Spotted: Is This The First LT1 Swapped C10 In The World?

LT1swapleadartGR

The sixth annual Holley LS Fest in Bowling Green, Kentucky was really a memorable one. We strived to cover the whole event as quickly as possible, and we saw some amazing projects while we were there.

One of those projects was Muscle Rods’ junkyard LT1 swapped prototype ’68 C10 truck. We think this may just be the first junkyard LT1 swap prototype we’ve seen.

This is what the beginning of the LT1 swap generation will look like.

This is what the beginning of the LT1 swap generation will look like.

Phil Brewer is the owner of Muscle Rods in Cumming, Georgia. The guys there are no strangers to LS swaps, having over a decade of experience performing previous LS swaps. But what about the LT engine? How hard would it be to swap GM’s most advanced V8 engine to-date into another chassis?

Muscle-Rods-103For that question, we went directly to the source himself. We asked Brewer of the complications they may have ran into during the swap. He replied with, “You can only run a 1 & 7/8th-inch sized exhaust manifold on the LT1 engine. Because the exhaust ports are that size, we had to build custom fabricated exhaust manifolds which flows to a two-inch collector. The valves themselves are reversed compared to the LS series engines as well.”

Muscle-Rods-109Brewer explains that while that was the brute of the installation, everything else was a piece of cake,”We never had to trim a single thing. We build our kits on actual cars, that are owned by actual enthusiasts. We don’t fabricate a generic component which requires extensive modification to actually make it work. Everything will bolt into the stock location as if it were a factory replacement, and will include a lifetime warranty on all of the components.”

Even for a prototype, the fitment looks spot-on in this LT1 swapped C10 truck.

This ’68 C10 is fitted with a 2014 GM truck’s accessory drive.

The more we spoke with Brewer, the further it became clear that Muscle Rods may quickly become the go-to LT swap guys. Brewer’s plan is to continue working on the C10, with the intention of releasing a final version of the kit as soon as possible. “Once that’s completed, we’re moving straight to cars.” said Brewer.

Muscle-Rods-105He adds, “Engineering the swap takes a lot of patience. The most difficult part was finding an oil pan which doesn’t need to be modified. We tested a Corvette dry-sump oil pan first. However, the drain plug sits very low on the oil pan, causing it to make contact with the K-member. On the ’16 Cadillac truck oil pan, the pan sits too low on most A-body and G-body frame cars. It’s going to be a difficult piece to make, but we’ll do whatever it takes.” Brewer continues, explaining that the fuel system setup on the new LT1 engine is incredible. The pump itself flows at 2,200 PSI, which is really remarkable for an OEM fuel pump. We inquired with Brewer regarding what enthusiasts can expect from the LT swap kit. Brewer explained that the current focus is on early ’64-’72 GM trucks.

The Muscle Rods LT swap kit includes: frame brackets for the engine mounts, a transmission crossmember and mount, and new engine mounts, along with all of the necessary hardware.

Muscle-Rods-104It’s abundantly clear that the latest generation LT engine will undoubtedly become as popular as the last generation LS. Among modern technology such as direct injection, continuously variable valve timing, and active fuel management, the future is looking bright for enthusiasts who are considering swapping the 460-plus horsepower LT engine into their project car. And who better to visit than the LS and LT swap experts themselves? Muscle Rods has over a decade of experience pertaining to LS swaps, so it’s quite clear they know what they’re doing when it comes to the LT engine.

Looking for more information on Muscle Rod’s LT swap kit? Head over to the website or check out its Facebook page to stay up to date.

About the author

Harrison Noble

Living in San Diego for most of his life, Harrison was exposed to a variety of cars at an early age. His passion for anything that is fast, or has a V8, brought him to Power Automedia.
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