General Maintenance & Repairs - Is my car worth keeping?

I paid $3000 for my 95 formula 6spd with 108,000 mi and a rebuilt title.

I've spent about $1500 on repairs thus far and this is what I have left to do.

1. My frame is bent rearward of my rear axle. As far as I know this doesn't hurt performance but it makes the body panels not alighn right.

2. I get 6mpg for some reason. Could be the exhaust leak at the manifold.

3. My intake is leaking oil and it think it could be leaking from other places as well.

4. Leaky rear diff.

5. Needs alighnment and the used corvette rims/tires I just payed $350 for put on.

Should I sell the car and cut my losses or what? I think I can do alot of this stuff myself before the summer is over but I don't have a garage so working on it is real tuff come fall. What do you think?

just like my car cept i paid $5k.. and the seller lied about almost everything im close to $11,000 in the car all said and done now (mods in sig) after i goto court (and win 3-4k hopefully) it will have been alittle less painfull :cry:

just like my car cept i paid $5k.. and the seller lied about almost everything im close to $11,000 in the car all said and done now (mods in sig) after i goto court (and win 3-4k hopefully) it will have been alittle less painfull :cry:

Wow, I hope you win more than that for grievances n stuff. So what do you think I should do at this point? I'm trying to get through school so dough is low.

just to let you know that a nice formula lt1 car only sells for round $5-$7500 so u take that it is a salvaged title take a grand off. but it sounds like to me that you bought another mans problem bc your o2 sensors are bad thats prob what causing the bad gas mileage u said you had an intake leak that can be fixed by taking the intake off and go to the store and get some silicone and scrape the old silicone off and put the silicone on and then put your intake back on so all you got in that is bout $3 and a lil time, alignment will cost you bout $100, to get the frame straight maybe couple hundred,as for the exaust leak you can buy a cat back system for it and get some performance and a nice sound for round $400, as for body work i would wait until you get the frame straight b4 you do any body work. hope this helps you out

Put the car up then fix it when you graduate.

keep it bro, no matter what an f body is an f body!

mayb sell it or keep it then get so good money they either sell or make it super fast!

fix it. no one is going to give you any decent money for a car that gets 6 mpg :eek2: you may wanna change your O2's, fuel filter, cats, plugs/wires and seafoam that bad boy. i bet that'll fix it!

make sure you seafoam it FIRST, though. always best to gunk up the old plugs and fuel filter first.

How To Seafam Your Car (http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=534376)

As long as it drives straight you are probably ok on the condition of the body.

I say fix it. It sounds like you really wanted the car to first with and I bet you will be extremely happy when you get done.

seafoam cures cancer.

Thanks for all the advice! It really helps! I'd be lost without you guys! :hail:
I guess I'll just do all the repairs mentioned that I can and take it from there. Any more advice would still be appreciated.

seafoam cures cancer.
I've actually been using Seafoam as a cooking additive over the past few months and have recently developed several forms of advanced lymphoma.

fix it its not that hard dude. hell look at my 2 cars in my sig. sometimes things dont always go your way but if you keep at it it will be a nice car when its done.

run it off a bridge or park it in the hood with the keys in it!! take the money and buy a ls1
!!

So what do you think I should do at this point? I'm trying to get through school so dough is low.

Since you're in school, and this is, I'm assuming, you're basic transportation. I say keep it and fix whatever you need to:

First - to make it safe to drive.
Second - to make efficient to drive.
Third - to make it nice to drive.

Just do what you need as money and time permits. You'll come out better in the long run. If you sell it only to look for another used car, you'll wind up with another set of problems. :)

I say fix the SOB!!

just to let you know that a nice formula lt1 car only sells for round $5-$7500 so u take that it is a salvaged title take a grand off.
Dont mean to jack the thread. I bought my 95 m5 t/a convert with 77,000 clear title for $5500. Only thing wrong was a/c compressor. I think I got a good deal. So you can find em out there. :)

I paid $3000 for my 95 formula 6spd with 108,000 mi and a rebuilt title.

I've spent about $1500 on repairs thus far and this is what I have left to do.

1. My frame is bent rearward of my rear axle. As far as I know this doesn't hurt performance but it makes the body panels not alighn right.

2. I get 6mpg for some reason. Could be the exhaust leak at the manifold.

3. My intake is leaking oil and it think it could be leaking from other places as well.

4. Leaky rear diff.

5. Needs alighnment and the used corvette rims/tires I just payed $350 for put on.

Should I sell the car and cut my losses or what? I think I can do alot of this stuff myself before the summer is over but I don't have a garage so working on it is real tuff come fall. What do you think?

Leave the frame alone until later on. As long as it is safe to drive, let it just be a cosmetic issue.

Yes an exhaust leak will cause mpg to suffer, bigtime. People pratically give away stock manifolds though when they change to headers - so you can get a free or near free part. Just gotta install it.

Also a common problem...not a hard fix.

Welcome to the f-body world of rear leaks. If you can't afford to fix the pinion seal just stay on top of keeping fluid in it.

Sell the vette rims & just worry about fixing the car to run right, first and foremost.

In my opinion I'd say keep the car. Yes it may have a slew of issues but your not going to get any money for it and if you do sell it your going to have to find another cheap one because it sounds like money is low. Best to cut your loss and keep with it. Never know how things might work out and if you get it fixed then you know you have a reliable nice car to drive around.

I paid $3000 for my 95 formula 6spd with 108,000 mi and a rebuilt title.

I've spent about $1500 on repairs thus far and this is what I have left to do.

1. My frame is bent rearward of my rear axle. As far as I know this doesn't hurt performance but it makes the body panels not alighn right.

