Chevrolet Camaro 1967-2002 - Anyone with a 1st gen LS1?

Hey guys I've been reading the forums a lot. I would love to own any year F-body but I'm 17 and that is impossible for me on insurance. I've heard of some people doing LS1/LT1 swaps on the 1st gen Camaros. Any of those people here? I figure if I buy the frame now I can start working on it and maybe when I'm out of college I could think about doing something serious with it. Anyway if someone could show me what they have done and give me an idea that would be cool. Thanks.

Check out the conversions forum, lots of info there :D

Derek

thats exactly how i am are you sure your not me im 17 and want a camaro.

Check out Street & Performance (http://www.hotrodlane.cc/), they have a lot for converting any GM car or truck for a LS1 engine.

I have been driving 1st gen Camaros for 28 years now (kinda dates me, but I don't give a s@#%, I will never grow up, I just act it once in a while. I'm on my 3rd early Camaro, and setting in my garage is a'02 WS6 LS1/ M6, '86 'Vette front susp. and will be getting a wayne Due subfame soon. I will be looking for answers from time to time, and will also do update posts. To me this is the only way to go, total hot-rodding.
ATAK, Inc.

well starting with the frame (subframe) isnt gonna get you anywhere, except teh front suspension, im 18 and have a 68 thats getting a ls1/t56, and to be perfectly blunt you do need some money to get started, theres only so much busy work involved in this kind of project, unless you plan on doing lots of custom one off stuff, but you cant make the ls1 or first gen out of scrap.... however if you do have the time get a old lady pos 6cyl and go from there, just dont buy the first thing you see because odds are you will be in love with it and odds are it will be the wrong car.
good luck

well starting with the frame (subframe) isnt gonna get you anywhere, except teh front suspension, im 18 and have a 68 thats getting a ls1/t56, and to be perfectly blunt you do need some money to get started, theres only so much busy work involved in this kind of project, unless you plan on doing lots of custom one off stuff, but you cant make the ls1 or first gen out of scrap.... however if you do have the time get a old lady pos 6cyl and go from there, just dont buy the first thing you see because odds are you will be in love with it and odds are it will be the wrong car.
good luck


I am pretty sure you need the sub-frame, 1- to hold up the car, and 2- to connect the engine and transmission, let alone all of the plumbing, wiring, etc... and needing $$$ seems to be a given. I needed $10K just to start!
How long have you been building cars?
Question, did you buy the first thing you found? It just sounds like you are speaking from experience.
From my experience, building from the ground up is a very sound approach.
And what level are you going to build your car? do you have a plan on paper? You will find yourself doing custom, one-off stuff, putting the LS1 in is the first! Believe me, having a plan, on paper, is a must. Or else you will be wandering aimlessly as you build. My plan is 4 years old.
Do it right the first time, and do it only once, any more is a waste of time.

murtaza, the best thing to do is make a plan, as stated above. Know what you want out of the car and go for it. Ground up is the way to go, there is nothing worse than having to go back to an area to do work. Try not to do things twice (or more:().
I am getting a www.Waynedue.com sub-frame that uses '84-'87 Corvette suspension (I already have all of the 'Vette parts, cast aluminum a-arms & knuckles, they polish up nicely), coil-overs, rack & pinion, and a ART Airride rear setup. Basically a 'Vette in '69 Camaro skin!

I am pretty sure you need the sub-frame, 1- to hold up the car, and 2- to connect the engine and transmission, let alone all of the plumbing, wiring, etc... and needing $$$ seems to be a given. I needed $10K just to start!
How long have you been building cars?
Question, did you buy the first thing you found? It just sounds like you are speaking from experience.
From my experience, building from the ground up is a very sound approach.
And what level are you going to build your car? do you have a plan on paper? You will find yourself doing custom, one-off stuff, putting the LS1 in is the first! Believe me, having a plan, on paper, is a must. Or else you will be wandering aimlessly as you build. My plan is 4 years old.
Do it right the first time, and do it only once, any more is a waste of time.

murtaza, the best thing to do is make a plan, as stated above. Know what you want out of the car and go for it. Ground up is the way to go, there is nothing worse than having to go back to an area to do work. Try not to do things twice (or more:().
I am getting a www.Waynedue.com sub-frame that uses '84-'87 Corvette suspension (I already have all of the 'Vette parts, cast aluminum a-arms & knuckles, they polish up nicely), coil-overs, rack & pinion, and a ART Airride rear setup. Basically a 'Vette in '69 Camaro skin!

Well having already done a frame off first gen custom (including swapping subframes grinding down all of the factory welds to perfection some reinforcement, the guldstrand mod and painting instead of buying a pre made one) there is very very little involved in the subframe. brake lines, steering, suspension, motor mounts and trans crossmember, however no wiring and i thought the transmission bolts held the trans and engine together.... anywho in the scheme of things the subframe is a very small part of the picture of building a car from the ground up.

