What would be the first things to do if I bought an LT1? Most bang for the buck, parts to replace that are weak and/or would fail shortly, etc.

 

Cold air intake and cat back and or cut out....

 

Generally, the first things you should do to an LT1 involve a full tune up.. Fluids, filters, O2 sensors, plugs, wires.. Check for any leaks, you'll probably find oil leaking down behind your engine, that's most likely coming from the intake manifold. That's a common oil leak culprit, it wasn't sealed well and tends to leak. Easy fix; pull your intake manifold, get new gaskets, reapply RTV, and reseal. Oil leak gone. Do a lot of careful driving before you start putting your foot into it, a small problem could turn into a big nightmare very easily. Just be careful, you're buying an old car, even if it was perfectly engineered, stuff rusts, cracks, and breaks... Just break her in slowly and be patient with repairs.

Be mindful of some known culprits on higher mileage LT1's.. Optisparks don't last very long, and if you replace your optispark you might as well replace your water pump since you have to take it off anyway. If your water pump goes it will take your opti with it. You don't want that to happen. Be nice to your rear end differential, too. We got ripped off in the differential department.

Now, assuming the car has nothing mechanically wrong with it, or you've finished repairs, move on to mods. To start, you'd want a cold air intake for a Z28, or a ram air kit for a Firebird or SS. Next, get a catback. I'd recommend magnaflow, it's a fully stainless catback with polished stainless tips and a nice flow and sound... all for $280 shipped from Performance Curve. After that, you'll probably need good (or better) plugs and wires, and headers. That ought to be a good start for you.

 

second that

 

Just bought plugs, any recommendations on wires and any guids to install? I'm looking at the engine bay and these plugs look like a nightmare install

 

I'm using Accel Extreme 9000 wires...haven't had any problems with them so far. As far as the plug/wire install...you're gonna have to do some work. If you want to do it the "easy" way, remove your starter, belt tensioner, and loosen your power steering pump (don't remove...you just need it loose to get the wires behind it). With those things off, you should have enough room to get at all the plugs from underneath the car.

The driver's side is fairly easy...the passenger side will be a bit tougher. The best way to get at the passenger side plugs is from underneath and behind the k-member...just reach your arm up in there and you'll be able to feel all of the plugs. Start at the front and work your way back. I also removed the y-pipe when I did mine, but I'm not sure if it will be necessary for you...I can't remember if I had room to get at the passenger side with it in the way or not. If you have room, obviously you shouldn't need to take it off.

Routing the wires is the worst part...take your time and make sure to tuck them away from the belt and exhaust manifolds. A bag of zip ties will be your best friend while you're doing the wires. To make the driver's side easier, unbolt the little piece of metal that holds the wires up against the block and replace the wires one by one on the floor inside the metal piece, then put it back in place.

 

You guys are joking right? You have to go through all of that nonsense to change plugs & wires?
Is this something they corrected onthe post '97 cars, or are all F-bodies this much of a nightmare?

 

Not sure about the LS1s but yes, changing plugs on an LT1 is a nightmare. Even with headers it's still a major PITA.

Anyway, on a stock LT1, go with a cai, cutout, and then headers/gears.

 

- Cold Air intake
- Cutout
- Gears
- Tune Up

 

I've never done plugs on an LS1, but I heard they suck too. Mine have been easier to do since I got my longtube headers, but they're still somewhat of a pain...I still have to do the back two on the passenger side from underneath the car.

There are lots of guys that do plugs from the top, but I'm not sure how they do the wires. The way I described was the easiest for me...I gave up on doing them from the top after wasting 3 hours trying to cram my hands through the manifolds. I finally said screw it and did it from the bottom.

 

I'm going with a Musser CAI and QTP EC then I'll get it tuned. I'm happy with the gears I have (3.23s) and I figure a HOTcam will be next after that unless someone has a better way of getting into high 7s low 8s without a power adder

 

Tune up as said earlier.

If you want more power, look into intake and exhaust modifications and a little suspension stuff.

 

Ya plugs/wires suck majorly. I say go to www.thunderracing.com and buy the Taloy OVC(over the valve cover) wires...so you dont have to worry about your wires being burned. Plugs suck, but aslong as you have a swivil attachment, several different length extensions(and ofcrouse your spark plug socket) you should be fine. Also get some wrenches, those should help ya out on some of them plugs. I have edlebrock headers so mines gonna be different than with your stock manifolds.

Get CAI and exhaust after you get it all tuned up.

 

6th that......thats about how many people said those mods. I guess you know what to do.