I'm thinking of putting the GM replacement LM1 engine in my '85 camaro. Has anyone done this? I can't seem to find the lobe angle seperation for this motor in any specs. I would think it would be alright since it's a stock replacment motor but I'd like opinions.

http://www.sdpc2000.com/cart.asp?act...id=130&pid=383

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1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula LO3/700R4
-180 degree stat, Hooker Cat-Back, Wonder Bar
Waiting for install: Open element 14x3, 95 vette LT1 cam
**Coming Sometime**
4th gen seats, 3.42/torsen(posi), Edlebrock Performer TBI intake, headers, y-pipe and cat, afpr
http://www.geocities.com/krt80/

 

Well the heads on it are most likely garbage, and the cam would have to go to, i mean, you seriously would go through the trouble of an engine swap and leave a peanut cam in it, why bother?
As long as the heads aren't swirl ports then i suppose you could get by with them as long as your goals aren't too high. You'd seriously want to run a better cam though, at least something on par w/ your current stock cam. A better choice would be something in the comp XR line, there are a few in the 260' advertised duration range that would work really nice.
...ed

 

That engine would give you virtually no gain in power over your current 305. The compression ratio is way too low, the heads are most likely crap like Ed says, and the cam is smaller than your factory one - which also sucks-a$$ - like Ed says. I'll admit that the price is fairly tempting, but in this case you get what you pay for. I would guess that this engine is designed as a truck or full-size car (ie. caprice) replacement engine and not a performance application.

You should see if they sell this as a short block as at that point you could install whatever heads you want and bump up the compression ratio with smaller cumbustion chambers. You could also easily slide a new bump-stick in that would yield better power. It is a 4-bolt with all new parts, so it would be a decent platform to build on.....

my $.02

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1987 GTA L98 MD8 GH3
355 '97 Vortec 4-bolt block, TRW(suck) forged pistons 10:1 CR, TFS 23*, LT4 Hot Cam, Ported plenum and intake, SLP Siam Runners, BBK 52mm TB, Edelbrock TES, gutted Cat, Flowmaster, CAI w/K+N cone, AFPR, TB bypass, !AIR, !A/C, !EVAP, ARAP, 2300 stall, Alum. Driveshaft, Hotchkis STB, '99 Camaro seats.

Coming Soon!!: Fourth gen 3.42:1 rear, Spohn LCAs and Panhard.

 

I have the best cam a thirdgen got. It would increase my performance dramatically over this smokey old 305. I've read this engine rated anywhere from 240hp to 265hp so it would beat my 215hp version of the 305. It's a good value at around $1300 and I'm not looking for anymore performance than stock at the moment. I'd just like to know if anybody has done his and how well it runs.

 

I'd be curious how they managed to dyno 249 hp @ 5000 rpm on that tinyass cam and stock cast-iron heads and 8.5:1 CR. Single-plane manifold, open exhaust, no emissions equipment and no accessories probably. Not really a fair test. I'd say once it was installed in a real-world vehicle, it would be lucky to make 200 hp at 4000 rpm.

 

Seriously Keith, 88 is on the money. There was a case, maybe not even a month ago where a guy was trying to figure out why his L98 GTA was so much slower than others. It eventually came out that it was actually something like what you are looking at, a stock replacement truck engine that he had installed like a year before. And when i say slow, i mean slow, i think he was in the 16s.
If i was a betting man, i'd take your 85 LB9 over that smogger 350 anyday in a race. Like 88 said, that 249 hp rating was probably done gross style w/ a nice intake, headers and no accesories on it. In a real world vehicle it will not make that much power. I don't know how else to prove it to you except to tell you to look at the L98 cars. Minimum 9.5:1 compression through the years vs 8.5:1. Also, the smallest L98 cam was around 203/207 vs the peanut lookalike 195/202. Yet somehow that engine makes MORE power than the highest rated L98? No, not likely.
Like i said in my other post, at the minimum swap cams. It's a decent shortblock to start with, and if you're never planning anything too crazy it will serve you well. Ideally it is making that 8.5:1 w/ 76cc heads, so you could always swap to some smaller chamber heads w/ better flow down the road and make all that power up. But in an car cam swap is a PITA and you might as well take care of that when it's a gravy job out of the car. With even the mildest of aftermarket cams all bets are off and it will outdo your LB9. But with that thing in there, i think you'd be driving a 200hp (if you were lucky) dog, and you'd have to tell people you swapped to an 86 LB9 to cover the fact that it was so slow.
Just my opinion of course.

[This message has been edited by Ed Maher (edited August 24, 2001).]

 

The heads are 72cc. If I were to do this I would port the tune port setup. I'd get headers. I wouldn't have any emissions or AC on the car either. Once the warranty had run out I might do a cam swap, maybe a head swap it would depend on just how slow it was. I'm thinking of just waiting on that car though, and when the time comes to do something with it to make it "special" like a 4th gen engine/tranny/interior swap.

But seriously no one on this tpi board has put this engine in there car themselves?

 

I'm not sure if it's the LM1, but here's the post i was thinking of. The guy has a caprice replacement 350 in his TA and it ran 15.2 @ 89. Like i said, your 85 LB9 should be at leasta couple tenths/mph ahead of that.

https://www.thirdgen.org/messgboard/...ML/002406.html

 

The caprice motor your talking about is the L05, not the LM1. The L05 has swirlport heads and a sucky cam, that engine is only rated at like 210 or 220.

BTW I don't think my LB9 even new would go that fast, my brothers '94 LT1 has only had a best of 14.5, if my car would go 15.2 I would be happy as hell.