302 LT1!!!

[95formula]

Hey guys I have been thinking alot about motors and I really want to build a le2 302 Lt1 with a different cam so I can rev it like the old school 302s but It seems I cant find the crank. So if you guys could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. Thank you and opinions welcome.

[1bad2k2ta]

95formula said:

Hey guys I have been thinking alot about motors and I really want to build a le2 302 Lt1 with a different cam so I can rev it like the old school 302s but It seems I cant find the crank. So if you guys could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. Thank you and opinions welcome.

For a 302 you will need a 3" stroke crank. Personally, I have never heard of one for the LT1s. If you want to build one just for novelty's sake, that is fine, but you won't make big power without a power adder, like a supercharger, turbo, or nitrous.

Engines 101
The key to making power is airflow. The 302 Z28s had to rev high to flow enough air to make power. If revs are all you are after, you can build a solid roller 350, or bigger cube LT1 that will rev to 8000 or 9000, and you will make much more power than a 302. You just have to have the forged parts and valvetrain to support it. The 302 Z28s were solid lifter, 11:1 compression (I think), and pretty much sucked for street driving. They were designed for road-racing, so made power in the upper mid-range to high rpm range. Big cubes with good heads will always make more "average" power than small cubes regardless of how high you rev it, because more air is flowed with every stroke. That is why you don't see 302s everywhere, but rather, you see 383s, 396s, 402s, 408s, and bigger. Longer stroke will make more torque, that is what gets a car moving, and is much more street-friendly. High rpms are hard on everything.

[95formula]

Thanks for the reply, I knew they would be a pig of the line but if its going to be that bad then I wont try it. I just thought it would be pretty cool to have a 302 instead of a 355 or 383. And my brother already has a 327 so I cant do that setup.

[95formula]

just for the hoot of it do they even make 327 or 302 cranks for lt1s

['68SuperchargedLT1Camaro]

Yes they do. Keep in mind, an LT1 is a 350. It uses all the same "old school" small block Chevrolet rotating assembly parts, as long as the crank is of the newer 1 piece rear main seal design.

If you're dead set on a 302, all you need to do is find a 1 piece rear main seal small block Chevrolet crankshaft with a 3 inch stroke. Make sure it's a "large journal" style crank. The Chevy 302's had two different main journal sizes.

Of course, you'll also need to find a 302 style piston. Everything will need to be balanced as well.

[AAron]

actually all you have to do is get a crank out of a L99 4.3L 265 CI in the '94-'96 caprice and then get rods that mate the crank to the 4" piston and have all the clearances and CR that you want.