Alright here is the deal and I am looking for opinions from fellow enthusiast.
I used to have a 99Z28 that I put all my extra money into and ended up with a car that had plenty of go and some show but lacked in the daily driver department. I also started off just buying random parts and cookie cutter setups. Thus spending thousands of dollars just to change something a few months down the road. It was a nice car with leather, M6, and all the appearance mods I wanted with over 450rwhp. It lost the fun factor outside of highway romps with other enthusiast. Than Life happened and the car was sold.

Fast forward five years and I am back in an LS1 car. Although I am a bit wiser and not willing to dump money into pointless builds. Currently I have a very well maintained 98 formula, cloth, A4 and a little over 90k on the ticker. I know its nothing special and a base model V8 car so here is where it gets tricky.

I want a clean 500+ rwhp F-body, and a street car. I personally don't believe in the having your cake and eating it too. So I think the best bet would be to buy another F-body. I mean for 10k or under I can get a straight car and with an M6 this time and keep the bird as is for daily. Or I could get the other car as a daily and build the bird.

I have never built an auto vehicle outside of a old Cummins turbo diesel Dodge. So what say you auto guys?

Also I feel the best way and most affordable option in the long run to achieve the power goal is to replace the stock motor. I want an N/A motor no nitrous or FI. I have little interest in going to the strip or running the streets with any car I own.

I know some of you have been there and checked the blocks. Let me learn from your experience. Is it less of hassle to have two cars one pretty much stock for everyday driving, and the other to keep nice and turn into a bullet proof ride?

 

ive posted this many times. ill never DD an ls1 fbody ever again.


ill keep my SS forever but itll only be driven when its nice out. id get something you dont have to worry about so you have more money to hook up your car how you want.


as far as making power id go as big cubes as you can afford. 408/ls7 ect.

 

I've been mulling over the idea of buying a roller or one with a blown motor to start as a project. I have access to a shop and a guy who loves to build cars in his free time for nothing. My grandpa helped me get my Camaro, so I couldn't possibly part with that car. I just can't decide if I want to stick a stock 5.3 in a roller and DD that, while I build this car. OR get another and start from scratch on it while I continue to DD the one I have. Leaning towards number one, as the Camaro holds sentimental value and I'd love nothing more than for it to be a terror. I could always swap the Camaro parts I won't be using over into the roller, and that'd certainly help keep this whole vision within budget.

I've been all over the place with what I want to do, and I've yet to come up with a specific power goal. However, I've got it in my head now that I want to do a 408, 4L80E, 9" combo. It's not going to break any records, but it'll be fast and reliable. With that said, those ideas are subject to change on a minute to minute basis, as I'm sure everyone on here can relate to.

Didn't mean to hijack your thread! Just sharing what I've got in mind on the subject

 

No hijack its all good info. By the way I spent many years just down the road from you in Mtn.View / Birchtree area.

 

I would never want to daily another ls car again. I drove mine for 3 years straight and started to hate it. Now it's my second car and I like it a lot more. I would buy something else and just build what you have.

 

Small world. I live a couple miles off of 17 between Mtn View and West Plains. Big farm south of Peace Valley. Shame you left. Not many around here interested in f-bodies.

 

I wouldn't, and i got mine when i was 18, 22 now and instead of driving it every opportunity like i used to i only drive it on nice days, the true duals is probably what kills the comfort for me, probably switching to a Y/Catback setup this spring/summer, I also want a really fast (500+) car and am leaning towards a turbo build or 408. Mostly for top end roll racing, but still calm and streetable.

 

I daily drove a Fbody Z28 6 speed in CA traffic commute for a couple years and HATED it! I eliminated the skip shift and actually regretted it LOL. My T/A now stays in Garage and breaks out on weekends, and I daily drive a Dodge Grand Caravan (service vehicle) and I'm happy with it.

 

No, I wouldn't own 2 Fbodies at same time.

In your post, you said car wont be street raced or track raced.

If I were in your shoes, I 'd do a H/C/I/Exhaust combo with good street manners and suspension mods to support it all.

If you get bored with 400 rwph car, a very conservative and well tuned 100 shot of nitrous will be good for fun.

A good looking/sounding car that runs like a champ is much better than a no radio/ no ac/ caged car that is just meant to be a dd.

 

I have owned two LS1 F-bodies simultaneously for the last 7+ years now; one is a garage queen/show car, the other has been a stock daily driver (doing 75 miles per day at one point). This has been a great arrangement for me, since I really enjoy driving these cars but didn't want to put the wear on the weekend toy.

These cars fit me like a glove in every way, and make great daily drivers when stock IMO. The only downside is that it takes some of the fun away from the weekend toy when the daily driver is so similar. This is one of the reasons I intend to get a different daily driver this spring.

 

I love my 2000 z28 and it's soon to have over 450 RWHP but I'm not go drive it daily. If I was go drob ce a f body daily it would be a 3rd gen camaro iroc with a mild cam ls1 or even a 224 cammed 5.3 for a nice budget daily driver. I'm a fourth gen guy but true enough third gens has more room under the hood for maintenance.

 

I have a 99Z DD. Coming up on 191k on the clock. Love driving it, mostly stock. Also have 99SS I'm working on 408 build for it. Bought SS as roller but only bc of how much I enjoy my Z. Can't wait for first fire/drive

 

I think I'd get a second one one day. I used to daily the car in my sig when it was stock and when it had bolt ons and after a while it got annoying because little things would go wrong with it that I had to fix. When it was stock it was the most reliable car I've ever had and that was with 200k+. If I were to get a second it'd have to be a 6spd and I wouldn't do more than lid/catback/tune. I'd use that as the daily and keep the stalled auto as the weekend toy. My ultimate plan however is to have my current car, a c5z/frc, and a beater.

To answer your question op, I enjoy driving my car with a built trans/stall, but I prefer to have a second car to use as my dd.

 

I've had two Firebirds on tap for five or six years now. My A4 is my DD - 10+ years now, and my M6 is for cruising on nice days. I appreciate both transmissions and enjoy the privilege of owning both.

I think that people complain about f-bodies as DD's because of mods. Loud exhaust, grippy clutches, ridiculous converters, giant cams, etc. might be great for the track or occasional cruising, but make daily driving a drag. Moderate, sensible mods make for having your f-body cake and eating it too.

I love my wife's G8, but I'm with RPM WS6 in that these cars fit me like a glove. I'm always happy to get back in one after being away for a while.

 

sure why not ?? I have 4 f bodies in my current stable , if one breaks drive the others , did the same with w bodies before... familiarity is key, with multiples you at least know what your getting into lol

 

I kind of did the opposite. My '00 'bird is modded, but I wanted a project that I could take further. Picked up the '95 for my project car, and I don't feel bad about cutting on it like I would the '00.

 

Having another car makes you appreciate the fast car that much more.

 

I don't think i know anyone who hasn't owned at least 2 f-bodies....i'm on my fourth

I daily'd my first 3 then bought a 2000 Grand Prix when i got my Trans Am, i'd much rather daily a GP than an f-body

 

While I love F-bodies and have owned one since my first '96 Formula bought new in July 1996, I have never really owned two F-bodies at the same time. Just too many fun cars out there to drive to just limit yourself to one type. While I agree with RPM WS6 about the car fitting me like a glove too (like it was designed just for me) I still like variety. It's a personal choice for you and what other cars might interest you.

 

I bought my ls1 new and will never sell it. I love the car and think there's not a more unique car on the road than a lowered WS6 on a nice set of rims. But I'd rather DD a Ford Pinto.