1yakini

mileage question here.. my 05 has 80k on it, lots of highway miles. I had intended to park her and drive a beater until I could invest in heads/cam/headers etc. Every time I buy a cheap beater I end up getting rid of it due to them needing too much damn work. So I think I decided to DD the V. I dont put a lot of miles down, around 1k per month.

Any of you added a cam/tune/FI or any significant upgrades close to the 100k mile mark? I know the ls6 runs forever, but I'm just curious since I wont be able to keep the miles down like I wanted.

When I bought it the dealer replaced the whole rear end, drive shaft, one axle, shifter bushings and more. I was going to start with all the mounts underneath, shifter, clutch and fw before I touched the engine, so I might not get to the cam for a couple years. By then I'll be at 100 k.

Crazy damn car, I used to have no credit card debt....

jamesdem1123

I say get a compression check to test the piston ring seal then monitor your oil pressure, water temps, etc to see if everything else is in order. If so go for it. Youll be replacing most of the top end so it will be brand new and good for a few years at least. I just installed ported heads and cam at 98k. 2500 miles later and its stronger than ever, minus a rich tune.

DMM

That's odd...I bought my beater ('01 Cavalier Z24) sight unseen off Craig's List for $1200 and have only put about another $500 in it over the last almost three years.

Anyhow, the LS motors are strong. I installed a cam in my '03 Silverado at 103k miles and will install a cam and the 243 heads off my V on my 3/4 ton Suburban with 145k miles in November. Just replace the oil pump (I always use stock), timing chain (LS2), lifters, and lifter trays.

If you're going to spin the hell out of it, I'd get some rod bolts. Nothing to really worry about.

isis

iTrader: (1)

I really hope that credit card comment was a joke. Putting significant money on credit cards to make a 400hp car 10-20% more powerful is phenomenally stupid. Not to be a buzzkill or anything but I've seen the bug take hold of people and make them do stupid things. I made terrible decisions in my 20's with credit cards and mods. Took forever to get out from under all my stupidity.

philistine

iTrader: (2)

idk, I think it's fun as hell modding a car. It takes you on a journey and every bit of blood and sweat you put into it DIY is a personal reward.

This stuff is an outlet, a release, and a hobby for many.

1yakini

Ya man... for the most part. Its not related to the car, I was making a point though, all my extra seems to dissapear. In the end it may be stupid, but I never claimed to be good with money and besides I see "phenomenally" stupider **** every single day I am out around the public.

1yakini

I know what you mean about the beater... I thought I would be ok both times. Maybe ill try again down the road. Thanks for the advice... I know internally it is a stupid simple engine design and my shop guys told me to DD it. One of the owners drives a vette with the ls6 and is at like 140k.. told me never to worry about the motor. They keep bugging me to do a cam so I'm thinking about whether to buy another beater and wait, or just use the money to mod the V the way I want.

MichaelSuch

I put about 25k miles on my V in one year. I hate that I drove it that much. I'm at 103k and still owe money on the car. It's been really reliable with oil changes. Water pump is leaking and the starter wire got cooked now. But when putting that many miles on a car in a years time stuff is going to happen. I say buy a beater. You'll never get the miles back out of the V and the value significantly drops when they hit over 100k it seems. I'm finding 100k miles V's on CL for $12k now. I paid $24k for mine with 75k a year ago!

BudRacing

iTrader: (3)

1k miles a month is quite a bit of mileage. Maybe not excessive, but still a good chunk that I hated doing when I had the commute. I'd find a simple beater under $1500, and drive the snot out of it so long as you're not interacting with clients in it.

I hear you on the money portion. I've had the same struggles. But when you're at that point, you need to realize that you just don't have it. Some guys find a way to wheel and deal with parts etc, but it takes a lot of time and effort if you're not in a social circle of car guys (which in reality are pretty tough to find--I rarely meet anyone as interested in cars as I am). Bottom line is, you just have to cut yourself off.

Also, to reason with yourself about what the next dumbass is doing is a good way to keep yourself in trouble. Yes, there are people out there with more debt than you or who buy things they can't afford, but to reason with yourself and bring yourself closer to their position is just as stupid. If you know better, use that better judgement. You've got the V, now it's time to control yourself.

A good way to control yourself is to keep track of EVERY expense you have on the car. It will make you sick seeing how much you spend on the car and if you're anything like me, you'll stop altogether--lol.

Blown_Red_97z

iTrader: (3)

Wrenching on the car and making it your own is the best. It's what I like to spend my time doing.. Researching forums, buying parts, then cussing non stop while installing them. But in the end it's awesome

So back to the original question I think heads/cam/ etc will be fine. Headers no issues at all.

Blown_Red_97z

iTrader: (3)

Really not trying to be rude but you got completely ripped.

brack86svo

I went maggie with 85k on the clock. Motor doesn't smoke or leak a drop of oil.

1yakini

Yea.. you guys are right. I have argued it back and forth with myself. I could use the few thousand on upgrades, but in the end the closer i get to 100k the more I cringe. Plus im bout to move farther from work so my commute is going up... time to look for a beater.

tmonttt

iTrader: (10)

I have nearly 145,000 miles on my 05 with the LS6. Has PRC heads, cam, longtubes, etc. and it still puts 2 cars on the new 5.0 stangs with no problem. I wouldn't necessarily let the mileage detour you as much as the financial portion of it.

DarkCharisma

The LS series engines are solid. Run'em hard for life.

Fuzzy_Wuzzy

iTrader: (8)

I really wish this forum had a "Like" button for so man of the post in this thread.

There are good deals to be found on parts, keeping a close eye on eBay and craigslist can net parts for much less. Heck I think i enjoy hunting deals almost as much as I do installing and enjoying the parts later. Plus it is a lot easier for me to sell my car and not loose my *** on it.

If you really want to enjoy cars as a hobby better, go spend the money on quality tools, you keep them for a lifetime and they typically pay themselves off in your added capabilities.

A lot of it will depend on ho much longer you will keep the car. I am sure they still run strong up to and past 150K, but with you driving 12k miles a year that point in time will get there quickly, and you'll probably be wanting a new car at some point in time. (and all that mod money you spent can go a long way towards a new car...)

I had an old Thunderbird that i really wanted to dive into and modify, but when I mapped out everything I wanted to do to it, I realized I would have to put a ton of money into it, and it wouldn't perform any better than most of the cars that i could just save up for and buy in a few years. Plus at the core it was still a 10+ year old car with 100k on it.

isis

iTrader: (1)

Wasn't trying to be judgmental or tell you what to do, but if you think you have no extra money now, buying 10k in engine parts at 15-30% interest on revolving accounts is a good way to make sure you stay broke over the next decade. It's really easy to do, and really hard to get back out of.

Learn to tune it. That's the first way to save money and use up time especially if you are incrementally changing hard parts on a daily driver.