LT1 life span
 

Assuming i take really good care of my car, how long can i expect an LT1 to last me?

RE: LT1 life span
 

Well I bought mine used from a friend with about 230,000miles on it and it is still kicking strong!

mine has 160k and seems to be doing ok

theres always that chance that something will go wrong no matter how well you take care of it, but under normal circumstances, theres no reason your motor can't last to 200k and beyond

mine went at 117k so it just depends

Whammer said it best. if we take out all freak issues/problems, and you maintain the whole driveline, 200K is cake. They're essentially a sbc 350 (semi-minor differences), which is one of the most durable engines you can find.

The LT1s tend to leak oil out of the rear of the manifold, so whenever the leak gets bad, that's usually when people rebuild them. In my opinion, a rebuild should be after about 120k, and no later than 140k. The engine parts tend to develop cracks, and it's best to take care of them before they break.

120k? that's a little ridiculous...that's almost like saying a car should be restored after 120k because trannys develop cracks, body panels start flexing, so you should probably take care of them before they break.

just because the manifold starts leaking doesn't make most people rebuild the motor...pretty sure i just pulled my intake and fixed the problem...didn't rebuild anything. i don't understand your thinking here. but to each their own i suppose

i agree with whammer im only rebuilding mine cause i spun every bering in the bottom end minus the cam bearings but if my intake was leaking i would just fix that problem

yeah there's really no point in pulling the whole engine for a rebuild for a leak that's on top of the motor. i could see it if the car just sits most of its life(like mine) but not for something that gets driven quite regularly