I just joined this site to find out if rebuilding my 350 LT1 is worth it. I have a 1995 Chevy Camaro Z28 that needs alot of work. It has 145,000 miles on it and I just blew the passangers side head gasket. The car's been sitting for two months now while I've been figuring out my options. This car is completely stock and I've made some inquiries locally as to either replacing both head gaskets or having the engine rebuilt. I like the car but I'm not really happy about what it might cost me to have this fixed. I bought the car with 73,000 miles on it and never had any problems other than replacing the alternator and starter by the dealer (which was the wrong way to go) where the cost was really expensive. I can't afford to finance another vehicle due to my credit and this Z28 I own is free and clear. I've kept it in good shape all things considered other than the usual wear and tear. I also would need to put four tires on the car and have the drivers side seat motor replaced along with the center console unit because the lid broke off. At this point money's tight and I don't know anyone that could repair this reasonably. This is my first post and I would like to hear your opinion on what I could/should do so that I can consider my options. If I do fix this car I intend to keep it for a long time and would like to keep the vehicle numbers matching. What do you think?

 

FWIW, it cost me $1500 to have my head gaskets replaced. That was on a car with less than 70k miles. If I did it myself (if I had the time) it would have been less than $300, including resurfacing the head, and good replacement parts.

Since yours has twice that amount, I would think you're looking at getting it rebuilt or getting a crate motor. I'm not a fan of buying used engines since you run the risk of getting someone else's problem (been there, got the t-shirt) unless you buy one from a reputable person or from a runner. Plus you mentioned keeping it original, so rebuild is the way to go, but you're going to be down for awhile.

You don't mention what shape the body's in. The broken stuff you mentioned is pretty minor. These cars actually are pretty easy to work on, if you have the time.

The main thing is if you like the car, get it fixed. It's still going to be cheaper than a new car.

 

Do the head gasket yourself. If you have the time, parts won't really break the bank. The one thing that ends up killing LT1s is usually beating on them too much or modding. If the thing is stock, and you want it to last a while, leave it stock. All up to you, but it's a fun car to drive and not really that hard to maintain if you know what you're doing.

 

If you intend on keeping it for a long time this would be a great time to rebuild if you can come up with some cash. I would say if you can pay someone to do the work then you should look at the rebuild. If you do it yourself then at least the price is not to bad and it will last long enough till you have more money. My 79Z was only $350 for a blown head gasket so the $1500 price someone paid sounds real high. I figured you could have the whole thing rebuilt for not to much more.

 

if it's been sitting for 2 months, does that mean you have another vehicle to drive? if so, give it some time and collect the funds required to fix it (Z).

i have a 95 Z with the same mileage and a broken tranny. i have ordered a performance-built tranny and have plans to build the engine afterwards. my goal is to build this car up.

dont let folks talk you into doing something you're not comfortable with [because they would do it]. rebuild this car if YOU want to - that's what counts.

 

I'm really glad you said that because I really do like this car of mine. I drive it 24/7 all year long, winter or summer. The four tires are going to cost me $750.00 to have them put on at my local gas station . I'm also going to have them put on another passenger side rear bracket for the sway bar for another $35.00 which is okay. I figure to have this engine rebuilt another place wants $3,200.00 and I don't know if this is a good price. What do you think?

 

I'm really scared to work on this car myself although I've worked on other cars that I have owned. I also sold most of my automobile tools so I can't tear it apart. The other thing is that I am on a street and my landlord would not like it if I tore apart my car in front of her business. Also to work on this car I have to take out the motor from underneath it and I don't have a cherry picker or ramps/jacks anymore.

 

Thanks for reinforcing the idea of rebuilding my motor. I figure if I paid this guy at his shop $3,200.00 (including a 12month/12,000 mile warrenty) I was wasting money that I could use elsewhere in my life. What I really need to do is find someone that works on cars and knows how to do this right. The other guy at his shop wanted $1,000.00 to replace both head gaskets. I'm still considering my options.

 

Wow. Thanks for your insight. I really like my car and I want it done right because I want to keep it forever and drive it always. I miss my car the last two months as it sits on the street. I'm really not "comfortable" letting other's tell me what to do. Thank you for mentioning that because it's really been eating away at me and now I feel better.

 

If the body and interior are in good shape like you say, I would personally save money until I could either rebuild the engine or get a crate engine. Why fix just the head gasket on a motor that has 150k+ miles? I'm sure something else will break before too long and you're probably not getting the original hp from it now anyway.

 

IMO, you can do better on the tires if you're staying stock. You can get a set of stock five-stars and new tires for around $400 easy, especially if you check the various Camaro forums, but the problem is you have to pay for shipping, so maybe it's a wash.

As far as the $3,200 for a rebuild, I really don't know if that's a good price or not. What I do know is that you should check REAL good as whether they are familiar with working on LT1's. I found out the hard way that a lot of the local shops think these are just "regular" 350 sb's and they ain't. When my head gasket went and one shop was trying to diagnosis it, the "mechanic" was washing down my engine with a water hose!!! Right on the opti! Jeeze.

 

You're right. I'm not getting half the power I used to. At 73,000 miles when I bought the car it launched off the line and the top end was incredible. Recently the car drove poorly in terms of performance. I miss the power I used to have with this Z28 350 LT1 Vette pack.

By the way I really think your white one looks great.

 

That was one of my worries. Even the Chevrolet garage ordered the incorrect starter and alternator for me in their parts/repair facility. I mean these guys are certified and they made an incorrect initial evaluation when first attempting to fix my car. I'm afraid of dealers.

 

For what it's worth, I just did a set of heads/intake on mine. It is time consuming BUT if you take your time, pay attention to how things come off, you'll be fine. There wasn't anything that was a real pain in the a$$ except the headers. If you decide to do the headgasket job, ask questions on here as you go. Also do searchs for things like sealing head bolts, torque specs/patterns etc..... Personally, I'd put a budget rebuild in the car. There are supporting vendors on here that can build a long block for you but again, that is up to you. I am glad to hear you love the car, I think alot of us on here cuss at our cars but wouldn't give 'em up!! Good luck!

 

Is it possible to get Goodyear or BF Goodrich for this price? I think I'm really leaning towards the rebuild but now I need to find someone that isn't going to take me to the cleaners.