I am jonesing for a 9c1 caprice. I am looking for a 94-96 caprice. My only hesitation is these cars are getting higher and higher mileage and LT1s are expensive to rebuild or replace when it finally does go.

So how high of a mileage is normal before a rebuid is necessary on average?

When the motor does go, how hard is it to drop in a gen I 350 with vortec heads and a cam and put 93 or before EFI in the car? Can the 93 or before computers be reprogrammed or do you piggy back a chip on them?

Anything else to look out for when buying a 9c1?  

96 is the first year for obdII it's a better choice,go forward with technology,take advantage of it.I wouldn't think cost to be any different to a gen 1 rebuild ,383 stroker kit to help move your heavy car.Work over the heads if still good or aftermarket,computer calibration after combo is completed.Leak down test is one way to know the health of a engine and spark plugs but today's gas it's harder for me personally to read them sometime's.The plugs will show you obvious problems like oil deposits.  WIEDER  

At least where I live lt-1 builds are way more expensive then Gen I rebuilds but in my case it is even more expensive since I have the mentioned 350 already. I was thinking of going the 93 tbi conversion on the gen I engine when the lt-1 kicked. Now I am thinking of the 96 or newer vortec efi system conversion from some truck.

Anyone done anything like this? I will look deeper into the cost of an lt-1 rebuild in the mean while. Can you budget rebuild an lt-1 like you can a gen I where you hone the cylinders and give it rings and over or under sized bearings?  

OBD2 started in 96 and the programming is a lot more expensive compared to OBD1. Also both OBD1 and OBD2 can be reprogrammed using a laptop versus having to mail a chip out to have it done.
As far as rebuilding due to mileage, it really depends on the condition of the engine. My daily driver is a 95 Caprice 9C1 from upstate NY that I bought with 140K on the clock before I stuffed an Advanced Induction cam and valve spring kit, Edge 3400 stall converter, and 3.73 gears that let me lay down 13.4xx's at 100.4x in any weather. It gets driven through the Winter and just turned 174K.
There aren't too many options out there for a good replacement engine if the LT1 needs to be redone, but Ellwein Engines is one of the top choices out there.  

yea , nothing really special about the lt1 that makes it that much more to rebuild , just a differnt water pump and decent heads ,and the front mount distributor , i say 95 is the best year , 96 's are more expensive to program and they droped in power just a tad.  

WHAT WOULD BE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS I WOULD RUN INTO IF I WANTED TO REPLACE THE MOTOR IN A 94-95 CAPRICE THAT HAS THE 4.3 WITH A 94-95 LT1 MOTOR ?  

Rocketman422:
I am jonesing for a 9c1 caprice. I am looking for a 94-96 caprice. My only hesitation is these cars are getting higher and higher mileage and LT1s are expensive to rebuild or replace when it finally does go.

So how high of a mileage is normal before a rebuid is necessary on average?

When the motor does go, how hard is it to drop in a gen I 350 with vortec heads and a cam and put 93 or before EFI in the car? Can the 93 or before computers be reprogrammed or do you piggy back a chip on them?

Anything else to look out for when buying a 9c1?

I've personally had at least 90 LT1 9C1s pass through my hands. I had one for 11 years that I just recently sold. Depending on what kind of life the car led, mileage could be just a #. My car had 164K miles on it, and the car was beautiful. Ran excellent. I also had another 9C1 that had 320K miles on it (was a police car turned taxi), that still had the original engine, and that thing flew! It was a 95, and ran door to door with my friends 94 LT1 which had 130K. Out of all the 9C1s I've bought and sold, only 1 had a blown engine. I've used and abused that 320K mile taxi and it wouldn't blow. Maintain it and it will treat you well. If you're looking for a low mileage LT1 9C1, I have an unmarked blue one with 47K I will be putting up for sale next week. You can email me at my screen name above, at aol.com
As far as other things to look for, rusty cars (always look under it), the electric air pumps seize up (there is a TSB on it), the rear windows pop off track (window rollers break), opti spark issues, and transmission issues. Don't let me scare you off, they just have issues the way any other car has certain issues.
Do your homework before you buy. Www.9C1.com and www.impalassforum.com are 2 good sites with tons of info. I've been heavily involved with LT1 9C1s since 1997, and those sites seem to have the most knowledge on the net that you'd need. If you have any questions, feel free to email me also. I've got plenty of experience with them I don't mind sharing. Like I said, my screen name above, at aol.com.  

You have to change the PCM or reflash it, and get rid of the single exhaust. Otherwise straight swap.