LT1 Engine Swap - Revival

Race Krafters made these EGR block-off plates for us that screwed right onto the back of the intake and sealed up with copper RTV. Thanks, guys! Consider where these buggers are, and how hard it would be to reach them with the motor inside the car.

We gave ZEX a call to replace our previous Power Tune plugs with a colder set of Power Racers (PN 82071-8), keeping in mind the future potential for forced induction and how impossible it is to change plugs in these cars.

Just 11 ft-lb and some anti-seize are needed on the new plugs.

Pace Setter's Quick Trip Long Tube Headers (PN 72C2239) is the essence of "budget"--not cheap! Though, these ceramic-coated 1.75 x 3-inch long-tube headers cost only $450, you'll find quality welds and bends as well as thick 3/8-inch flanges and quality slip-fit connections.

The painted version will save another $150 or so, but we'd recommend the coated version. The 3-inch off-road Y-pipe (PN 82-1161) is designed to work with factory or aftermarket exhaust with some cutting.

We weren't sure what kind of hardware and gaskets would be coming with our Pace Setter headers, so Summit was gracious enough to send us some high-quality Fel-Pros and Stage 8 locking fasteners. We've had great luck with Fel-Pro gaskets on LT1s in the past, and this was no time to experiment.

The headers, gaskets, and a few of the bolts were put on all at once. It helps to use a little high-temp copper RTV to get the gasket stuck to the header, so it doesn't move around as much. Despite Pace Setter's excellent design for added bolt clearance, several bolts are difficult to get even an open-end on.

So using a torque wrench to apply 26 ft-lb is going to be pretty much impossible. Good and tight will have to do. Needless to say, installing the locking fasteners is also impossible.

This was also a good time to change out the O2 sensors, as it would aid the PCM on more accurately calculating the desired air/fuel ratio. Summit sent us these NTK sensors (PN NGK-21006), which have a four-wire design compatible with our OBD I. At just under $43, they are a wise investment on high-mileage cars to avoid tuning or driveability issues.