tberg725

So I am making the switch selling my mustang and buying a 98-02 trans am or camaro have not made up my mind on which but I have always loved the body style and have nothing bad to say about the ls1 motor, I would like to get the car down into the low 11's high 10's without a power adder or spray, Ive been doing the racing thing for awhile so I know how important suspension is, im just curious on what I have to do to the motor to get it there btw the car will be an auto

z28_YOU_HO

iTrader: (7)

Heads and cam.
Big Stall if its an auto.
Gears if its manual. (A new rear end most likely)
Sticky Tire.
Maybe a little weight reduction

travisn

don't get a 98 unless it's a really good deal. Lots of improvements in 99+. I'm not an expert so do some searching regarding the differences.

tberg725

Right on, so ill avoid the 98's already planned on building a rear end ive herd how weak the rear end is on these cars

98CayenneT/A

Nothing wrong with 98's.

The 10 bolt will last just fine behind a auto

GtoProject

iTrader: (2)

I would go with a 00+ as a starter. It'll come with a ls6 intake and a slightly better pcm compared to the 98-99 models. You'll also need a very very very good suspension setup that you don't want to cheap out on. All adjustable Shocks/springs/torque arm/panhard bar/lca's, you can also run subframe connectors if you want. They tend to be a iffy topic but I personally run a set of weld in's and feel they help with stiffening the car up. Next you're gonna want to throw out the trash 10 bolt and upgrade to a 12 bolt or 9", the minute you put a sticky tire on a 7.5 ring gear the thing shoots out oil and parts. It all depends on your setup and goals but a lot of stick cars run 4:10's while autos stick with a 3:73. That's not set in stone but something I tend to see. Of course you'll need a decent set of tires and be ready to get out the hammer on the rear tubs as well as rolling the quarter lips for anything wider than a 285. Trans wise a t56 should be able to run a 10 or so with a decent clutch and a 4l60e will last a while with just a large stall convertor, as long as it's got a big cooler on it. Engine wise if you wanna run 10's n/a you're gonna need a big *** cam, a decent set of heads, a large intake/throttle body setup, and a valve train to take the rpm. There's plenty of threads on h/c/I that should help you reach your goal. Don't forget to let the thing breath with some 1 7/8+ long tubes and a decent dual or large y-pipe exhaust. And weight reduction you can deal with will help as well. Most questions have already been answered if you're good with the search box at the top

SouthernRex

This is absolute nonsense. The 1998 is a fantastic year for the LS1 in both cars. The coolant temp sensor is more accurate (sensor->dash). The T-Tops have never leaked in any '98 car that I've seen (not to say it doesn't happen). There were some changes to the PCM later on, so there's a little bit more you can do in tuning I think, but what travisn is speaking about is just urban myth. Some of the fastest F-Body cars in the world are 1998's.

Yes, the later years come with the LS6 intake manifold, but the different cam they use ends up making all of the years very close in stock HP. You can just add an LS6 intake manifold or FAST yourself down the road to a 98/99. There are things I love about the '02 and such, but they are minor differences, and discrediting the 1998 F-Body is just ignorance.

98CayenneT/A

To add to this, you don't have to deal with the lame *** sail panel bubbling with the 98's.

tberg725

Thank you for the information guys, so 98 is an option again if those are the only differences, reading up on things I was already planning on a fast 90 intake seems to be the best option for these cars and I plan on buying all the best things for the car sense I plan on keeping it so what the car comes with don't really matter to me along with getting a 9" when the read end fails.

Doing a little reading what do you guys think of the MS4 as a foundation to build the motor around a couple dyno sheets I have seen they are making peak hp around 6,400 and gained 82HP just from a cam swap alone that is just sick

tberg725

But side note the fast 90 would be one of my last purchases sense ill run an ls6 intake untill the fast 90 is needed and in the start I would rather put the money towards cam, stall, gear, heads and suspension first

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Some info in this thread is not correct...

No LS6 intake stock until 2001. 1998-00 all use the same LS1 intake.

'98 PCM was one year only, not the same as '99. '99-'02 are different (vs. '98), and the '01-'02 also has a faster processor.

