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So I bought my dream car back in April 2014. Black/black, Z28 6 speed. First car I ever bought with my own money. Ever since I was a kid I had dreamed of owning a Camaro, though I never expected it would be a convertible. She had 147k on the clock, and since I've added about 23k. She wasn't perfect when I bought her, but almost completely unmolested (Save a magnaflow catback).
Here's how she sat when I brought her home
Since then, all I've added is an SLP Lid, MGW Shifter, and a Skip-shift eliminator.
As I said before, the car wasn't perfect. The paint had chips and scratches, and the motor leaked oil and power steering fluid. These leaks were pretty small however, so I just made a habit of checking them every couple of weeks and keep them topped off. On top of the leaks the trans had a nasty clunk/bang when shifting, and recently I started losing coolant, though where from I could never tell.
So I bought a cheap car, and almost immediately started tearing apart the Camaro.
Here's how she sat then:
Yes, that's one red valve cover, one black. Why I have no idea...
I knew the motor and tranny was going to have to come out, so I started prepping for that, getting a stand for the motor, etc. While I was waiting for these to arrive, I started pulling a bit of the motor apart, figuring the less that's on the motor the easier it would make to remove. So after the throttlebody, the intake was next.
I somehow forgot to take a picture of it, but the back of the intake and the whole valley was SOAKED in oil. I guess I found my oil leak, but where the hell was it coming from?
Oh... Oh my. Those were my PCV system. Completely rotted at the joint on the passenger head, and the hose completely tore when I pulled the valve off of the intake.
What I can't figure out is how I didn't have the world's biggest vacuum leak with the hose like this. Oh well, I was planning on replacing the system with an LS6 valley cover anyway.
After that, the motor and tranny came out. This was especially fun, as for some reason the cherry picker loved to lift the driver side of the car more than the passenger, despite it being centered on the core support.
Anyway, this is where I’m at now. Motor is partially disassembled on the stand, soon to be taken to the machine shop for cleaning and boring.
As an added bonus, here's what the driver side valve cover looked like underneath:
Guess this confirmed my fear of a head gasket having gone bad...
Thanks! My ultimate goal is to make about 450rwhp, and update the suspension to make a solid corner-carver without sacrificing too much ride quality. This is still the car the fiance and I want to take on road trips.
Anyway, on with the update!
I finished tearing the motor apart, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the rotating assembly was still in great condition:
Like most high mileage LS1s, it still has the crosshatching, though I suspect the slight brown discoloration that spots the cylinders is a sign of out-of-roundness.
The pistons and rods were still in great condition, no signs of heat discoloration on the big ends, and the pistons still have the anti-friction coating. Almost makes me feel bad about the forged pistons I bought to replace them.
Here's the worst of the main bearings. Very little trash went through this motor, so I guess those 3,000 mile oil changes I've done helped lol.
The machine shop I'm taking my motor to is a bit backed up, so I won't be able to take the motor to them until early April. That's okay though, because I have a TON of cleaning to do on the front suspension.
So, armed with some brass brushes and about 20 bucks worth of "Awesome" cleaner, I started scrubbing:
I wish I had remembered to take a before picture, you can still see some of the thick dirty grease that's on the rack, when I started it covered the whole damn thing.
I guess the welder at the factory was new when they put my k-member together. There is an absolute ton of splatter and slag, and the welds look pretty rough.
That's what I've got so far. In the next couple of weeks I'm going to order some KBS chassis paint and start getting the suspension repainted and looking new again.
Looks like good progress going so far. I have an 02 that I have had for several years and this will be the year I finally start doing some stuff to it, so I will be watching your progress as well.
goodluck on your build. i recommend welded SFC if you dont have those yet. my vert rocked like a boat going over bumps & railroad tracks until i added sfc's. cheers!
Funny how a month can pass by and you don't even notice.
I actually just got a deal on some bolt on 3 point sfcs from umi, never had a rocking issue with the car but hopefully that'll tighten up the car a bit more.
