

that's apples and oranges in more ways than just the obvious. Even with the short-runner intake, the LT1 has so much more off-idle torque than the 5.3, it's night and day. The LT1 will happily pull 6200 rpm, but also can happily run down the interstate doing 1400 rpm at 65 mph. This is so far beyond a stock 5.3, there's just no describing the difference to anyone who hasn't driven both.
The LQ9 can rival the LT1, but LKQ asks much more $ for the LQ9s.

 

The LQ9 doesn't rival the lt1. It's more of an apples to oranges comparison then the lt1 vs 5.3L.

As for that particular vehicle, I'd be wary of purchasing a donor b-body car as I don't know how much parts are worth. Certainly if you bought an lt1 fbody donor car you could make some money parting it out as long as the shell was nice. I'm not sure how profitable a caprice would be on the parts market?

 

go get your coffee. The off-idle torque of the LQ9 is much closer to the off-idle torque of the LT1. The LM7 won't pull 1400 at 65, the LQ9 will. Those 2 facts make the LQ9 the closer match.

 

5.3L (285hp/325ft-lbs)

93-95 LT1 F-Bod (275bhp, 325lb-ft)
96-97 LT1 F-Body (285bhp, 325lb-ft)

LQ9 (345hp/380ft-lbs)


I'm just sayin'...

 

I do 1700 @ 75mph nearly every day with a stock LM7, no struggling what-so-ever. They make more torque than you think. The LSx intake design is very similar to TPI with the longer runners building quite a bit of bottom end torque. Sure, its not the same as a LQ4/9 but they are pretty torquey

 

My brother just picked up a complete 99 LS1 motor with 4L60E, 27K miles, for $1300.
He just txt'd me a picture of it when they dropped it off at the shop.

I'd personally skip the LT1 motors altogether.