73CamaroLT

iTrader: (8)

So the other day i had the chance to auto x my dads stock 5th gen SS and lets sayim hooked. I have a few events coming up local to me and im going to put my 4th gen in. The car is stock springs and shocks, stock front suspension, 2pt SFC's, non adj LCA, Relobrackets, and an adj panhard bar and everything is poly bushings. 17x9 wheels with some BFG all season tires. I dont plan on going ***** to the wall but what should i do as far as setup.

I saw add an extra quart of oil which i will do. Also i had stock LS1 brakes with slotted and drilled rotors with ceremic pads. I have bilstein shocks that i will put on but probably not before the first event coming up in a few weeks. Any tips for a basically first timer?

JD_AMG

Go out and have some fun!
If you still have the stock LCA's put those back on, as poly LCA will bind and cause sketchy handling. Same for the relocation brackets, remove them as they are only hurting your handling.
Watch the rotors as well as drilled rotors are known to get stress cracks. You ideally want quality blank rotors and good pads (not ceramic).
Before you go out and buy any more mods use the search aggressively as there are a ton of things out there that will only hurt you in the corners.

73CamaroLT

iTrader: (8)

Yea i bought the rotors and pads because they were cheap and i didnt have the money at the time. Ill swap them out for Brembo blanks or something if i keep racing alot. I forgot to mention i also have UMI sway bars front and rear with poly endlinks. If i have time ill swap those parts out. This car is still my Daily driver.

What mods would you suggest for a car that is daily driven and autox 1-2 a month. with a few passes at the drag strip?

Midnight02

iTrader: (8)

The sways are a nice mod and really help.

Definitely pull the LCAs and relocation brackets -- they tend to bind things up.

Fresh oil change and add an extra quart, ensure you're using fresh DOT 4+ brake fluid and your tires are in good shape and you're good to start out.

Once you get deeper in, you'll want to upgrade brake pads and find a good set of blank rotors.

1981TA

iTrader: (7)

Can't offer more advice than what these guys have said. Sounds like you got the "make sure you have fun" part down

Sifu

I remember my first track day. Learn the car in its simple form to master that setup. Then add in some new mods and learn to master the new setup!

Above all...have fun!

brigade24

get a good air pressure gauge with a relief valve on it.

some autox literature can also help adjust your mindset...put you in the zone.

have fun and you'll go fast.

gscherer78ta

iTrader: (1)

Why the extra qt of oil? Also, when you guys are replacing your DOT 3 fluids, how are you getting the old stuff out of the lines? More precisely, are you using special tools to push the fluid out through the ABS or the simply the brake pedal?

Midnight02

iTrader: (8)

Add the extra quart to help counter some of the oil starvation issues these cars suffer from once you start reaching higher g's around corners. Probably not as necessary for a beginner on street tires, however at $8/quart, it's cheap insurance.

I'll defer to others for more specific guidance on the brake bleed, however I just picked up a Motive Power Bleeder. In theory (haven't yet tested the execution), you fill this with fresh fluid, connect it to the cap on the fluid reservoir, add pressure to the line view the tool and then the old fluid bleeds out of the bleeder screws. Continue to push fresh fluid through until new fluids starts to push through.

gscherer78ta

iTrader: (1)

Are there any downsides to having the extra qt. of oil in the crankcase for regular driving?
I've not heard of oil starvation problems with the LS engines- is there some info on that somewhere on here? ( No doubt ).

1981TA

iTrader: (7)

I've not personally encountered oil starvation under heavy G cornering, but that does not mean it can't happen. For what it's worth, I understand some oil pan designs are more prone toward it than others.

gscherer78ta

iTrader: (1)

Does a stock LS1 oil pan lend itself to oil starvation? I thought the stock LS1 had a baffle in the pan and an oil scrapper for the crank. Is this true?

sandman2100

iTrader: (8)

When I put together my LQ4 there was no scraper, just a windage tray on the block and another in the pan. Nothing like the Improved Racing baffle with trap doors to hold oil around the sump. Though, from what I gather most people run into starvation when running RComp tires and pulling a long sweeping turn.

I've only done 2 high speed autocross events, but did everything they said above. I'm far from an expert but make sure everything is in working order so you can focus on learning and have fun. No leaks, no squeaks.

ImprovedRacing

The main downside is you get more oil making it's way into your intake manifold through the PCV system, but if you have a good catch can it shouldn't be a problem.

Here's a data log chart comparing the factory baffle to the Improved Racing baffle on a road course:

http://www.improvedracing.com/images...GM-204_All.pdf

You can see that with the factory baffle oil pressures start to dip at about 1.0 sustained G's. With our baffle, you can pull up to about 1.4 sustained G's without any dips in oil pressure.

Generally, track days, autocrossing or drag racing a mostly stock car on street tires won't be a problem with the stock pan and baffle. Just add some extra oil (0.5-1.0 quarts) as indicated on the factory owner's manual. Once you start modifying the vehicle and running grippy tires you will start running into issues. For rock crawling, off-roading, or drifting, you definitely want a baffle and crank scraper and possibly an oil accumulator.

ImprovedRacing

Yes, the stock LS1 F-Body pan is pretty bad. The factory baffle is just a flat plate and doesn't do much. There is no crank scraper, just a windage tray, and the windage tray is only a 3/4 length tray so the first two cylinders are completely uncovered. Our LS1 F-Body crank scraper is designed to make up for this shortcoming and work in conjunction with the factory windage tray.

Crank scraper: http://www.improvedracing.com/crank-...ody-p-431.html

Baffle: http://www.improvedracing.com/baffle...ffle-p-30.html