Hello, new to this website and i wanted to say thanks for the welcome.

well, i am looking to buy a newer body style camaro, v8 stick. And while i realize that I may not find one for sale, i would greatly appreciate any insight as to how the car reacts to mods and basically anyuthing you have to sy would be a great help... thanks agan for the welcome.




Peace out,
Glade

 

I have a lot of first hand experience, and satisfaction, the this series Camaro and LS engines in general.

You definately can find ones for sale. There are minor differences by year but I'd buy on condition versusprice, considering anything from 98 on.

Some of the cars you find for sale have been loved and babied. Some have been used or abused by idiots. And a small portion of those for salehave been seriously modified and abused, and are now repaired back to "stock" condition by owners just wanting you to take over their problems. Check carefully: cavaet emptor.

There is an overwhelming array of aftermarket parts and suppliers for the LS1 engine (and the LT1 in the preceding model series). Just everything, from headers to air boxes to cams and heads and entire engines and superchargers and rubos and -- how much do you want to spend? The LS1 engine is strong and can take a lot of abuse for a long time: it is the strongest element of the drivetrain (and the entire car). The transmission is only so-so and these cars have one real weak point; the rear axle. Its leaks around the seals and also just goes if the car is abused, or even used heavily.

Stock, they put down about 290-295 RWHP. You can pick up an additonal 50-60 RWHP for about $1500-$2000 (headers, cam, cat back airbox), and pull about 425 RWHP out of these things with about $3000-$5000. They also eat up NOS and kits to add 100 RWHP are easy and cheap. More than 450 RWHP will hazard durability. You can bang in the interior sides of the rear wheel wells and grind down some bolt heads and just barely get 315 drag radials on the rear end (305s if you want to lower it). This helps as traction becomes a problem with all the power, but drag radials just hasten the failure of the rear axle (if you really go into engine modes, you will want an aftermarket upgraded rear axle, otherwise you will be replacing you stock one every six months).

In the General Tech section I have an old posting called "What It Takes to Get 500 RWHP that gives a lot of details.

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There are a lot of options as far as V8 Camaros. You could go with the 3rd generation models, but the only ones you'll find with a manual will have 305ci motors in them. If you want a 350ci in a 3rd generation, you're stuck with an automatic.

When you get into 4th generation models, you can either choose an LT1, or an LS1. LT1s are going to be cheaper, because they're older. The 94/95 models have 275hp, and the 96/97 models are rated at 285hp. There is a nice aftermarket available for the LT1, and they are also iron block/aluminum head, which I'm a big fan of. They also have awesome low-end torque.

The LS1 models are more expensive because they are newer, and they will put out more hp than the LT1. They are rated at 305hp, but in reality they probably make about 340hp. They also have a stronger top end than the LT1 does. The LS1 also responds well to mods, and has a nice aftermarket available to it. The LS1 is aluminum block/aluminum head. The LS1 will also get about 26-28mpg, while the LT1 will net you about 21mpg.

Oh yes, and welcome to the forum.

 

Hey. Truthfully it isn't that hard to find a V8 with a stick. If you haven't gone on Ebay, Autotrader.com, or Cars.com, then do it. I got my Camaro on Cars.com for a really good deal. Just make sure to find Camaros that are near you and always check them out before you buy one.