Buying Used F-Body: What to look for?
02-07-2008, 01:23 PM
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Staging Lane
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Buying Used F-Body: What to look for? Soon I'll be on the market for a LS1 fbody car. I need to know what major and minor things to look for that would be specific to these cars, with respect to the condition of the car and what might need replacing. All advice is appreciated and if there is a thread already on this please redirect me, Thanks
02-07-2008, 01:51 PM
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I would look for odd ripples / bumps at the rear quarters
as a sign that somebody was in the habit of launching
it hard.
Look at the intake tract for signs ported MAF, ported TB,
K&N filter, "free ram air" etc. which would be the likeliest
home-cobble mods - was this a car that was left alone or
maybe has a history of owner trying out "free mods"?
Trans and rear end are weaker than they should be, for
the motor. Found all kind of shavings in my diff at only
20K miles or so. Ask for the last rear end and transmission
fluid / filter service receipts; if none or some long BS story
figure it has not been maintained. Ask what converter it
has in it (if A4) or what clutch. If they know a brand then
it's been hopped up and driven hard most likely. Stock
converter is easier on the powertrain than any aftermarket
one.
If it's got drag radials then it's been driven hard most likely.
If it's got 16" rims then it has (or used to) a lower speed
limiter on it. That's a simple tune problem and maybe a
safer buy than one with the higher factory limiter.
Basically you are as interested in the previous owner as
the car itsef.
I would stay away from '98s and prefer the '01-'02s
lack of EGR, LS6 manifold and bigger injectors over
the '99-'00.
If it stumbles when you roll into the throttle lightly
you probably have some tune issues or some air /
fuel delivery characteristics that have drifted away
from stock and the car is doing its best to hide /
adapt to it.
If I was looking I'd look a long time for one that was
owned by a thirty-something female. Twenty-something
males (or younger) tend to be broke and try anything
they think will make it faster, rod the hell out of it and
forget to change the fluids; older women hire the
maintenance done and are more nurturing. My buddy's
ex-GF, thirty-something nurse with an '00 SS 'vert
that's never been to the track and clean like new, as an
example. As opposed to his helper's LT1 with nitrous jug
in the back and all kind of cobbling done to it. Stout car,
faster than mine when he sprays it, but short life
expectancy. Which brings up another point, signs of
nitrous plumbing ot its removal, lot of scrapes in the
spare tire well, etc. - listen real close to that motor.
as a sign that somebody was in the habit of launching
it hard.
Look at the intake tract for signs ported MAF, ported TB,
K&N filter, "free ram air" etc. which would be the likeliest
home-cobble mods - was this a car that was left alone or
maybe has a history of owner trying out "free mods"?
Trans and rear end are weaker than they should be, for
the motor. Found all kind of shavings in my diff at only
20K miles or so. Ask for the last rear end and transmission
fluid / filter service receipts; if none or some long BS story
figure it has not been maintained. Ask what converter it
has in it (if A4) or what clutch. If they know a brand then
it's been hopped up and driven hard most likely. Stock
converter is easier on the powertrain than any aftermarket
one.
If it's got drag radials then it's been driven hard most likely.
If it's got 16" rims then it has (or used to) a lower speed
limiter on it. That's a simple tune problem and maybe a
safer buy than one with the higher factory limiter.
Basically you are as interested in the previous owner as
the car itsef.
I would stay away from '98s and prefer the '01-'02s
lack of EGR, LS6 manifold and bigger injectors over
the '99-'00.
If it stumbles when you roll into the throttle lightly
you probably have some tune issues or some air /
fuel delivery characteristics that have drifted away
from stock and the car is doing its best to hide /
adapt to it.
If I was looking I'd look a long time for one that was
owned by a thirty-something female. Twenty-something
males (or younger) tend to be broke and try anything
they think will make it faster, rod the hell out of it and
forget to change the fluids; older women hire the
maintenance done and are more nurturing. My buddy's
ex-GF, thirty-something nurse with an '00 SS 'vert
that's never been to the track and clean like new, as an
example. As opposed to his helper's LT1 with nitrous jug
in the back and all kind of cobbling done to it. Stout car,
faster than mine when he sprays it, but short life
expectancy. Which brings up another point, signs of
nitrous plumbing ot its removal, lot of scrapes in the
spare tire well, etc. - listen real close to that motor.
02-07-2008, 07:34 PM
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i think jimmyblue said it best, but I am a young 20's guy nd I baby the **** outa my car, no track no racing just like to know I have the power there nd I like to mod it bc, anyway I would try nd find one that an enthusiast owned bc you know they took care of it nd did all maintenance properly
02-07-2008, 07:35 PM
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Staging Lane
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thats alot of good stuff, thanks for all the info, i'll be writing some of this down for when i go check one out, and I'm leaning towards a M6 w/ less than 90 k
