roadmaster chat?

Hello.
looking at several wagon's and ive found a fairly close to me 93 roadmaster.
Goods? Bads? Mph? Horsepower?
can i get the lowdown on these style wagon's? I hear there roomy but fast. Tnx for yer time. I'm still debating the 78wagon of xaviers buddy but waiting on pic of the rear compartment to see if i can fab up a third row rear facing seat. Any ideas on doing that? Tnx, hg

 

The RoadMaster experts will be with you shortly.....in the meantime enjoy a musical interlude.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXGhvoekY44

 

ok (says while stretching arms and cracking knuckles)

91-93 are throttle body fuel injection (basically a fuel injected carburetor)in short speak we call them "TBI" cars. its easy to tell them from an LT1 car (94-96) because the dashboard on the 94+ is lower and sleeker and has a pass side airbag.
the 350 in the 92-93 roadmaster (aka LO5) (all 91's are 305ci (LO3)all 92+ are 350ci) is basically the same engine that showed up in the 50's 185hp 300lb/ft

the 94-96 roadmasters are powered by the famed LT1. they make a lot of power off the bat. 260hp-330lb/ft(i've been told it was conservatively rated)and although they are 350ci they share nothing but the block with the previous gen 350.
the LT1, apart from the power LT1 cars are a bit more refined (i own one of each)than the TBI cars. speaking from experience, tune ups on an LT1 are a pain in the a$$.

having owned both, I personally prefer the LT1's power. you'll spend a lot of money getting a Lo5 to crank out the power of an LT1. - there are hard core guys of both camps ...im sure Blackfoot holds down the TBI camp.

 

Hey tnx for the info. I'm not to worried bout horsepower but all around hauling and power. If i gotta buy one it might as well have sum stones, right?
Found a good price on one so ill see how it goes. RR

 

I had a 92 and a 93 Roadie. Both TBI L05 as Ian stated. Both were tow package cars with load level systems and hitch. Both has 3.23 posi rear ends and would smoke the tires posi from a dead stop punch. They dont have the ass of the LT1, but they have the same motor and a simular gear ratio of a pickup.

Around country roads and town driving, I saw 15-17mpg, on the highway I saw has high as 24, but usually around 20mpg. Top speed is a whopping 110mph because of the chip. I have loaded 24 sheets of 1/2" drywall in the back, the car leveled up and handeled it like nothing was there. I once towed a Cadet racecar on a 16 foot car trailer, all the tools and tires to the track for my cousin when his universal blew apart on him, she handled it like a champ.

They are a excellent riding ca, they handle surprisingly well, turn on a dime, get OK mileage, have more then enough power and towing torque to get the job done. All in all, you cant go wrong with a Roadie, Caprice or Olds Custom Cruiser.

 

OR A BUICK !

 

Did you get a Roadie yet?

 

Just wondering - since they made the LT-1 a 'corporate' motor, why the heck didn't they put them in the Suburbans??
With a 3:42 or 3:73 gear, that'd be a 20+ mpg hauler!

 

I've owner both TBI and LT1 cars as well. The tow pack LT1 wagons are more fun, but a tow pack 350 tbi is only half a car length behind for the first 100'. After that the lungs on the LT1 breath much easier, and the tbi's fade in the distance. The '94-'96 LT1 tow pack cars are fantastic on the expressways, that is where the easy breathing, and higher gears in the LT1 cars are at home, makes passing and speeding up a breeze. As Ian said the LT1 are a bit expensive to tune up, and the plug wires are a pain on the passenger side, but once you have one opti spark (LT1 distributor)under your belt they are easier than the standard distributers on the tbi's imo. TBI's are reliable as a stone and easy to work on, so it comes down to personal preference, drive one of each, and look for a tow pack car either way.

Mike

 

Mike hit it dead on the head. You cant go wrong with either and its down to personal preference, I am gonna someday get my hands on a LT1 and have a go with her. Around town and city driving with light to light traffic, the 92-93 TBI cars will get better economy with the 3.23 lower gears. Where the LT1 will do better on the open roads and highways.

There was not much difference in HP and Torque between the Vortec and the detuned LT1 in the B Bodies.

The Vortec 5700 produces 255 hp (190 kW) to 350 hp (261 kW) at 4600 rpm and 330 lb·ft (447 N·m) to 350 lb·ft (475 N·m) of torque at 2800 rpm

Gen II Iron Headed LT1 V8, its 350 c.i/5.7 liters producing 260 hp (194 kW) at 4600 rpm and 335 lb·ft (454 N·m) of torque at 2900 rpm.

My construction partner had a 97 Chevy 2500 Heavy 1/2 long bed auto 4x4, 3.73 gears with 208,000 miles. We were doing a roofing job in Ohio and hit the I-90 express way for around 70 miles and then 3 miles on Rt 11 to the job site. He was averaging 21.8mpg running at 72ish mph. We then went to a siding job in Meadville, PA and ran back roads the whole way there, up and down hills. He averages 18.8mpg for that week. That's pretty dang impressive for a pickup loaded with tools and a contractors aluminum cap with three 16 foot ladders strapped to the top.

Now if I had my choice between motors with full computer systems and wiring harnesses to do a swap in my old 92 Roadie, I would have taken the Vortec over the LT1. I like the regular distributor on the back of the motor and could hide that it was a Vortec because of the Throttle Body style air inlet intop of the intake. A Sleeper of sorts with a quick hood pop and close to show the box air filter unit on top, Just don't let a knowing set of eyes dig too deep to see the injector rails and the forward set air intake, hahaha.

 

How in the world could draining the cooling system then removing the water pump and the harmonic balancer just to get to the inherently problem prone and very expensive Optispark distributor be easier than working on A TBI distributor?:confused:

 

I was thinking the same thing. 1 bolt, 1 clamp and the whole distributor slides right out. 2 screws and the cap comes off. I don't see how it can get any easier then that???

 

Here we go again. The opti is NOT problem prone. Only the earliest models had a problem. It is something new and dead on accurate. Some people just don't like change.

 

I have no issue with them, if they work like they should, cool, but if I gotta change one out, how could the process to changing out a Opti be easier then pulling 1 bolt and a clamp, because it sits under the cowl? That's what a sledghammer and cutting torch is for. hahaha

 

Ok.... Maybe I shouldn't have used easier, but it's not that hard once you've done it once or twice. I've lost count how many times I've helped someone figure out how to put there distributor back in once they take it out and put it back in a few teeth off. I've put them back in a tooth or two off, it has happened to everyone that has ever removed a standard distributor. The LT1 opti goes in one way, and only one way, easy.

Face it.... you tbi guys have LT1 envy, and the only thing you can pick on is the opti. Draining the coolant.... is that hard? 6 bolts to remove the wp....is that hard? 3 bolts to remove the harmonic balancer.... is that hard?
No, none of it is hard, just a little time consuming.

So tbi guys, laugh at the LT1 guys optis, that's ok, but we are going to laugh at your tbi injectors atomizing fuel just to have the fuel puddle on the throttle blades and drip into you plenum.... good luck making horse power with that toilet bowl.

Mike