Hello0o0o0o So. Cal LTX !

[birdstheword]

Hi, located in the Inland Empire area, just migrated over from TGO . I plan on swapping an LT1 into my T/A, hopefully I can learn enough from this forum to make my swap a little easier.28792

[popo8]

Welcome to the site. SO happy to see people still chosing the LT for swaps. YOU def found the right site for help and advice. Tell us more about urself and ur plans....

We also love pics... So please post up, and start a build thread when the time comes. WELCOME TO THE FAM!!!!

LTXtech.com is my DRUG!

[ZOHAN]

Awesome man. Been to visit the empire area a time or two. Car looks clean. Anything done to it or the CA smog rules holding you down? Haha

Making you silky smooth...

[McCauleyWB]

Welcome Luis! Nice to see another So Cal enthusiast.

[birdstheword]

wow, thanks for the warm welcome. The donor is a '94 Trans Am, I bought the car about a month ago for $900.00 wich later turned out to be 1300.00 because PO said it ran but shut off when it got hot, he claimed it was the ignition control module (wasn't the issue). I switched out the sensor right then and there but as soon as i got on the freeway it stalled. I would have to reset the PCM and it would get me going for 7 miles then it would do it again. I ended up doing this for about 25 miles then my father freaked out and said it was too dangerous, he said to park it somewhere and we would come back the next day with a trailer. the next day as i'm leaving my neighborhood my dad's truck stalls. turns out one of the EGT sensors is bad (Ford F450). So, I ended up renting a uhaul truck and the trailer . After all the driving and what not the total was 1300.00. The car itself is not stock. It has a 3'' flowmaster catback with a spintech muffler,Had TTII's . other than that the rest of the car is untouched. Initially i planned for an L98 swap but god knows everyone wants your left nut for a 'corvette' motor especially if it's speed density. After seeing the add on CL for the trans am I made up my mind that my T/A was getting an LT1. After reading endless build threads I suddenly realized how much better the LT1 is than the old L98. so, here I am . My plan for the motor is to first swap it into my '88 and take it to the smog ref. and make the swap legal. After i do that i'd like to build up something capable of 450 RWHP or enough to beat my dads 'vert C6 LS2/t56 on stock runflats. For the top end i'm thinking LE3 package (hopefully I can pass smog with this setup), along with supporting valvetrain. For the bottom end I really don't know what to do . Stock crank with forged rods and pistons OR buy a forged 355 kit . Is a 355 a stroker? another thing i'm trying to figure out is CR and how high i can go on 91 octane. many more questions to be asked, for now that's all, don't want to make this a super long post.

[McCauleyWB]

Why does everyone hate that driver's side rear quarter (rhetorical)? The last two fourth gens I purchased both had damage in the same spot. I can't even count how many others I've seen the same way.

A 355 is not a stroker. Generally speaking, they are both bored .030" over. The "stroker" term simply signifies a longer crankshaft stroke. With a 355, you can reuse the stock crank -- which is still capable of supporting a good amount of power. You and I are in the same boat being in CA and shooting for mid 400 HP while maintaining emissions and being able to run 91. I've been struggling with my build for a while now. Decided to push forward with a 383 (stroker) and AI top end. Your cam choice is going to greatly impact whether or not it will pass the sniffer. Watch that duration & overlap. Lloyd (LE) recommended a static compression ratio under 12 and dynamic CR of 8.7 - 8.8 at the absolute highest with good tune in order to run 91. This is consistent with what I have seen elsewhere. I managed to get mine within the limitations while staying as high as I dared to go. Lloyd will be able to walk you through the options though. You're in good hands.

[birdstheword]

here's a few more pictures so you can get an idea of the condition the car is in .

[birdstheword]

Why does everyone hate that driver's side rear quarter (rhetorical)? The last two fourth gens I purchased both had damage in the same spot. I can't even count how many others I've seen the same way.

A 355 is not a stroker. Generally speaking, they are both bored .030" over. The "stroker" term simply signifies a longer crankshaft stroke. With a 355, you can reuse the stock crank -- which is still capable of supporting a good amount of power. You and I are in the same boat being in CA and shooting for mid 400 HP while maintaining emissions and being able to run 91. I've been struggling with my build for a while now. Decided to push forward with a 383 (stroker) and AI top end. Your cam choice is going to greatly impact whether or not it will pass the sniffer. Watch that duration & overlap. Lloyd (LE) recommended a static compression ratio under 12 and dynamic CR of 8.7 - 8.8 at the absolute highest with good tune in order to run 91. This is consistent with what I have seen elsewhere. I managed to get mine within the limitations while staying as high as I dared to go. Lloyd will be able to walk you through the options though. You're in good hands.

