LT1 Gen 2 Camaro Engine Swap into Monza?

[Malcolm7]

Newbie question: how easily will a 1994 Camaro LT1 5.7L Gen 2 engine + T5 transmission fit into a 1980 Monza - now set up with V6 and Saginaw 4 speed ?

Particular questions:
1. Are special motor mounts needed?
2. Will stock exhaust manifolds clear steering column, or are special headers required?
3. How to handle the electronic engine controls?
4. The engine is listed at ~ 450lbs vs 375lb for the V6. Will the front suspension need an upgrade?
5. How different will the shifter position be? I now have a console. Somewhere I read that an S10 tailstock on a T5 will put the shifter position close to the Saginaws.

I am looking for ligher weight options than the standard 575lb 350 - and do not seek more than 300hp.

[marco_1978_spyder]

Hi there, I'll take the first stab at this...

Newbie question: how easily will a 1994 Camaro LT1 5.7L Gen 2 engine + T5 transmission fit into a 1980 Monza - now set up with V6 and Saginaw 4 speed ? Not all that bad of a swap, good thing your car already has the V6...easier than if it was a 4.

Particular questions:
1. Are special motor mounts needed? Yes Motor mounts and perches or sometimes referred to as Frame mounts or frame ears. Still find-able on here or ebay.
2. Will stock exhaust manifolds clear steering column, or are special headers required? The stock monza V8 ones will work, and the factory Y pipe will make exhaust less of a headache, but it's really restrictive for an LT1... I'd consider the H body only headers from Sanderson (shorties) or Hokker 2135's if you can find a set.
3. How to handle the electronic engine controls? A. switch to a good carb set-up.. B. use the factory stuff C. use a piggy back electronics system..you'll have to look it up.
4. The engine is listed at ~ 450lbs vs 375lb for the V6. Will the front suspension need an upgrade? Yes, but onl;y to V8 front springs. IF yours had A/C and your not using it with the V8, you might be in luck.
5. How different will the shifter position be? I now have a console. Somewhere I read that an S10 tailstock on a T5 will put the shifter position close to the Saginaws. I'll let someone else answer this, you'll need to fab up a new tranny crossmember...not hard others have done it.. not sure about anything else..you might need to modify the torque arm

I am looking for ligher weight options than the standard 575lb 350 - and do not seek more than 300hp.

[res0o7eb]

I am looking for lighter weight options than the standard 575lb 350 - and do not seek more than 300hp.

See " Easy 350 V-8 Swap" link in my sig.

[Smiley]

You can shave about 75 pounds off a "575 lb" Chevy 350 using aluminum heads, intake and water pump.
aluminum radiators are 10 to 15 lbs lighter than copper/brass type.
Muncie 4 speed saves about 30 lbs from a Saginaw 4 speed.

[cosvega76]

You can shave about 75 pounds off a "575 lb" Chevy 350 using aluminum heads, intake and water pump.
aluminum radiators are 10 to 15 lbs lighter than copper/brass type.
Muncie 4 speed saves about 30 lbs from a Saginaw 4 speed.

The LT1 already has aluminum heads, intake and water pump.

Chuck

[cosvega76]

Newbie question: how easily will a 1994 Camaro LT1 5.7L Gen 2 engine + T5 transmission fit into a 1980 Monza - now set up with V6 and Saginaw 4 speed ?

Particular questions:
1. Are special motor mounts needed?
2. Will stock exhaust manifolds clear steering column, or are special headers required?
3. How to handle the electronic engine controls?
4. The engine is listed at ~ 450lbs vs 375lb for the V6. Will the front suspension need an upgrade?
5. How different will the shifter position be? I now have a console. Somewhere I read that an S10 tailstock on a T5 will put the shifter position close to the Saginaws.

I am looking for ligher weight options than the standard 575lb 350 - and do not seek more than 300hp.

Welcome! There is a wealth of knowledge here.

I'll take my stab at it:

1. Yes, special motor mounts are needed. Because of the unique water pump mount on the LT1, you'll need side motor mounts instead of the front motor plate. I would recommend checking out V8Monza.com for his replacement mounts, but you will need the V8 frame plates to use them. Otherwise, see if you can locate some Don Hardy mounts.

2. The LT1 has raised exhaust ports compared to the stock SBC that was used in the Monza, so probably your only option will be Sanderson shorties with the raised ports.

3. Electronics can be an issue if you're not computer-savvy. Either try to adapt the OE computer and harness, which can be tricky because of the anti-theft programming, or look into a MegaSquirt system. The LT1 can use a regular SBC distributor, and I believe there are carbureted intake manifolds available, if you want simple and old-school.

4. I would try installing the engine first and see how low the car sits before worrying about making changes. My car is a Vega, so it is a little lighter, but I use 4-cylinder Vega/Monza springs to get it to the ride height I liked.

5. The shifter position on the T5 will be an issue. Do a search in the Driveline section, there are members that have dealt with this. The Camaro shifter is too far back (it'll conflict with the e-brake handle), and I've heard the S-10 is too far forward. I think a member here has adapted a Mustang tailhousing and shifter.


Chuck

[avewhtboy]

I have an S10 I put an LT1/4L60E combo in about 10 years ago. No experience installing one in a Vega.

For the electronics there are a lot of places you can send your factory harness out to have it modified to a stand alone harness
if you like. They can probably program your computer as well if you like. I sent my harness out for mods at a cost of about $200
and used Tunercat software to program the computer myself.

Theres another program called Datamaster you can use for monitoring and diagnosing problems once the thing is up and running.

This is a great resource for LT1 related items. http://shbox.com/

If you want to lose more weight off the front end of the car, sell the LT1 and buy a 5.3/5.7 LS motor with an aluminum block.

Not knocking the LT1 it is a step up from your normal SBC but LS engines are just so much better and better supported.

[Smiley]

the easiest swap is a Gen 1 carb'ed, with aluminum parts to save weight and relocate the battery.
Do you already have the LT1 ?
for more Gen 2 info look here: http://www.h-body.org/dave/Building%20the%20LT1%20H-body.htm

[Malcolm7]

Thanks all for the feedback.

I do not yet have the LT1.

Still weighing options: old school vs. new school.

Also finding an lS1 donor with less than 100k miles is a challenge.

[avewhtboy]

5.3 motors are cheap and plentiful in all sorts of mileage ranges, I road in a friends S10 4 door blazer who just installed an aluminum 5.3 out of a trail blazer I think. He put the LS6 cam in it so its about 300 hp.

For the same price electronics wise, fuel pump wise, the LT1 and LS1 are going to be about the same. For sure if I was shopping for a motor LS is the hands down way to go if you are going for modern fuel injection on the cheap.


Physically it may be a little more difficult due to not being able to just buy headers and motor mounts, they may need fabricating, check the threads here to see what fits and what does not.

I am in the middle of this install, however I full framed mine so it's totally different.