Hi everyone,

I have a question about Z28 Camaro ( LT1 )

First of all, i am not from USA. I am from Germany. I'm total knew to american carsand i would like to know thing or two.

How relayable those cars are at like 100k miles ?
How technicly advnced ( some tricky MAF sensors, lamda sensors, ECU, wiring harness problems to espect, like in BMW and so on...) those cars are ?
If needed to repair, how different they are from V6 Camaro's ?
How much approx does it cost to get extra 10-15% TQ ?
Are they sensitive to hard launches and burnouts ( Clutch, Gearbox ? ) Can i amuse this car ( compared to jap and european)

Any other special info, that i should know ?

Thanks for your inputs. Appreciate any help

MfG Tadas

 

The 94 and later use a MAF sensor, 2 or 4 lambda sensors (we call the O2 sensors), 1 or 2 cat converters, depending if pre or post 1996. The 93 model does not use a MAF sensor & works on speed density. If well taken care and not abused they can work well past 200K miles, otherwise it all depends. The one weak spot is the Optispark distributor which tends to fail if it gets wet. Otherwise, having owned several German cars, I find the electrical wiring and connectors to be much less troublesome than the ones used on high price German cars. If you plan to beat on the car regularly, you should stiffen it up by adding subframe connectors, stronger rear lower control arms, adjustable panhard rod, and front strut braces. The differential is marginal, and if you intend to add more power, you may want to look at replacing theentirerear axle with a stronger unit.

 

Thanks Pete,

that was really helpfull.

BTW how much should these mods cost, if i would buy all parts new and i would do all the laibour myself. And i would like to get cutout as well.

I love the sound of V8. It's so brutal, not like German cars

 

although it isnt good to beat on any car. they can most likely take more abuse than a jap car. and like pete said, the computer system rarely is a problem in most domestic/US cars (excluding sensors)

you can get a 10-15%(40-60) TQ and 10-15%(30-50) HP increase fairly easily. Cold Air Intake, Exhaust, Headers should take car of about 35TQ and 30HP. for about 1,000.00

also like pete said, if you plan on beating on it, deffently do suspension, and drivetrain (axle and driveshaft are a must) a alluminum driveshaft should be around 400.00. i don't know about the axle price. clutch would be another good investment( they CAN handle about 350HP and 400TQ stock i beleave though)


and again. also like pete said, the distributer tends to be a problem if it gets wet. they fixed that on the LS1 and 3.8s though. they are also infamous for bad fuel pumps IF you like to keep your car below 1/4 of a tank. if you stay above a 1/2 tank. it shouldn't be a problem.

welcome to american motorsports! deffently brutal-est sounding cars there are! glad you switched[8D]be porepared to replacealot of rear tires

 

Thanx for info and for support.

I'll try to find a nice car, that is not easy in EU. Hopefully i will have new toy for Chrismas ;-)

I will keep you posted.

 

you buying off ebay? wherever you decide to buy from, i would go and look the car over and maybe drive it. if not possible, deffently make them send you under car pictures.

i can't think of any other need to know info. just look for what you would on most cars.

 

Thanks for advice.

BTW how good/bad is to buy an automatic. As far as i know they can handle even more torque, less problems with clutch... But still can burn tires and make a good start with auto ?

It's pretty hard to find a manual in Germany.

 

F-bods have the same trans asa corvette. It's a very good one. 460le

 

The auto's will work about as good as the manual if you ask me. You can add a higher stall converter and a shift kit. I own a auto Z28 and smoking tires hasn't been a problem. Just ask my ex Goodyear Eagles! Have fun and welcome aboard!!

 

If you are buying off of eBay, you should try to get someone to check it for you before bidding. If not, try to bid only on ones where the seller says if you check the car and it isn't what we say, then you can back out without any penalty.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of junk out there. Some is on purpose. They know it is junk and they are trying to find someone who will get stuck with it. Some just happen. Some dealers buy many cars through the car auctions (dealers only) and some are good and some are bad. However, some of these dealers are one- or two-man shops that simply buy and sell cars. They may not have a garage to check and repair and sometimes they get bad cars that they don't know or that they fixed wrong.

Anyway that it happens, you still end up with a problem.

If you find a car on eBay, post here and other forums asking for someone to checkit for you. Most forum members on most forums will do it for free, also a small gift of dinner for two or something is a nice gesture for their time. You can also hire experts to check them.

The LT1 is like most Chevrolet V8 engines - tough. They last a long time normally. They do break, but usually from abuse, and that is often more abuse than a lot of other brands will handle.

From what I hear, three issues I know of are the water pumps tend to go bad around 100,000 miles +/- 20,000 miles. In the earlier LT1s, the water pump leaking will ruin the OptiSpark distributor, so it will need replacing at the same time.

I also have heard that the heads are susceptible to cracking from overheating, so if the water pump is leaking for very long, the engine could have overheated and cracked the heads. Maybe someone else can verify this.


Good luck.