2. I get 6mpg for some reason. Could be the exhaust leak at the manifold.

3. My intake is leaking oil and it think it could be leaking from other places as well.

4. Leaky rear diff.

5. Needs alighnment and the used corvette rims/tires I just payed $350 for put on.

Should I sell the car and cut my losses or what? I think I can do alot of this stuff myself before the summer is over but I don't have a garage so working on it is real tuff come fall. What do you think?


shit buy all the parts and fix it yourself...or get a buddy to help out...where are you located im down to help!!! :judge:

Thanks for all the advice, it's great! You guys rock :hail: . I'm working on fixing the exhaust leaking past the gasket for starters. Anyone know how to get those darn bolts torqued to spec? I can't hardly reach half of 'em, let alone with a torque wrench. I'm thinking I may need to get headers just to be able to appy any sort of torque to the bolts.

tune up do the foamy thingy and then filter thingy and they o2 thingy and vuala, how can u tell if you have a exhaust leak..... is it a really bad knocking noise of your pipes(I know its not my valvetrain)when i start up my car it sounds like the pipes are hitting something but they are not.....???????? sorry to butt in...

you could always sell it and buy an ls1?

you could always sell it and buy an ls1?
I think I might actually try to do this, but I think I'll have to fix it first, at least partially. Plus I'll need to come up with a bit more cash for an ls1, but I might could do it.

tune up do the foamy thingy and then filter thingy and they o2 thingy and vuala, how can u tell if you have a exhaust leak..... is it a really bad knocking noise of your pipes(I know its not my valvetrain)when i start up my car it sounds like the pipes are hitting something but they are not.....???????? sorry to butt in...
So if there's a loud ticking from the exhaust after startup that sounds as if the pipes are tapping against something and goes away after it warms up then it's an exhaust leak for sure?

your o2 sensors are bad thats prob what causing the bad gas mileage

It could be your o2's are bad but from my experience the manifold leak will cause your o2's to give out wrong readings. My friend installed a manifold on his girlfriend's cobalt and the gas mileage and performance dropped significantly, we found a leak coming from the manifold and replaced the new gasket with the original one and it fixed the problem, gas mileage is back up and performance is better than before. Depending where it's leaking start with a new gasket and see if mileage improves, if not change out the o2's. You should be getting a check engine light from them. Her cobalt's check engine light was on because of the leak, the o2's were sending the code.

Anyone know how to get those darn bolts torqued to spec? I can't hardly reach half of 'em, let alone with a torque wrench.

Use your calibrated elbow :lol:

no shit, just torque them bitches down by feeling it. I never use a torque wrench(cept head bolts!!), and just do things by feel. sometimes I bust the torque wrench out for shits and giggles, and I'm normally not far off. torque a bolt, get the feel, the check it with the torque wrench.

FIX IT!!! a different car = different problems!

The bad MPG is likely due to leaky exhuast and a bad tune up. leaky manifolds will kill your milage, as the O2's see more O2, and report the condition as lean, and then DUMP fuel. cuz it can actually create a vacum, and PULL air in. Also a clogged fuel filter can cause it to run rich. and so can OLD O2's. chances are they are stock, and they last about 75,000 miles. My cadillac ones looked stock at 150k, and it had quite a bit more power when I replaced them. Also, clean the "tiny's" on your MAF with alcohol, that helped my car.

Short version: Tune it up, forget about the frame, and top the diff fluid off.

Awesome! You guys rock! :headbang: :hail:

HeBen another really good reason you should continue fixing your car I just thought of...

how many 4th gen firebirds will there really be 50 years in the future? It would be nice to have 1 more that lasted through time and not given up on. dont let a legend die, keep working at it

alright look at where your headers meet the engine, Is it white? if so you have sheered off bolds, when its cold you have ticking, but as it warms up the ticking goes away because the metal expands, having that fixed can be pricey (but yet under 1 grand). but i dont think there will be any other problems caused by this.

I had three sheered off bolts and drove it for a couple months before i had it fixed and there were no problems caused by it.

second the bad mileage. Are you getting about 150-160 miles to a tank? if so it could be a bad egr valve. about 90$ and it it easy to replace.

Hope some of it helps

I am in the same boat but knew what i was getting myself into..... needs alot of bodywork-frontnose spiderwebbed-various dents large and small-some asshole keyed it from the previous owner- exhaust leak at the header- and various miniscule things- I have been going back and forth in my head for almost a year on what I want to do.... good luck with your decision... This is my first car and I love it- but i just dont know what i want to do...... as far as oifish above me.... for around a grand you might as well spend a little more money and get a set of stock heads and have them ported instead of fixing stock ones.... (i see no point)

^^

yea that is ture, you could go that route. I think getting the heads fixed is less than 1 grand 500-800, i forget. I think it depends on how many bolts are sheered off, where they are at, etc.

I think it all depends on your future goals with the car.

90 bux for and ERG?!!!! whoa buddy, you need a new parts store.

IIRC, mine was 40 bux for an acdelco. 6sp EGR. Better yet, buy block plates and never worry about it again. I second getting the heads ported for 1000, vs getting the bolt fixed. just send them in as cores, and it's the porters problem for the next job.

if you can sell it and can afford any newer cleaner one. I would say sell it

Too much of a hassle. You can get a really nice condition Z28 for about 8 grand today. I got mine a little over a year ago for 7600 with 76000 miles and almost no problems. Only thing that had to be replaced was the tranny mount and front rotors.

keep it bro, no matter what an f body is an f body!

No it is not!! I have owned 8 f-bodies and all are to equal! Sell your car and start over. You will spend big bucks fixing a bent frame. It is not worth your time. Put some new o2's in and sell her fast!

id have to agree a bent frame is a bit much, you can always start over with another fbody