I'll be ripping into MonZora's 94 Corvette LT1 for autopsy later this week, followed by a low-dollar rebuild with used parts wherever possible. I will adhere to Challenge replacement rule as closely as possible, and of course will charge my budget as appropriate where necessary. The final product will be NA, as close to OE 94 LT1 as possible.
Challenge rules state:
Emergency Repairs/Wear and Tear:
Maintenance is a reality of vehicle ownership, especially when that vehicle is used for competition. We understand that many $2000 Challenge cars can be unreliable, as a winning entry only needs to run for one autocross run and one drag race. With this in mind, competitors may replace parts that break during other competitions, daily driving, trips to or from the $2000 Challenge and during the $2000 Challenge, with identical or as-close-to-identical-as-possible parts without adding to or subtracting from their budgets. Engines replaced under this rule must have the same displacement as the originally budgeted part. Any parts replaced under this exemption must be listed on the budget sheet as exempt, with an explanation of why this failure was not expected and budgeted for in advance. Parts may not be replaced at no budget impact under this rule if they were broken or heavily degraded when the car was purchased, or if the competitor knew failure was likely due to modifications. In the case of a protest that deals with a part or parts replaced under this rule, a group of nine event attendees will be selected by GRM staff, and they will vote to determine whether the part replaced without budget impact was fairly exempted.
I got a mostly complete spare short block from a B body (2 bolt mains), which has low-mileage rings and bearings and oil pump, but was retired when it broke a piston and lightly scored that bore.
Questions:
- Do standard SBC rules apply for bearing clearances?
- Are the standard "how to rebuild SBC" rules apply everywhere else in the Gen 2 LT1?
- What ring gaps should I be aiming for, and is it worth the risk to remove and check gap on used rings and pistons? IIRC the LT1 uses hypereutectic pistons, if that matters.
This thread will be for Q&A. I will link this thread into the MonZora build thread, and will document the tear down and rebuild in that thread.