And in all honesty if you cant afford the insurance on any year f body a project of this magnitude is far far out of your financial reach.

Well having already done a frame off first gen custom (including swapping subframes grinding down all of the factory welds to perfection some reinforcement, the guldstrand mod and painting instead of buying a pre made one) there is very very little involved in the subframe. brake lines, steering, suspension, motor mounts and trans crossmember, however no wiring and i thought the transmission bolts held the trans and engine together.... anywho in the scheme of things the subframe is a very small part of the picture of building a car from the ground up.

And in all honesty if you cant afford the insurance on any year f body a project of this magnitude is far far out of your financial reach.

I am sorry if you mis-understood what I was trying to relay.
My point is to have a completed sub-frame to build up from, including:
1. Something to hold the car together
2. somewhere to put the engine/tranny
3. then the plumbing
4. and wiring...

Seems to me if you try to build a car without the frame, your just pissing in the wind, seeing as it is an intregal part of any vehicle.
And why would you build up a car on a stock frame and then tear it all apart to mod the frame, that is ok if all you have is time on your hands.
I don't understand what you mean by "the guldstrand mod and painting instead of buying a pre made one", a pre-made what?
And thanks for agreeing with my arguement, yet you say the frame is not important. You list so many things associated with the frame yet it is not important, which is it?
Is it not a platform for a majority of the vehicles components?
Can you agree with me on that point, or is it a "very, very small part?
Gee, I remember when I was 18...

the time that needs to be invested in the frame is much less than the majority of the rest of the things in the car and requires much more money than say doing all the rust repair, hell the headliner takes longer to put in right than assembling the whole front end. and instead of paying someone to build me a frame i did it myself what this guy is planning on doing.

the time that needs to be invested in the frame is much less than the majority of the rest of the things in the car and requires much more money than say doing all the rust repair, hell the headliner takes longer to put in right than assembling the whole front end. and instead of paying someone to build me a frame i did it myself what this guy is planning on doing.
If you read what I wrote, the importance of the frame is great, I never said anything about how long it takes to do, and messing with a stock frame is just "busy work" cleaning up welds, etc...
Also, what are you reading? Where did I state that I was buying a complete assembly? I am buying a "Frame", bare, having to set up all of the "custom" pieces myself. bare metal frame, so tell me where I said any of this.
And in setting up this frame, it has to be mocked up, not just slapped together like your stock fitting components on your stock frame!
GET OVER YOUR SELF!
Talk to me again when you have at least 10 years of real experience under your oversized belt!
Next time, quote what was written be me, instead of making up your own crap, conjured up in your 18 year old brain.
You can build a frame in an hour, cause it takes me about 1-1/2 hours to do a headliner. Oh thats right, your just slapping on component that bolt on to stock frame, no thinking involved.
Learn to quote someone for what they said, instead of being an insulting little punk, wet behind the ears teenager.
BTW, I've been spinning wrenches for 28 years, ASE certified, wow, 10 years longer than you have had a pulse!

lol, you two quit bickering about frames :)

To answer the original poster's question, yes I built an LS1 1st gen: www.ExtremeG.net

And, I've sold that one and bought a convertible '69 to do another LS1 swap, this time with twin-turbos.

Tony

lol, you two quit bickering about frames :)

To answer the original poster's question, yes I built an LS1 1st gen: www.ExtremeG.net

And, I've sold that one and bought a convertible '69 to do another LS1 swap, this time with twin-turbos.

Tony

Nice, Tony! Whose items did you use to do the LS1 swap? Bob

holy jeezuz nineball - congrats to you on having the highest post count I've ever seen, on any forum! :judge:

Nice, Tony! Whose items did you use to do the LS1 swap? Bob

Bob, most of the details are on that site link I posted, but a summary:

BRP T56 tranny mount www.BRPhotrods.com
BRP engine mounts
BRP rack/pinion kit
Painless wiring harness with 98 f-body PCM
Stainless Works longtubes
Custom Magnacharger "hotrod" kit with f-body pulley offset.

Hey guys I've been reading the forums a lot. I would love to own any year F-body but I'm 17 and that is impossible for me on insurance. I've heard of some people doing LS1/LT1 swaps on the 1st gen Camaros. Any of those people here? I figure if I buy the frame now I can start working on it and maybe when I'm out of college I could think about doing something serious with it. Anyway if someone could show me what they have done and give me an idea that would be cool. Thanks.

I got my '98 Z28 when I was 18 (5 yrs ago) I thought insurance would be out of my ball park, however if you put it in you parents name, you can get insured for 60-70 bucks a month! BUT only if they already each have a car insured. (sure beats $170 a month!)