A:The LS1 engine was introduced in the '97 C-5 Corvette. This engine was the first offering of the "new" small-block Chevy. It displaces 346 cid and they still call it a 5.7L engine (a little stretch). This engine went through several subtle changes in windage control in the early years, mostly due to problems with oil consumption from ring seals. As the years went on, GM worked out many of the issues and now we have an outstanding platform to build killer power.
The best donor car option for your swap would be late-'98 through '02 Camaros and Firebirds. These cars have 305-325hp LS1s with 4L60E transmissions. Also, they come equipped with standard rear sump oil pans. The Corvette has a "bat wing" oil pan design, which interferes with may engine swaps. The highest-horsepower LS1 was installed in the '04 GTOs and Corvettes that were rated at 350 hp. The F-body donor car will give you all the components you need to make a very nice swap into your '57. Also, since the engine has been out for more than 10 years, hop-up components abound. You can build that base LS1 into just about any power level you wish, so be sure to surf around the Net and check out older issues of CHP for various LS combinations.
GEN VI STROKER
Q:I have a '72 Chevelle with a 454 Gen VI block. I would like to turn it into a 496. Can I use the crank, rods, and pistons from an 8.1L Gen VII engine? If I can, what will I need to make it work? I know I can buy a kit from many places, but if I can get the parts for free, even better! Please let me know, and thank you for your help.
Natasha Parks
Via e-mail
A:As the old adage goes, free parts may be the most expensive parts you'll ever get. You may need to rework things to the point where you could have bought the right parts for less money!
The Gen VII engine is a tall-deck, 10.20-inch design, while your Gen VI 454 measures in at 9.80 inches. Also, the Gen VII 8.1L 496 cid has a much wider pan rail. What all this means is that to use the very nice nodular-iron 496 crank that features undercut and rolled fillets, you would need to cut down the counterweights to fit into the Gen VI pan rails then rebalance the rotating assembly with mallory (heavy metal), which is very expensive. Next, the connecting rods are longer for the tall-deck. You'd need special pistons to accept the higher compression height, which would also push the wrist pin up into the oil ring. This may give you problems with oil control on the street. All said and done, the price of those stroker kits, to drop into your Gen VI 454, are looking pretty good right about now. Sorry for the bad news, but I hope this has helped you with your decision. Good luck.