Well, tomorrow I'm going to the dealership to pick up my first Camaro...a bit of a step up from my 1983 Datsun 280zx Turbo...
The car is a 1996, v6 (not z28), 5spd, silver...and pretty. I need to replace the front drivers side fender, but other than that she seems solid. Anybody have some tips, pointers, quirks I should look for or be aware of?

I'm also curious about performance chips. As advertised, it's a relatively inexpensive way to add 20hp or so to an engine without hurting your gas mileage. What about the truth...what are the pros and cons?


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Whats wrong with the fender? and chips are a relatively inexpensive way to waste money. but as many will tell you they work great as a paper weight. not sure about the v6s but when people ask about chips the most common reply is to have it tuned dyno or pcmforless.com.

 

Whatyou are buying is a V6 and it is NOT a high performance engine, unless you are willing to spend a ton of money on it.
Spend your money on the ride like wheels & tires. If you wanted performance then you should of bought a Z28.

 

I'm not going to tell you what to do with your car (it is YOUR car, do with it as YOU wish)... If it were up to some folks, everyone would have a Z28 that looked just like everyone elses. Gains with a 'chip' will be minimal. Just so you know, tuning options are kind of limited for the 96 as it is (as far as you being the tuner, that is). All you really have as an option to DIY is swap the PCM out for one from a 97 and then spend $500+ on HPTuners and learn to tune. Aside from the hubcaps, car looks clean.

 

Haha good to know, thanks guys. I wont waste my money just yet. It would be fun to play around with the engine though sometime in the future.

The left front fender was bashed in...guy probably ran into his own mailbox or something. It's beyond repair, so it'll need to be replaced, but it doesnt hurt any of the car's workings. I'm actually leaving in an hour and a half to go pick it up! Guess who's excited

Performance aside, any more camaro pointers?

 

I'm all for modding v6 camaro's. There's plenty of parts out there for them, but sometimes they can be tricky to track down. FOr examble, you can get stroker cranks, forged pistons, a large variety of cams, ported heads (aluminum ones for the l36 are on the way), a few different companies make headers, there's catback exhaust, suspension, and much more. If you want to tune it a bit, you can get a pcm from pcms for less, tell them how you want it, and they'll send you a tuned 97 pcm (that's what I did).

The 5speed transmissions are great for a DD. You're going to get better mileage on the highway. But be aware that they will brake if you start adding a lot of power. I think they can handle 300, but I've seen people brake them with 280. But that car in stock form is only about 200 horses, so nothing to worry about right now.

Enjoy your new ride, and post more pics when you get it home!

 

Dont listen to this guy!!!! The 3.8 is a great performance engine for a V6. I have had them all fromA Big Block 455 in a Trans Am, to a total sleeper Ford Fairmont I built with a 302 and T5, 79 Impalla with a 350 with a radical cam to...well you get it. The 3.8 I have in my 99 is very impressive when it comes to performance. Its no LS or LT, but it will be just enough to get you introuble.

 

I agree. If you have the money and want to modify it the 3.8L is great.

 

The money thing is difficult when it comes to the v6. It really depends on your goals for the car. Parts for the V6 aren't a whole lot more expensive than parts for the v8 cars, but there's less suppliers. If you want to catch a v8 car, yes, it's going to cost you. If you want a little bit more power for fun drive, you can do affordable modifications. Look at it this way: I got into the 14's with simple affordable parts (gears, posi, exhaust, ebay cai). With my 4.10 gears and exhaust, my car is a lot more fun to drive now, and pulls pretty good for a 12 year old v6. With a shot of happy gas and some tires, I can get into the 13's.

Now, if you want to take 2 seconds off your times with a v8, you're going to need alot of parts. First, you're going to need a new rear end. A new 12 bolt will cost you about $2000 roughly. Suspension will cost several hundred. Already, things are expensive. We haven't gotten to exhaust yet.

It really depends on what you want to do. Now personally, I'm looking for a fun sports car, not a run of the mill everybody owns one v8. I hardly ever see a v6 camaro, makes me happy when I see one.

 

Yeah but musicman think about it. If you are able to make a V6 Camaro meet the time of a Z28 of the same year, be it a 3.4 or 3.8 LT1 orLS1 then thats great idk much about the V6s durablilty but im sure that if a Z28 can safely run what they run stock then so can a V6, its not incredibly fast but its not slow either. But if you want it to run faster you too will have to do the same "security mods", if you will, that youd have to do to a Z28. running close to 10 seconds in most cars is considerably fast and will take stonger parts to ensure its life.