Highdezwrx

New to the form so go easy on me.
I own a Subaru Wrx and am about to buy a 2000 z28 as a second car. I found one with 98k miles and it seems nice. It has headers and some head work. Has the 6 speed trans that I wanted BUT I am new to these cars and don't know much about them. My Father has a 95 Firebird Formula but I want a Ls1 for a drag car. I Got him down to 4,000 and hopefully to 3,800. What do I need to look out for in these cars? Here is the link to the add and some pictures.

2000 Camaro Z28/SS LS1 6speed T56 Make Me An Offer 4500 or Best Offer


















Wheels will be taken off for drag radials, tint removed and that ugly wing. Please guys, if you could shoot me some pointers! Would love to get in the Camaro game! Thanks!

JakeRobb

As far as what to look for, the LS1 doesn't have any major maintenance issues. It's probably worth checking the fronts of the heads for oil leaks, but nothing catastrophic is indicated even if you find something. Just make sure to check your levels regularly.

LS1s have aluminum pistons. All aluminum pistons are sensitive to heat expansion, and so at cold startup they are a little bit small for the bore. The piston can move around inside the bore and make a clanging sound that will fade as the pistons to warm up, generally for no more than a few seconds. This sound is called piston slap and it's normal and harmless. Not all cars do it, though -- my '02 with 107k has never done it.

At 100k miles, there's a lot of wear and tear on the chassis. When you drive it, you'll almost certainly notice a bunch of squeaks and rattles when driving over rough surfaces. The solution is a set of subframe connectors, which can be had for a couple hundred bucks and installed in a level driveway.

Finally, some common interior wear items. Check the outer side bolstering on the driver side seat bottom for tears. Check floor mats and the floor carpeting itself for wear marks from the driver's feet. Check the visors to make sure they stay put in their "up" position.

Okay, let's go through the ad:
Based on the lack of hood scoop and corresponding intake, I'm assuming this is a regular Z28 and not an SS. (All SSes are Z28s) There's not much difference, at least not for modded cars. The stock spoiler will be another good indicator, if he has it. Same for the wheels. If it's important to you, check the RPO code sticker on the back of the driver door for code WU8, and make sure the VIN on the sticker matches the one at the base of the windshield.

No problem here, especially at the listed price.

Sometimes T-tops leak, especially when you're in the car wash. That said, I love my T-tops.

That tire is WAY too narrow for that wheel. This car should be wearing 275/40R17 all around. 285 would be okay too.

The power numbers are fairly low IMO. The only power mod I have on my 2002 is a Corsa catback exhaust. No headers, stock Y-pipe, stock cam, stock heads, stock tune. I made 325rwhp and 343rwtq. The headers+tune alone should have put this car at my horsepower level and significantly higher in torque. With the addition of a cam, X-pipe, and port/polish, I expected horsepower numbers closer to 375 and maybe as high as 400, with torque numbers to match. Of course it depends on the specific cam, but even a GM Hotcam (about the mildest LS1 camshaft upgrade out there) is capable of the numbers I'm talking about. I suspect that the cam was upgraded without a corresponding upgrade to the valvesprings, which can lead to valve float. I can't see enough of the dyno graph to say more. It could also be a crappy tune, or the bullet mufflers could be holding it back, or any number of other things.

Since this engine is modded, there are any number of issues that could be unique to that engine. If you have a mechanic you trust, or a gearhead friend familiar with pushrod V8s, ask him to check it out. Otherwise, listen for strange sounds and smells, paying close attention to the modded parts.

Good luck! That's an excellent price. There are a couple strange grammar issues which raise my scammer flag, but not so much that it isn't worth making the call and going to see the car. Just be careful. Plus, he posted his phone number on CL; not always the smartest move, but it's a local number so probably not a scam.

DANOZ28

greetings, first if your located in california be careful of the state law , longtube headers are illegal (i believe) and check if it still has cats. when i bought mine the rearend pinion seal was leaking. very common the belts have a bird chirping sound / squeek, just change the idler or tensioner pulley. if your valve springs are stock and you rev up to 5800 you may hear a fluttering / sputtering sound common because thats a weak spot on our ls1's (i have ls6 springs). piston slap is the noise most of us hear at idle when cold, if you rev and it goes away no problem. have a mechanic inspect it just to be safe. cheers!

JakeRobb

Oh yeah, and be careful with drag radials. At your power level (especially once you get to the power level you should have given those mods), you could easily destroy your rear end launching with sticky tires.

You might also get lucky -- plenty of guys have had plenty of luck launching with lots more power and sticky tires on the stock rear. Just be prepared to replace/repair/upgrade if it does break. You have a lot of options -- just replace the broken parts when/if it happens (about $150 each time), install a girdle (about $500) to improve your odds of keeping it all together, or upgrade to a stronger rear ($1500-2500) to guarantee it'll never break.

If you're not planning on drag racing and you just want a better tire to deal with the power, there are street tires that will serve you well (Continental Extreme DW, Michelin PS2). If you want more straight-line stick than you can get from tires like those, a mild drag radial like the Nitto 555R (inflated to typical street pressures) would most likely still break loose before you fragged the rear end.