LT1 Avanti

Hello,
I am selling a 1963 Studebaker Avanti with a Chevy 350. I believe it is a 1970 LT1. I have come across information that indicates this engine might be valuable to Corvette restorers. I was wondering if members of this forum would be able to provide insight into its value. If it is of sufficient value I would sell it separately from the car. The Holley carburetor list number is 4555, engine block number 3970010, it has an Edelbrock intake manifold. I was told the engine was from a 1970 Camaro and was put into my vehicle when it had 30,000 miles in the 1970's. It also has wheels I believe were offered on the Camaro (Kelsey Hayes Stripper). I purchased the vehicle in Pennsylvania in the mid 1990's. I have put about 37,000 miles on the car and engine. I am not sure how many miles were put on the car between the time the engine was installed and the time I purchased it. But the engine is a screamer. Thank you in advance for any assistance.
LT1 Avanti

Priya

Sounds like quite a car but yes it probably makes better financial sense to remove the LT1, sell it and put an original motor in the Avanti.

BBCorv70

The only way I think it would be very valuable to a Corvette restorer is if the partial VIN on the stamp pad matches a Corvette someone is trying to restore. An original engine which may be reunited with a car may be worth some $$ to somebody. Otherwise it's another Chevy 350 small block, nothing extraordinary. It could be worth something to someone looking for a 'correct' block, proper casting number and date code, for a restoration project though not nearly as much as an original.

Sonny71

That block number was used from 1970 thru 1980, you would need engine number from the front of the block and the engine codes something like CTU, CTV, CTR for it to be a 370hp. The Holley R4555A #3972121 was the correct carb for a 1970 LT1

Mike Ward

You'll quickly learn that all engines removed from a GM product (any GM product) magically 'came from a Corvette'- and a HP version at that. By the same token, all Corvettes that are missing their original engines 'used to be an original high HP big block.'.

The block casting number you've quoted was used in just about every GM car and truck built in the '70s and early 80s. There's a bazillion of them around.

LeMans Pete

Check the engine pad. I believe for camaros the engine suffux for LT1 was CTB and CTC. For corvettes it is CTK, CTU or CTV. If it has the VIN, the 2nd digit is a 2 (for camaro, 9 for corvette), the 3rd is a 4 (for V8) and the 6th should be a 0 for 1970.

Post some pictures as well, especially of the engine pad and the carb.

HamadUP

That LT1 engine lost its value once it was separated from the original car.

BBCorv70

So far as being worth big $$. Otherwise its value is pretty much determined by what ever the current market may pay for an LT1 engine for some other project.

...Roger...

I agree ,if it's matched up with the original car it came out of ,it has decent value.
LT1 is used pretty loosely,does yours have all the LT1 goodies inside ?

Note- I just sold an over the counter LT1 (73 date code)with angle plug heads for $500,I thought it should have brought more.

LT1 Avanti

Thank you for the input.
The engine described below is the one I believe I have. It has the rams' horn exhaust manifolds, the 780 Holley (I have an Edelbrock on it right now), the aluminum intake, and ribbed aluminum valve covers. I will add a few photos and look up the numbers mentioned. If it needs to be matched to the car I should post a thread on the Camaro forum. If it is worth little it is best left where it is because it gives the Avanti the kind of performance it had originally with its supercharged motor.

"The LT-1 was the ultimate 350 cu in V8, becoming available in 1970. It used solid lifters, 11:1 compression, the '178' high-performance camshaft, and a 780 CFM Holley four-barrel carburetor on a special aluminum intake, with rams' horn exhaust manifolds in the Chevrolet Corvette, Delco transistor ignition and a low-restriction exhaust factory rated at 370*bhp in early Corvette sales literature, but actually only sold as 360*bhp version at 6000 rpm and 380*lb-ft at 4000[7] (the NHRA rated it at 425*hp for classification purposes). Redline was 6500 rpm but power fell off significantly past 6200 rpm. The LT-1 was available in the Corvette, Corvette ZR-1, and Camaro Z28." Wiki

There are photos on its website:http://1963avanti4sale.weebly.com/

Thanks again for the input.

Mike Ward

All of the special features you've listed are either incorrect for an LT-1, such as an Edelbrock manifold, are common to all Corvette engine (rams horn manifolds), or are very common aftermarket add-ons. What identification marks as mentioned in posts above lead you to believe that this is an LT-1?

69VetteFla

Nice looking Avanti. Like the center headlights feature that move with the front wheels.

...Roger...

It says in the add that its a 350 out of a 71 Camaro.

7T1vette

The worth of that engine will be based on its condition, rather than what it came out of. Your engine, if in decent condition, will bring more money than just any ol' SBC engine...but not a lot more. You didn't 'hit the Motherload' with it.