Both rear quarters are F***** . Same goes for front and rear bumpers.
A stroker is out of the question for me . Machining and parts would make my build cost go through the roof.
Who's doing your tuning. I Emailed Westech but no reply yet.

[McCauleyWB]

Both rear quarters are F***** . Same goes for front and rear bumpers.
A stroker is out of the question for me . Machining and parts would make my build cost go through the roof.
Who's doing your tuning. I Emailed Westech but no reply yet.

I started out the same way. Initially, I was going to do a simple H/C rebuild after my head gaskets failed. It looked like I was going to need some machine work to true things up after examining it. As long as I was doing that, plans turned in to a 355 then a 383 soon after. More displacement should make it easier to pass emissions while also adding a bit more low-end fun. Not looking to build this particular project a second time, so I've come to grip over the cost as long as it lasts another 100 thousand miles. Here's hoping :)

Other than the mail order tunes, I haven't found many places locally that I'd trust. Most of the LTX tuners in So Cal have moved on to other things over the years. There is a dyno shop in Lawndale that I was referred to by the owner of a Procharged '93 who worked with them. This shop is one of two places I am considering for my shortblock work. If you find a good place, I'd appreciate the info.

[NoMoneyZ]

Welcome aboard. I'm from the high desert area. About 30 min up the cajon pass in apple valley. Not a huge Fbody gathering out here but there are a few. I'm actually in the spot of putting my car back to stock so it will be smog legal again. Hopefully I can do heads and cam to make up for the lost power of the long tubes I'm removing.
Also, the third gen will be cake to swap. You can use so much of your donor car to swap over to it. Just make sure you put every single piece of smog equipment on the Third gen that came off the fourth gen. It's a pain out here, but if you do it clean and not hacked up they won't give you as much trouble. Looking forward to seeing the swap. I really want to do that swap one day.

[birdstheword]

WHOA was I gone for a while. I've got both engines ripped out of both the '94 and '88 T/A's. As i removed the 'Y' pipe I noticed that the PO gutted the catalytic converter.
I'd hate to buy a new one when I plan replacing it with a high flow unit as soon as i pass inspection. anyone have a stock cat laying around for sale ? I should be starting my thread pretty soon, i've been busy with parting out the '94 and trying to find a job (finally got one) . so things should pick up in the following weeks.
@ NoMoneyZ, Hi ! I know the High desert, The PO of my '88 told me that it once was stolen up there and was found resting on bricks,luckily it didn't affect the title . I also got see some nice boobs up in Apple valley at some random party lol, the roads at night out there are fun to drive fast on .

[popo8]

Glad ur getting some progress... congrats on the job.

U may wanna start a seperate thread for the cat so people see it without having to hope they go thru this one....

Keep us updated!

[birdstheword]

Glad ur getting some progress... congrats on the job.

U may wanna start a seperate thread for the cat so people see it without having to hope they go thru this one....

Keep us updated!

Thanks, I tried posting in the WTB section but turns i need a minimum of 25 posts to post in that section .

[popo8]

Lol... well get to postin...

[Madman337]

Awesome to see more Cali people out here, yes the smog police and their rules suck but if your careful you can still make some good power and pass the sniffer test. I also would like to know about a tuner for mine as well so if you find one please pass the info on.

[95albinobird]

i'm the odd man out i would have just fixed the green machines body.it looks like the 88 also needs paint and body work and some interior.IMO

[birdstheword]

i'm the odd man out i would have just fixed the green machines body.it looks like the 88 also needs paint and body work and some interior.IMO

You and my father think alike. The problem with the '94 is that it owes close to $700.00 in registration fees, that's why i got the car for so cheap. The '88 I've owned since i was 17 and was my home for two weeks and it was my first car, aside from the personal attachment the car has zero rust, I sanded it down to bare metal and sprayed it with rattle can primer (I was 18 at the time) . The only body work it needs is in the front quarter panels (PO's wife drove the car and she was super short).