I've been researching the LT5 engine from the ZR-1 Vette' but still have two questions that I can't seem to find answers to, hoping you guys can help:
- Are LT5 crate engines available anywhere? GM doesn't list them as being available for purchase on the Goodwrench site and I simply can't believe that they aren't capable of building fresh LT5s in case an owner has a "mishap" bad enough to merit needing a new engine. If I owned one of the few hundred 95' or 96' model year ZR-1 Chevy built and couldn't get a replacement engine if neccesary, I'd be pretty pissed.
- How difficult is it to get the LT5 to drop into non-ZR-1 C4 generation Vettes? And what about swaps into GM full-sized trucks, F-Bodies or Impalas? The engine was designed to drop into the C4 Corvette platform and fit within the Vette's engine bay so shouldn't any vehicle that is capable of housing the LT1/LT4 be able to easily house the LT5? I know that Tim Allen's Impala reportedly required extensive modification to house the LT5 he had dropped in, but I'm not understanding why. It seems logical to assume that any vehicle that GM shipped with a factory installed LT1 or LT4 engine should be able to accept the LT5 without problem - it's the same physical size, uses the same bore centers and appears to have an aluminum cast version of the same block as the LT1/LT4.