But, if some of the components are correct for either Corvette or Camaro LT-1 cars, you may be able to get some decent money for them (carb, crank, rods, etc.).

LT1 Avanti

I suppose I was hoping that I did "hit the motherload". I would not mind selling the engine and keeping the car.

Information I have so far shows the Holley 4555 used on the 1970 LT1 Z28 Camaro with a manual transmission. In 1971 they switched to the 4801. I thought it was a 1971 because that is what I remembered the previous owner telling me 17 years ago. I am not too sure he remembered. He had more than a dozen cars in a two story barn with a bridge connecting the second story to a hillside.

I will have a chance tonight or tomorrow to inspect the engine for its code: "Small Block Chevy: Machined pad in front of the passenger side cylinder head. Often hidden by the alternator." And that may solve any mystery. The engine is in good shape and very strong. Obviously I do not have much experience with engines. I purchased the car because of the design of the car and in spite of the non Studebaker engine, though it has impressed me. If the most money the engine could bring is $1000 or $2000 it devalues the car too much to remove it. If the codes confirm the engine as a 1970 LT1 with 360 hp it does give an additional selling point.

The center swivelling roadlight was something added by the previous owner.... as was the message panel on the back.

The previous owner seemed to use quality components. The mirrors I was treating like throw away chrome from a Vega turned out to be Talbot green dots used on Mercedes and Porsche.

spf72

I am just finishing up building a 70 LT-1 engine and have spent some time looking for real LT-1 parts. To my knowledge there are no parts that are unique to the LT-1. There may be a code difference on say the distributor but all of the parts appear on something else so the date codes and numbers become very important to someone doing this kind of rebuild. The parts you have mentioned so far are not the hard to find big dollar parts. The exhaust and valve covers mentioned are many times aftermarket and are on many different cars. The carb - if all of the numbers and date code are correct is worth a couple hundred if it needs to be refreshed, you can get them all done for the $500-$700 range.

The parts I would pay more money for over another sbc part are - ignition system including dist, coil and amp, the right numbered alternator is fairly valuable, heads if they are real LT-1 with a 70 date code, the right coded intake (not the aftermarket many think is an LT-1) the proper coded crank (if it has never been ground) a good set of original rods and pistons - good meaning slightly or never used.

I have a 70 LT-1 car so it has been a fun and worthwhile project for me but I can't see why anyone would ever go to the trouble and the expense if they didn't have the right car to put it into. You can build a much better engine for less money so your market is fairly limited. A real LT-1 complete engine with 100% of the right original parts that needed a rebuild would be worth around $3k-$4k to someone that needed it. If you have any of the hard to get items and they are 70 LT-1 I would be interested in them that way you could keep the base motor and switch out certain parts but it probably wouldn't be worth the trouble.

spf72

I meant to mention that I wouldn't get to excited if the block identification shows it to be an LT-1 block as that by itself has little value - I bought a 72 LT-1 proper coded block for $250. As with many things it is what's inside (and bolted on) that counts.

arcticcatmatt

Interesting thread. I found a 1971 Z-28 LT-1 Camaro engine in my 1971 Corvette. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...gine-code.html
Thinking of putting the original connecting rods on ebay

joewill

some people will pay more for the nostalgia of the engine, until they tear it apart and find it no longer has the correct rods, or now has hydraulic lifters, or find that the date code of the engine and it's parts are way off and the engine is a hodge podge of parts.. a corvette with a chevelle engine stamp won't get you any more money for a car. so you would have to play games with the stamp.

you see these engines for sale on ebay lots of time, but rarely do all the numbers and date codes line up and rarely does a 40 year old engine have it's same internals.

you can build or buy a crate that has better technology, more horsepower and is usually the best economical decision to make when you take all the other considerations.

the engine is just a used 350 that if I bought it, would cost me hundreds to ship and who knows what the clearances are to just slap the thing in my car. it most likely would have to be rebuilt. and by the OP's posts, doesn't know what or if he has anything.

there are several 'LS6' blocks on EBAY with mismatched date codes and old stampings that would achieve nothing for one's claim or originality when one looks close enough.

unless you want to find a stamping guy with the correct broacher and stamping fonts and knowledge of correct date ranges that can do your car right. that will cost you 4 figures in addition to the shipping ( to you, then back and forth to the stamper ) and the cost of the engine itself. then you are getting into a ethical argument.


it is a used 350 that probably needs rebuilt, I would not pay much, hardly worth the shipping.

Vette5.5

Know you've been trying to verify a few things here, but if what you have is truely a 70' pure stock LT-1, gotta be worth a decent buck to someone here. After 70' compression went down, so this is very desirable. Also knew a couple guys with early Avanti's, and somehow don't think you'll be finding replacement S/C AMC 289's on the cheap either.