I don't have any pics at the moment, but I finished cleaning what I wanted to clean and started hitting the suspension with some paint. Now I'm just waiting for the bushings and joints to come in so I can get that put back together.
motor is going to the machine shop on Tuesday. How clean do you guys recommend I get the block before dropping it off? I cleaned off the caked on gunk, and gave the internals a decent degreasing, but it's not 100%
Thanks! My ultimate goal is to make about 450rwhp, and update the suspension to make a solid corner-carver without sacrificing too much ride quality. This is still the car the fiance and I want to take on road trips.
...
I would suggest going easy with the shock and spring rates, as I suspect that the chassis won't tolerate going too stiff, particularly given its milage. I did not find that the SFCs helped much, but then I think the spring rates I used were probably double the factory rates.
What did solve my flexing problem was the addition of a roll bar, with front-to-back bracing added specifically to address this problem. The side bars I kept low, and tucked under the armrests, so as not to (badly) impede the ability to get in and out of the car.
Much respect for reviving the car, it's sad to see how some of these cars end up but I'm glad that you are taking the time to get everything right. Everything looks great!
I would suggest going easy with the shock and spring rates, as I suspect that the chassis won't tolerate going too stiff, particularly given its milage. I did not find that the SFCs helped much, but then I think the spring rates I used were probably double the factory rates.
What did solve my flexing problem was the addition of a roll bar, with front-to-back bracing added specifically to address this problem. The side bars I kept low, and tucked under the armrests, so as not to (badly) impede the ability to get in and out of the car.
All the best with your build!
my plans suspension wise were to keep the factory springs and get some koni sports, along with strano sways front and rear. I was debating on a roll bar, I want the added safety and stiffness (plus they look really cool) but I dunno about a full cage. Once I see how it feels with the sfcs I'll look into it.
What did solve my flexing problem was the addition of a roll bar, with front-to-back bracing added specifically to address this problem. The side bars I kept low, and tucked under the armrests, so as not to (badly) impede the ability to get in and out of the car.
All the best with your build!
Have any pictures of you cage installed? Mines not a convertible, just looking for ideas.
OP looks like you've got a pretty solid build going, and the attention to the small things, like just cleaning everything is a huge bonus when you step back and look at a job well done.
my plans suspension wise were to keep the factory springs and get some koni sports, along with strano sways front and rear. I was debating on a roll bar, I want the added safety and stiffness (plus they look really cool) but I dunno about a full cage. Once I see how it feels with the sfcs I'll look into it.
While the weld-in Ground Control tubular SFCs helped a bit, the best thing about them was that they were the lowest part of the car, and saved the underbelly from rubbing on the speed bumps and driveways (only the tallest of speedbumps were an issue)
Mine was not a full cage, as the side bars were low enough to scoot over fairly easily. The seats were more of an issue, as I had to roll them back to get out but the factory seats with the lack of headrests and lower back support were the first things out of the car. The horizontal cross bar unbolted and the rear seats were still usable.
As for the sway bars, try the shocks first, then just the front bar. You may not need the rear.
The two things I noticed about the car when the suspension was too stiff for the chassis was 1) trouble latching the roof when parked on uneven ground and 2) the side windows moving/rubbing against the roof seals on less-than smooth roads.
As for the sway bars, try the shocks first, then just the front bar. You may not need the rear.
I was planning on doing the suspension in steps. Some parts I got a deal on and couldn't pass up, but I want to see how each part improves (or doesn't) the handling of the car so I can fine tune it to how I like.
Before I took everything apart the car was lowered about 1.5" on cheap ebay springs with stock shocks. Body roll wasn't too bad, but you definitely felt the car throw it's weight to the outside if you took a corner hard. Not to mention the ride was god awful lol.
Ended up starting another thread in the Gen 3 section, this one will be for the motor alone. Will still update this one as parts go back on the car, but wanted one dedicated to just the engine.
goodluck on your build. i recommend welded SFC if you dont have those yet. my vert rocked like a boat going over bumps & railroad tracks until i added sfc's. cheers!
02-11-2017, 10:11 PM
Finally starting my build - 2002 Z28 'Vert 
but the factory seats with the lack of headrests and lower back support were the first things out of the car. The horizontal cross bar unbolted and the rear seats were still usable.