Not true at all for an auto. Check out this thread if you don't believe it:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/gears-axl...ock-7-5-a.html

Forget about a gear swap for an auto car unless you've run out of other things to do. Go with a 3500+ stall speed to start, and any additional gains from a 3.73 swap would be limited to about one tenth of ET reduction at most.

The guys above saying that '98s are fine to consider are absolutely correct. All the model years have some differences from each other, but not all the changes on the later cars were actually improvements. Depending on your preferences and what you plan to mod, you might even be better off with an earlier year. Best to do the research and decide for yourself. Here are some links that will help with this; I've put a ton of time into cataloging the differences between the model years, I've owned them all (except a 2001) so this is all backed with personal experience:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/chevrolet...s-pleases.html

https://ls1tech.com/forums/new-ls1-o...need-know.html

https://ls1tech.com/forums/new-ls1-o...-f-bodies.html

tberg725

Well I am not buying the car to be a DD I am buying it to race it and enjoy the hell out of it in the summer imo nothing beats a nice sounding ride and t-tops and not to mention the exhaust note these things produce after being cammed, this car will never be seeing rainy days or snow, I appreciate all the info you have provided and would still like more information regarding a build around the MS4 camshaft

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

That link is about much more than just daily driving one, it contains everything you'd want to know about model year specific considerations and differences you might be curious about based on the discussion in this thread. Check it out if you have time and want in depth knowledge of the aspects touched on here.

If you're looking to build a street/strip car, check out this thread for some ideas and knowledge:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/new-ls1-o...anna-fast.html

tberg725

Right on, thank you, I got more than enough time to read threw the forum sense bring run over on my harley by a lady texting and driving much of my time is being spent on forums and getting things ready for summer, kind of how I came to this conclusion of getting rid of my mustangs and getting an fbody im ready for some thing different and fun so everyone will see more of my on this forum and ill be getting to know all the active members

usnfenix

iTrader: (11)

Jesus this crap circulating again.

OP look at this mans post count and disregard this message. Ive owned several F bodies as per my signature and my current, a 98 has been the strongest and best performer of them all, not saying 98 is superior, im just saying there isn't this big mystical trend where you buy a 98 and mash the pedal and its going to blow up. If staying stock or close to stock then I can see why a 01 and up will suit anyone's needs better due to the intake and other mild upgrades over previous years, but if going for a build like OP suggested there really isn't a problem since OP will likely be swapping all parts in question anyways. (mainly the ls6 intake which most 10-11 sec guys swap to FAST so this argument gets thrown out right away).

OP, some real advice, if you find a clean, low mile ls1 car that you like, buy it regardless of the year. Just understand the differences throughout all the years and tailor your choices based upon your research.

Oh and use the search function.

BlackDuk98

iTrader: (34)

Yeah, '98s are crap, I would never buy one.

Sail panels are also bad with later 98's (mid may and up, RPM WS6 corrected me on this, mine was born in June ) besides 99-02. Hatch will do the same.

This regurgitated newb crap about '98s is old. Do some research unlike some previous posters. A lot of good deals out there. Prices have come down since I purchased mine 10 years ago. If I were to do it again, I would buy a roller, save a lot by not upgrading multiple times

tberg725

I try not to judge too much based on post count, for example my post count in low but I do know alot about building motors as I have build several of my own by myself, I have just never built or owned an LS1 car

You are correct the parts that have been pointed out as deciding factors to not buy a 98 don't mean anything to me sense I will be changing everything about the motor and going all after market.

Also with everything that you guys have said about the cars I am open to buying any 98-02 LS1 car I find and like

tberg725

I have really been thinking about this if I cannot find one with low miles for a decent price then I will just drop in a monster on the first shot

usnfenix

iTrader: (11)

If I was willing to blow all that cash on a ground up build, that's what I would have done. Ive been at this 4 times over now and I remember several times ive revamped parts for a newer or upgraded version. Do it once and be done with it. However its expensive and very time and space consuming. That's just me though.

tberg725

Well the money thing is not really going to be an issue when it comes time to build, so really if I find one with low miles I can enjoy for awhile and build off that platform it will be cool other wise I will just find a roller and throw in one nice motor in a single shot im open to either way