Hi. Does anyone know if the LT-1 used a steel or a cast crank? If steel, was this more of a marketing tool, or a necessity? thanks, Brandon
C3 LT-1 crankshaft
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Re: C3 LT-1 crankshaft
It was forged steel and Tufftrided - probably overkill for a street engine, but Chevrolet always put premium parts in SHP/FI engines, which allowed them to be built to higher power/rev levels and with blueprinting and inspection the engines were suitable for endurance racing.
Duke- Top
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Chevy = Racing ?? No Way!
In the '60s, Ford and Chrysler carried on open warfare in the drag racing and stock car racing venues. Ford also hit hard in road racing mainly through Shelby.
Chevrolet continued a lot of backdoor support for road racing, and that meant mostly by creating the parts necessary to be legal by the racers. SCCA didn't allow the "build it yourself" technology that exists today in road racing, insisting on production parts in the Production classes. So engines like the L88 and LT1 had to be produced as production items so the racers could use them.
And if Chevy had used a cast crank, probably fine for the 370 hp LT1 on the street, it would have been a weak link in a B/Prod Corvette and would have had a great exodus of drivers from Corvette to Mustang and Shelby.
Just like the steel crank 375 hp 396 in the Chevelles. Do you think a 396 needed a steel crank on the street? But when they began turning them a bit faster on the strip, a steel crank was needed. If the Chevelle had become known as a cast crank anchor, all the Chevy drag racers would have purchased Super Bees and Road Runners and where would Chevy sales have gone?- Top
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