96 Z28

[99camaro-3.8]

alright well its only been about 5 months since i bought my car and i came across some intersting news about my insurance. i can get a z28 for only an extra $100 every 6 months! the trick? i have a piece of crap 92 s10 pickup put on my insurance as my main driver. my insurance have my camaro listed as a car i drive on the weekends. the difference is only $200 a year between my car and a z28. so as im sure you have all guessed my car is going to be sold and a z28 will take its place.

i was looking at this LT1. 96 Z28. What do u think? i personally think 7500 is a bit much i was thinking more along the lines of 7. is that a low ball offer or fair?

[BLLDOGG]

we do that same thing with mine. my camaro is considered a weekend car/parade vehicle or whatever

[99camaro-3.8]

yeah its a nice loophole. anyone who wants the v8 but cant afford insurance look into buying a piece of crap for a few hundred bucks and just let it sit around ur house for insurance purposes.

[vanbibber]

looks nice. for the mileage id say its right around 7K.

just make sure you check the car out REALLY good. they are pricey to get fixed. i paid 2300 dollars
to get mine running.

things you should check out and ask:

ask about the opti spark and water pump. see if theyve been replaced at all. these things are expensive. i paid 430bucks for a new opti and about 150 for a new water pump. if the water pump goes, the opti WILL GO ALSO.

check around the back of the intake manifold for oil leakage. Gm used reverse flowing head designs on the lt1 so the rear part of the heads tend to get hot and causes the manifold to leak in the back.

ask about accuracy of the gas guage. lt1s seem to have a big problem with the gas gauges not reading right. mine is way off.

then just ask about regular upkeep. plugs and wires are a pain in the A$$ to do on these cars. its a good 3-4 hour job with plenty of cussing involved. the worst plugs to get to is the front passenger side and the front driver side. bucause they are right under the exhuast manifold and there is no room for anything.

if you can keep the car in one peice it will run forever. good luck hope this helps you out at least a little bit

[CamaroRob97]

Ya def ask about the opti/water pump.
As for the gas gauges thats all f-bodies. The intake is probally leaking don't be surprised if it is. If the plugs have been done recently sweet.

I would try to get him down some on price, I got my 95 with 57k on it for 5800 and its very clean with a m6.

Just explore all your options.

I need to check in on that weekend driver thing, cause i only drive this car a few times a week anyway.

[99camaro-3.8]

thanks guys ill be sure to ask about all those things. the plugs have been recently replaced.

plugs, wires, all filters, rear suspension bushings and shocks, & brakes

thats all he said he just had done 4 months ago. the suspension work after only 66,000 miles worries me. makes me think that its been beat on hard. he said the price is firm at 7500 but ill try and talk him down in person if i go check it out.
on another note how much do u think i can get for my car if i sell it. fully loaded just no leather. y87 performance package. new flowmaster exhaust. slp cai and whisper lid on its way. all new polk speakers and a panasonic head unit. 76,000 miles.

[ November 04, 2005, 04:01 PM: Message edited by: 99camaro-3.8 ]

[99camaro-3.8]

ok just got another email back from the guy. he said that the optispark and water pump are original as far as he knows since he hasnt replaced them. the manifold gasket was replaced because it was leaking and the EGR tube that caused the leak was repositioned so it wouldnt leak anymore. any comment on the suspension thing i posted last? is there anymore specifics about this car i should ask him besides the general upkeekp and stuff like every other car?

[CamaroRob97]

If your asking if the car has been bet on, IM sure it has. Usueally any car with speed upgrades have been bet on. Maybe the bushings were worn out? Maybe someone told him to do it? Said he payed someone to do it so you never know what the reason was. If you have doubt or have a question, ASK HIM, your paying him so you better know what your buying.

The intake manifold was replaced so ya thats normal.

The truth is a the lt1 will live a long time if taken care of. If your buying a lt1 just know your buying a lt1 and know that the opti spark can go and the waterpump can cause the opti to go. Its well worth it though.

Just make sure you go over the car very carefully. As for the price I still think its a little high, find anything on the car that needs attention and needs to be replaced and bring it down that way. EX. passenger power window moter.

[99camaro-3.8]

i was offered a 93 LT1 motor from a friend that needs to be rebilt. i absolutely love everything about my car and really dont wanna go through the hassle of trying to find someone to buy my car and then find another like it that i like as a v8. should i rebuild the motor and do a swap or just look for a z28? he said he'd give me the motor for $500 and my uncle would help me with the rebuild and swap since hes done it on other cars many times before.

[vanbibber]

for 500 bucks id be all over it,but thats me. but keep in mind there is alot more to swapping than just the motor. you'll need a v8 kmember,93pcm, motor mounts,upgraded suspension,tranny, wiring harness and a few things i cant remember off the top of my head.

you would have to have alot of time to do the swap. and alot of money. rebuilding an lt1 can be costly depending on what is wrong. as i have said before optisparks are not cheap.(about $440 for cap and rotor assembly) i had mine basically rebuit: new fuel lines,fuel injectors,fuelpump,fuelfilter,pushrods,lifters,int ake manifold gasket,opti spark,waterpump,plugs,wires,exhaust manifold gaskets and bolts, valve cover gaskets,map sensor,o2sensors, and a few other things. it cost me 2300 dollars for just the top end. bottom end is going to cost almost double that. so just keep that in mind depending on whats wrong with the car.

for the money spent you could probably buy a powerdyne and be just as happy. but when the lt1 runs like it should,like mine is now, it will run like a bat out of hell.

right now, my car pulls 14.0 @ 99. if i could get some traction it would be good for around a 13.7-13.8. the low end tourqe of these motors is awesome.